infant

3 December, 2019 - 03:31 Ed Whelan

Unusual Greek Baby Burial Unearthed in Sicily

An unusual discovery has been made on the Italian island of Sicily. A 2700-year-old burial of a new-born infant has been unearthed accompanied by the remains of an animal. The find is expected to...

‘The Birth of the Milky Way’ (1636-1637) by Peter Paul Rubens.

1 December, 2018 - 18:50 dhwty

Breastfeeding Beliefs: From Invincibility to Universal Creation

Breastfeeding is an infant feeding practice in which a child is fed breast milk directly from breast to mouth. Breastfeeding could be performed by the mother herself or by a wet nurse. Evidence of...

Left: The baby was found tucked under the arm of a woman in a grave in Nieuwegein, the Netherlands. Right: An artist's impression of the grave.

1 February, 2018 - 13:58 Alicia McDermott

Stone Age Grave of a Mother and Child is the Oldest Baby Burial in the Netherlands

Researchers working at an archaeological site in the Netherlands have made a startling Stone Age discovery. They have unearthed the earliest known example of a baby’s grave in the Netherlands...

A scientific illustration of what the Upward Sun River camp, where the remains of the ancient child were discovered, would have looked like. Source: Eric Carlson in collaboration with Ben Potter.

4 January, 2018 - 18:50 Theodoros Karasavvas

Ancient Infant DNA Rewrites the History of Humans Entering North America

Scientists claim that a genetic analysis of the 11,500-year-old remains of an infant girl from Alaska has shed new light on the populating of the Americas. The new finds suggest that the “Last...

A dragon-like animal head (pictured), made from antler or horn, was found in the grave of a small child.

29 December, 2017 - 01:51 ancient-origins

Magical new 4,500 year old finds add to 'oldest toy collection in the world'

By: The Siberian Times reporter Archaeologists have made ‘rare’ discoveries of pre-historic toys at the Itkol II burial ground in the Republic of Khakassia, southern Siberia. At 4,500 years old, they...

The remains of the toddler with an elongated skull in Crimea. Credit: Archaeology Fund

30 July, 2017 - 18:58 aprilholloway

2,000-Year-Old Toddler Skeleton with Elongated Skull Unearthed in Crimea

The remains of a 1.5-year-old boy with a pronounced elongation of the skull have been found by archaeologists at a 2,000-year-old burial site in Crimea. Russian archaeologists say that the skull...

19 January, 2017 - 00:44 Natalia Klimczak

Unravelling the Mystery of the Maronite Mummies: Why Were Medieval Mummies Hidden in a Cave?

When archaeologists found a cache of medieval mummies in a Lebanese cave, the amazing discovery took their breath away. The remarkably well-preserved bodies of eight people who were buried in Qadisha...

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...

issected foetal skull dating from the 1800s, originally held in the University of Cambridge Anatomy Museum.

2 July, 2016 - 18:33 ancient-origins

Infant Bodies Were Prized by 19th Century Anatomists, Study Suggests

A study of the University of Cambridge anatomy collection dating from the 1700s and 1800s shows how the bodies of stillborn foetuses and babies were a “prized source of knowledge” and were dissected...

The ‘standing burial’ with mixed bones and parts of the spine in correct anatomical position. Two arm bones left of the spine show gnawing marks and are situated in different directions. The large truncated blade is typical for the late Mesolithic.

13 February, 2016 - 00:49 Alicia McDermott

New Study Analyzes a Mesolithic Cemetery Full of Children and an Odd Standing Burial

Researchers have found some unique burials amongst the remains in one of Europe’s oldest cemeteries – the 8,500-year-old Gross Fredenwalde cemetery. So far nine skeletons have been excavated at the...

Infant discovered in 4,500-year-old burial mound with eight intricately carved figurines. The infant also wears headgear made from 11 copper plaques sewn together.

23 December, 2015 - 00:52 Natalia Klimczak

Surprising toys in the ancient grave

A burial containing mysterious tiny figurines were discovered in the grave of an infant which, according to archeologists, dates back 4,500 years. One of the theories says that the figurines may have...

