illness

6 July, 2019 - 23:05 ancient-origins

11 Ancient Remedies that Effectively Treat Modern Ailments

With innovations appearing in our lives seemingly every day it seems that new breakthroughs in science are the only ones we trust. New is always considered better. With this prevalent thinking those...

31 January, 2019 - 22:45 Alicia McDermott

Ecuador’s Mummy of Guano is the Key to Understanding a Painful Global Disease

An Andean mummy in Ecuador may be the missing link to understanding the expansion of rheumatoid polyarthritis from the Americas to Europe. Its naturally mummified remains are set to change both local...

Henry Wallis – Poet Thomas Chatterton’s death by arsenic.

7 July, 2018 - 18:44 Veronica Parkes

Death by Wallpaper: When Arsenic in the Walls Was Killing Children

Wallpaper isn’t as popular as it once was, and perhaps the reason for this falling out of fashion was its ability to kill! In 1778, a Swedish Chemist named Carl Scheele created a brilliant green...

A possible portrait of Saladin, found in a work by Ismail al-Jazari, circa 1185.

9 May, 2018 - 13:59 Alicia McDermott

The Puzzling Death of Sultan Saladin: A 12th Century Medical Mystery Solved?

Here’s a 12th century medical mystery for you: What malady killed well-known Sultan Saladin? Was it small pox, tuberculosis, typhoid, or maybe malaria? Look at his symptoms – some of them were...

Fragment of talisman used to exorcise the sick, Assyrian era.

14 February, 2018 - 14:00 Alicia McDermott

Mixing Magic and Medicine: New Study Shows Mesopotamian Doctors Had to Battle Demons

Analysis of a collection of clay tablets confirms that a Mesopotamian doctor had to deal with more than just physical ailments. The ancient healer was expected to exorcise demons, ward off witchcraft...

(B) the child’s mummified body prior to the autopsy, (C) the pockmarked face and (D) this rash as evident on the arm.

6 January, 2018 - 13:48 Alicia McDermott

Child Mummy Unlocks a Secret by Unravelling 450 Years of the Hepatitis B Virus

Scientists examining the mummy of a child who died in the 16th century have confirmed that the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been causing human health issues for centuries. Strangely enough, it seems...

Manananggal, mythical creature of the Philippines

13 November, 2017 - 15:24 MartiniF

The Shocking Demon that Brings Plague and Devours Babies: Ancient Goddess & Evil Widow Rangda in Balinese Mythology

All eyes focused on the figure of Rangda as she emerged from the inner part of the temple, about a third of the way through the Barong dance (an ancient dance which predates even the Hindu influences...

‘A maid bringing medicine and soup to her master who has a cold.’ (1857)

19 August, 2017 - 14:00 Riley Winters

Medicine Maidens: Why Did Women Become the Primary Medical Providers in Early Modern Households?

A primary female occupation in the early modern period (AD 1500-1800) was that of medicine. Though there were formal doctors—known by various titles and with various tasks detailed by their...

The tumor with teeth was found in a cemetery in Lisbon, Portugal.

8 June, 2017 - 22:53 Mark Oliver

Archaeologists Found a Medieval Body With a Tumor That Was Growing Teeth – But That’s Not the Whole Story

Digging up a graveyard in Lisbon, Portugal, archaeologists found the remains of a woman who had died sometime between the 15th and 18th century. They can’t be sure what killed her, but it may have...

Navajo Yebichai (Yei Bi Chei) dancers. Edward S. Curtis. USA, 1900. The Welcome Collection, London

2 June, 2017 - 02:00 dhwty

Can a Ghost Make You Ill? The Ghost Sickness Belief of the Native American Indians

Ghost sickness is the belief that ghosts are able to cause a living person to fall ill. This particular term is used by the Native Americans, especially amongst the Navajo people. Nevertheless, this...

Excavations at the site of in Siberia. Source: Andrey Plekhanov

24 February, 2017 - 13:56 ancient-origins

Why Would Medieval Siberian Nomads Ritually Sacrifice Their Seriously Ill Companions?

By Tamara Zubchuk/ The Siberian Times Unique crouched burials for this period - comprising a seriously ill quartet - presents archaeologists with a puzzle. The find of four graves from the 11th...

31 January, 2017 - 02:00 dhwty

When Millions Were Dropping Dead From the Plague, The 14 Holy Helpers Were Summoned to Intercede

The Fourteen Holy Helpers are a group of saints venerated together in the Roman Catholic Church. Veneration of this group of saints (known also as auxiliary saints) began during the 14th century, as...

