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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.

The frescos narrate everyday scenes of life in the town.

Bizarre Comical Frescoes Complete with Speech in a Lost Hybrid Language Found in Jordan Tomb

Archaeologists digging in Jordan have unearthed a Roman tomb decorated with colorful frescoes including ancient “comic writing bubbles” scribed in Aramaic using Greek letters. The remarkable...
Ancient dolphin statue near Gaza

Archaeologists find mysterious ancient dolphin statue near Gaza

An archaeological team discovered a rare dolphin statuette at a site near Kibbutz Magen, 12 miles (20km) inland from the Mediterranean Sea, on the border of the Gaza Strip amid the ruins of a...
Egyptian Papyrus from Macquarie University with proposed Coptic Love Spell

French Academic Detects A Little Bit of Love Magic on Egyptian Papyrus

A French University lecturer has announced that he has deciphered an Egyptian magical spell written on a piece of papyrus. The spell has baffled experts, because of its enigmatic language and imagery...
The London Stone, as kept in the alcove of 111 Cannon Street

Legendary Landmark and Talisman ‘The London Stone’ to be Returned to Cannon Street

A mysterious ancient stone is to be returned to its home in London in the next few weeks. This enigmatic object, popularly known as the ‘London Stone’ has been one of the landmarks of the great...
Evidence of early occupation of Aboriginal Australians was found at Karnatukul during excavation in 2014.

Aboriginal Australians Lived in Desert Interior 10,000 Years Earlier Than Thought

Jo McDonald & Peter Veth / The Conversation New evidence shows that Aboriginal Australians have lived inland in Western Australia for more than 50,000 years. That’s 10,000 years earlier than...
he items found on Morgarten plain, possibly from an important 14th century battle.

Do these Weapons Show the True Site of the Battle of Morgarten?

Archaeologists found knives, arrows, a cavalier's spur and silver coins from what may be the site of the important 1315 AD Battle of Morgarten, during which Swiss peasants repelled an attack of...
Great temple moved in the 1960s Abu Simbel temple rescue operation.

The Great Abu Simbel Rescue: The Tale of Two Ancient Temples That Moved Up A Hill

50-years-ago almost to the day, arguably the world’s most complicated archaeological missions concluded after the entire temple complex at Abu Simbel was dismantled, block by dusty block, and rebuilt...
Child labor at Avondale Mills in Birmingham, Alabama, 1910

New Discoveries Show Child Labor is an Ancient Curse

Archaeological trends go through waves which are often inspired by the ripples of current social concerns. With many activists raising awareness of women’s and children's rights, it is almost of no...
2,400-Year-Old Healing Temple dedicated to Asclepius

2,400-Year-Old Healing Temple dedicated to Asclepius, God of Healing, Excavated in Greece

Archaeologists in Greece excavated an ancient healing temple in the acropolis of Feneos dedicated to Asclepius, god of healing, in 2015. Along with the foundations of the sacred temple, researchers...
HMS Endeavour Replica

Have Experts Finally Located the Wreck of Cook’s Ship HMS Endeavour?

Marine archaeologists are about to announce that they have solved one of the greatest maritime mysteries of all time. They believe that they have finally discovered the wreck of HMS Endeavour, the...
This is an artist's copy of a mural at the Temple of the Murals at Bonampak, a Maya archaeological site showing examples of heavy jewelry.

New Discovery Suggests That Maya Elites Danced Wearing As Much As 25 Pounds of Jade Jewelry

A five-pound jade head pendant has been found at Ucanal, an archaeological site in what was once the Maya city of K’anwitznal. The massive jade pendant, the heaviest of its kind ever found, once hung...
Depiction of punishment in ancient Egypt

Analysis of Skeletons Reveals Harsh Punishment in Ancient Egypt

Egyptian kings and pharaohs conquered entire nations, but if a person stole so much as an animal hide he could be whipped with 100 lashes and stabbed five times in the back… and then be sent back to...
John Michael Baillie-Hamilton Buchanan, the new Chief of Clan Buchanan.

