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.

Madrid Codex. Maya Codex also known as Tro-Cortesianus. Origin unknown. Epoch: Late Postclassic.

5 November, 2015 - 14:48 aprilholloway

Unravelling the Mysteries Trapped Within Mayan Hieroglyphs

For hundreds of years, linguists have been trying to decode the ancient hieroglyphic script of the Mayans, left behind on monument carvings, painted pottery, and drawn in handmade bark-paper books...

Archaeologists have unearthed 12 buildings, including a house (left), storehouse (center) and community sauna (upper right) buried by volcanic ash at Ceren around A.D. 660.

5 November, 2015 - 03:44 Mark Miller

Mayan Pompeii: Remarkable Ancient Village Preserved in Ash Emerges in El Salvador

About 1,400 years ago, the Loma Caldera volcano of El Salvador erupted, covering the small Maya village of Ceren in ash and preserving it in pristine condition to the present day. Unlike at Pompeii...

The ambitious proposed design of the planned underwater antiquity museum set for the Bay of Alexandria, Egypt

4 November, 2015 - 21:51 lizleafloor

Ancient Sunken Cities and Artifacts to be revealed with Ambitious Underwater Museum in Egypt

Ancient sunken treasures hidden for thousands of years will be revealed in an underwater antiquity museum, the first of its kind, set for the history-rich Bay of Alexandria in Egypt. The ambitious...

This delicately elaborate mosaic has been excavated from a possible rich person’s villa in Roman Doliche, one of the few areas in Roman Syria where archaeologists can work.

4 November, 2015 - 14:59 Mark Miller

War limits study of Roman Syrian sites, but one has yielded priceless treasures of the past

The war has so disrupted parts of the Near East that scholars have just a few Roman Empire sites to study in what was the Roman province of Syria. But archaeologists are able to work a few sites,...

Deriv; Wu Zetian, famous work of art depicting the Chinese emperor's large procession.

3 November, 2015 - 23:44 lizleafloor

Entire Family Executed by First Female Emperor of China: Tomb Reveals Bloody Past

1,300 years ago Yan Shiwei was an honored magistrate dedicated to supporting the first (and only) female Emperor in Chinese history—until she had him and his family executed. His bones have now been...

Some of lines are straight and some curved in this, one of three of the earliest known examples of art from the British Isles, unearthed at Jersey Island.

3 November, 2015 - 13:52 Mark Miller

14,500-Year-Old Stone Engravings: Archaeologists Uncover Earliest Known Art in Britain

Examples of the work of Britain’s earliest known artists, rock carvings at least 14,500-years-old, have been discovered on the island of Jersey. One of the pieces will be on display through 2016 in...

Artifact discovered at the Arattipura site in India.

3 November, 2015 - 02:51 Alicia McDermott

Important 800-Year-Old Jain Inscription Uncovered in India

An 800-year-old inscription detailing a donation during the Hoysala Regime has been discovered in Arattipura, India. This find is thought to be a very important discovery for researchers interested...

1 November, 2015 - 13:52 Mark Miller

Animal bones shed light on the lifestyle of citizens in ancient Maya cities

While archaeologists and historians know much about the lives of Maya royalty and rulers, the lifestyles of the poor and middle class are wrapped in mystery. A new study that is examining hordes of...

One of the enormous earthwork configurations photographed from space is known as the Ushtogaysky Square, named after the nearest village in Kazakhstan. Credit: Digitalglobe, via NASA

30 October, 2015 - 23:47 aprilholloway

NASA Sparks Interest in Enigmatic Earthworks of Kazakhstan

Archaeologists call them the Nazca lines of Kazakhstan – hundreds of giant geoglyphs formed with earthen mounds and timber found stretched across the landscape in northern Kazakhstan. They are...

'Along with the remains we found beads, and wooden decorations in gold foil. The wood is decayed, but the foil is preserved. There is horse gear with bronze elements.' Picture: Vasily Oinoshev.

30 October, 2015 - 13:42 ancient-origins

2,500-year-old female Siberian warrior is beheaded by excavator

By Anna Liesowska An ancient wealthy young woman was found laid to rest with her horse and weapons by workers who accidentally dug up her burial mound. The excavator smashed the prehistoric...

Archaeologist David Jacques demonstrates how a tree root system could function as a wall for Stone Age people.

29 October, 2015 - 20:41 lizleafloor

The Missing Link to Stonehenge: Stone Age Eco-Home Discovered near Famous Monument

In what archaeologists are calling the missing link to Stonehenge, the world’s first “eco” home, and the oldest settlement yet found in the prehistoric monument landscape has been discovered. Built...

29 October, 2015 - 02:42 aprilholloway

Project Launched to Revive the Colossus of Rhodes, Wonder of the Ancient World

A multinational team of professionals has launched an ambitious ‘Colossus of Rhodes Project’ to revive the tallest statue of the Hellenistic period. The planned 150-meter tall colossus would house a...

