Europe

Ancient places can be found all over Europe. Their fascinating histories and impressive artifacts open intriguing glimpses to times past, and open up a window on European history. Visiting such ancient places in Europe can be an unforgettable experience.

Science is constantly discovering new archaeological places and uncovering more evidence into what we once thought we knew about our history, therefore offering new pieces to the ever changing puzzle of humanity’s past and altering how we interpret it. This section will present the most interesting archaeological sites all over Europe, as well as new discoveries of ancient places that are worth paying a visit.

Temple of Apollo at Corinth.

7 November, 2017 - 01:49 micki pistorius

Tracing the Steps of the Apostle Paul Through First Century Corinth

“Non cuivis homini contigit adire Corinthum” It is not the privilege of every man to go to Corinth - Horace The site of Corinth has been inhabited since the Neolithic period. Geographically, the...

A man in traditional Scottish attire

5 November, 2017 - 00:49 ancient-origins

Willies, Ghillies and Horny Highlanders: Scottish Gaelic Writing has a Filthy Past

Think of Scotland’s Highlands and islands and you probably think hills, glens, tartan, shortbread, bagpipes, caber-tossing, whisky, haggis, stags in the mist, grandiose aristocrats, bearded ghillies...

Reconstructed megalithic tombs in Wietrzychowice (50 km to the East of Góry).

18 October, 2017 - 01:56 ancient-origins

Ancient Polish Megaliths Versus Open-pit Mine? A Question of Coal Verses Cultural Heritage

The earliest historical heritage and cultural identity of many Europeans is threatened – by coal. A year ago, in the forest area of Góry in Eastern Wielkopolska (Poland), a set of 5,500-year-old...

Himmerod Abbey and Church building

17 October, 2017 - 01:56 Theodoros Karasavvas

900-Year-Old German Monastery Forced to Shut Down Because of Monk Shortage

Himmerod Abbey, a Cistercian monastery that's existed for almost 900 years in what is now western Germany is closing down for good, due to running expenses and also a shortage of monks. Notably, the...

Western passage at the megalithic site of Knowth with decorated orthostat on left. Co. Meath, Ireland.

30 September, 2017 - 22:49 Riley Winters

Mystifying Megaliths: Knowth, Keeper of Ancient Tombs

The rolling green hills outside of Ireland hold more history than can be seen. Legend blends into folklore, and folklore transforms into history. Knowth, located not far from Dublin, is part of a...

Tumulus F at the Neolithic Tumulus of Bougon necropolis.

29 September, 2017 - 22:49 dhwty

The Outstanding Megalithic Necropolis that is the Tumulus of Bougon

The Tumulus of Bougon (known also as the Necropolis of Bougon) is a group of barrows dating to the Neolithic period. This site is located in Bougon, a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department of the...

View inside the prehistoric Tarxien Temples, Tarxien, Malta.

29 September, 2017 - 14:00 dhwty

Tarxien Temples: This Megalithic Complex is the Height of Temple Building in Prehistoric Malta

A group of enormous megalithic structures stand tall in Tarxien, on the southeastern part of the main island of Malta. Called the Tarxien Temples, the huge structures remain as a testament to the...

Odysseus at the court of Alcinous

18 September, 2017 - 19:07 pkoutoupis

In Search of King Alcinous: Who were the Legendary Phaeacians?

The mythological Alcinous and his kingdom have remained one of the most mysterious and elusive topics of ancient Greek literature. Not much is known of this foreign monarch, or at least not much has...

This is the ceiling of the Pantheon in Rome, Italy Photograph by Anne Dirkse

18 September, 2017 - 01:59 dhwty

The Roman Pantheon: National Treasure and Legacy of a Powerful Empire

Anyone who has paid a visit to Rome will know that around just about every corner of the historic center lies a reminder of Rome’s glorious and inglorious history. Be it buildings, fountains, statues...

Devil's Dyke

16 September, 2017 - 19:05 Hugh Newman

Was the Devil’s Dyke in England once Part of the Legendary City of Troy?

In a small village northeast of Cambridge, near the most northern route of the ancient Icknield Way, a great 'dyke' emerges smoothly from the ground and rises to over two stories high. This...

Detail of the Mycenaean-era tomb’s façade and the dry-stone masonry that sealed the entrance.

12 September, 2017 - 22:56 Alicia McDermott

Rare Tomb Shows Bronze Age Mycenaean-era Nobleman had a Fondness for Jewelry

After 3,350 years, a Mycenaean-era nobleman’s tomb has been re-entered and his favored possessions have been seen by modern eyes. Archaeologists consider his burial an odd one, with grave goods and...

Sean's Bar is located on Main Street, Athlone, on the West Bank of the River Shannon, and was originally known as Luain's Inn.

