Iron Age

The Heslington skull and brain. Source: Top 5 Scary Videos / YouTube.

3 October, 2019 - 18:56 B. B. Wagner

The Strange Phenomenon of the 2,600-year-old Heslington Brain

Sometime between 673 BC to 482 BC, in a region that would one day be known as East Heslington York, a mysterious man was hung by the rope and then decapitated ceremoniously. His severed head was...

Left: The excavation site at Zincirli, southern Turkey. (Lucas Stephens)Top Right: Baking and cooking pots and trays found at Zincirli, including a ceramic pot with soot still left on the bottom from when it was last used (left). Bottom Right: Items found at Zincirli include bronze needles stored in a bone case (top left), a bronze figurine of a goddess (left), and animal knucklebones often used as dice (bottom). (Roberto Ceccacci)

1 September, 2019 - 09:14 ashley cowie

3,500 Years Ago, Hittites Sacked and Razed an Unwary City

Archaeologists in Turkey have unearthed a city that was sacked by the Hittites over 3,500 years ago. One afternoon more than 3,500 years ago, hundreds of families were getting about their everyday...

An aerial photograph of Dinas Dinlle Iron Age Hill Fort from the north (suffering from coastal erosion); Gwynedd, Cymru / Wales. Cromlechs & Ancient Sites. (CADW/Visit Wales/CC BY SA 3.0)

21 August, 2019 - 22:28 Alicia McDermott

Experts Scramble to Study Ancient Fort Before It’s Lost to the Sea

Archaeologists working on the 2,500-year-old Dinas Dinlle hill fort on the Gwynedd coastline in Wales are racing a climate change clock to uncover the site’s secrets before they are lost to the sea...

A digital reconstruction of 'Hilda', the female druid, by MSc Forensic Art student Karen Fleming. Source: University of Dundee.

15 August, 2019 - 18:59 ashley cowie

Hilda, A 2000-Year-Old Scottish Female Druid, Rises From The Grave

A Scottish student using a rare Celtic female druid’s skull has recreated her head and face in a 3D wax model. The toothless old woman from Stornoway, known as ‘Hilda', is believed to have lived on...

Horned figure on the Gundestrup Cauldron

25 July, 2019 - 18:51 dhwty

The Gundestrup Cauldron: Largest and Most Exquisite Iron Age Silver Work in Europe

The Gundestrup Cauldron is an ancient silver vessel that was discovered in a peat bog in Denmark. This cauldron is notable for being the largest known piece of European Iron Age silver work. Thus,...

Helmet and headdress found with the warrior-priest. Source: (The Novium Museum/ Chichester District Council)

23 July, 2019 - 23:01 ashley cowie

Ancient Celtic Warrior-Priest Is Displayed In England - His Grave Goods Might Hold Deep Lunar Secrets

A glorious 2,000-year-old Iron Age ‘warrior’, who might have fought against Julius Caesar during the wars against the Gaulish tribes in Britannia (Britain), was unveiled at Fishbourne Roman Palace...

Prehistoric well and steps recently uncovered at Mither Tap Hillfort, Scotland Source: Northern Picts /University of Aberdeen

19 June, 2019 - 23:02 ashley cowie

Prehistoric Well Uncovered At Ancient Hillfort Might Be A Time Capsule Of Archaeological Gold

An ancient fresh water well with elaborate spiraling stone steps has been re-discovered on one of Scotland’s most mythologized mountain peaks near Aberdeen, and archaeologists were keen to peer into...

The ancient fingerprints of a worker who helped build a wall in ancient Al Ain. Source: Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi / Fair Use.

29 May, 2019 - 22:56 Ed Whelan

Fingerprints of Ancient Masons Reveal Advanced Iron Age Construction Technique

Sometimes a discovery really brings the past alive. One such is the recent discovery of 3000-year old fingerprints that have been found in the United Arab Emirates . This discovery is allowing...

The remains of the Roman marching camp were uncovered during building work. Source: GUARD Archaeology Ltd / Fair Use.

28 May, 2019 - 17:10 ashley cowie

Evidence Of New Route Into Scotland For Roman Invasion Attempt

A school playing field in Ayrshire , in the west of Scotland, has provided archaeologists with multiple layers of archaeology topped with a Roman marching camp used in the Roman conquest of Scotland...

15 May, 2019 - 23:35 Gary Manners

137 More Giant Artifacts Found in Deep Forest Around the Plain of Jars

The Plain of Jars in the Xieng Khouang plain of Laos is a curious phenomenon that has had archaeologists and the like scratching their heads for years. The unusual site has thousands of megalithic...

