axe

The hoard of copper axe and axe hammer heads from the 5th millennium BC is said to be Europe’s largest Chalcolithic find of its kind.

12 January, 2019 - 12:26 Ed Whelan

27 Pounds of Copper Age Axe and Hammer Heads is the Largest European Hoard of its Kind

Ancient societies’ ability to manufacture metal objects was critical in the development of civilization. This is why any finds of metallic goods or tools from the prehistoric past is so important for...

Mr Powell, the recent vigilante medieval knight competing in a medieval tournament.

23 October, 2018 - 18:58 ashley cowie

Sword Wielding Medieval Knight Vigilante Takes On A Street Gang

A British medieval enthusiast took the law into his own hands after being harassed by local youths by grabbing some medieval weaponry and taking them on equipped with a sword and axe. Alun Powell,...

Gneiss stone axe found on the shores of Loch of Stenness.

13 August, 2018 - 18:57 ashley cowie

Archeologists Unearth Axes and Human Hair at Two Ancient Sites in Orkney

Archaeologists high five in Orkney as a large number of 5,000-year-old stone axes were discovered among 30,000 artifacts, including “pottery, bones and tools” according to a recent report by The BBC...

Researcher Elspeth Hayes with Mark Djandjomerr and traditional owner May Nango extracting comparative samples at a cave adjacent Madjedbebe. Credit: David Vadiveloo / Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation

21 July, 2017 - 13:58 Theodoros Karasavvas

New Findings in Australia Have Shocking Ramifications for Human Occupation, Species Extinction and Out of Africa Theories

A group of archaeologists in Australia has discovered the world's oldest stone axes with a ground edge. This discovery is extremely significant as it pushes Australia's human history back to 65,000...

11 July, 2017 - 22:48 Theodoros Karasavvas

Ötzi’s Ancient Axe is from Tuscany, Giving Firm Evidence of Neolithic Travel and Trade

Scientists have officially verified that copper used to make Otzi the Iceman’s axe blade did not come from the Alpine region as was initially suggested, but instead it came from southern Tuscany in...

Some of the original 9 axe heads or “Celts’ plus the spearhead found by the Korstad brothers.

7 May, 2017 - 14:04 ancient-origins

Hobbyist Metal Detectorists Find Hoard of 3000-year-old Axes in Farmer's Field in Norway

Some 3,000 years ago, 24 axes were cached in Stjørdal municipality, about 44 km (27.3 miles) east of Trondheim. They're now seeing the light of day once again. In late April, a sensational discovery...

13 November, 2016 - 00:48 ancient-origins

Oldest Human Burial and Polished Axe Unearthed in Ireland

Archaeologists have shed new light on the belief systems of early Mesolithic hunter-gatherers after analyzing cremated remains and artifacts given as grave offerings from the earliest recorded human...

29 September, 2016 - 03:41 ancient-origins

Ice Man, Otzi: A Treacherous Murder with Unexpected Links to Central Italy

The copper used to make Otzi's axe blade did not come from the Alpine region as had previously been supposed, but from ore mined in southern Tuscany. Ötzi was probably not involved in working the...

29 June, 2016 - 14:49 Natalia Klimczak

Examination of 1,000-Year-Old Viking ‘Death House’ Reveals Elite Burial with Stunning Artifacts

A team of researchers have examined a rare Viking tomb known as a ‘death house’, revealing an elite burial containing the remains of two noblemen and a woman, along with impressive artifacts...

3 June, 2016 - 00:35 Natalia Klimczak

Secrets of Stone Age Jade Axes Revealed in Scotland

A new exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland showcases a rarely seen collection of Stone Age jade axeheads. Most of them were brought to Scotland around 4,000 years BC. In those times they...

13 May, 2016 - 21:35 Mark Miller

Metals in Bronze Age Weapons Discovered in Sweden Came from Distant Lands

Researchers analyzing bronze daggers, swords, and axes found in bogs and graves at various places in Sweden over the years have made a surprising find. Some of the artifacts date as far back 3,600...

11 May, 2016 - 21:43 ancient-origins

World's Oldest Axe Fragment Found in Australia

Australian archaeologists have discovered a piece of the world's oldest axe in the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia. The axe fragment is about the size of a thumbnail and dates back to a...

The child - seen here in these remarkable pictures for the first time - appears to be from a higher social strata that previous remains unearthed at the site, the mysterious Zeleny Yar necropolis.

18 July, 2015 - 14:59 ancient-origins

Mummy of a child warrior from lost medieval civilization unearthed near Arctic

By Anna Liesowska / Siberian Times Scientists this week opened the mummified child's remains cocooned in birch bark and copper which - combined with the permafrost - produced an accidental...

Handle of newly revealed Viking sword, Langeid, Norway

15 July, 2015 - 14:38 Alicia McDermott

Sword of Late Viking Age Burial Unveiled Exhibiting Links Between Norway and England

Though they discovered it in 2011, archaeologists from the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo had to wait through four long years of conservation and research to finally reveal the finding of a...

