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.

21 May, 2013 - 11:20 johnblack

Second Temple Mount during Herod’s era has been found

We all know how the Temple Mount is the most important Jewish religious site and has been used for thousands of years. And why is it so important? Because it is the place where people go to...

21 May, 2013 - 07:22 johnblack

The Mystery of the Lion Man sculpture

In 1939 in Germany, in a cave inside a mountain, the oldest sculpture in the world was found . It represents a lion head human and it is carved out of mammoth ivory and is about 30cm in height. At...

20 May, 2013 - 15:01 johnblack

Early humans and the evolution of hunting skills

It is very common to take things for granted, however if we get into the habit asking ourselves the question ‘Why’ to things that we think we know, we will probably realize that we do not have the...

20 May, 2013 - 13:21 aprilholloway

Archaeologists Reveal Details about Lifestyle of First New Zealanders

A new study published in the international journal, PLOS ONE, has revealed new information about the diet, lifestyles and movements of the very first New Zealanders by analysing their bones and teeth...

19 May, 2013 - 09:09 aprilholloway

Scientists discover 3 billion year-old ancient water on Earth

A British and Canadian team of scientists have discovered ancient pockets of water , which may have been cut off from the surface three billion years ago. The similarity between the geography of the...

18 May, 2013 - 08:12 aprilholloway

Lost Temple of Apollo Unearthed by Archaeologists

On a remote island near the Black Sea coast in Bulgaria lies Apollonia Pontica , an ancient Greek colony that was buried over 2000 years ago. Excavation work being carried out by a team of...

17 May, 2013 - 15:16 aprilholloway

Have Scientists Finally Discovered the Lost City of Gold?

For more than 500 years, explorers, scientists and researchers have been hunting for the legendary City of Gold , which according to ancient myth, is a buried metropolis full of gold and relics. Now...

16 May, 2013 - 14:12 aprilholloway

Builders destroy 2,300-year-old Mayan pyramid to make new road

A 100 foot Mayan pyramid in the Nomul complex in Belize has been destroyed by ignorant builders who have used the 2,300 year old ancient structure for road fill. However, distraught archaeologists...

16 May, 2013 - 06:50 aprilholloway

Are biblical stories just retellings of ancient mythological accounts?

It has long been suggested that stories in the Bible are retellings of far more ancient accounts. For example, Wood (2003) has drawn attention to the fact that there are remarkable similarities...

14 May, 2013 - 20:56 aprilholloway

Elephant Tomb Discovered in Spain May Have Been a Temple to the God Mithras

The Elephant's Tomb in Seville, Spain, so named because of an elephant-shaped statue found inside , may have been used to worship the God Mithras, archaeologists say. The tomb is located in the Roman...

14 May, 2013 - 10:18 aprilholloway

Ancient Quarry Uncovered in Jerusalem

A massive quarry , along with workers tools and a 2,000 year-old key, have been uncovered at an excavation site in the Ramat Shlomo Quarter, Jerusalem, prior to the paving of a highway, the Israel...

14 May, 2013 - 10:11 aprilholloway

Extraordinary Byzantine Mosaic Unearthed in Israel

A spectacular and huge mosaic dating back to the Byzantine Period (4 th to 6 th Century AD) has been uncovered in Kibbutz Bet Qama, at an excavation site located on an ancient road that ran north...

13 May, 2013 - 10:10 johnblack

Further into the secrets of ‘Britain’s Atlantis’

It was one year ago when a sunken underwater world was found by divers and a team of researchers of the University of St Andrews in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is a huge land that used to connect Britain...

12 May, 2013 - 11:06 aprilholloway

Unravelling the Origins of Human Language

Linguists have long sought to understand the origins of human language by tracing back the history of words through the ages. Now a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of...

12 May, 2013 - 10:00 aprilholloway

Why did our Ancient Ancestors Build Such Huge Monuments?

More than 10,000 years ago, in the ancient city of Gobekli Tepe in Turkey, nomadic people worked endlessly in the construction of huge stone temples. This was long before cities or even substantial...

11 May, 2013 - 09:40 aprilholloway

New Discovery Reveals Ancient Peruvians were Expert Astronomers

Archaeologists have discovered a new pyramid in southern Peru at Cerro del Gentil which would have aligned perfectly with two stone lines and the setting of the sun during the winter solstice...

Pages

Myths & Legends

The Thirteen Legendary Treasures of Britain

The ancient Greek writer Hesiod once wrote that there were five ages of mankind – the Golden Age, the Silver Age, the Bronze Age, the Heroic Age, and the Iron Age. Similarly, in Hinduism, there are...

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

The Dark Reputation of the Dunmore Cave of Ireland

Legendary Black Knights: Mysterious Medieval Entities of Neutrality

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

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

Human Origins

Photo of Zecharia Sitchin (left)(CC0)Akkadian cylinder seal dating to circa 2300 BC depicting the deities Inanna, Utu, and Enki, three members of the Anunnaki.(right)

Zecharia Sitchin and the Mistranslation of Sumerian Texts

In a previous 2-part article (1), the authors wrote about the faulty associations of the Sumerian deities known as the Anunnaki as they are portrayed in the books, television series, and other media, which promotes Ancient Astronaut Theory (hereafter “A.A.T.”).

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

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

Dark Skin and Blue Eyes: European Hunter-Gatherers Did Not Fit with Common Representations

Research Confirms that Neanderthal DNA Makes Up About 20% of the Modern Human Genome

The human skull that challenges the Out of Africa theory

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...

The Man Who Stopped a Desert Using Ancient Farming

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

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

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

Ancient Chinese Earthquake Detector Invented 2,000 Years Ago Really Worked!

Ancient Places

The tragedy of Queen Ankhesenamun, sister and wife of Tutankhamun

Everyone has heard of the famous boy king, Tutankhamun , but the name of his beloved sister and wife Ankhesenamun is rarely uttered. The tragic life of Ankhesenamun was well documented in the ancient...

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

The Great Boat of Khufu: The ‘Black Box’ to the Construction of the Pyramids

The 9,000-year-old underground megalithic settlement of Atlit Yam

5 Pyramids of the Ancient World that You May Not Have Heard About

36,400 BC: The Historical time of the Zep Tepi Theory

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.