drugs

6 December, 2018 - 18:49 Thanush Poulsen

Kill or Cure: The Evolution of Addiction Treatment Through the Ages

As far back as history has been recorded, mankind has been using hallucinogens , opioids and stimulants for many varied purposes. Medical treatments, nutritional supplements, religious rituals, and...

17 October, 2018 - 16:54 Bryan Hill

Legalized Marijuana: Canada Comes Round to the Wisdom of Ages

In 1997, a hemp rope dating back to 26,900 BC was found in Czechoslovakia, making it the oldest known object to be associated with marijuana. Since that time, hemp has played an important role in...

Left, opiate poppy and right Vessel in which traces of opiate have been found.

4 October, 2018 - 01:55 ancient-origins

Bronze Age High: Traces of Opiates Found in Cypriot Vessel

Researchers at the University of York and the British Museum have discovered traces of opiates preserved inside a distinctive vessel dating back to the Late Bronze Age. Vessels of this type, known as...

5 September, 2018 - 16:47 Joanna Gillan

Israeli town of Yavneh had thriving drug culture 3,000 years ago

Archaeologists discovered traces of hallucinogenic substances used over 3,000 years by the Philistines living in ancient Yavneh, Israel, revealing a drug culture that is believed to have revolved...

Llullaillaco boy’s mummy in Salta Province, Argentina.

18 June, 2018 - 18:52 ashley cowie

Cocaine Laden Mummified Children Vindicate Football Champion

The coca plant is native to western South America and is grown in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru and the chewing of coca with lime in rituals and to relieve altitude sickness, goes...

1 February, 2017 - 19:57 Robert Brusco

Tripping through Time: The Fascinating History of the Magic Mushroom

The psilocybin group of mushrooms, popularly known as magic mushrooms, shrooms or psychedelic mushrooms, is found in over two hundred varieties around the world. We know them today as a recreational...

31 October, 2016 - 13:50 ancient-origins

The Top Three Scientific Explanations for Ghost Sightings

From ghosts to ghouls, witches to wizards, Halloween is the one time of the year when people come together to celebrate everything supernatural. But beyond the fancy dress and trick or treating,...

19 October, 2016 - 21:48 Natalia Klimczak

1,300-Year-Old Antidepressant Pills Discovered in Ancient Center for Drug Production in Turkey

Seven hundred small glass and ceramic bottles containing ancient medicines have been discovered during excavations in Turkey. The medications include 1,300-year-old antidepressant pills and drugs for...

9 June, 2016 - 00:44 Liza Knox

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...

28 April, 2016 - 00:48 ancient-origins

Did Ancient Priests in Peru Invent Authority?

Authoritarianism is an issue of special gravitas this year, given claims of heavy-handedness in US presidential politics and widening conflicts against dictatorships in Syria and elsewhere. But why...

The Cobbe portrait, claimed to be a portrait of William Shakespeare done while he was alive.

14 August, 2015 - 14:45 lizleafloor

Were the works of Shakespeare inspired by Cannabis? Scientists find traces of drugs on pipes

Were the globally renowned literary works of the master playwright himself written with a little inspiration from drugs? That is the question posed by South African scientists who studied tobacco...

Men smoking pipes, Ottoman era, Turkey (Antiller / Flickr)

9 August, 2015 - 00:38 aprilholloway

Medicinal Use of Narcotics Unearthed at Ottoman Archaeological Site in Turkey

A team of archaeologists carrying out excavations at Kaman-Kalehoyuk in Turkey found evidence of the medicinal use of henbane seeds. The seeds, which were found in an old hearth, have therapeutic...

3 June, 2015 - 21:48 lizleafloor

Medical marijuana: Modern hunter-gatherers may use cannabis to treat intestinal infections

It has been found that the more cannabis that modern foraging tribes smoke, the less they are infected with parasitic intestinal worms. Scientists are trying to determine if ancient-hunter gatherers...

The dramatic scenes of an older man slaying a young man depicted on the Scythian art might reference the ancient “Bastard Wars” as recorded by Herodotus.

26 May, 2015 - 21:51 lizleafloor

Secret Chamber Found at Scythian Burial Mound Reveals Golden Treasure of Drug-Fueled Rituals

Elaborate golden treasures with traces of cannabis and opium have been discovered in a secret chamber hidden in an ancient Scythian burial mound near Strovopol, Russia. Described as a once-in-a-...

A trepannated skull from Neolithic period

20 December, 2014 - 22:02 lizleafloor

Evidence of successful brain surgery and ancient pharmaceutical warehouse found in Turkey

Archaeologists have unearthed evidence of ancient surgery among the remains of people who lived in a settlement near Istanbul, Turkey, between the 11 th and 6 th centuries B.C. A skull, buried among...

4 September, 2014 - 00:05 aprilholloway

New study sheds light on drug culture in Tiwanaku, Bolivia

Unlike modern Man, ancient inhabitants of the Andes did not use mind-altering substances simply for their hedonistic pleasure. The use of alcohol and plant drugs was highly regulated and went hand-in...

Pages

Myths & Legends

Tracing the origins of the Serpent Cult

In mythology, the serpent symbolises fertility and procreation, wisdom, death, and resurrection (due to the shedding of its skin, which is not akin to rebirth), and in the earliest schools of...

Magu: The Hemp Goddess Who Healed Ancient Asia

The symbol of the Swastika and its 12,000-year-old history

Lilith: Ancient Demon, Dark Deity or Sensual Goddess?

Legendary Locks: Can Hair Act as a Sixth Sense, Protecting us from Danger?

The Diverse Nature of Elves in Norse Myth: Beings of Light or Darkness?

Human Origins

Illustration of Dante’s Paradise by Giovanni de Paulo.

What is Heaven?

When a family member or a friend passes away, we often find ourselves reflecting on the question “Where are they now?” As mortal beings, it is a question of ultimate significance to each of us.

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

Legendary Locks: Can Hair Act as a Sixth Sense, Protecting us from Danger?

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

Research Confirms that Neanderthal DNA Makes Up About 20% of the Modern Human Genome

A Snapshot of Our Mysterious Ancestor Homo erectus

Ancient Technology

Stone of the Pregnant Woman, an example of ancient high-tech stonework in Hajar al Hibla at Baalbek in Lebanon.

The High-Tech Stonework of the Ancients: Unsolved Mysteries of Master Engineers

There are many stone artifacts from the ancient world made from the hardest stone on the planet such as granite and diorite, which have been cut and shaped with such quality, precision and accuracy that the standard explanations of their manufacture are simply inadequate.

Ten amazing inventions from ancient times

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

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

6 Advanced Ancient Inventions Beyond Modern Understanding

Mysterious GodSelf Icon Found Worldwide: Lost Symbol of an Ancient Global Religion?

Ancient Places

Were the Women of Petra More Important Than the Men?

The Nabataeans were a society who inhabited Arabia and the Southern Levant from the 3rd century BC to approximately 106 AD when the Nabataean kingdom was annexed by the Roman Empire.

Mount Athos – Garden of the Mother of God and Holiest of Holy Mountains to Some

Sacred Powers Fade Along With the Rock Art of the San People at Ha Baroana

Khajuraho: The Sexiest Temples in India

Neo-Romans Revive Classical Worship Ceremonies at New Iuppiter Perunus Temple

The Mysterious Prehistoric Triple Burial of Dolni Vestonice

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.

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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.