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.
Excavations and research conducted by English Heritage has revealed controversial findings which question the long-held view that Stonehenge was built to record astronomical movements such as the...
Research has suggested that a calendar based on the movement of planet Venus was used in the daily lives of people in ancient Aegean civilizations about 4,000 BC, and may have even been used to track...
An archaeological dig at Timna Valley in Israel’s Aravah Desert has revealed evidence that copper mines in Israel thought to have been built by the ancient Egyptians in the 13th century BCE actually...
Archaeologists in Britain have discovered what appears to be a series of Roman fortifications dating back to the 2 nd century AD by examining declassified spy photos taken during World Wars I and II...
Workers constructing a septic tank in Sutherland, UK, in 2011 made a surprising find when they stumbled upon a prehistoric stone tomb amidst the rubble. Archaeologists were called in to investigate...
On the mountain cliffs in Gongxian in Sichuan province, China, lies a peculiar sight –hundreds of ancient wooden coffins hanging precariously from the cliff face. Some believe they were hung on...
Archaeologists working on Bulgaria’s Perperikon site have found the skeleton of a male buried with an iron stake plunged through its chest , a ritual practiced in the Middle Ages to prevent the...
The Lycurgus Cup, as it is known due to its depiction of a scene involving King Lycurgus of Thrace, is a 1,600-year-old jade green Roman chalice that changes colour depending on the direction of the...
Timbuktu is a town in the West African nation of Mali on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. It was once an intellectual and spiritual capital and a centre for the propagation of Islam throughout...
A new article published in the journal Antiquity has revealed the discovery of an Iron Age tunic two years ago under melting snow in a hunting area on the Norwegian Lendbreen glacier at 6,560 feet...
Over two millennia ago, a 10-metre column was ordered for the construction of a temple in one of the most important oracle centres in antiquity, Klaros, but it was sunk when the cargo ship carrying...
New research published in the journal Plos One has revealed that humans explored the harsh environment of the western Amazon as early as 10,000 years ago, much earlier than previously thought. The...
After nearly two years of large-scale archaeological surveying, exploration, and excavation, archaeologists have recently confirmed that the Shimao Ruins covers an area of over four square kilometres...
New research published in the journal Nature Communications has suggested that Stone Age hunter-gatherers in Europe may have been trading pigs with settled farmers as early as 5,000 BC. It is the...
Hidden within the Himalayas, 155ft from the ground, are an estimated 10,000 man-made caves dug into the Cliffside or tunnelled from above. They remain one of the World’s greatest archaeological...
Archaeologists in Italy have planted a vineyard near Catania in Sicily with the aim of making wine using techniques from classical Rome described in ancient texts. The team based at the University of...
For those who are unaware, Beowulf is an Old English heroic epic poem set in Scandinavia and cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature of all time. Dated between the 8 th and...
Archaeologists in Britain believe they are on the verge of an important discovery as they are set to extract a sarcophagus discovered at Lincoln Castle , which was built by William the Conqueror in...
Archaeologists have discovered a tomb belonging to a powerful pre-Hispanic priestess in Peru, the eighth in more than two decades, confirming that women ruled the region approximately 1,200 years ago...
Archaeologists have discovered an enormous marble tomb fit for a king under a huge mound in Greece and believe that they have unearthed the grave of Alexander the Great. The elaborate tomb was found...
Archaeologists have just completed an analysis of 6,000-year-old cooking pots still containing food residues found at sites in northern Europe. The finding indicates that prehistoric humans were...
New research published in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews has found that the Faroes islands, the first stepping stones for Europeans as they explored across the Atlantic to ultimately land in...
A long-forgotten globe carved onto an ostrich egg and dating back to the early 1500s has resurfaced and may be the first ever globe to depict the New World. Purchased anonymously at the 2012 London...
A team of archaeologists have found a very large hidden tunnel beneath Hadrian’s Villa near Rome, which would have been used by slaves to ferry food, fire wood and other goods from one part of the...