27 December, 2016 - 01:59 nrushton

Swapping Babies: The Disturbing Faerie Changeling Phenomenon

The worldwide stories of faerie changelings come under a group of motifs recorded in the Aarne-Thompson folklore index as F321: ‘Faerie steals child from cradle and leaves faerie substitute.’ The...

9 October, 2016 - 00:41 Natalia Klimczak

Weird Ideas, Weird Behaviors: Bringing the Habsburg Family Skeletons Out of the Closet

The Habsburg family is one of the most important royal families in the history of Europe. This may be somewhat surprising, as many of the rulers from this family behaved strangely, had some weird...

15 May, 2016 - 20:45 dhwty

The Ancient Legend of the Monstrous Rat King

A rat king is the term used to describe an agglomeration of rats whose tails have entangled together. As a result of this entanglement, a large single entity is formed, which is usually further bound...

The new study says that Neanderthal DNA influences many physical traits in people of European and Asian heritage.

12 February, 2016 - 21:52 Mark Miller

Study Casts New Light on Diseases We Inherited from Neanderthals

Feeling depressed? Can’t kick the tobacco habit? Sun causing skin lesions? Allergies bothering you? Some people of today may blame their Neanderthal ancestry in part for some of these health problems...

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Myths & Legends

The Powerful Symbol of the Swastika and its 12,000 Year History

The swastika is a symbol that has been used for at least 12,000 years. While in the Western world it is synonymous with fascism, being the centerpiece of the Nazi flag, in ancient times it was used as a positive symbol representing well being and good fortune.

Everything he Touched Turned to Gold: The Myth and Reality of King Midas

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

Ukko, The Mighty Finnish God of Thunder and Lightening

The Warriors of the Rainbow Prophecy

Lilith: Ancient Demon, Dark Deity or Sensual Goddess?

Human Origins

Ark impression, 17 miles south of Ararat. Source: David Allen Deal.

Evidence that Noah’s Ark Landed on a Mountain 17 Miles South of Ararat

An illogical and unwarranted assumption prevails today relating to the landing spot of Noah’s ark. People—highly educated people—are sure that Noah’s ark landed on the remote and inaccessible heights of Mount Ararat, a 17,000-foot (5180 m) volcanic mountain in modern-day Turkey.

Nine Parts of the Human Soul According to the Ancient Egyptians

World’s First Human-Monkey Hybrid Created In China

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

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

Where are Ashkenazi Jews from? Their Origins May Surprise You

Ancient Technology

The mummified remains of Usermontu, Rosicrucian San Jose Museum

Medical Mystery of Usermontu: Why the Discovery of 2,600-Year-Old Knee Screw Left Experts Dumbfounded

In 1971, the Rosicrucian Museum in California acquired a sealed ancient Egyptian coffin containing the well-preserved mummy of a high status Egyptian male. More than two decades later, a team of...

The Master Archers of the Powerful Achaemenid Empire

Ten amazing inventions from ancient times

Wootz Steel: The Mysterious Metal that Was Used in Deadly Damascus Blades

Did Egyptian Mummification Descend from a More Ancient and, Perhaps, Reversible Preservation Technique?

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

Ancient Places

Conch Bar Caves: The Largest Non-Submerged Cave System of the Caribbean

The Turks and Caicos Islands (often abbreviated to TCI) are a British Overseas Territory known primarily as a tourist destination and as an offshore financial center.

The Rarely Told Story of Pre-Colonial Philippines

Ancient City of Mohenjo Daro Has Survived 5 Millennia but May Disappear in 2 Decades

New Evidence Ancient Chinese Explorers Landed in America Excites Experts

Fort Kyk-Over-Al and the Dutch Defense of Guyana

Battles of the Caribbean: Fort Rodney, St Lucia – Built by the British to Spy on the French

Opinion

Mount Shasta: Spirits and Danger on a Sacred California Mountain

Mount Shasta, located near the Oregon border in northern California, holds the distinction of being one of the world’s preeminent sacred mountains. It is recognized as an eligible Native American...

Mysterious Worlds: Travels to the Faerie and Shamanic Realms

Pharaoh Akhenaten: An Alternative View of the Heretic King

Changing Colors and Scampering Across the Night Sky: What Did the Ancients Say about Sirius?

Cracking the Code to Discover Ancient Tarot Symbolism and Forgotten Universal Knowledge

The Secret Strategic Plans of Darius the Great

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.