homo erectus

Male and female Neanderthals were one of our ancestors, but recent DNA research suggests we also have a mysterious archaic human ancestor. Credit: Gorodenkoff / Adobe Stock

7 August, 2020 - 17:33 Ed Whelan

DNA Study Reveals We Have a Mystery Human Ancestor

A new method for analyzing modern and archaic human DNA has thrown up some fascinating results. It appears that modern humans ( Homo Sapiens ) mated earlier and more frequently with an archaic human...

Both sides of the recent Ethiopian bone hand axe find.

15 July, 2020 - 11:46 ancient-origins

1.4-Million-Year-Old Bone Hand Axe Revises Toolmaking Timeline

In Ethiopia , a team of experts have uncovered a bone hand axe made, a staggering 1.4 million years ago, by an ancestor of modern humans. It was probably made by the archaic human species Homo...

Working tables of palaeontologists in a science museum, Spain. Source: Joaquin Corbalan / Adobe Stock

15 April, 2020 - 01:59 Ed Whelan

A Site of Archaeological Treasure and Murder at Atapuerca, Spain

The Atapuerca archaeological site is one of the most important in Europe, if not the world as it has provided a great many relics and remains related to some of the earliest hominids yet found...

A new study finds that three different human species lived alongside each other. Source: pict rider / Adobe Stock.

3 April, 2020 - 18:52 ashley cowie

Three Different Human-like Species Lived Concurrently in Ancient Africa

The oldest known Homo erectus and Paranthropus robustus fossils have been found in a hilltop cave and a new study details a critical period of hominin evolution showing that two million years ago “...

This small, gracile, almost complete cranium was found near Homo erectus tools in Ethiopia. Source: Dr. Michael J. Rogers, Southern Connecticut State University

5 March, 2020 - 23:04 Alicia McDermott

Homo Erectus Tools Challenge Single Species-Single Tech Thinking

Even a million and a half years ago, our ancestors understood that sometimes you need a simple hammerstone and other times a finely-made hand axe would better suit the task in front of you. New...

Representation of Homo Erectus. Source: crimson

18 December, 2019 - 18:00 Alicia McDermott

New Study Reveals Where Homo erectus Took Their Final Stand

Between 117,000 and 108,000 years the end was nigh for the hominins we call Homo erectus . They were the first of our ancestors to stand tall and walk upright, but even this ancient human species...

A Neanderthal skull shows head trauma, evidence of ancient violence. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

21 November, 2019 - 23:01 ancient-origins

Were Other Humans the First Victims of the Sixth Mass Extinction?

Nick Longrich / The Conversation 300,000 years ago, nine human species walked the Earth. Now there’s just one. The Neanderthals, Homo neanderthalensis , were stocky hunters adapted to Europe’s cold...

23 October, 2019 - 01:45 Ed Whelan

Contested Yet Fascinating Bones Found in the Bacho Kiro Caves

In the past, we were drawn to caves, viewing them as sacred or mysterious places . And it would seem not much has changed, as caves still hold an enduring fascination for humans. One of the most...

Pachystruthio dmanisensis, new species of giant bird has been discovered. Source: nicolasprimola / Adobe Stock.

27 June, 2019 - 23:39 ancient-origins

First Giant Bird Found In Europe Lived Alongside Early Humans

Experts in Crimea have found a fossil of a gigantic bird , that lived some 1.6 to 1.8 million years ago. The find demonstrates that giant birds once made their home in Europe and reveals for the...

Penablanca, Cagayan Province, Philippines, near the entrance to the limestone Callao Cave where there is evidence of a new human species. Source: Michael / Adobe. Inset: A foot bone from Homo luzonensis. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

18 April, 2019 - 14:00 ancient-origins

How Much Evidence is Enough to Declare a New Species of Human from a Philippines Cave Site?

The announcement of a new species of ancient human (more correctly hominin) from the Philippines , reported today in Nature , will cause a lot of head-shaking among anthropologists and archaeologists...

The Stoned Ape theory proposes magic mushrooms helped the Homo erectus evolve quickly.

3 April, 2019 - 19:02 Sarah P Young

The Stoned Ape Theory and the Dawn of Human Consciousness: Did Our Prehistoric Ancestors Evolve by Getting High?

The origins of behavioral modernity and what exactly makes us human are topics which have fascinated people for hundreds of years. There is a plethora of theories as to which archaic human ancestor...

Homo erectus pekinensis, forensic facial reconstruction.

13 February, 2019 - 01:57 ancient-origins

A Snapshot of Our Mysterious Ancestor Homo erectus

By Ian Moffat / The Conversation If you bumped into a Homo erectus in the street you might not recognize them as being very different from you. You’d see a certain “human-ness” in the stance, and his...

Native American Tiny 'Elephant Stones', Mammoth Effigies, Carvings, Totems From Pennsylvania. Portable rock art such as this has been found globally.

