cambodia

6 February, 2020 - 00:55 Ed Whelan

Exquisite 12th Century Lion Sculpture Dragged From Reservoir in Cambodia

In Cambodia, a major discovery has been announced. Officials from the Department of Protection and Conservation of Ancient Constructions have stated that a large statue of a medieval lion was...

Makara statue found in Phnom Kulen National Park Source: Ministry of the Environment / Khmer Times

29 January, 2020 - 13:59 Ed Whelan

Never Seen Before Makara Statue Found in Cambodia

In Cambodia, a magnificent but mysterious statue has been found in a forested area in a national park. The statue is of a mythical creature known as Makara. This discovery is like nothing else that...

Koh Ker, Cambodia. Source: karinkamon /Adobe Stock

2 November, 2019 - 15:32 ancient-origins

Back to Angkor: Researchers Unlock Why Khmer Kings Left Koh Ker

The largest water management feature in Khmer history was built in the 10th century as part of a short-lived ancient capital in northern Cambodia to store water, but the system failed in its first...

Khmer Empire city found north of Angkor Wat. Here, Ta Prom Khmer ancient Buddhist temple in jungle forest

15 October, 2019 - 11:57 ashley cowie

Lost City of Khmer Empire Finally Found in Cambodia!

Ancient Cambodia’s Mahendraparvata , one of the first Angkorian capital cities of the 9th to 15th century Khmer Empire, has finally been located to the northeast of Angkor Wat in Cambodia...

Khmer temple ruins at Phnom Kulen, a sacred mountain range in Cambodia.

9 July, 2018 - 21:54 Caleb Strom

Phnom Kulen: Sacred Mountain and Hidden Temples Hold Forgotten Treasures in Cambodia

In Cambodia, some 40 kilometers (24.85 miles) northeast of Angkor, is the mountain range of Phnom Kulen. This sandstone plateau is a sacred site to Hindus and Buddhists. In addition to a giant statue...

The dinosaur carving at Ta Prohm temple in Cambodia.

4 February, 2018 - 13:49 Caleb Strom

Is the Creature Carved Into Angkor Temple Wall a ‘Domestic’ Dinosaur?

Mainstream paleontologists say that dinosaurs went extinct 65 million years before the evolution of modern humans. This, however, has not stopped the suggestion that some dinosaurs may have survived...

Rice goddesses are found across cultures

18 December, 2017 - 15:27 MartiniF

Rice Goddesses - Earth Mothers who Influenced Heaven, Earth, and the Underworld

For centuries, rice has been a staple diet and plays an important role in Asian culture. Although rice farmers have found their lives becoming more difficult due to climate change, Bloomberg states...

Sculpture of a head from 950-1150 AD found at Building Y in the Tajin Chico section. On display at the Tajin site museum, Veracruz state, Mexico

17 November, 2017 - 13:57 Marco M. Vigato

Mexico’s Haunted City of Thunder – El Tajin: Surprising Connections Between Cultures Worlds and Eras Apart

El Tajin is a Mesoamerican archaeological site located in the North of the state of Veracruz, near the Gulf Coast of Mexico. The city, one of the most flourishing of the Classic and early Post-...

4 May, 2017 - 19:01 samosmanagich

Revealing the Mysterious Story of the Koh Ker Pyramid in Cambodia

The Koh Ker complex of temples is located in Northeastern Cambodia. This is the conventional story for its beginnings: “Army General Jayavarmal separated from the central government in Angkor, from...

One of the scenes created by the research team, depicting a small temple in the surrounds of Angkor Wat. Tom Chandler and Brent McKee (Monash University)

1 May, 2017 - 22:50 Theodoros Karasavvas

Amazing Reconstruction Shows Daily Life Around Angkor Wat in Remarkable and Beautiful Detail

A new project called Digital Angkor has reconstructed Angkor Wat and its surrounding environment in exceptional detail, shedding light on what daily life would have been like centuries ago at the...

Hanuman and Ravana in Tholu Bommalata, the shadow puppet tradition of Andhra Pradesh, India.

8 September, 2016 - 02:25 MartiniF

The Ancient Beginnings of the Art of Shadow Puppetry

In his Republic, Plato mentions a cave in India with an inscription from the second century BCE. The inscription refers to a shadow play performance where puppets of humans and animals were...

