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Between 34,000 and 24,000 years ago, diverse European cultures from the Gravettian period utilized marine shells, teeth, beads, and other ornaments for personal adornment, shown here. Source: J. Baker, et al/Nature

Prehistoric Jewelry Unveils 9 Distinct Paleolithic European Cultures

A fascinating new study has explored the cultural behavior of prehistoric humans in Europe from tens of thousands of years ago, and learnt that our ancestors adorned themselves with a diverse array...
Hattusa ivory ornament, dating back 2,800 years has been recently discovered and showcases depictions of sphinxes, lions, and trees of life on its ivory surface.    Source: Anadolu Agency

2,800-Year-Old ‘One of a Kind’ Ivory Object Unearthed At Hattusa

During excavations at Hattusa, capital of the Hittite kingdom during the late Bronze Age, archaeologists discovered a one-of-a-kind object crafted from Hattusa ivory, estimated to be around 2,800...
The Hohle Fels “horse” figurine with all its fragments. Source: Ria Litzenberg / University of Tübingen

A Case of Mistaken Identity: Hohle Fels “Horse” Was Not a Horse at All

The first example of ancient ivory artwork ever recovered from the World Heritage cave Hohle Fels in southwestern Germany was a piece of a broken figurine that depicted a horse’s head—or so...
Recreation drawing of ‘The Ivory Lady’. 	Source: Miriam Lucianez Trivino/Nature

High Status Skeletal Find of “Ivory Man” in Valencia Turns out To Be “Ivory Lady”

In 2008, in southwest Spain’s Valencia, the skeletal grave of an ‘important person’ was undoubtedly found, with an array of precious artifacts. This included an elephant's tusk, an ivory comb, a...
The Mysterious World of 17th Century Ivory Anatomical Manikens.

The Mysterious World of 17th Century Ivory Anatomical Manikens (Video)

Many of us have a fear of mannequins , but their precursors, 17th-century ivory anatomical manikins were even more so. Approximately 100 of these intricate objects exist globally, primarily crafted...
Anglo-Saxon ivory rings were sourced from African elephants. Source: kyslynskyy / Adobe Stock

Anglo-Saxon Ivory Rings Found in Britain Came from African Elephants

Unusual rings made from ivory have been unearthed in dozens of early Anglo-Saxon burials in England. The origin of the Anglo-Saxon ivory rings had remained a mystery for 200 years, but scientific...
Amazing African elephant with dust and sand and large ivory tusks. Source: byrdyak/Adobe Stock

Blood-Stained Ivory: The Dark History of the Trade in Elephant Tusks

The ivory trade is a story as old as human civilization, filled with tales of adventure, greed, and exploitation. For millennia, ivory has been prized for its beauty, rarity, and versatility, making...
These reconstructed ivory panels from Jerusalem’s prosperous First Temple period, recently unearthed in the City of David, were once part of an elite couch throne.                    Source: Yaniv Berman / Israel Antiquities Authority

First Temple Period Ivory Plaques, From Bible, Found in Jerusalem

During joint excavations in the City of David (ancient Jerusalem), archaeologists from Tel Aviv University and the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) unearthed the remains of rare and valuable...
Vikings shipped walrus ivory from Greenland all the way to Kyiv. Source: Nejron Photo /Adobe Stock

Vikings Shipped Walrus Ivory to Medieval Islamic Merchants 4000km Away!

With the accelerated pace of climate change and global warming wreaking havoc on the ice sheets of the world, particularly Greenland, new evidence emerges from the ice-capped country. Greenland was a...
Lewis Chessmen king and queen, with rook and knight behind them.

The Icelandic Theory: Experts Challenge Establishment Dogma to Reveal History of Ivory Vikings

In 1874, the Norwegian chess historian Antonius Van der Linde belittled Frederic Madden’s suggestion that Iceland could produce anything approaching the sophistication of the Lewis chessmen...
Arctic explorer Bernard Buigues contemplates the Jarkov woolly elephant tusks emerging from the frozen landscape in Siberia, 1998. These tusks are about three meters (10ft) and over 45kg (100lbs) each.  There is a growing body of evidence that overhunting is the main cause of the extinction of the mammoths. (Francis Latreille / ©The World As It Once Was)

The World As It Once Was: The Shifting Baseline In Iconic Megafauna

Centuries of trophy and commercial hunting, isolation in captivity and poaching, have caused a baseline shift in the perception of iconic megafauna such as Asian and African elephants, which should...
Dorsal and ventral views of the mammoth ivory pendant discovered in Stajnia Cave in southern Poland in 2010. Scale bar is 1 cm (0.4 inches).	Source: © Antonino Vazzana - BONES Lab / Nature

40,000-BC Ivory Pendant is the Oldest Eurasian Jewelry, Says Study

A skillfully decorated mammoth ivory pendant found in Stajnia Cave in southern Poland in 2010 has been radiocarbon dated to approximately 40,000 BC, as is detailed in a new study published in the...
Of the two unusual Bavarian graves, this one was of a 40- to 50-year-old man buried with his horse and a carved ivory comb for beard grooming.		Source: Archaeological Office Dr. Woidich GmbH

Rare Artifacts Found in Two 6th Century Bavarian Graves in Germany

Two Bavarian graves unearthed during excavations in the southern German town of Deiningen have generated exceptional interest among archaeologists. The two graves were in excellent condition when...
Stunning golden mask found at China’s Sanxingdui ruins.

