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History & Archaeology

We bring you all the latest historical news and archaeological discoveries relating to ancient human history. Read more history news from around the world here at Ancient Origins.

Illustration representing a ‘Bronze Age workshop in the 9 to 10th Centuries BCE’. A circular economy can be traced back as far as the Bronze Age, or perhaps earlier.

Circular Economy: How the Ancients Pioneered the Idea of Recycling Waste

Maikel Kuijpers / The Conversation The circular economy is typically seen as the progressive alternative to our wasteful linear economy, where raw materials are used to make the products that feed...
The Great Pyramid casing stone.

Great Pyramid Casing Stone Exhibit On Rocky Ground As Egypt Challenges Its Legality

The National Museum of Scotland announced that they plan to exhibit a marvelous block of fine white limestone that was brought to the UK in 1872 as a centerpiece in a new permanent gallery called...
The first clear example of an ancient Harappan couple burial.

Archaeologists Find the First Example of a Harappan Couple Burial

A rare discovery at an ancient Harappan site shows that death doesn’t even mean the end for some relationships. The couple’s burial stands out from others in a sprawling cemetery. Even in the grave,...
King Naram-Sin of Akkad, grandson of Sargon, leading his army to victory.

How Climate Change Caused the World’s First Ever Empire To Collapse

By Vasile Ersek / The Conversation Gol-e-Zard Cave lies in the shadow of Mount Damavand, which at more than 5,000 metres dominates the landscape of northern Iran. In this cave, stalagmites and...
Self portrait of Guda, a 12th century nun and female scribe.

Blue Pigment Found on Medieval Teeth Reveals Secret Existence of Female Scribes

The analysis of human teeth has become increasingly important in modern archaeology. A recent discovery of a set of teeth in a German monastery is revolutionizing our understanding of women in...
Modern Icelandic horses are probably descendants from the horses that were buried by Viking.

Archaeologists Prove That Vikings Rode ‘Stallions’ Rather Than Mares, Especially into The Afterlife

More so than females, the male Norse explorers who took residence in Iceland more than 1,000 years were buried with their horses and new DNA evidence proves that the horses slaughtered to accompany...
Decapitated skeleton excavated at Great Whelnetham, UK

Roman Burial Site Found in England Includes 52 Skeletons With 17 Bizarre After Death Decapitations

Sometimes archaeologists make grim and even shocking discoveries. In England, there has been one such find. Experts have found a cemetery, dating from the Roman era which contained a great many...
Wax diptycha or tablet, forming a schoolboy's Greek exercise book. The tablet contains two lines, written neatly above as a model and then copied twice betwen the ruled lines; the first line, and possibly the second, are from the poet Menander.

Egyptian Child’s Greek Homework from 1,800 Years Ago Goes on Display

An ancient wax tablet has recently surfaced, shedding light on the educational practices of children from almost two millennia ago. This remarkable artifact, which serves as a testament to the past,...
Representational image of a war elephant. The recently-discovered fortress at Berenike guarded a port that supplied war elephants

2300-Year-Old Fortress Which Guarded Port That Supplied War Elephants Found in Egypt in Major Discovery

A Polish-American archaeological team have discovered the ruins of a 2,300-year-old fortress that once protected the Ancient Egyptian port of “Berenike”, situated strategically on the coast of the...
Castle at Al Sela in Tafila, Jordan

Ancient Shards Discovered at 3000-Year-Old Nabatean Mountain Top City of Sela

A team of researchers in Amman exploring the 3000-year-old Edomite-Nabataean mountain stronghold, Sela, located on the Edom Plateau, south of Jordan, between Tafila and Busayra have discovered Iron...
The excavated burial of the ancient woman in Nicaragua.

