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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.

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...
Stonehenge
1 July, 2017 - 23:07 mariaw

Outside the Circle: The Ancient Stonehenge Landscape – A Wider Perspective

Stonehenge stands on the windswept Salisbury Plain reminding us of the engineering, astronomical, and mathematical skills of our distant ancestors. Undoubtedly, Stonehenge is recognised worldwide as...
Lindisfarne Castle on Holy island
29 June, 2017 - 14:06 Theodoros Karasavvas

Remains of Saxon Church Discovered on Viking Raided Lindisfarne Island

A team of archaeologists have recently excavated the remains of a church on Lindisfarne (Holy Island) in Northumberland. Experts describe the newly discovered church as one of the most significant...
The 5000-year-old burial chamber at Bryn Celli Ddu on Anglesey
28 June, 2017 - 23:01 Theodoros Karasavvas

Multiple Previously Unknown Prehistoric Burial Sites Detected Around Bryn Celli Ddu

A team of archaeologists has conducted a geophysical survey that has revealed what appears to be a cairn cemetery at the prehistoric ritual area around Bryn Celli Ddu on the Welsh island of Anglesey...
The old packhorse bridge in Carrbridge, Scotland
24 June, 2017 - 23:12 ancient-origins

Bridging the Living and the Dead: Scotland's 300-Year-Old Coffin Bridge

"At the beginning of the eighteenth century, to the inconvenience of both travellers and local people, there was no point at which the River Dulnain could be crossed when it was in spate, and burials...
Ancient Remains: Iron Age Necromancy on the Bones of the Dead?
10 June, 2017 - 22:45 ancient-origins

Ancient Remains: Iron Age Necromancy on the Bones of the Dead?

In 2012 ancient remains were discovered in a bog in Denmark – not an uncommon occurrence. However, after examining the bones, archaeologists were startled by what appeared to be a brutal desecration...
Depiction of Surtr – a powerful fire giant mentioned in the Viking age.
5 June, 2017 - 19:06 Riley Winters

A Viking Flame Reborn: Myths and History Hidden in the Depths of Blackener's Cave

Forged by the mythological fires of Muspell, the Blackener's Cave lives up to its name as a cavern of fiery mystique. The volcano to which the cave is attached has long been silent, but Blackener...
The Ridgeway in Grim's Ditch near Mongewel
4 June, 2017 - 19:06 Graham Phillips

What’s It Like to Travel the Oldest Road in the World? Think Dragon’s Blood and Neolithic Barrows

I have recently been following what may be the world’s oldest road. Remarkably, much of it still survives as an ancient track. Created around 5500 years ago, it predates the Egyptian pyramids by a...
Enlarged entrance to Carn Euny fogou.
30 May, 2017 - 18:50 jim willis

Caves and Portals: The Hidden World Beneath Us & Rites of Passage

To enter the famous European caves of Lascaux, Chauvet, Altamira, Pech Merle and many others is to enter another world. You are greeted by a whole menagerie of hauntingly beautiful representations of...
Aerial view of circular henge remains and burials
25 May, 2017 - 22:55 Theodoros Karasavvas

Archaeologists Discover a Stone Age “Cult” Henge Site and 4,000 Year-old Human Remains

A team of archaeologists has discovered a Stone Age “cult” henge site and human remains that are estimated to be nearly 4,000 years old. Experts suggest that the human remains, found near Stratford,...
An old map of Europe
15 May, 2017 - 01:53 ancient-origins

From Christendom to Europe: How a Continent Got Its Identity

It is tempting to regard the history of Europe as a tale of gradually closer union, an evolution now imperilled by the forces of nationalistic populism that have brought Brexit and the growth of far-...
The Palais Idéal, a stone palace created by French postman Ferdinand Cheval.
12 May, 2017 - 18:46 dhwty

This Incredible Ancient-Inspired Palace was Single-Handedly Created by a Postman

The Palais Idéal (meaning ‘Ideal Palace) is a magnificent stone structure that is located in Hauterives, a commune in France. This unique monument was constructed single-handedly by a man known as...
Cairn T, at Loughcrew in Ireland, the site of the Prophet Jeremiah’s tomb. Source: © Laurence O’Bryan
11 May, 2017 - 19:00 Laurence O'Bryan

Could Ireland’s Cairn T Really Be the Tomb of the Prophet Jeremiah?

Cairn T is at a junction of the Road of the Chariots in County Meath, in the Boyne Valley, Ireland. Unfortunately, it’s not on Google Maps yet, but nearby Loughcrew House is. Cairn T is nearer to the...
French psychiatrist Philippe Pinel (1745-1826) releasing lunatics from their chains at the Salpêtrière asylum in Paris in 1795.
11 May, 2017 - 13:59 dhwty

Gunpowder, Prostitutes, and Neuroscience: What is the Explosive History of Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital?

The Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital is a well-known historical hospital located in Paris, France. But it wasn’t always a hospital. The oft-forgotten beginnings of this building may be traced back to the...
Ogre in the park of monsters, close to Bomarzo
8 May, 2017 - 18:59 Veronica Parkes

Where the Wild Things Are: Garden of Monsters Was Built to Convey the Despair of its Creator

Located in the Garden of Bomarzo, in Northern Lazio, Italy is The Sacro Bosco , or “Sacred Grove,” also known as the Park of Monsters, or the Villa of Wonders. The park was commissioned in 1552 by...
Castell de Bufalaranya, Roses.
7 May, 2017 - 22:56 Natalia Klimczak

Rhodes in Spain? The Tempestuous History of the Strategic Coastal City of Roses

The city of Roses (Greek: Rhode) in Catalonia, Spain, founded most probably in 776 BC, became the basis for some remarkable stories that last from ancient times until now. In accordance with its...
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...
A model of the prehistoric town of Los Millares, with its walls. Andalucia, Spain
4 May, 2017 - 02:03 Natalia Klimczak

The Lost Iberian Civilization of Los Millares: Was Copper the Secret of its Success?

Los Millares is an impressive size settlement that was in use from the end of the 4th millennium BC to the 2nd millennium BC. During these twenty centuries, the mysterious people who created this...
Statue and ruins at Empúries (Ampurias), Spain.
29 April, 2017 - 22:58 Natalia Klimczak

A Greek Town in Catalonia: What Fantastic Secrets are Still Hidden in Empúries?

The history of ancient Spain is usually presented as dominated by Celtic and Roman cultures. However, among many other influences, even the “brave sons of Zeus” appeared and created colonies on...
Bison from Magdalenian occupation of Altamira Cave. In black charcoal, c. 16500 – 14000 years ago.
25 April, 2017 - 01:43 Natalia Klimczak

A Pearl of Prehistoric Spain in Danger of Disappearing: Can the 35,600-year-old Art of Altamira Cave be both Witnessed and Preserved?

The cave located at Altamira was inhabited thousands of years ago and contains remarkable examples of sophisticated art from Prehistory. The first paintings appeared there most probably around 35600...

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