Stunning Golden Mask Adds to Amazing Relics Unearthed at China’s Sanxingdui Ruins

Archaeologists exploring sacrifice pits in a 3,000-year-old ruin have unveiled a Chinese treasure hoard consisting of almost 2000 relics of supreme cultural importance. However, the most important...
Footprints, Fairies and even a Foreskin: 10 Bizarre Relics from History

Footprints, Fairies and even a Foreskin: 10 Bizarre Relics from History

From time immemorial, people had the need to venerate objects of great significance: religious relics, mythical symbols, or depictions of holy figures. And as if answering this need, the religious...
The Shock Discovery of the Nakovane Zodiac

The Shock Discovery of the Nakovane Zodiac

The history of Dalmatia in Croatia is very important for the entire region of the Adriatic, tying in directly with the events that were crucial for both the Balkans and the Mediterranean. Sadly, the...
The way in which these objects, made from ivory and animal bones, has led scientists to realize that the prehistoric hunters used techniques that were far more advanced than previously understood. Source: Evgeny Artemyev / Russian Academy of Sciences

Hunters Melted and Sculpted Ivory 12,000 Years Ago

A report out this week has evidence of ivory softening for creating tools and ornamental animals being achieved by ancient people more than 12,000 years ago. However, the Siberian scientist who made...
Though Egyptian hippos are now extinct in Egypt they still thrive in Africa. And these hippos are shown with lotus flowers, which often featured as decoration in Egyptian hippo figurines and paintings.                  Source: Faas / Adobe Stock

Egyptian Hippos: Ancient Symbol of Protection, Rebirth And Hunting

The ancient Egyptians had an undeniable and powerful connection to nature and the world around them. Almost every animal and plant had a specific meaning to their way of life, inspiring grand murals...
Landmark Study Reveals Elephant Tusk Origins Of 16th Century Shipwreck

Landmark Study Reveals Elephant Tusk Origins Of 16th Century Shipwreck

In 1533, a famous Portuguese trading vessel called the Bom Jesus went missing on its way to India. It sank off the coast of present-day Namibia while it was filled with more than 40 tons of precious...
Main: Camels fighting. Credit: fraenzken / Adobe Stock. Inset: Camel etchings show fighting camels which could represent the mating season. Credit: Yuri Esin

Stone Age Etchings of Camel Fight Found on Siberian Mammoth Tusk

Ancient engravings etched onto a 13,000-year-old mammoth tusk have been examined and are believed to include the oldest known images of camels in Asia. Several ancient camel etchings on the tusk, one...
The Gebel el-Arak Knife (Rama/CC BY SA 3.0) and detail of one side of the ivory handle. (Rama/CC BY SA 3.0)

Gebel El-Arak Knife – A Link to Ancient Egypt’s Distant Beginnings

The ancient, far reaching civilizations of the world are for many people a continuous source of inspiration. Ancient, ageless myths and wonders of emerging societies and archaic technologies are not...
Northern Lights, Aurora borealis at Kirkjufell in Iceland. Representative of Icelandic Viking Settlement.           Source: tawatchai1990

The Icelandic Viking Settlement Challenging the History Books

Demanding a rewrite of Icelandic history , in November 2015 a report in IcelandMag said archaeologists at an excavation in Fjarðabyggð, in east Iceland, found an old Viking farmstead at Stöð in...
The bird figurine is the oldest-known sculpture to be found in East Asia.         Source: Francesco d'Errico/Luc Doyon / PLOS ONE

Oldest Example of East Asian 3D Art Discovered in Waste Pile

Examination of a tiny bone object extracted from a pile of waste material from digging a well in China revealed it to be what the experts think is the oldest example of three-dimensional art ever...
Fossils of almost 70 mammoths have been found at the future site of a Mexican airport. Source: INAH

Here Come the Mammoths, 60 of Them, Unearthed at Mexican Airport

Bones of more than 60 mammoths have been unearthed at the location of a new Mexican international airport. Last November I wrote an Ancient Origins news article about anthropologists from Mexico ’ s...

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