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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.

A rock was inserted into the mouth of a 10-year-old to keep the deceased child from rising from the grave and spreading malaria, researchers believe.

'Vampire Burial' An Effort to Prevent a Child's Infectious Return From the Grave

The discovery of a 10-year-old's body at an ancient Roman site in Italy suggests measures were taken to prevent the child, possibly infected with malaria, from rising from the dead and spreading...
Statue of Kaires found in a freshly discovered tomb in Egypt.

Tomb of Kaires the ‘Keeper of the Secret’ and the Pharaoh’s ‘Sole Friend’ Unearthed in Egypt

The Czech Institute of Egyptology has announced an amazing discovery, that was made during their ongoing work near a pyramid in the deserts of Egypt. They have unearthed the impressive tomb complex...
Modern salt production. Piles of Salt, Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

Salt: A Mover and Shaker in Ancient Maya Society

Salt is essential for life. As ancient civilizations evolved from hunters and gatherers to agrarian societies, it has not been clear how people acquired this mineral that is a biological necessity...
The inscription bearing the word ‘Jerusalem’, was found in the excavation near the Jerusalem International Convention Center.

Earliest Known Inscription of the Word ‘Jerusalem’ Discovered at Ancient City’s Entrance

The earliest-ever carved inscription of the word ‘Jerusalem’ has been discovered on a waist-high lime stone column, in a Roman building, near the ancient city's entrance. Whispers From A Holy Past...
Human victims discovered on the sea-shore area of Herculaneum.

An Ancient Supervolcano That “Exploded People’s Skulls and Evaporated Their Bodies” is Ready to Blow Again

In August AD 79, the somma-stratovolcano Mount Vesuvius, located on the Gulf of Naples in Campania, Italy, about 9 km (5.6 mi) east of Naples, catastrophically erupted covering the towns of Pompeii...
Finger bones of Homo sapiens neanderthalensis found in Poland.

115,000-year-old Bones Found in Poland are of a Neanderthal Child that was Eaten by a Bird

In 2013 some very early hominid bones were uncovered by archaeologists in a cave in southern Poland. There have been extensive studies conducted on the remains and they have led to some astonishing...
United States constitution and flag

American People Suffering Historical Amnesia With Many Citizens Knowing “Virtually Nothing” About Their History

Many people regard the United States of America as the world’s foremost democratic police force, and as such, one would expect its citizens to be well-informed regarding their historical and...
Rolled up parchment with information of payment to William Weston from Henry VII

A Timeworn Scroll Reveals King Henry VII’s Interests in New World Colonization

In AD 1499 England launched its very first English-led expedition to "Terra Nova” (New World) and now researchers studying a 16th century scroll have found King Henry VII awarded William Weston, one...
Bone knife from Morocco oldest attributed to Aterians. Source: © Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London (2018), S. Bello and  Mohammed Kamal (Fotokam, Morocco)

Stone Age or Bone Age? Knife from Morocco is Oldest Specialized Tool of the Culture

90,000 years ago, a large mammal met its death and people of the Aterian culture skillfully fashioned this knife from one of its ribs. That bone knife has now found to be the oldest of its type to...
The sword has been dated to the 5th or 6th century.

Girl Finds Pre-Viking Sword While Wading in Swedish Lake

There have been many remarkable discoveries in lakes, over the centuries. One such find has just been recently announced in Sweden. A young girl found an incredibly rare 5 th or 6 th century AD sword...
Temple of Kom Ombo at dusk.

Engraved Tablets Found at Kom Ombo Temple Reveal New Historic Trail to Horemheb

About 1289 BC Pharaoh Seti I became consecrated to the god Set and having founded the 19th dynasty he reigned for an estimated 55 years. Now, ancient carvings including ‘stone engravings and...
Left, opiate poppy and right Vessel in which traces of opiate have been found.

Bronze Age High: Traces of Opiates Found in Cypriot Vessel

Researchers at the University of York and the British Museum have discovered traces of opiates preserved inside a distinctive vessel dating back to the Late Bronze Age. Vessels of this type, known as...
Sophisticated rock carvings in Ratnagiri, India indicate a lost Indian civilization.