Super Strong Woman Found in Lower Central America’s Earliest Human Burial

Nicaragua is a country which is not associated with many archaeological finds, unlike other nations in Central America. However, recently archaeologists in the country have found the oldest human...
The remains of the hospital at Port Arthur, Tasmania

Why Archaeology Is So Much More Than Just Digging

By Richard Tuffin and Martin GIbbs /The Conversation It is our experience that most people think archaeology mainly means digging in the dirt. Admit to strangers that you are of the archaeological...
Head and torso of god Xipe Totec found at Ndachjian–Tehuacán archaeological site

Gruesome Sacrificial Temple of the Macabre Fertility God Xipe Totec Discovered in Mexico

Delighted archaeologists in Mexico have found the first temple dedicated to the ‘Flayed Lord’ or Xipe Tótec, one of the most important Pre-Columbian deities. The find, which included a stone...
Roman busts found in an ancient cemetery outside the old city of Beit She'an, Israel

Woman Spots Stone Head Poking Out of the Ground in Israel and Discovers Two 1700-Year-Old Statues

A woman walking through a cemetery in northern Israel has made a very important discovery. After heavy rains had washed away top soil, she chanced upon the top of a stone head, which turned out to be...
Medieval science

The Grave That Heals: Irish Folktale Proven True as Soil from Priest’s Grave Shows Key to Fighting Drug-Resistant Bacteria

Traditionally ancient folk remedies are not treated seriously by medical researchers and professionals. However, some scientists are taking a new look at these remedies because some are believed to...
Old catapult in Les Baux-de-Provence, France

Rare Find of Stone Catapult Ball Fired During Medieval Siege Unearthed in Scotland

Archaeologists in Scotland have made the rare discovery of a stone ball that was used like a cannonball during a medieval siege. The find is helping experts to better understand Scotland’s Wars of...
Some of the ancient idols found alongside a riverbank in Kerala, India.

Flood Reveals Ancient Idols Holding Secrets to Early Hinduism and a Long-Lost Civilization

Indian authorities have announced a dramatic discovery on a riverbank in the south-west of the country. Fishermen found some Hindu idols on the banks of the Pamba River in Kerala State and it is...
Hidden carvings have been found on the tomb of Bishop Robert Cardeny at Dunkeld Cathedral.

Medieval Stone Carvings on Bishop's Tomb Lie Unseen for 600 Years

Many amazing discoveries have been made entirely by accident and Scottish experts have just announced one such discovery. During conservation work they have unexpectedly found medieval stone carvings...
The remarkably well-preserved Medieval sword found in the ruins of a Spanish castle.

Medieval Sword from the War of the Two Peters Unearthed In Spanish Castle

Archaeologists have made a rare discovery during their second season of work at a Medieval castle in Aín, Castellón, Spain. The have unearthed a 700-year-old sword that is in a remarkable state. The...
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Ancient Magical Incantation to Capture Evil Devourer Found in Turkey

The discovery of magical incantation that is 2800-years-old has been announced by experts. It was found at a site in south-west Turkey and is written in the ancient Aramaic language . The incantation...
The Folkton drums

Archaeologists Finally Discover the Meaning Behind the Mysterious 4000-Year-Old Folkton Drums – Stonehenge Measurement!

Archaeologists have announced that the Folkton drums, a collection of 4000-year-old decorated stone cylinders which evaded explanation for over a century since their discovery, were used by ancient...
A large Iguanodontian footprint.

Dinosaur Footprints of Unimaginable Age Found Romping Along England’s Coastline

Experts in the United Kingdom have announced a major discovery of dinosaur footprints , that are at least 100 million years old and possibly older. The prints were found in Hastings, Sussex on the...
The Pre-Viking sword found by metal detectorists in eastern Denmark.

Well-Preserved 3,000-Year-Old Pre-Viking Sword Unearthed in Denmark is Still Sharp

By Michael Wing / Epoch Times On the large island of Zealand, located in eastern Denmark, two amateur archaeologists fortuitously decided to bring their metal detector along with them on a stroll...
Weimar (Thuringia). Museum for Prehistory in Thuringia: Reconstruction of the Unetice culture’s Bronze Age prince's grave in Leubingen.

Prehistoric Prince Was Brutally Murdered in the Oldest Politically Motivated Assassination

A team of archaeologists and forensics experts studying the remains of the 'Prince of Helmsdorf,’ dated to around 1940 BC, who was discovered in Klopfleisch in 1877, have announced that ‘he was...

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