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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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cultures

An unusual Tiszapolgár culture grave filled with gold rings and beads is shedding new light on this Late Neolithic (Copper Age) culture of the Romanian region. Source: Tarii Crisurilor Museum

Romanian Archaeologists Unearth Gold-Filled Grave from 4,500 BC

While performing excavations near the city of Biharia, Romania, archaeologists working for the Tarii Crisurilor Museum in Oradea unearthed a prehistoric grave that dates far back into antiquity,...
This Native American Salish war club was found in a British Columbia backyard by Canadian Mark Lake, who returned it to its rightful owners, the K'omoks First Nation people.		Source: K'omoks First Nation

Rare and Ancient War Club Found in Backyard in Canada

Recently, a rare, ancient Salish war club was discovered by a resident of British Columbia, Canada in his backyard! Mark Lake was clearing up his backyard after a heavy storm had hit his home at...
Yu the Great, in red, the founder of the Xia Dynasty that was an extension of the Erlitou culture, fighting the flood waters with his fellow fighters.	Source: The Chairman's Bao

Erlitou: China’s First Great City and Beginning of the Xia Dynasty?

The Erlitou culture dates to the early Bronze Age and existed in the Yellow River valley region of ancient China. The culture was named after a village site that was discovered in the central Chinese...
The La Tene culture Laténium landing stage in Hauterive on Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland.		Source: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra / CC BY 2.0

How the Great La Tene Culture Changed Iron Age Europe

Speaking of the Iron Age, most people first think of wild barbarian tribes wielding their crude swords and tools made from iron. But the truth is often very far from this. This important age in world...
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

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-...
Native copper nugget from glacial drift, Ontonagon County, Michigan. An example of the raw material worked by the people of the Old Copper Complex.

A Metal of Power and Prestige: The Ancient Copper Industry of North America

There are several criteria archaeologists look for in the quest to determine the level of cultural advancement of ancient peoples. Obviously, one of these criteria is technological advancement,...
Drugs in Ancient Cultures: A History of Drug Use and Effects

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

The battle against drugs and drug usage rages on today and for good reason. However, with the near constant limelight that the ‘drug war’ receives today, it can seem like the most common drugs have...
The print depicts a samurai fighting snakes, which are conjured by a ghost as the ghosts of Heian court ladies watch. Japan, 1850.

Malevolent Phantoms, Corpse Brides, and Ancestor Spirits: The Ancient Belief in Ghosts – PART II

Many ancient civilizations had beliefs surrounding the hauntings of ghosts and malevolent spirits, and so they relied on careful rituals and exorcisms to keep the supernatural at bay. Read Part I...
Ancient legends tell of ghost hauntings.

Malevolent Phantoms, Corpse Brides, and Ancestor Spirits: The Ancient Belief in Ghosts – PART I

Ghosts and malevolent spirits haunted the ancients, and so they relied on careful rituals and exorcisms to keep the supernatural at bay. The concept of a spiritual afterlife connects cultures across...
Ingapirca, Ecuador.

Ingapirca: Proof that the Inca Respected the Cultures of those they Conquered

Located at an altitude of over 3,000 meters in the picturesque Andes Mountains of Ecuador sits Ingapirca, the largest and best preserved archaeological site in Ecuador. Affectionately known as “The...
Tomb in Peru

Archaeologists discover tomb of ancient Peruvian culture

Archaeologists in Peru have discovered a tomb containing multiple burials belonging to the Chimú culture in the Samanco archaeological complex, a small urban trading town located in the lower Nepeña...