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.

6 January, 2021 - 22:04 Nathan Falde

Long-Lost Runestone From Viking Monument Recovered In Sweden

Performing excavations in an area where new sewer lines are currently being installed, Swedish archaeologists have announced a remarkable and borderline miraculous find. While digging in half-frozen...

6 January, 2021 - 13:51 ashley cowie

Ancient Roman Marble Used As A Step Is Worth Thousands

A carved Roman marble slab that was used as a step to mount a horse for twenty years is expected to fetch up to £15,000 ($20,400) at auction this February. The 25 inch (63.5 cm) high slab of marble...

6 January, 2021 - 01:04 Nathan Falde

Is This Where John the Baptist Was Condemned to Death?

A courtyard uncovered among the ancient ruins at Machaerus, a fortified hilltop palace in Jordan , may have profound historical significance. According to one prominent academic, this courtyard is...

5 January, 2021 - 18:03 ashley cowie

Mapping The Lost Subterranean Christian Origins Of Hagia Sophia

At one time a cathedral, later a mosque, and now the chief museum of the Turkish Republic, Hagia Sophia, in the ancient Byzantine imperial capital of Constantinople (now Istanbul), was a world-famous...

5 January, 2021 - 00:32 Nathan Falde

Ancient Temple of Aphrodite Unearthed in Modern Turkey

Archaeologists performing excavations in the Urla-Cesme Peninsula in western Turkey recently found something remarkable. They uncovered the remains of a 2,500-year-old temple dedicated to the worship...

4 January, 2021 - 21:19 ashley cowie

Peruvian Archaeologist’s Life Is Threatened Over Caral-Chupacigarro

A 73-year-old Peruvian archaeologist was shot in the chest. Her dog was slaughtered. And now she’s receiving death threats, as she fights to defend Caral-Chupacigarro, America’s oldest city, from a...

The ancient wall paintings inside Buddhist cave temple “Cave 465,” located near Dunhuang about 932 miles (1500 km) west of present-day Beijing.

4 January, 2021 - 13:50 ashley cowie

Mystery of Ancient Buddhist Cave Temple Writing Solved

Researchers have successfully dated a set of mysterious phrases discovered on the ceiling of a Tibetan tantric Buddhist cave temple in China. The Mogao Caves are located on the ancient Silk Road in...

3 January, 2021 - 17:59 Nathan Falde

Metal Detectorist Discovers Ultra-Rare Chinese Coin in England

An English metal detectorist hunting for treasure in Hampshire recently unearthed something rare and startling. While scouring a field near the bucolic village of Buriton, where medieval artifacts...

2 January, 2021 - 02:56 ashley cowie

Stone Vessel Leads Researcher To The Lost Tomb Of Emperor Liu Zhi

An intrepid archaeologist in China has followed a series of clues from ancient texts leading to his discovery of an ornate stone vessel that he suspected indicated the lost burial mausoleum of the...

The worn cast copper alloy Chinese coin, from the Northern Song dynasty (960 AD to 1127 AD), minted during the Xining reign between 1068 and 1077 AD, and found in Britain

2 January, 2021 - 01:13 Alicia McDermott

Out of Place Chinese Coins Prompt Wonder: Did Medieval Asia and Britain Interact?

Britain’s antiquities experts have mostly written them off as a loss from a curated collection, but the presence of two Chinese Northern Song dynasty (960 - 1127 AD) coins unearthed at separate sites...

The first trailer for The Dig about the Sutton Hoo treasure hoard, filmed in Suffolk, has been released.

1 January, 2021 - 16:22 ashley cowie

Netflix Film Tells Dramatic Story of Sutton Hoo Treasure Discovery

Netflix has released the first trailer for “ The Dig ,” a new film set in England and based on the drama surrounding the history changing discovery of the Sutton Hoo burial site and treasure hoard...

The tin of Boer War chocolates recently found among the papers of Banjo Paterson, Australia's most famous poet. Source: National Library of Australia

31 December, 2020 - 22:03 Nathan Falde

Poet’s 120-Year-Old Chocolates Found In Australia’s National Library

While going through the personal papers of the famous Australian poet, author, and newspaper correspondent Andrew Barton “Banjo” Paterson, conservators at the National Library of Australia discovered...

31 December, 2020 - 17:53 ashley cowie

Best Preserved Ice Age Woolly Rhino Discovered in Siberia

In 2011 the BBC reported on the discovery of the “oldest known” woolly rhino fossil that was found on the cold Tibetan plateau in the Himalayas. That creature was dated to an astonishing “3.6 million...

31 December, 2020 - 14:04 Nathan Falde

Remote Sensing Technology Uncovers 66 “Hidden” Roman Bases In Spain

Utilizing advanced aerial imaging and state-of-the-art remote sensing techniques, a team of historical and archaeological researchers have been able to chart the location of 66 previously...

30 December, 2020 - 22:03 Alicia McDermott

Archaeologists Astounded by Iberian and Roman Armor and Weapon Find

Spanish archaeologists have unearthed an exceptional collection of Iberian and Roman armor and weapons in an ancient, conflict-ridden city. Valuable helmets, swords, daggers, and shields have all...

29 December, 2020 - 23:04 ashley cowie

Mediterranean Cultures Imported Asian Exotic Foods Before 1700 BC

The remains of exotic foods, spices and oils discovered on the calculus of ancient teeth discovered around the Mediterranean have been analyzed revealing new insights into the ancient Bronze Age food...

Pages

Myths & Legends

Is This the Real Reason Why Pirates Wore Eyepatches?

Between 1700 and 1725, the Caribbean was a relatively lawless place with numerous merchant ships traversing the high seas with no authorities to protect them. These factors helped to make this period the golden age of piracy. It turns out that many common beliefs about pirates are not true.

The Real Story of the ‘Bearded God’ Named Quetzalcoatl

The Sumerian King List still puzzles historians after more than a century of research

Craniums and Controversies of the Chachapoya Cloud Warriors

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?

Human Origins

Silhouettes (Public Domain) in front of blood cells (Public Domain) and a gene.

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

Most people who have the Rh blood type are Rh-positive. There are also instances, however, where people are Rh-Negative. Health problems may occur for the unborn child of a mother with Rh-Negative blood when the baby is Rh-Positive.

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

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

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

Return of the Ancient Gods: The Resurgence of Paganism

The Torah: Its History, Use, and Continued Purpose

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.

Egyptian Blue – The Oldest Known Artificial Pigment

Secrets Behind the Creepy Plague Doctor Mask and Costume

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

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

The Evidence is Cut in Stone: A Compelling Argument for Lost High Technology in Ancient Egypt

Ancient Places

The Great Berber Kingdom of Numidia in the Shadow of Rome

The ancient Romans placed a lot of the world under their heel and into their sphere of influence. Numerous cultures, nations, and civilizations fell in their wake.

Ancient Pyramids in an Icy Landscape: Was There an Ancient Civilization in Antarctica?

Enigmatic Carvings on Underwater Ruins in China Mystify Investigators

Has the Function of the Great Pyramid of Giza Finally Come to Light?

Ancient Lutetia: The Roman Roots of Paris

Who Destroyed the Great Library of Alexandria?

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.