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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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Inveraray Castle. Source: Richard Johnson / Adobe Stock.

Inveraray Castle: An Ancient Archive Treasure Trove (Video)

Inveraray Castle's archives, a treasure trove of historical documents dating back to the 13th century, stands as one of Britain's most significant private collections . These invaluable records,...
Top image: The Emperor's Carpet. Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art / Public Domain

Reinvigorating an Emperor's Persian Carpet – A Three Year Journey (Video)

Standing before The Emperor's Carpet, a masterpiece of Persian artistry from the 16th century, we unveil its remarkable history. This exquisite creation likely emerged during the reign of Shah...
The King Arthur Tapestry. Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art / Public Domain.

Watch the Restoration of the 500-Year-Old King Arthur Tapestry (Video)

Experts at The Met recently took on the task of revitalizing the King Arthur tapestry . Part of the “Nine Heroes Tapestries”, the King Arthur piece hadn’t been touched since it joined the Met’s...
Top down view of an Ethiopian Church Forest in the early morning.  Several white-robed worshipers around the church.  Source: Gregory/Adobe Stock

Ethiopian Church Forests, Struggling Fragments of Sacred Greenery in the Desert

In the distant past, the world around us looked completely different in many ways. One notable aspect that changed is forestation. Once covered in lush forests, much of the world around us is now...
Haji piyada nine domes mosque, Afghanistan. (Masoud Akbari / CC by SA 3.0)

The Mysterious, Ancient Nine Domes Mosque of Afghanistan (Video)

The ancient Nine Domes Mosque in Afghanistan in Balkh, Afghanistan is a fascinating enigma that has intrigued archaeologists for centuries. Built in the 8th century, it stands as one of the oldest...
Chauvet cave art. Source: Claude Valette / CC by SA 4.0.

Mimicking the Ancients: France’s Chauvet Cave Replica (Video)

Deep in the hills of Southern France, concealed from public access, lies the remarkable Chauvet cave , adorned with ancient artwork dating back 30,000 years. With its exquisite cave paintings ,...
Skara Brae Neolithic settlement, Orkney. Source: Manel Vinuesa / Adobe Stock.

Orkney: The Island Whose History Is Eroding Into the Sea (Video)

In an era where knowledge is easily accessible, it's disheartening to realize that valuable fragments of our history slip away, forever lost in time. Nestled near the parish of Deerness in Orkney ,...
In 2020, the first cloned Przewalski's horse was born. Source: Lawrence / CC by SA 2.0.

The American Scientists Bringing Animals Back From Extinction (Video)

In a world where the delicate balance of nature is threatened by human activities, a group of American scientists has taken on an extraordinary mission. Hidden away within the walls of San Diego Zoo’...
Ancient windmills, Iran. Source: ghiaseddin / Adobe Stock.

Watch 1,000-Year-Old Windmills in Action (Video)

Located in the remote Chiffon village in northeast Iran , a collection of 1,000-year-old windmills still stand tall and proud, their blades whirring steadily in the strong winds that blow across the...
Arctic explorer Bernard Buigues contemplates the Jarkov woolly elephant tusks emerging from the frozen landscape in Siberia, 1998. These tusks are about three meters (10ft) and over 45kg (100lbs) each.  There is a growing body of evidence that overhunting is the main cause of the extinction of the mammoths. (Francis Latreille / ©The World As It Once Was)

The World As It Once Was: The Shifting Baseline In Iconic Megafauna

Centuries of trophy and commercial hunting, isolation in captivity and poaching, have caused a baseline shift in the perception of iconic megafauna such as Asian and African elephants, which should...
What will this frozen goat teach us about famous human ice mummies?