31 October, 2018 - 18:05 Jul Jones

Life Before the Clovis: Portable Rock Art as Evidence of Pre Ice Age Humans in North America

The worship of carved stone dates back to man’s earliest evolution. Portable rock art is human made markings on movable natural rock or stone. A global phenomenon, these Stone Age objects have been...

Representations in the Boxer Codex of two of the ethnic groups of people living in the Pre-Colonial Philippines - A Zambal Couple (Public Domain) and Pintados of the Visayas (Leyte or Samar). (Public Domain)

1 October, 2018 - 23:04 Caleb Strom

The Rarely Told Story of Pre-Colonial Philippines

The Philippines were ruled by Western powers - first the Spanish and later the United States, for some 350 years. Except for a few religious minorities, the Philippines has also become thoroughly...

This restoration is based on evidence from the Daka Member, Ethiopia. The photo in the background is from a gallery forest on the Kebena River, a tributary of the modern Awash River. The squatting posture is based on femoral anteversion frequent in Homo erectus. The hand ax is African latest early or early middle Acheulean. The cranial shape is based on BOU-VP-2-66, the Daka Calvaria.

16 August, 2018 - 01:57 ancient-origins

Idle Not Innovative? New Study Says Laziness Led to the Extinction of Homo erectus

The path of least resistence may not be the best to take. New archaeological research from The Australian National University (ANU) has found that Homo erectus , a species of primitive humans, went...

In this illustration, the modern pygmy village, Rampasasa, is shown at left; in the center, a modern Rampasasa pygmy wearing the traditional head covering and clothing is juxtaposed against the face of a Homo floresiensis reconstruction; at right, pygmy elephants play in the Liang Bua cave where theH. floresiensis fossils were discovered in 2004.

5 August, 2018 - 22:55 ancient-origins

Scientists Understand Why there are Short-statured Indonesians Today, But Can they Explain Hobbit Height?

Michael Westaway & Francis David Bulbeck / The Conversation Humans are diverse in size and shape – but some populations are of relatively low average height, and historically described using the...

Pages

Myths & Legends

The notorious and much feared ancient order of Hashshashins

During the late 11 th century, an order of Nizari Ismailies was formed in Persia and Syria by a man called Hassan-i Sabbah. These were the notorious Hashshashins who captured many mountain fortresses...

The Nephilim, Anunnaki and More: Four Common Mistakes Made When Interpreting Mythology

Viking Berserkers – Fierce Warriors or Drug-Fuelled Madmen?

Archaeologists May Have Discovered the Birthplace of King Arthur: Legends Come to Life?

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

The Real Story of the ‘Bearded God’ Named Quetzalcoatl

Human Origins

The human skull that challenges the Out of Africa theory

This is the account of the discovery of a skull that has the potential to change what we know about human evolution, and a suppression and cover-up which followed. In 1959, in an area called...

The Morbid Legacy Of The Doctor Who Tried To Weigh The Human Soul

"I am the Lord God Dionysus": Parallels between Yahweh and Dionysus

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

A Portrait of an Adena Female and Women in Adena Society

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

Ancient Technology

Roman weapons were vital to protecting and conquering the ancient world.

Roman Weapons: Sharp Blades to Conquer the Ancient World

The Romans were arguably one of the most successful conquerors of the ancient world. So what weapons helped them achieve that status.

The Helmet That Shows Celtic Warriors Helped the Roman Army Conquer Briton

Secrets Behind the Creepy Plague Doctor Mask and Costume

Ten amazing inventions from ancient times

Norimitsu Odachi: Who Could Have Possibly Wielded This Enormous 15th Century Japanese Sword?

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

Ancient Places

The Vinland Map: A Most Non-European Artifact

The Vinland Map carries with it the air of mystery and, some would say, the stench of deception. In the vaults of Yale University, and insured for $25 Million, it is either a colossal fraud or an artifact of unparalleled value.

Who Destroyed the Great Library of Alexandria?

Why Isn’t This Map in the History Books?

The Triumphal Arch of Orange in France - Symbol of the Roman Empire

The Birth of the Renaissance: Understanding the Genesis of a New Era

The incredible subterranean Basilica Cistern

Opinion

3 Problems to Remember When Trying to Find Atlantis

It is perhaps the greatest unsolved mystery of all time: Did the lost city of Atlantis actually exist? And if it did once exist, where was it located before its watery demise? Fortunately, the...

Naupa Iglesia: An Egyptian Portal in the Andes?

The Nephilim: Giant Offspring of the Sons of God and the Daughters of Man?

Mount Shasta: Spirits and Danger on a Sacred California Mountain

Mysterious Worlds: Travels to the Faerie and Shamanic Realms

Pharaoh Akhenaten: An Alternative View of the Heretic King

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.