After Life-Long Search, Detective Finds Lost Chief of Scottish Clan: ‘The Buchanan’ is its First Chief in 337 Years

After over three centuries without ancestral leadership, the Clan Buchanan welcomes John Michael Baillie-Hamilton Buchanan, 60, who owns Cambusmore Estate near Callander, as the official head of the...

Thousands of Artifacts Emerge from Lost Ancient Viking City of Sea-Masters

As the world awaits the second half of season five of History Channel’s epic show Vikings , which will premiere on November 28, 2018, archaeologists in Ribe, Denmark have been excavating a real life...
Giant elephant birds, once the largest birds in the world, may have coexisted with people for millennia.

Humans were Hunting the Largest Bird in the World on Madagascar 10,500 Years Ago

Analysis of elephant bird bones, once the largest bird in the world, has revealed that humans arrived on the tropical island of Madagascar more than 6,000 years earlier than previously thought. They...
One of the access shafts which dive into the subterranean network under the Giza Plateau.

Hidden Underworld of the Giza Plateau is Finally Brought to Light

By Kathy J. Forti A vast network of underground chambers and water tunnels have been discovered beneath several of the world’s most well-known pyramids, including the Great Pyramid on Egypt’s Giza...
Oldest brewery with traces of oldest beer found in Israel.

Nomads Set Up the World’s Oldest Brewery in Israel 13,000-years-ago

A new study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports suggests beer brewing practices existed in the Eastern Mediterranean over five millennia before the earliest known evidence,...
‘The Unicorn is Found’ in one of the Unicorn Tapestries in Stirling Castle. Medieval science fiction had a convergence of science, technology and the imagination

Medieval Science Fiction Existed – Here’s What it Looked Like

Carl Kears & James Paz / The Conversation Science fiction may seem resolutely modern, but the genre could actually be considered hundreds of years old. There are the alien green “ children of...
This puma skull was amongst the many animal bones at the Motmot burial of a young Maya woman who sat cross-legged in her tomb.

Crocodilian Teeth, Stingray Spines and Puma Skulls All Discovered in One Ancient Maya Royal Tomb

A monumental Maya royal tomb has been explored in the ancient Maya city of Copán, in the Copán Valley of modern-day Honduras, containing the reminds of elusive jungle predators including crocodile...
Ancient Maya obsidian arrowhead

Human Blood Found on Ancient Maya Arrowheads, Bloodletting Rituals to Feed Life Force to the Gods

Five hundred years ago at a remote temple in Guatemala, sacrificial blood was spilled during cutting ceremonies using razor-sharp obsidian arrowheads. Archaeologists say this ritual was done to feed...
A Blombos Cave with ochre pencil on silcrete stone thought to be the earliest drawing.

Discovery of the Earliest Drawing – By at Least 30,000 years

What is a symbol? This is a tough question to answer when tasked with analyzing the earliest graphic productions. What we might today interpret as figurative representations might just be an ancient...
Lisht Middle Kingdom necropolis area.

800 Ancient Egyptian Tombs Discovered at Middle Kingdom Necropolis

The Ministry of Antiquities and the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt have announced the discovery of over 800 ancient tombs, including some completely new finds. The newly found tombs are in a...
Mammoth tusk found at the kill site in Austria.

28,000-Year-Old Mammoth Kill Site Discovered in Austria

Archaeologists in Austria have announced the discovery of what they have described as a “Stone Age kill site.” The hoard of ancient mammoth remains indicate a zone into which ancient people must have...
Roman gold coins found in an amphora in Como, Italy

Theatre of Treasure: Roman Gold Coins Found in Northern Italy ‘Could Be Worth Millions’

The Italian Minister for Culture has announced a stunning discovery in Northern Italy. Hundreds of Roman gold coins have been unearthed at the site of an old theatre in Como and the Italian Press has...

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