What a Frozen Alpine Goat Can Teach Us About Famous Ice Mummies

DNA is especially important now in understanding our ancestors and the past. However, there is a problem in that it can often be difficult to analyze and preserve. The discovery of a mummified...
Murillo’s original work (left), the botched restoration and an attempt to fix it. Source: Provided by Collector /Europa Press

Rare 17th Century Painting Deformed in Botched Restoration Job

Yet another piece of valuable Spanish religious art has been destroyed in a botched restoration job. The Immaculate Conception of Los Venerables, is a 1678 AD oil painting by Spanish artist Bartolomé...
The Nativity scene (right) was discovered by x-ray under the painting of the beheading of John the Baptist (left). Source: Northumbria University and Bowes Museum

Nativity Scene Hidden Under Baptist Beheading Painting

British experts investigating a 400-year-old damaged painting have made an amazing discovery. Beneath the artwork they found a painting that apparently dates to the medieval period. It is of a...
Aborigines using fire to hunt kangaroos by Joseph Lycett (ca. 1817)  Source: The Conversation / National Library of Australia

New Research Turns Tasmanian Aboriginal History On Its Head

Ted Lefroy et al / The Conversation American farmer and poet Wendell Berry said of the first Europeans in North America that they came with vision, but not with sight. They came with vision of former...
The Cerne Giant is being re-chalked to return him to his former glory. Source: Dorset Council/CC BY NC SA 2.0

Like New: Locals and Experts Re-Chalk a ‘Rude’ Giant on a Hill

A gigantic chalk figure that dominates the countryside in England is being restored. The Cerne Abbas Giant is an enigmatic figure in the rolling hills of Dorset. Moreover, it is infamous because of...
Ek Balam Maya Archeological Site. Maya Ruins, Yucatan Peninsula. Credit: bobiphil / Adobe Stock

Mexico Wants to Run a Tourist Train Through its Maya Heartland — Should It?

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has a dream for the Yucatan Peninsula. He wants to build a train that will leverage the tourism economy of Cancun by bringing more visitors inland to the...
Poulnabrone portal tomb in Burren at sunrise, Ireland.

Ireland’s Archaeology has More Public Support than Ever!

It can be hard sometimes for archaeologists and historians to gain public interest and support in a world so filled with a focus on technology and modernity. But it is not the case everywhere. Irish...
An uncontacted tribe in the jungle of Brazil

The Uncontacted Frontier: Tribes of the Amazon Want To Be Left Alone

The Amazon rainforest is home to more uncontacted tribes than anywhere else in the world. It is hard to imagine that even today, there are more than 100 tribes who have never seen anything outside...
White rhinoceros locking their horns.

Widespread Erection Problems In China Are Bringing Rhino, Tiger And Other Species To An End

We’ve all heard of the deceptive ‘snake oil’ salesmen of America’s western frontier who peddled bottles of medically useless placebos and panaceas to ill and often desperate people, but not so many...
A mock up for the only mummy with a passport

Mummy of Pharaoh Ramesses II Issued a Passport to Travel to France

Ramesses II is often called one the greatest pharaohs of ancient Egypt. He reigned for over 60 years and accomplished much during his lifetime. His achievements were not matched by the pharaohs who...
Tetrodon Loop, Dirk Hartog Island, Shark Bay, Western Australia

Australian Dirk Hartog Island Undergoes $16million Fauna Roll Back to 1616

One of Australia's oldest landing sites of pre-European settlement has been successfully restored to “how it was 400 years ago” saving an entire ancient ecosystem from collapse. Dirk Hartog Island...
An inuksuk at Igloolik, Nunavut, Canada.

How Global Warming Is Destroying Our Best-Preserved Archaeological Sites

The Arctic is like a time capsule. What dies there can be preserved, like a snapshot of our past, literally frozen in time. Some of the greatest insights we’ve gotten into life, thousands of years...
The interior of a private library in Chinguetti.

From Tradition to Destruction: The Lost Libraries of Chinguetti

During the Middle Ages, Sahara outposts often found themselves filled with travelers, traders, and pilgrims passing through with their differing tasks. The pilgrims in particular interest us here, as...
The Elizabeth Tower houses Big Ben.

Big Ben to be Silenced – But the Iconic Bell Will Chime Again!

The Victorian-era treasure known as Big Ben will be taking a four-year break from its hourly song starting at noon on Monday August 21. The bells making up the clock at the most photographed building...

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