Ta Prohm, Angkor

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

17 June, 2016 - 00:47 Mark Miller

Laser Surveys in Cambodia Reveal Unparalleled Pre-Industrial Working of the Landscape

In the jungles of Cambodia, archaeologists are using aerial laser surveys to uncover mysterious features, including man-made mounds and geoglyphs arranged in geometric shapes that indicate widespread...

30 April, 2016 - 14:50 dhwty

Jayavarman II: Self-Proclaimed God-King of the Khmer Empire

Jayavarman II is traditionally regarded as the founder of the Khmer Empire, a powerful state which ruled much of mainland Southeast Asia from the 9th century AD until the 15th century AD. The Khmer...

Excavations are underway at Longvek, a site that was capital of Cambodia after Angkor fell in the 15th century.

13 January, 2016 - 21:51 Mark Miller

New Discoveries at Ancient Cambodian Capital Dispel Old Beliefs

After the Siamese (Thai) people sacked Angkor in 1431 AD, the usual view is that Cambodia descended into a centuries-long dark age of isolation at the new capital its people established, called...

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Myths & Legends

Glastonbury Tor. Source: vlorzor / Adobe. Inset: Representational image of a skeleton.

The Glastonbury Giant: Who Did the Mystery Bones of A Nine Foot Skeleton Belong To?

When researching the reality of giants in the past, one story which has survived the ages is the apparent discovery of the ‘Glastonbury Giant’ which was allegedly unearthed in 1190, on orders of King Henry II, following rumors that the legendary King Arthur was in fact buried at that specific location.

Ragnar Lothbrok: A Real Viking Hero Whose Life Became Lost to Legend

The Powerful Symbol of the Swastika and its 12,000 Year History

The Darker Side of Irish Fairy Lore: When Encounters Turn Dangerous

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

Lilith: Adam’s First Wife in Eden or a Diabolical Demoness?

Human Origins

Silhouettes (Public Domain) in front of blood cells (Public Domain) and a gene.

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

Most people who have the Rh blood type are Rh-positive. There are also instances, however, where people are Rh-Negative. Health problems may occur for the unborn child of a mother with Rh-Negative blood when the baby is Rh-Positive.

The Secret Life of an Ancient Concubine

Easter Island’s Birdman Cult: A Story of Struggle and Survival

Facing the Facts: Just How Accurate Are Facial Reconstructions?

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

The Outstanding Story of Osiris: His Myth, Symbols, and Significance in Ancient Egypt

Ancient Technology

150,000-Year-Old Pipes Baffle Scientists in China: Out of Place in Time?

Oopart (out of place artifact) is a term applied to dozens of prehistoric objects found in various places around the world that seem to show a level of technological advancement ...

Secrets Behind the Creepy Plague Doctor Mask and Costume

The revolutionary invention of the wheel

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

Ten amazing inventions from ancient times

Ancient Chinese Earthquake Detector Invented 2,000 Years Ago Really Worked!

Ancient Places

Eisriesenwelt Cave, Home of the Legendary Ice Giants

The Austrian Alps are renowned for their beauty and of course for winter sports, such as skiing. There are also a number of important caves in the county and perhaps the most well-known of these is Eisriesenwelt as it is the biggest ice cave in the world.

The Templar Tunnel: Knight’s Strategic Passageway Was Lost for 700 Years

The Five Good Emperors: Prosperity and Power Before the Final Fall

The Macabre Capela dos Ossos: Why was it Decorated with the Dead?

Tamoanchan – In Search of the Lost Cradle of Mesoamerican Civilizations

Seahenge: A Subaquatic Monument of the European Bronze Age

Opinion

Naupa Iglesia: An Egyptian Portal in the Andes?

Halfway up a near-vertical ravine in the Andes, someone carved an inverted V-shaped entrance into the mountainside. Then they sliced the bedrock with great precision to create a shallow door that...

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

Mount Shasta: Spirits and Danger on a Sacred California Mountain

Mysterious Worlds: Travels to the Faerie and Shamanic Realms

Pharaoh Akhenaten: An Alternative View of the Heretic King

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

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.