grave goods

14 June, 2018 - 03:12 aprilholloway

Tombs, Treasures, and 2,000-year-old Bronze Sword Unearthed in China

In 2015, archaeologists in China made a spectacular discovery at a construction site in Zhoukou City, Henan Province – a tomb complex containing 21 ancient tombs filled with treasures including a 2,...

Skeletal remains and grave goods found in the ‘Tomb of the Athlete.’

5 June, 2018 - 14:01 Ed Whelan

Rock Hewn Grave is Named ‘Tomb of the Athlete’ due to Novel Grave Goods

An intact tomb containing what seems to be a family has been found in Rome during a construction project. Its unusual contents will provide insight into Roman burial rites and also the environment in...

Fountain at modern domus building at Viminacium, Serbia

4 June, 2018 - 23:00 Ed Whelan

Roman Skeletons Adorned in Jewelry Found in Serbia

Reuters has reported that archaeologists in Serbia have discovered a Roman sarcophagus that was intact and had been undisturbed for almost two thousand years. The tomb contains many precious items...

Decorations placed around a coffin at a home funeral in Da Nang, Vietnam. At left, placed in front of the coffin, is an altar featuring a framed photo of the deceased and a pot for offering joss sticks. At right are a number of flower bouquets with attached condolences, and in the background are a number of vertical banners, also offering condolences.

25 April, 2018 - 13:58 Alicia McDermott

Traditional Funerary Rites Provide a Glimpse at Mystery Neolithic Vietnamese Culture

3,000 years ago, a small community on a Vietnamese island disappeared. No one is certain why, but even their very existence is a surprise. Luckily for archaeologists, it seems that their traditional...

The skeletons and a depiction of what the grave may have originally looked like.

15 February, 2018 - 01:53 ashley cowie

Mammoth Tears of Compassion Sealed A 34,000-Year-Old Children’s Grave

About 34,000 years ago, two physically challenged boys were buried head to head, with tens of thousands of animal bone offerings, according to a Cambridge Journal of Antiquity paper published last...

Latest Bronze Age grave found near Loch Ness, left with soil, right after excavation.

18 December, 2017 - 13:54 Theodoros Karasavvas

“Special Site” for Bronze Age Burials Discovered Near Loch Ness

Archaeologists claim that they have found a 'special site' – as they described it – for Bronze Age burials near Loch Ness, after the discovery of a second 4,000-year-old peculiar grave containing a...

Skeleton of Xiongnu female with coal buckle. Image: Marina Kilunovskaya

11 October, 2017 - 23:04 ancient-origins

Tighten Your Belt: 2,200 year-old Xiongnu Jewelry Made of Coal, Jade and Coral

By Sergey Zubchuk and Anna Liesowska Eyecatching belt buckles worn by Xiongnu female invaders have been found buried on the banks of the Yenesei River in the modern-day Tuva Republic. Another buckle...

Reconstructed heads of the children that may have been sacrificed for a double burial in Sunghir, Russia.

5 October, 2017 - 19:00 Caleb Strom

The Sunghir Burial Site: Were these Two Children Sacrificed in a Form of Prehistoric Scapegoating?

One of the clearest signs of behavioral modernity in the archaeological record is the appearance of art and religion. Once we see indications of creative and speculative minds at work trying to...

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...

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

23 August, 2017 - 15:21 jason and sarah

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,...

Part of a gilded coffin which was found in one of the Aswan tombs.

3 June, 2017 - 14:01 Alicia McDermott

Archaeologists Stumble Upon 10 Egyptian Late Period Rock-Hewn Tombs

An Egyptian mission from the Ministry of Antiquities recently came across 10 previously undiscovered rock-hewn tombs on the West Bank of Aswan. They say the tombs date to the Late Period (664‒332 BC...

Collection of Egyptian Art, design by Anand Balaji

29 March, 2017 - 15:37 anand balaji

The Magic, Mystery and Madness of Tomb 55: Shadowy Sovereigns and Risky Reburials–Part IV

The German Egyptologist Walther Wolf was unsparing in his description of Akhenaten, calling him a man who epitomized “sick ugliness and nervous decadence”. The greatest irony of the entire Amarna...

Collection of Egyptian Art, design by Anand Balaji; Deriv.

22 March, 2017 - 14:38 anand balaji

The Magic, Mystery and Madness of Tomb 55: Resurrecting the Rebel Ruler–Part III

Akhenaten’s short-lived capital, Amarna, was the epicenter of the unpalatable religious changes that pharaoh had unleashed on his country. The ensuing tumult which pervaded Egypt during this dark...

