burials

22 March, 2016 - 13:50 Alicia McDermott

Researchers Renew Efforts to Solve the Puzzling Plain of Jars Site

Although there is still a long way to go, researchers have found new information on the mysterious Plain of Jars site located in the central Lao province of Xieng Khouang. Human remains dating to the...

This photo shows the opening to two of the tombs at the Khalet al-Jam'a necropolis.

5 March, 2016 - 22:24 mrreese

4,000-Year-Old Necropolis with more than 100 Tombs Discovered Near Bethlehem

By studying and excavating ancient burial grounds, we can learn about how final respects were paid when people died during ancient times. The artifacts located alongside these remains also provide...

An archaeologist working in one of the tombs found at the Huaca Pucllana archaeological site in Lima, Peru.

28 November, 2015 - 00:23 Alicia McDermott

Four Pre-Inca Burials Discovered at 1500-year-old Site in Peru

Four burial sites have been unearthed in a cemetery recently discovered at the Huaca Pucllana archaeological site located in the residential neighborhood of Miraflores, in Lima, Peru. One...

Some of the skeletal remains discovered at the site.

22 October, 2015 - 00:52 ancient-origins

New Inca Ceremonial Complex Discovered in Peru May Contain Evidence of Human Sacrifice

Explorer and writer Miguel Gutierrez Garitano, along with a team of Spanish researchers, has just announced a finding that could revolutionize Incan Andean archeology, if it is confirmed. The team...

A Viking grave. New studies on bones reflect the harsh conditions many endured.

28 July, 2015 - 14:29 Robin Whitlock

Analysis of Viking burial site reveals the harshness of life in early Christian Iceland

Early Viking settlers in Iceland were Pagan worshippers of the Aesir, the family of gods that included Thor and Odin. However in 1,000 AD Iceland converted to Christianity by decree of the country’s...

2 July, 2015 - 03:55 jason and sarah

The Adena People and Prehistoric Colonization of North America

Read Part 1 European scholars have noted evidence of ancient colonization of North America. After studying American Mounds and Earthworks, Dr C.A. Adolph Zestermann (Leipzig) wrote in 1851: “I can...

Postcard image of the Serpent Mound, Ohio

2 July, 2015 - 01:28 jason and sarah

Ancient Earthworks of North America suggest pre-Columbian European contact

Long before the Isolationist doctrine of the Smithsonian became an academic dogma, mounds and earthworks in America were routinely compared to those observed in Western Europe. This position was...

Giant mortars in Israel used in ancient funerary rites

26 June, 2015 - 00:01 Robin Whitlock

Giant mortars may have been used in ancient funerary rites

A number of giant mortars, dating back 11,000 years, have been found in Rakefet Cave, on Mount Carmel, Israel, and may have been used in ancient funerary rituals according to archaeologists. The...

30-39 year old female’s remains with iron sickle placed across neck

6 December, 2014 - 21:48 lizleafloor

Researchers suggest cholera may be behind 17th century vampire graves

Researchers have examined the skeletal remains of 17 th century graves in northwestern Poland and have speculated that the ones given vampire burials may have actually been cholera victims,...

13 September, 2014 - 03:19 aprilholloway

Archaeologists discover 20 monumental tombs dating back 6,500 years in France

A team of archaeologists in France have unearthed a Neolithic necropolis containing at least twenty monuments and some intact burials, according to a report in Past Horizons . The monumental...

23 July, 2014 - 03:48 aprilholloway

Strange Ritualistic Burials Discovery in 5,200-Year-Old Burnt City of Iran

An archaeological team assigned to reconstruct the 5,200-year-old Burnt City, a recently listed World Heritage Site in Iran, have unearthed a series of unusual burials depicting ritualistic funerary...

12 March, 2014 - 01:23 aprilholloway

800-year-old remains of medieval monk found poking out of cliff face

The thigh bones of a medieval monk were exposed in a cliff face by a spate of bad weather along the British coastline. A beach walker was surprised to see the monk’s leg bones sticking out of the...