The skeleton of a woman was found in an ancient death pit in Oxfordshire, England, and it may be related to ritual human sacrifice.

16 April, 2019 - 19:00 ashley cowie

Ancient Death Pit of Sacrificed and Butchered Humans Found in England

Sometimes archaeologists happen upon discoveries that are stark reminders to our animalistic past and such was the case last week in Oxfordshire, England. A team of Thames Water engineers laying...

Representative image of a cloaked druid in a forest.

16 March, 2019 - 17:41 Jack Wilkin

Stories of the Druids Abound, But What is the Hard Archaeological Evidence?

Druid comes from the Old Irish word druí meaning sorcerer. And that is how most people today think of the druids, as mysterious wizards enveloped in the world of magic and ritual. But there is much...

4 February, 2019 - 18:54 Ed Whelan

Oldest Evidence of Beer in Britain Found By Accident During Road Project

A road construction project in Britain has uncovered the first evidence of the brewing of beer . Workers uncovered some evidence of charred residue and other matter that would indicate brewing,...

Left; Whitehawk woman Right; Neanderthal Woman Reconstruction Exhibition, Brighton.

30 January, 2019 - 23:01 Ed Whelan

Facial Reconstruction Brings People Face-to-Face With Their Ancient Ancestors

Detailed data and minute details have both fed into an exhibition taking place In the English city of Brighton, that offers people a chance to see not only physical cultural items, but their ancient...

7 January, 2019 - 22:58 Ed Whelan

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

In 2010, there was a very important find at an old Iron Age shrine in England. It included coins and other items from both the Iron Age and the Roman era. Among the discoveries was a remarkable 2,000...

5 January, 2019 - 18:55 ashley cowie

Ancient Shards Discovered at 3000-Year-Old Nabatean Mountain Top City of Sela

A team of researchers in Amman exploring the 3000-year-old Edomite-Nabataean mountain stronghold, Sela, located on the Edom Plateau, south of Jordan, between Tafila and Busayra have discovered Iron...

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Myths & Legends

King Arthur monument in Tintagel, Cornwall.(left), Excalibur in Brocéliande Forest, Brittany, France.(right)

Has the King Arthur Gene Been Traced?

If stories of King Arthur and his knights are based on real people their DNA markers should still be with us today. New DNA research has perhaps found the King Arthur gene.

Baba Yaga: The Wicked Witch of Slavic Folklore

The Last of the Siberian Unicorns: What Happened to the Mammoth-Sized One-Horned Beasts of Legend?

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

Were the Merovingians Descended from a Monster? Meet the Quinotaur

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

Human Origins

The Controversial Lapedo Child – A Neanderthal / Human Hybrid?

Buried for millennia in the rear of a rock-shelter in the Lapedo Valley 85 miles north of Lisbon, Portugal, archaeologists uncovered the bones of a four-year-old child, comprising the first complete Palaeolithic skeleton ever dug in Iberia.

The Faces of Ancient Hominids Brought to Life in Remarkable Detail

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

The Mythological Maori Origin Stories of New Zealand

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

The ‘Dynastic Race’ and the Biblical ‘Japheth’ – Part I: After the Deluge

Ancient Technology

Stone of the Pregnant Woman, an example of ancient high-tech stonework in Hajar al Hibla at Baalbek in Lebanon.

The High-Tech Stonework of the Ancients: Unsolved Mysteries of Master Engineers

There are many stone artifacts from the ancient world made from the hardest stone on the planet such as granite and diorite, which have been cut and shaped with such quality, precision and accuracy that the standard explanations of their manufacture are simply inadequate.

Han Purple: A 2,800-year-old artificial pigment that quantum physicists are trying to understand

Is this a 300 million-year-old screw or just a fossilized sea creature?

Secrets Behind the Creepy Plague Doctor Mask and Costume

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 Places

Part of the extensive East Bay Wall network

Unravelling the Mystery Behind the East Bay Walls: Who Really Made Them and Why?

In the hills around East Bay and elsewhere near San Francisco, there is a series of stone walls that extend discontinuously for miles. The walls are about 3-4 feet high in most places and are not...

Kidd Mine Ontario: The World's Oldest Pool of Water

Tomb of the Lord of Sipan, Mochican Warrior Priest

Psusennes, the Silver Pharaoh with riches that rivalled those of Tutankhamun

Ten incredible underwater discoveries that have captured our imagination

The Great Serpent Mound of Ohio, the Largest Earthen Effigy in the World

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.

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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.