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.

The Christ of Victory in the Concatedral de Santa María in Vigo, Galicia, Spain.

23 August, 2016 - 03:47 Natalia Klimczak

Storms, Religious Persecution, and War: The Arrival of a Famous Spanish Christ Statue

Every year, on the first Sunday in August thousands of Galicians take part in a spiritual journey. They travel through the city streets of Vigo with the religious treasure of their hometown – a large...

Picture taken in Malbork after Wikimania 2010 conference. Panorama of Malbork Castle.

22 August, 2016 - 03:49 Natalia Klimczak

Malbork Castle: Searching for Treasure and Legends in the Shadows of the Teutonic Order

Today, Malbork Castle is a magnificent fortress located in northern Poland, but in the past it was the capital of the Teutonic Order. It was built in the 13th century when the Grand Master decided to...

Tunnels to the Sun: Exploring the Mysterious Ravne Tunnels in Bosnia

21 August, 2016 - 14:56 ancient-origins

Tunnels to the Sun: Exploring the Mysterious Ravne Tunnels in Bosnia

In 2005, Dr. Semir Osmanagich discovered the Bosnian pyramids in the heart of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in a small town called Visoko. He found five pyramids which he called the Bosnian Pyramid of the...

Stonehenge and the Hopi: Hidden Messages Connecting Sacred Sites

19 August, 2016 - 22:02 Thomas O. Mills

Stonehenge and the Hopi: Hidden Messages Connecting Sacred Sites

The Hopi were watching the sun rise and set at specific points on the horizon from fixed locations in their villages long before the Spaniards arrived in 1540. Many of their most important ceremonies...

The Rathcroghan mound

18 August, 2016 - 03:41 dhwty

Rathcroghan, Home of the Prehistoric Rulers of Connacht in Irish Mythology

Rathcroghan, which is said to mean Fort of Cruachan, is a complex of archaeological sites containing about 60 different national monuments. These include barrows, a holy well, standing stones and a...

Jeweled Skeleton.

3 August, 2016 - 00:58 Kristen C

The Macabre, Bejeweled Skeletons of the Catacomb Saints

In 1578, the Roman catacombs near Via Salaria were discovered by curious vineyard workers and later fully uncovered by archeologists, revealing a vast unearthly spectacle. Between 500,000 and 750,000...

Mural depicting Isis in the tomb of Seti I in the Valley of the Kings (KV17).

2 August, 2016 - 00:48 Natalia Klimczak

Isis, An Egyptian Goddess Who Spread Her Wings Across Europe

When the Romans entered Egypt they saw a land of magnificent temples, impressive and monumental statues, and symbolism they did not understand. The Greeks felt the same when they explored the country...

Pena National Palace.

31 July, 2016 - 04:01 Natalia Klimczak

A Monument of Faith: The Magnificent Pena Palace in Sintra

Sintra is a lovely town which is found near Lisbon in Portugal. It is one of the most popular places in Portugal and is protected by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It is also one of the Seven...

Engraved plaque near the explorer’s tomb in Kochi, India and portrait of Vasco da Gama.

30 July, 2016 - 03:45 Natalia Klimczak

A Traveler Even After Death? The Two Tombs of Vasco da Gama

Vasco da Gama was a traveler and adventurer in the 15th century. However, his story did not end with his death. In fact, the afterlife of the explorer became an additional page in the history of the...

Sverd I Fjell, Hafrsfjord

29 July, 2016 - 21:45 Kerry Sullivan

Bronze Swords of Hafrsfjord Tell a Legendary Tale of a Powerful King and a Great Battle

Long ago, the inhabitants of Norway lived in warring tribes and villages. It was not until the 872 Battle of Hafrsfjord that the fractious clans of habitable Norway were united under a single ruler...

A witch in prison by dg2001

23 July, 2016 - 00:46 Mark Miller

Archaeologists Identify Scottish Church Where Accused 16th Century Witches Were Imprisoned

Researchers think they have found architectural features in a church in Aberdeen, Scotland, where accused witches were held during the Great Witch Hunt of 1596-‘97 and later strangled as an act of ‘...

Stonehenge and Nearby Stone Circles Were Newcomers to Landscape worked by Ice Age hunters

22 July, 2016 - 03:43 Mark Miller

Stonehenge and Nearby Stone Circles Were Newcomers to Landscape worked by Ice Age hunters

About 5,000 years ago, not far from Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain in England, some people built a stone circle smaller than its more famous counterpart. But for some reason, sometime after they built...