8 February, 2014 - 01:57 aprilholloway

Unique burial method in Medieval Japan may be linked to social stigma against leprosy

A new study published in the journal PLOS ONE, has revealed that a unique burial method performed during the 15 th to 18 th centuries in eastern Japan may be associated with social stigma against...

11 December, 2013 - 07:58 aprilholloway

The ancient graves with couples in loving embrace

Late last year, archaeologists revealed an incredible discovery in a village in the Novosibirsk region of Siberia where scientists were studying some 600 Bronze Age tombs – dozens of them contained...

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Myths & Legends

The Cat Came Back: A More Than Mythical History – Part I

Cats have been on the human scene for 9,000 years. We came out of the caves, and they were there with us. Ever since, cats have been immortalized in art. They have been painted in fresco, sculpted in...

Charon, Son of Night and Shadow, Ferrier of the Dead

Does the Brewer Cave Story Unlock a Hidden History?

Wayland the Smith: The Lost Germanic Legend of the Flying Blacksmith

The Bringer of Souls: The Stork Myth In Ancient Pan-European Beliefs

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

Human Origins

Representational image of human skeletons. The discovery of anomalous skeletons suggests humanity may be older than we think.

Ancient Anomalous Human Skeletons: Humanity Could be Much Older Than We Think

There are many reported human skeletal finds which are in discordance with current evolutionary beliefs dating back to anomalously ancient geological periods in the distant past, way before it is accepted that human beings ever existed.

The Cat Came Back: A More Than Mythical History – Part I

Where are Ashkenazi Jews from? Their Origins May Surprise You

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

Sky Burial: Tibet’s Ancient Tradition for Honoring the Dead

Do you dare enter a fairy ring? The mythical mushroom portals of the supernatural

Ancient Technology

The Medieval ring found in Kavarna, Bulgaria (Image: Kavarna Municipality)

Jewelry to Die For: 14th-Century Bulgarian Ring with a Killer Dose

When a medieval ring was uncovered by Bulgarian archaeologists excavating the remains of the medieval fortress on Cape Kaliakra, near the town of Kavarna on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, they were surprised to discover that it was not a simply a decorative piece but looked to have been designed for the far more sinister use of murder.

Beaver's teeth 'used to carve the oldest wooden statue in the world’

Uncovering Ancient Pyramid Science at Teotihuacan, Where Men Become Gods

Etruscans Transported Bees by Boat to Reach the Best Flowers!

Norimitsu Odachi: Who Could Have Possibly Wielded This Enormous 15th Century Japanese Sword?

Defenders of the Dutch Polders: The Kinderdijk Windmills

Ancient Places

Tombeau de la chretienne, Tipasa. (tomb of the Christian Woman – an alternate name of the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania).

The Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania: Deadly Wasps Once Prevented its Destruction

In almost any culture, an ancient royal couple would have been expected to have provided themselves with a superior, monumental, or otherwise unique final resting place. Such was the case with Juba and Cleopatra Selene II.

Tunnels to the Sun: Exploring the Mysterious Ravne Tunnels in Bosnia

Uncovering Ancient Pyramid Science at Teotihuacan, Where Men Become Gods

The Walls of Jericho: How Accurate Was The Biblical Account?

A Storybook Setting: The Famous German Fairytale Castle of Neuschwanstein

The Dispilio Tablet - the oldest known written text

Opinion

Trojan War scene. Achilles dragging the dead body of Hector in front of the gates of Troy

Was There Ever a Trojan War?

Was there ever a Trojan War? That is, the almost legendary battle fought between Greeks and Trojans. This question continues to go unanswered by the academic and archaeological world. If we read from...

Floki and the Viking Discovery of Iceland

Messiah on Temple Mount: Are We Nearing the End of Time?

3 Problems to Remember When Trying to Find Atlantis

Naupa Iglesia: An Egyptian Portal in the Andes?

The Nephilim: Giant Offspring of the Sons of God and the Daughters of Man?

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.