The baby was buried in tightly closed stone box, so the body was in an isolated air chamber for over 1,500 years.

26 August, 2015 - 22:13 ancient-origins

Mummified new-born baby protected in leather shroud for 1,500 years ago found in Altai Mountains

The tragic infant's remains were unearthed in excavations near Kurai village in Kosh-Agach district of the Altai Republic in southern Siberia. The baby's remains were sealed in a tightly closed stone...

Elongated Skulls in utero - Morton Collection

3 January, 2015 - 12:21 Igor Gontcharov

Elongated Skulls in utero: A Farewell to the Artificial Cranial Deformation Paradigm?

Elongated skulls are usually explained in terms of head-binding or artificial cranial deformation. This paradigm emerged in the first half of the 19 th century as a way of explaining unusual skulls...

16 July, 2014 - 03:08 aprilholloway

Scientists reveal cause of death of 6,500-year-old Detmold child

The Detmold Child is the name that has been given to an ancient Peruvian mummy that dates back an incredible 6,500 years - that's 3,000 years before the birth of Tutankhamun. Recent computer...

14 May, 2014 - 13:01 aprilholloway

Infant-sized ancient Egyptian sarcophagus found to contain mummified foetus

An infant-sized ancient Egyptian sarcophagus with an unknown history has sat on display at an Egypt centre in Wales for some time, with most believing it a forgery, due to inconclusive x-rays carried...

29 January, 2014 - 03:03 aprilholloway

Ancient Roman infanticide did not favour boys

A team of scientists who have been trying to unravel why ancient Romans committed infanticide have discovered that equal numbers of boys and girls were killed . This challenges the assumption that...

Myths & Legends

The Dramatic True Story Behind Disney's Mulan

Hua Mulan is one of the most legendary women of ancient China. Her heroic actions were first recorded in ancient texts, retold in the famous poem Ballad of Mulan , and later popularized in the 1998...

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

When Kalki the Destroyer Descends, the Apocalypse Begins

The Legendary Origins of Merlin the Magician

Immortality, the Elixir of Life and the Food of the Gods

Explainer: The Story of Demeter and Persephone

Human Origins

Aztec Creation myths

The Aztecs civilization flourished in Central America a few hundred years after the Mayans. The creation myth according to the Aztecs is a continuous story of creations and destructions, called suns...

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

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

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

The Outstanding Story of Osiris: His Myth, Symbols, and Significance in Ancient Egypt

Aztec Creation myths

Ancient Technology

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

Most people know of the great construction achievements of the dynastic Egyptians such as the pyramids and temples of the Giza Plateau area as well as the Sphinx. Many books and videos show depictions of vast work forces hewing blocks of stone in the hot desert sun and carefully setting them into place.

Romans Mastered Nanotechnology and Used it for Eye Catching Decoration

Defenders of the Dutch Polders: The Kinderdijk Windmills

Secrets Behind the Creepy Plague Doctor Mask and Costume

The revolutionary invention of the wheel

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

Ancient Places

Tombeau de la chretienne, Tipasa. (tomb of the Christian Woman – an alternate name of the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania).

The Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania: Deadly Wasps Once Prevented its Destruction

In almost any culture, an ancient royal couple would have been expected to have provided themselves with a superior, monumental, or otherwise unique final resting place. Such was the case with Juba and Cleopatra Selene II.

The White Slaves of Barbary

The Lost Tribe of Clover Hollow – Oldest Civilization in the World Found in Appalachian Mountains?

Archaeological Mystery: 10,000 or More Caves were Dug into the Himalayas Over 2,000 Years Ago

The Secret Bridge to Peru’s Most Legendary City, Machu Picchu

Abu Simbel: The Great Temple of Ramesses II was Almost Lost

Opinion

Nephilim - Giants - Sons of God And Daughters Of Man

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

Who were the nephilim ? The word nephilim appears twice in the Old Testament of the Bible. They are first mentioned in chapter 6 of the book of Genesis and then again in Number 13:33. But their brief...

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

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

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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.

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