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.

7 December, 2020 - 17:31 ashley cowie

Isaac Newton And His Alchemical Interest In The Lost Pyramid Code

Unpublished 17th-century AD alchemical documents reveal Sir Isaac Newton’s private Egyptian pyramid studies, in his quest to calculate a date for the End of Days. In July 1936 AD, a metal chest...

7 December, 2020 - 03:41 ashley cowie

Calligraphy of Tang Master Yan Zhenqing Unearthed in Ancient Tomb

Following the Sui dynasty, the Tang dynasty, or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty that ruled China from 618 to 907 AD, and was followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Now,...

6 December, 2020 - 22:02 ashley cowie

Rare Greek-Illyrian Helmet Found in Croatia

Archaeologists exploring in an ancient burial cave in Croatia have discovered a warrior’s grave containing an exceptionally rare Greek-Illyrian type bronze war helmet. The open-faced, bronze, Greek-...

6 December, 2020 - 13:24 ashley cowie

A Polar Explorer Died Heating Up His Own Feces

Jørgen Brønlund was a Greenland-born Inuit polar explorer, educator, and Catholic catechist who participated in two Danish expeditions to Greenland in the early 20th century. Famously, he was the...

5 December, 2020 - 02:39 Alicia McDermott

‘Scorpion King’s Domain’: The Oldest Place Name Sign in the World

The oldest place name sign in the world has been found in Egypt. The inscription, which was etched into a rock in Wadi el Malik east of Aswan, dates back to the late fourth millennium BC. It names...

4 December, 2020 - 21:59 ashley cowie

UK Government Redefines the Meaning of “Treasure”

The British government is going to update its UK treasure laws in the face of increasing discoveries made by metal detectorists. The UK government has announced plans to update the official...

4 December, 2020 - 17:52 ashley cowie

How A Roman Sacred Site Became A 300-AD Tile And Brick Factory

It’s always surprising when you read that a sacred site was “abandoned” for commercial opportunity. But it happens! UK researchers have determined that a large sacred site and Roman villa complex in...

4 December, 2020 - 13:56 Alicia McDermott

Glass Beads Help to Map Unknown Medieval African Trade Routes

For several decades, a team of researchers have been carrying out excavations at old cemeteries and villages at sites in central Mali and eastern Senegal. Over the years they’ve come across a handful...

3 December, 2020 - 21:54 ashley cowie

Breaking News: Trapped Neanderthal Altamura Man Had A “Third Hand”

Altamura Man was a Neanderthal who lived in southern Italy at least 130,000 years ago. His fossilized skeleton was uncovered by a team of cavers in 1993 AD, entombed within calcite mineral deposits...

A piece of the Viking silver treasure hoardbeing cleaned by a conservator. Source: Acta Konserveringscentrum AB

3 December, 2020 - 17:57 ashley cowie

Highly Unusual Glistening Hoard Of Viking Silver Discovered In Sweden

A hoard of Viking silver has been discovered in an ancient building in Sweden, and the discovery is being described as “highly unusual.” The trove of silver necklaces, bracelets and coins was...

2 December, 2020 - 17:47 ashley cowie

Ice Age Figurines and the Sanctity of Prehistoric Obesity

While we all know too much icing can lead to obesity, a new study now says too much “Ice Age” can too, linking the famous Ice Age Venus figurines with a widespread prehistoric desire for “female...

2 December, 2020 - 13:35 Ed Whelan

Surveillance of Looters Leads to Discovery of Sarcophagi in Turkey

In Turkey , an operation to stop illegal excavations has led to the discovery of rare sarcophagi . The authorities used the latest in surveillance technology to detect the looters , which in turn led...

2 December, 2020 - 00:38 ashley cowie

Altai Rock Art Images Reveal Insights Into Ancient Nomadic Culture

Researchers in Serbia have studied a collection of ancient petroglyphs revealing the relationship between a medieval nomadic culture and animals. The team of researchers from the Gorno-Altaisk State...

1 December, 2020 - 20:31 Ed Whelan

Recent Dig Unearths Eight Tombs at Ancient Elis Necropolis

Archaeologists in Greece have unearthed eight tombs near the ancient city of Elis. The latest burials unearthed in the Elis necropolis, these burials are helping researchers to better understand the...

Scottish Metal Detectorist Unearths Rare Medieval Knife

1 December, 2020 - 02:44 Ed Whelan

Metal Detectorist In Scotland Unearths Rare Medieval Knife

Metal detectorists dream of finding something of real historic value. One lucky detectorist in Scotland has made an astonishing find. He has found a very rare and beautifuly decorated early medieval...

1 December, 2020 - 02:28 Alicia McDermott

The Prehistoric Survivors of the Doggerland Tsunami Event

Thousands of years ago, mainland Europe and the UK were attached by a landmass called Doggerland. A tsunami hit that land and it was believed for a time that almost all of the hunter-gatherers who...

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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.