25 November, 2014 - 00:39 aprilholloway

5,500-year-old complete hand axe unearthed in prehistoric seabed in Denmark

Archaeologists from the Museum Lolland-Falster in Denmark made an extremely rare discovery when they unearthed a complete hand axe with handle still attached in what was once a seabed in prehistoric...

20 January, 2014 - 00:03 aprilholloway

Icon of Neolithic technology given enhanced protection by UNESCO

The Neolithic flint mines at Spiennes in Belgium, which cover more than 100 hectares, are the largest and earliest concentration of ancient mines in Europe and reflect an extremely high level of...

Myths & Legends

The Epic of Gilgamesh. Source: Luca Oleastri / Adobe.

The Epic of Gilgamesh Unveiled: Searching For a Way to the Home Planet

The Epic of Gilgamesh is regarded as one of mankind’s greatest literary and historical works. Many authors have studied the text in an effort to explain the nature of Gilgamesh’s tyranny and his erratic behavior.

Decoding Viking Signs: Nine Norse Symbols Explained

The Menhune of Hawaii – Ancient Race or Fictional Fairytale?

Vlad the Impaler the Inspiration Behind Count Dracula

Skaði, The Norse ‘Giantess’ with a Godly Vendetta

Say the Magic Word: The Origins of Abracadabra

Human Origins

‘Indian Barbers Saharanpore’ by Edwin Lord Weeks. Scientists have recently found just how diverse both Indian and Jewish genes really are.

Unity in Diversity: Studies Reveal Surprising Stories for the Genes of Ancient Hindus and Jews

New research using ancient DNA is rewriting the genetic history of two ancient peoples; the Hindus and the Jews - and it shows that their two religious civilizations are the result of multiple ancient ethnic migrations; into the Land of India in the case of the Hindus, and into diaspora Jewish communities in the case of the Jewish people.

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

The Pagan Wheel of the Year: What Elaborate Rituals and Events Mark this Sacred Cycle?

Drugs in Ancient Cultures: A History of Drug Use and Effects

Mysterious Worlds: Travels to the Faerie and Shamanic Realms

Rh-Negative Blood: An Exotic Bloodline or Random Mutation?

Ancient Technology

The passage of carts over decades could cause ruts (like the one shown), particularly in high-traffic areas of Pompeii.

Romans in Pompeii Repaired the Roads with Molten Iron

The buried city of Pompeii continues to provide many insights into Roman society , economy, and culture. The ash and pumice , that fell on Pompeii from Mount Vesuvius , froze the city in time. A...

Ancient Journeys: What was Travel Like for the Romans?

Why Are There 365 Days in a Year? Organizing Dates with an Ancient Egyptian Calendar

The revolutionary invention of the wheel

Ten amazing inventions from ancient times

Mummy Brown – the 16th century paint made from ground up mummies

Ancient Places

The destruction of the Great Library of Alexandria

Alexandria, one of the greatest cities of the ancient world, was founded by Alexander the Great after his conquest of Egypt in 332 BC. After the death of Alexander in Babylon in 323 BC, Egypt fell to...

The Great Serpent Mound of Ohio, the Largest Earthen Effigy in the World

The White Temple and the Great Ziggurat in the Mesopotamian City of Uruk

The Construction of Venice, the Floating City

The 9,000-year-old underground megalithic settlement of Atlit Yam

Explaining the Fall of the Great Akkadian Empire

Opinion

Mysterious Worlds: Travels to the Faerie and Shamanic Realms

There are many accounts of a land of immortality and eternal youth in world myths and legends, as well as shamanic and indigenous spiritual traditions. Mysterious Worlds Writing in his recent work,...

Pharaoh Akhenaten: An Alternative View of the Heretic King

Changing Colors and Scampering Across the Night Sky: What Did the Ancients Say about Sirius?

Cracking the Code to Discover Ancient Tarot Symbolism and Forgotten Universal Knowledge

The Secret Strategic Plans of Darius the Great

The Secrets of the Kabbalists Garden

Our Mission

At Ancient Origins, we believe that one of the most important fields of knowledge we can pursue as human beings is our beginnings. And while some people may seem content with the story as it stands, our view is that there exists countless mysteries, scientific anomalies and surprising artifacts that have yet to be discovered and explained.

The goal of Ancient Origins is to highlight recent archaeological discoveries, peer-reviewed academic research and evidence, as well as offering alternative viewpoints and explanations of science, archaeology, mythology, religion and history around the globe.

We’re the only Pop Archaeology site combining scientific research with out-of-the-box perspectives.

By bringing together top experts and authors, this archaeology website explores lost civilizations, examines sacred writings, tours ancient places, investigates ancient discoveries and questions mysterious happenings. Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. We seek to retell the story of our beginnings.

axe