10 February, 2017 - 22:55 Alicia McDermott

Researchers Wonder if Rich Viking Boat Burial Found in Scotland was Made for a Warrior Woman

A team of researchers who have been examining the horde of grave goods left in an amazing Viking boat burial have decided that the deceased individual was definitely an important person in their...

8 February, 2017 - 02:05 Alicia McDermott

Fascinating Figurines Accompanied a Chinese General and his Princess Wife to the Afterlife

Over 100 grave goods accompanied a Chinese general and his princess wife to the afterlife. The elite couple were buried in 564 with a collection of figurines. Their double burial likely had some...

Objects in the "Apadana" reliefs at Persepolis: armlets, bowls, and amphorae with griffin handles are given as tribute.

10 January, 2017 - 21:51 Theodoros Karasavvas

2,400-Year-Old Tomb in Iraq Holds 6 Skeletons and Bronze Goods – But It Was NOT Wealthy

A tomb in northern Iraq held a pile of skeletons of at least six people, including those who lived 2,400 years ago. Apart from the human remains, valuable objects where discovered in the tomb as well...

Pages

Myths & Legends

Were the Merovingians Descended from a Monster? Meet the Quinotaur

You’ve probably heard of a Minotaur (half-man, half-bull), but what about a Quinotaur? In early Frankish history, there was a “beast of Neptune,” which was said to look like a creature called a Quinotaur.

Edgar Cayce, Six-fingered Giants and the Supernatural Creation Gods of Atlantis: Part 1

The ‘Dynastic Race’ and the Biblical ‘Japheth’ – Part I: After the Deluge

The Last of the Siberian Unicorns: What Happened to the Mammoth-Sized One-Horned Beasts of Legend?

The Legends and Archaeology of Devil’s Lake: A Place of Ancient Power in Wisconsin

The Fearsome Wicker Man: An Eerie Way Druids Committed Human Sacrifice

Human Origins

Edgar Cayce (Credit: Edgar Cayce’s Association for Research and Enlightenment, Author provided)

Edgar Cayce, Six-fingered Giants and the Supernatural Creation Gods of Atlantis: Part 1

For nearly 30 years I have returned to the famous “Sleeping Prophet” Edgar Cayce’s readings as a road map to try and piece together the complex origins of civilization and the creation of Homo sapiens. Cayce (March 18, 1877 – January 3, 1945) was an American Christian mystic born in Hopkinsville, Kentucky who answered questions on subjects as varied as healing, reincarnation, wars, Atlantis, and future events while in a trance state.

The ‘Dynastic Race’ and the Biblical ‘Japheth’ – Part I: After the Deluge

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

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

7.2 million-Year-Old Pre-Human Fossil Suggests Mankind Arose in Europe NOT Africa

Ancient Anomalous Human Skeletons: Humanity Could be Much Older Than We Think

Ancient Technology

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

The Norimitsu Odachi is a huge sword from Japan. It is so large, in fact, that it was said to have been wielded by a giant. Apart from the basic knowledge of it having been forged in the 15th century AD, measuring 3.77 meters (12.37 ft.) in length, and weighing as much as 14.5 kg (31.97 lbs.), this impressive sword is shrouded in mystery.

Secrets Behind the Creepy Plague Doctor Mask and Costume

Egyptian Blue – The Oldest Known Artificial Pigment

Han Purple: A 2,800-year-old artificial pigment that quantum physicists are trying to understand

A History of Timekeeping: Mankind’s Obsession With Time

Philip’s Fountain: The Oldest Still-In-Use Hydraulic Work in the World

Ancient Places

Birka: The Mysterious Demise of a Majestic Viking Trading Center

The Viking Age in Europe brought a lot of key events and innovations, and greatly shaped the future of things that were to come. But there is a popular misconception that the Vikings were all about...

This is What a Man from the Tomb of Sunken Skulls Looked Like

The Great Serpent Mound of Ohio, the Largest Earthen Effigy in the World

Witches, Monsters and Dragons, All at Frankenstein Castle

The Great City of Uruk Became Sumerian Powerhouse of Technology, Architecture and Culture

The Legends and Archaeology of Devil’s Lake: A Place of Ancient Power in Wisconsin

Opinion

Petroglyphic Features of Portable Rock Art

Paleo rock art from around the world ranges in style, method, and age, and includes cave paintings, petroglyphs, pictographs, polished and engraved stones such as effigies, stone sculptures, and portable ceremonial objects.

The Northern Mysteries Current: Futhark and Mystery Schools of the Viking Age

Was There Ever a Trojan War?

Floki and the Viking Discovery of Iceland

Messiah on Temple Mount: Are We Nearing the End of Time?

3 Problems to Remember When Trying to Find Atlantis

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.

We’re the only Pop Archaeology site combining scientific research with out-of-the-box perspectives.

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.