Brain

24 May, 2018 - 02:00 ancient-origins

Why do humans have such large brains? (And why aren’t they larger?)

Mauricio Gonzalez Forero / The Conversation Most animals have brains in proportion to their body size – species with larger bodies often have larger brains. But the human brain is almost six times...

Neanderthal man at the Natural History Museum London

13 May, 2018 - 14:44 Alicia McDermott

Spectacular Science! Lab-Grown Mini Neanderthal Brains Could Explain What Makes Humans Different

We’re living in an age when many people believe there are no limits to what technology can do. Apply that to paleogenetics and you’ll see research into ancient disease, the domestication of animals,...

The 4000-year-old brain tissue found in Seyitömer Höyük, Turkey.

11 September, 2017 - 01:59 aprilholloway

Bronze Age Brain: 4000-Year-Old Human Cerebral Tissue Preserved by ‘Corpse Wax’

Tissue from a human Bronze Age brain has been preserved for 4000 years. Archaeologists hope that similar specimens can be found to discover more information on health conditions in the prehistoric...

A reconstruction of Homo naledi’s head by paleoartist John Gurche, who spent some 700 hours recreating the head from bone scans.

25 April, 2017 - 22:55 Mark Miller

Pre-human Species with Orange-Sized Brains May Have Used Teamwork and Buried Their Dead

Which came first in pre-human species’ communication and teamwork—larger brains or the folds and ridges of the brain that fostered language and empathy? Some scientists studying a possible human...

18 November, 2016 - 03:51 Dave Miller

The Lost Artifacts of Clover Hollow - Definite Proof of an Ancient Civilization or Just a Pile of Rocks?

Buried meticulously and ceremonially around the foundations of rock formations aligned across Clover Hollow Mountain are strange and creative portable artifacts that will stretch the imagination of...

7 November, 2016 - 14:45 Theodoros Karasavvas

Were You Born a Democrat or a Republican? The Historical and Biological Factors That Could Lead Your Vote

With only one day left before America votes on its 45th President, Hillary Clinton's polling lead over Donald Trump has narrowed significantly in recent days and the presidential race looks as heated...

28 October, 2016 - 21:46 ancient-origins

First-Ever Fossilized Dinosaur Brain Tissue Discovered in Sussex, England

Researchers have identified the first known example of fossilized brain tissue in a dinosaur from Sussex. The tissues resemble those seen in modern crocodiles and birds. An unassuming brown pebble,...

1 September, 2016 - 03:37 ancient-origins

Smarter Brains Are Blood-Thirsty Brains

A University of Adelaide-led project has overturned the theory that the evolution of human intelligence was simply related to the size of the brain -- but rather linked more closely to the supply of...

19 August, 2016 - 03:49 ancient-origins

Schizophrenia Emerged After Humans Diverged from Neanderthals

Schizophrenia poses an evolutionary enigma. The disorder has existed throughout recorded human history and persists despite its severe effects on thought and behavior, and its reduced rates of...

The carcass is preserved really very well. And one of the most important things is that the brain is preserved.

20 March, 2016 - 14:06 ancient-origins

Ancient puppy brain is well preserved as dog bares its teeth after 12,400 years

By Anna Liesowska / The Siberian Times Scientists revealed today that they have found the first-ever well preserved brain of a Pleistocene canid. Exclusive video and pictures show the autopsy on a...

2 March, 2015 - 21:47 lizleafloor

Decapitated Skull Holds Remarkable Find - Oldest Preserved Brain in Britain

Archaeologists stumbled upon a surprising find in 2009 when they uncovered a preserved brain in a skull, buried in an Iron Age pit in Yorkshire, England. Known as the Heslington Brain, the find has...

The careful removal of Stone Age remains from excavation at Stokke

19 February, 2015 - 00:49 lizleafloor

8,000-year-old "Brunstad Man" Stone Age Skeleton May be Oldest Ever Found in Norway

A skeleton uncovered in Norway is believed to be approximately 8,000 years old, Norwegian archaeologists say. If the dating is accurate, the Stone Age skeleton is a significant discovery, being the...

29 September, 2014 - 23:20 aprilholloway

Archaeologists find Egyptian mummy with peculiar skull containing brain imprint

Archaeologists are trying to unravel a mystery surrounding the discovery of a 2,000-year-old Egyptian mummy whose skull contains imprints left by the brain, said a report in Live Science . The...

24 July, 2014 - 14:30 aprilholloway

New study shows brain-damaged child was well cared for 100,000 years ago

A new study published in the journal PLOS ONE has revealed the discovery of a Paleolithic child who appears to have suffered extensive brain damage after an injury, but survived for years afterwards...

8,000-year-old skull with preserved brain in Norway

14 July, 2014 - 03:42 aprilholloway

The discovery of an 8,000-year-old skull believed to contain preserved brain matter in Norway

Earlier this year, archaeologists in Norway made an extremely rare discovery when they found an ancient skull believed to date back 8,000 years at a dig site in Stokke, southwest of Oslo. According...

24 June, 2014 - 23:15 trevorsmith

Why did our brains stop expanding?

In the forest the human brain was expanding and expanding at a phenomenal rate. Sometime at around 200,000 to 150,000 years ago, this process came to an end. The brain stopped expanding and started...

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Myths & Legends

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

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

In contrast to many theorists, this unconventional retelling of key parts of the Epic explores the idea that Gilgamesh was not searching for life eternal on Earth, as has been suggested as the theme of the Epic, but was instead searching for the means of transport to return to his goddess mother Ninsun’s home planet in the heavens.

Say the Magic Word: The Origins of Abracadabra

The Real Story of Medusa: Protective Powers from a Snake-Haired Gorgon

The Epic of Gilgamesh Unveiled: Enlightenment and Source of Religions

The Nature and Dangers of the Legendary Kobold

The Menhune of Hawaii – Ancient Race or Fictional Fairytale?

Human Origins

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

Although it may be a long time (if ever) before pagans reclaim their Yule from Christmas or their Samhain from Halloween, it is worthwhile to explore these ancient religious traditions. The Wheel of the Year follows the cycle of pagan festivals.

The Epic of Gilgamesh Unveiled: Enlightenment and Source of Religions

The Secret Life of an Ancient Concubine

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

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

Pharaoh Akhenaten: An Alternative View of the Heretic King

Ancient Technology

An ancient Roman road at Leptis Magna, Libya

Ancient Journeys: What was Travel Like for the Romans?

It was not uncommon for the ancient Romans to travel long distances all across Europe. Actually during the Roman Empire, Rome had an incredible road network which extended from northern England all...

The incredible earthquake detector invented nearly 2,000 years ago

Secrets Behind the Creepy Plague Doctor Mask and Costume

Romans in Pompeii Repaired the Roads with Molten Iron

Advanced Ancient Architecture of Puma Punku Site is Fully Recreated With 3D Printing

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

Ancient Places

Royal Palace at Ebla. Source: CC BY-SA 3.0

First Kingdoms: The Forgotten Mesopotamian Kingdom of Ebla

Spectacular things were happening in Mesopotamia in the period we call the Early Bronze Age, particularly in the southern part of it, commonly called Babylonia.

Sumer: Where Written Language, Arithmetic and Civilization Were Born

Explaining the Fall of the Great Akkadian Empire

Homer’s Iliad Casts Doubt on the Aegean Location of Troy

The Incredible Subterranean City of Kish

The Great Ziggurat of Ur

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.

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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.