cleopatra

Apollo and Diana killing the children of Niobe by Jan Boeckhorst (1668)

20 March, 2019 - 15:52 MartiniF

Messengers of Misery: Mourning Women in Mythology

Women's laughter may have been considered as a sign that the empire was doing well, however in mythology women lamenting and crying were often harbingers of misery, madness and mourning. In the works...

Beautiful woman with fashion make-up and hairstyle like Egyptian queen Cleopatra (EmotionPhoto / Adobe Stock)

9 February, 2019 - 13:31 Sarah P Young

8 Ancient Beauty Secrets We Can Still Use Today

Beautification and cosmetology have been important to humans for many thousands of years. Obsessing over our appearance is something that seems to go back to the very roots of modern human behavior,...

2 December, 2018 - 22:55 dhwty

Kom Ombo: An Egyptian Temple Dedicated to Two Rival Gods

Kom Ombo (meaning the ‘Mound of Ombo’) is an ancient Egyptian town located in what is today the Aswan Governorate of Upper Egypt, about 50 km (31 miles) to the north of Aswan. Kom Ombo is notable...

Women Warriors: Queen Zenobia Addressing Her Soldiers by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo

5 October, 2018 - 01:47 ancient-origins

Warrior Women: Despite what Gamers Might Believe, the Ancient World was Full of Female Fighters

Eve MacDonald / The Conversation One of the great things about computer games is that anything is possible in the almost endless array of situations on offer, whether they are realistic or fantasy...

Courtyard, Al-Qarawiyyin University, Fes. Morocco

31 August, 2018 - 14:35 MartiniF

Who were the Colorful, Powerful, Influential, Educated Women of Ancient Islam?

The evolution of ‘higher education’ in the ancient world led to variations of standards in different cultures. In ancient Egypt, higher education originated from copying religious texts for use in...

‘The Meeting of Antony and Cleopatra’, by Lawrence Alma-Tadema.

16 July, 2018 - 11:22 dhwty

Searching for the Lost Tomb of Antony and Cleopatra

Mark Antony and Cleopatra are among the most famous pairs of lovers from the ancient world. Following their defeat at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, their final refuge from the victorious Octavian...

The stele has hieroglyphic and demotic inscriptions and measures 41 inches

8 June, 2018 - 02:36 Mark Miller

Rosetta-style engraving lauding Cleopatra I and two Ptolemaic Pharaohs unearthed in Egypt

A 2,200-year-old Rosetta-style limestone stele has been found at an ancient site near the Mediterranean Sea and the city of Alexandria in Egypt. Though archaeologists and Egyptologists haven’t...

‘Lucretia’ by Lucas Cranach the Elder. Lucretia’s suicide is a well-known example of suicide in ancient Rome.

27 January, 2018 - 13:57 dhwty

Petitioning for Death: Did Ancient Romans Really Ask for Permission to Commit Suicide?

Cases of suicide are known to have occurred in ancient Rome, as they have been recorded by ancient writers. But there are many questions surrounding this subject that have yet to be fully answered. A...

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

25 January, 2018 - 13:58 dhwty

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...

'The End of the Song’ – a depiction of the lovers Tristan and Isolde.

11 December, 2017 - 18:58 Theodoros Karasavvas

Ancient Lovers: Five Touching and Sometimes Tragic Love Stories Before Romeo and Juliet

Do you believe in true love? Are you a romantic in constant search of the one thing that so many novels, poems, and films have been dedicated to, or are you one of those people who doesn’t have much...

A handful of the rare Roman coins that were part of the hoard

3 October, 2017 - 01:51 Theodoros Karasavvas

Huge Hoard of Ancient Roman Silver Coins Worth £200,000 Found During Treasure Hunt

Fisherman and amateur historian Mike Smale, was hunting for treasure with friends from the Southern Detectorists club when he found a hoard of ancient silver Roman coins potentially worth £200,000...

Portrait of a Woman by Bartolomeo Veneto, traditionally assumed to be Lucrezia Borgia – an infamous femme fatale.

21 July, 2017 - 18:42 ashley cowie

Femme Fatale: Seduced by the Ancient Sex Crafts of History’s Most Alluring Women

The seductress, or femme fatale (French for “Deadly Woman”), is one of the oldest female archetypes and although there has been great diversity in "how" she has been portrayed, she has some core...

The Pyramid of Cestius overlooks the Protestant Cemetery of Rome

5 May, 2017 - 14:22 Natalia Klimczak

The Pyramid of Cestius: Why Would a Roman Nobleman Construct a Pyramid Tomb?