The team found amphoras of a type that have never been found in shipwrecks before. They also found anchors, pottery used by the crew and cooking pots.

28 October, 2015 - 20:38 Mark Miller

22 Shipwrecks spanning Ancient Era to the Renaissance discovered at Aegean archipelago

Archaeologists doing an underwater survey in the Aegean Sea in Greek territorial waters have found an amazing 22 shipwrecks of merchant vessels that sank between 700 BC and the 16th century AD. The...

An ivory comb found in the 3,500 years old warrior tomb unearthed in the Peloponnese region of Greece.

27 October, 2015 - 02:45 aprilholloway

3,500-Year-Old Unplundered Warrior Tomb with Huge Treasure Hoard found in Greece

Archaeologists in Greece have made a rare and exciting discovery – an ancient unlooted tomb with the remains of an unknown warrior and a huge hoard of treasure. The Greek Ministry of Culture...

26 October, 2015 - 20:46 Mark Miller

Archaeologists identify Temple of Hatshepsut, the female Pharaoh the ancients tried to erase

King Thutmose III, sixth Pharaoh of the 18 th Dynasty in Ancient Egypt, tried to erase all memory of Hatshepsut, the “Woman Who Was King”, but he was unsuccessful as traces of this powerful female...

The skull of a young girl who suffered from syphilis; she would have been a candidate for treatment with mercury in the Middle Ages.

26 October, 2015 - 13:54 Mark Miller

A Toxic Price to Pay: Wealthy citizens in medieval Europe had poisoning from lead-glazed plates

Rich city dwellers in medieval northern Europe had elevated lead and mercury levels that probably caused them serious health problems. Fewer rural people, who were poorer, had elevated heavy metals...

Pages

Myths & Legends

Detail of a bowl from the Hildesheim Silver Treasure featuring a seated Athena, 1st century BC.

The Hidden Identity of the Woman Glorified as Athena: Her Link to the Pre-Flood World

Here is that woman in all her splendor, reconstructed in the imitation Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee, based on the original in her ancient temple atop Athens’ Acropolis —the high place of the...

Was Dracula Story inspired by Abhartach, the Bloodsucking Chieftain of Ireland?

The Real Story of Medusa: Protective Powers from a Snake-Haired Gorgon

The ancient origins of the legendary griffin

Hidden in Plain Sight: The Pterodactyl of New Guinea

The Dogon’s Extraordinary Knowledge of the Cosmos and the Cult of Nommo

Human Origins

Little Human Subspecies: Where’s the Evidence?

From the lush oases of Africa’s Ethiopia, across the planet to the sweltering jungles of Mexico, beyond the horizon to the primordial coasts of Hawaii, and back again to the gardens, olive groves, and marble columns of ancient Greece, an obscure common thread of small human subspecies endures.

The Little Ice Age and Its Giant Impact on Human History

Footprints, Fairies and even a Foreskin: 10 Bizarre Relics from History

Did Ancient People Really Have Lifespans Longer Than 200 Years?

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

Zecharia Sitchin and the Mistranslation of Sumerian Texts

Ancient Technology

Detail of a mural from an Eastern Han tomb with artificial pigment

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

Han purple is an artificial pigment created by the Chinese over 2,500 years ago, which was used in wall paintings and to decorate the famous terracotta warriors, as well as ceramics, metal ware, and...

150,000-Year-Old Pipes Baffle Scientists in China: Out of Place in Time?

The Man Who Stopped a Desert Using Ancient Farming

Catapult: The Long-Reaching History of a Prominent Medieval Siege Engine

Mysterious GodSelf Icon Found Worldwide: Lost Symbol of an Ancient Global Religion?

The Indian Sage who developed Atomic Theory 2,600 years ago

Ancient Places

The Beauty of Loulan and the Tattooed Mummies of the Tarim Basin

Loulan was discovered in 1980, but it was 3800 years ago that she died on the trade route known as the Silk Road. The natural dryness and salty soil preserved her and over two hundred other mummies,...

Island in the Clouds: Is Mount Roraima Really A ‘Lost World’ Where Dinosaurs May Still Exist?

Pavlopetri: 5,000-Year-Old Town Discovered Underwater in Greece

The Colossal Head of Decebalus, King of the Dacians

The Ancient Rock City of Sigiriya

Basilica of the Holy Blood – Does it Really Hold the Blood of Jesus?

Opinion

Unearthing Ancient Magic in The Runes –Messages with Hidden Symbols and Powerful Numbers

The etymology of the word “rune” means: “to carve, or to cut.” In Low German the word is “raunen.” As the runes were cut and carved into wood, metal or stone, the word “rune” was analogous to the rune letters themselves.

Petroglyphic Features of Portable Rock Art

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?

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.