9 September, 2017 - 01:54 dhwty

Quaffing Here For 11 Centuries: Sean’s Bar Claims Title of Oldest Pub in Ireland, Europe and Possibly the World

Sean’s Bar is a pub (abbreviated from ‘public house’) located in Athlone, in Ireland’s County Westmeath. This bar holds the Guinness World Record for being the oldest public house in Ireland. In...

The famous Roman theater at Aspendos, Turkey.

30 August, 2017 - 22:48 Alicia McDermott

Ancient Mall Found in Famous Theater City of Aspendos Shows Commerce and Entertainment Went Hand-in-Hand

The ancient city of Aspendos was a major commercial center in Roman times. The recent excavations of a large shop complex with offices and storage facilities dating back some 2,000 years provide more...

Stonehenge at night.

29 August, 2017 - 22:56 ancient-origins

Was Orion the Heavenly Overlord of Stonehenge?

In the 1960s, a portion of a ditch excavated into chalk bedrock west of the henge at Stonehenge was discovered during construction for the pedestrian underpass that provided access to Stonehenge...

Roman Ruins of Timgad (Wilaya of Batna, Algeria). Street leading to the Arch of Trajan.

20 August, 2017 - 01:53 ancient-origins

Mythbusting Ancient Rome – Did All Roads Actually Lead There?

We all know the phrase “All roads lead to Rome”. Today, it is used proverbially and has come to mean something like “there is more than one way to reach the same goal”. But did all roads ever really...

The castle of Fleckenstein.

6 August, 2017 - 23:17 dhwty

Fleckenstein Castle: From Impregnable Fortress to a Chateaux in Ruins

Fleckenstein Castle is a castle located near Lembach, in the eastern French region of Alsace. This castle is known to have existed since the 12 th century, and was the property of the powerful...

Reconstruction of the Palace at Knossos

5 August, 2017 - 01:59 Riley Winters

A Discovery That Shook the Archaeological World: Sir Arthur Evans and the Unveiling of Knossos

"A gentleman and a scholar." There are few such men who fit this description from the "archaeological" community of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. There were certainly gentlemen and scholars...

Photo in the Valley of Balls, Torysh Valley, Kazakhstan.

28 July, 2017 - 18:58 Caleb Strom

Kazakhstan Valley Filled with Giant Balls Has Geologists and Fringe Scientists Butting Heads

Are they the remains of a hastily abandoned game of giant billiards? Probably not, but the array of huge boulders in Torysh Valley, Kazakhstan may bring this fantastical image to mind. Actually...

Tower of London as viewed from across the River Thames.

25 July, 2017 - 13:59 ML Childs

Tower of London: A Palace, a Prison and a Place of Execution

The White Tower, most commonly known as the Tower of London, is situated on the north bank of the river Thames in central London and is one of the oldest, long-standing edifices in England. It is...

Urmes Stave Church, Norway

23 July, 2017 - 23:04 Riley Winters

Urnes Stave Church: A Final Vestige of Viking Innovation

At the edge of the world lies the last trace of Viking Christianity. Urnes Stave Church (c. 1130 AD) stands tall in Sognefjord in the west of Norway, yet it represents as much of an end as it does a...

Buckland Rings - artist's impression from gates

20 July, 2017 - 23:02 Theodoros Karasavvas

LIDAR Reveals 2,000-Year-Old Dwellings of Earliest Occupants of an Iron Age Hill Fort

A team of archaeologists has detected a conurbation of houses at a hill fort that once hosted some of the earliest occupants of a New Forest town, an area of southern England which includes one of...

The submerged St. Neophytos Basilica, Nicaea, Turkey.

19 July, 2017 - 14:04 Caleb Strom

Mysterious Underwater Ruins in Turkish Lake Found To Be A 1,600-Year-Old Basilica

Archaeologists were surprised to discover that “weird ruins” in a Turkish lake are actually a nearly 1,600-year-old basilica. Moreover, the city associated with the submerged church has been a key...

Mynydd Preseli hills and Waldo Williams memorial stone. The famous hills from where the bluestones of Stonehenge originated, pictured with the memorial monolith to poet Waldo Williams, 1904-1971

17 July, 2017 - 22:59 Theodoros Karasavvas

Millennia-Old Quarry Site for Stonehenge Stones Damaged and Looted

BBC reports that archaeologists and conservationists have been extremely concerned lately and keep reminding visitors to the Preseli Hills located in Wales to leave ancient sites and monuments as...

Borgund Stave Church (Eduardo/CC BY-SA 2.0), pentagram, Vitruvian man, and serpent

9 July, 2017 - 19:06 Harald Boehlke

The Viking Serpent: Serpent Worship, Sacred Geometry, and Secrets of the Celtic Church in Norway

Dan Brown wrote The Da Vinci Code, inspired by Henry Lincoln and his two co-authors’ The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail . The Norwegian researcher Harald Boehlke was inspired by the same book. Lincoln...

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