A Gallery of Hidden Prehistoric Rock Art Points to Lost Indian Civilization

India is a land of many civilizations. Now it appears that another one has been uncovered in the west of the country. A team of explorers has discovered a number of petroglyph sites that belonged to...
This is the skeleton discovered during excavations exploring Medieval life on Torcello Island, Venice, Italy.

Scholars Uncover Signs of Medieval Life and Death on an Italian Island

On the island of Torcello, at the Ca' Foscari University of Venice excavation site, some protagonists of the island's thousand-year history have begun to emerge. A tomb datable to around 700 AD has...
Photograph of human hand that was imaged shows palmar (left) and dorsal (right) views.

CT Technique Massively Expands Imaging Soft Tissue of Ancient Remains

Researchers in Sweden using computed tomography (CT) have successfully imaged the soft tissue of an ancient Egyptian mummy's hand down to a microscopic level, according to a study published in the...
LiDAR image revealing Maya structures beneath the jungle canopy in Guatemala

Laser Scans Reveal 60,000 Previously Unknown Maya Structures Hidden in Guatemalan Jungle!

In a monumental archaeological discovery, whose magnitude hasn’t been seen in decades, an aerial survey over northern Guatemala revealed tens of thousands of Maya structures, including pyramids,...
Oliver Cromwell statue, Palace of Westminster, London

Cromwell Statue In London Caught Up In History Whitewashing Battle

Controversy has erupted in London, England as historians call for the removal of a statue of Oliver Cromwell situated in front of the Houses of Parliament. The winds of change are blowing east. The...
St Cuthbert Gospel. Credit: The British Library

St Cuthbert Gospel: Talismanic Medieval Holy Book Used to Ward off Evil Forces Publicly Revealed

It’s probably safe for me to assume that because you’re reading this article, you are most probably something of a book worm and possibly even a history buff. If so, you need to get to the British...
The Meteoric Mystery of The Magical Islamic Stone: Experts Seek Help in Deciphering Inscription

The Meteoric Mystery of The Magical Islamic Stone: Experts Seek Help in Deciphering Inscription

This weekend, history experts across London are attempting to solve the astronomical mystery surrounding an ancient carved “meteorite” found in Mesopotamia (today’s Iraq) by a 19th century English...
Royal tombs in Neungsan-ri

The Little Known Ancient Korean Sites of the Baekje Kingdom Finally Receive Worldwide Recognition

Eight areas in Korea that used to be part of ancient Baekje Kingdom were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2015. They were registered at Number 12 on the list, which covers over 1000...
Prehistoric rock art using ochre paint on a cave wall in Drakensberg, South Africa

Prehistoric Man in South Africa Made Milk-based Paint 49000 years ago

A paint mixture of ochre and wild bovid milk, possibly from a buffalo or eland or similar animal, was found on a chip of a stone tool dating back 49,000 years in Sibudu Cave, a rock shelter in...
Painted burial chamber (from 2nd century B.C.) excavated in 2018

A Banquet Frozen in Time: Rare Painted Tomb Discovered in Italy

At the foot of the hill on which sits the ancient city of Cumae, in the region of Naples, Priscilla Munzi, CNRS researcher at the Jean Bérard Centre (CNRS-EFR), and Jean-Pierre Brun, professor at the...
One of two cases of healed blows to the cranium from the Playa Venado excavations. 	Source: Nicole Smith-Guzmán, STRI

Famous Report of Violent Savages in pre-Columbian Panama Got It Wrong

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute via Science Daily Buried alive. Butchered. Decapitated. Hacked. Mutilated. Killed. Archaeologist Samuel K. Lothrop did not obfuscate when describing what he...
The 5,500-year-old fingerprint (left) and the funnel beaker (right)

Fingerprint found on ceramic bowl is over 5,000 years old

When Danish archaeologists started to survey the site of the proposed Femern Belt link tunnel in 2015, they discovered a 5,500 year old ceramic vessel imprinted with the fingerprint of the craftsman...

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