Folio 7v contains an image of theVirgin and Child.

12 July, 2016 - 03:47 Riley Winters

The Golden Age of the Christian Picts: Evidence for Religious Production at Portmahomack- Part 2

(Read Part I) The "Golden Age" of artisan efforts at the Tarbat monastery did not last nearly as long as the monastery of Iona; the industrial locations were burned in a site wide fire in the eighth...

Abbey of Kells - Scanned from Treasures of Irish Art.

11 July, 2016 - 00:49 Riley Winters

The Golden Age of the Christian Picts: Evidence for Religious Production at Portmahomack

Situated on the edge of the Tarbat peninsula on the northeastern coast of Scotland, Portmahomack carries a legacy of a long buried Golden Age of religious industry that was devastatingly altered by...

Dunollie Castle and the Clan MacDougall

8 July, 2016 - 03:47 Riley Winters

Formidability in the Face of Factions: The Significance of Dunollie Fort - Part 2

(Read Part I) As mentioned in Part 1, the Dál Riatan fort of Dunollie has been an archaeological headache for some scholars, as its remains lie beneath a castle built by the MacDougall clan in the...

Photo of Dunollie Castle

7 July, 2016 - 03:46 Riley Winters

Formidability in the Face of Factions: The Significance of Dunollie Fort

Snuggly enveloped within the arms of the Irish Sea, Dunollie Castle towers over Argyll from its sandstone promontory at the edge of Loch Etive in Scotland, a surviving symbol of the power and...

A view of Lindholm Høje.

4 July, 2016 - 00:59 dhwty

Buried for One Thousand Years: The Eerie Graveyard of the Vikings

Lindholm Hoje is an ancient graveyard of the Vikings that had been lost for one thousand years, buried beneath thousands of tons of sand. As many as 700 burials, along with the remains of settlements...

25,000-Year-Old Buildings Found in Russia

2 July, 2016 - 00:48 ancient-origins

25,000-Year-Old Buildings Found in Russia

In the Caucasus mountains of Russia, not far from the cities Tzelentzchik, Touapse, Novorossiysk and Sochi, there are hundreds of megalithic monuments known as dolmens. Russian and foreign...

Odry stone circles, Poland.

26 June, 2016 - 21:55 Natalia Klimczak

The Nazi Temple of Pomerania: Exploring the Mysterious Odry Stone Circles

Odry is a small village in Pomerania in the north of Poland. This location became famous with the discovery of the second biggest site of stone circles in Europe. It is also known to be the home of...

More details View of inside the Passetto, the secret passage between Vatican City and Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome, Italy

26 June, 2016 - 00:52 ancient-origins

The Passetto: Escape Route of Popes in Times Past

The Passetto di Borgo (also known simply as the Passetto, which may be translated as a small passage ) is a corridor that connects the Vatican City, more specifically St. Peter’s Basilica, with the...

The Dramatic and Bloody History of Nottingham Castle

25 June, 2016 - 03:40 dhwty

The Dramatic and Bloody History of Nottingham Castle

Nottingham Castle in the East Midlands of England has seen nearly 1,000 years of battles, revolts and scandals, but it is perhaps best known for its connection with the legendary English outlaw Robin...

The Tunnel of Eupalinos: One of the Greatest Engineering Achievements of the Classical World

19 June, 2016 - 14:50 dhwty

The Tunnel of Eupalinos: One of the Greatest Engineering Achievements of the Classical World

The Tunnel of Eupalinos (or Eupalinos Tunnel) is an ancient tunnel that functioned as an aqueduct. This tunnel is located on the Greek island of Samos, and has been considered as one of the most...

More than a Dozen Mysterious Prehistoric Tunnels in Cornwall, England, Mystify Researchers

4 June, 2016 - 00:35 Mark Miller

More than a Dozen Mysterious Prehistoric Tunnels in Cornwall, England, Mystify Researchers

More than a dozen tunnels have been found in Cornwall, England, that are unique in the British Isles. No one knows why Iron Age people created them. The fact that the ancients supported their tops...

Artist’s representation of the triple burial of Dolni Vestonice

30 May, 2016 - 14:28 dhwty

The Mysterious Prehistoric Triple Burial of Dolni Vestonice

Twenty-five thousand years ago, three teenagers were laid to rest in a common grave, near a village called Dolni Vestonice in the Czech province of Moravia. Their bodies had been manipulated such...

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