In the heart of ancient Rome, near the Porta San Paolo, the last echo of a Roman fascination with the power of Egypt is located. The pyramid was built during the reign of Augustus, the adopted son of...

11 April, 2017 - 14:01 Natalia Klimczak

The Real Reason Tutankhamun, Akhenaten, and Cleopatra are the Superstars of Ancient Egypt

Archaeology, like every discipline on Earth, cannot be free from the rules of marketing and public relations. The impact of promotion in media and other places affects the lives of millions of people...

4 April, 2017 - 14:00 Natalia Klimczak

A Brief History of the Enduring Iconic Female Phenomenon of Red Lipstick

Red lipstick is a modern-day symbol of sex appeal and an attribute of femininity. Many modern women may be surprised by the fact that our recent generations are not the ones which invented this...

21 February, 2017 - 18:50 Natalia Klimczak

The Forgotten Cleopatra: Searching for Cleopatra the Alchemist and Her Golden Secret

Cleopatra was one of four female alchemists who worked on producing the famous Philosopher's stone. She lived during the last remarkable period in Alexandria’s history, when it was still a city of...

Pages

Myths & Legends

One of the giants in St Mary's church, Aldworth

The Life and Legend of the Aldworth Giants

In the simple, tiny church of St. Mary, Aldworth there lie the nine stone statues of what have become known as the “Aldworth Giants,” a name bestowed upon them because all are over 7 feet tall and...

The Lost City of Aztlan – Legendary Homeland of the Aztecs

The Ancient Pagan Origins of Easter

Tracing the origins of the Serpent Cult

Legendary Ancient Musicians Charmed Beasts, Sirens and Even Hades Himself

The Story of the Scary Shtorka and the Revival of Croatian Mythology

Human Origins

Rembrandt - Christ with Hands Folded (Public Domain), and Nivedita, Sister - the Departure of Siddhartha

The Christ And The Buddha: How Can You Explain the Uncanny Similarities?

Buddhism and Christianity arose independently of each other, separated as they were by almost 3,000 miles and at least 500 years. In terms of religious belief systems they are even farther apart.

One Hundred Thousand Adams and Eves?

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

Creation Myth of the Maori – New Zealand

Australian Aboriginals - Creation Myth

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

Ancient Technology

Mammoth in the Royal BC Museum in Victoria (Canada). The display is from 1979, and the fur is musk ox hair.

Surprising Stone Age Knowledge Revealed on a Mammoth Bone Bracelet

In Sivershchina, close to the village of Mizyn in Ukraine is one of the oldest and most unique settlements of humans – and it was discovered in a parking lot. The now well-known archaeological site, known plainly as the Mizyn parking lot, dates back 18-20 thousand years.

Gladiator Helmets: Fit for Purpose, Not Just Protection

Geometric Stone Spheres of Scotland: Part 1 – More Than A Projectile - What Possible Purpose 5,000-years Ago?

Secrets Behind the Creepy Plague Doctor Mask and Costume

6 Advanced Ancient Inventions Beyond Modern Understanding

The Amazing Hoddøya Bronze Age Spear – A Gift to the Gods

Ancient Places

Ashurbanipal: The Oldest Surviving Royal Library in the World with Over 30,000 Clay Tablets

The Royal Library of Ashurbanipal has sometimes been described as the ‘first library’ in the world, or the ‘oldest surviving royal library in the world’. The library was discovered by archaeologists who were excavating at the site of Nineveh, today known as Kuyunjik.

The Colossus of Rhodes: Ancient Greek Mega Statue

Ashurbanipal: The Oldest Surviving Royal Library in the World with Over 30,000 Clay Tablets

Roque Bentayga, Gran Canaria: Vestiges of the Mysterious Guanche People

The Rich Mythology and Megalithic Culture of the Ancient Berbers, Lords of the Desert

Surprising Stone Age Knowledge Revealed on a Mammoth Bone Bracelet

Opinion

The astronomical ceiling at the Pronaos, Detail of the first Band west from the center. From left to right: two wind creatures (the winged ram with four heads personifies the south wind), the snake- and frog-headed eight goddesses and gods of the Ogdoad who ruled the cosmos before the creation of the world and Osiris seated on a throne sails across the sky as personification of the full moon accompanied by the seated goddesses Nephtys (left) and Isis on the right (Maat stands near the bow of the ship). Siri

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

In Egypt, Sirius was the Star of Isis, Isis being the companion and rescuer of the god Osiris. In a very deep way, Osiris was Egypt.

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

Alchemy and Generating Lifeforce —Global Temples Made in the Shape of Lingams: Shaivite Bull Cult Part II

From Green Man to Bull Son, The Universal Shaivite Bull Cult – Part I

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.