Jewish

11 March, 2019 - 21:45 joannagillan

The Lost Treasure of the Dead Sea Copper Scroll

The Copper Scroll is part of the extraordinary cache of 1st Century documents first discovered in caves at Qumran , popularly known as the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Copper Scroll, however, is very...

24 January, 2019 - 19:00 ancient-origins

Lilith: Adam’s First Wife in Eden or a Diabolical Demoness?

Lilith is first mentioned in ancient Babylonian texts as a winged female demon that attacks pregnant women and infants. From Babylonia, the legend of “the lilith” spread to ancient Anatolia, Syria,...

25 October, 2018 - 00:58 dhwty

The Golem: Talmudic Legend of a Clay Beast Created to Protect the Jews

The gothic horror novel, Frankenstein , is one of the most well-known stories in which man tries to play god by attempting to manufacture a living being. A similar story, that of the golem, exists in...

Stained glass representation of the Prophet Isaiah by Valentin Bousch.

5 October, 2018 - 18:57 Caleb Strom

What is the Legacy of Isaiah the Prophet?

Isaiah the prophet is known for having urged Israel to rely on Yahweh, their national god, instead of on the political power, and the gods of nations like Egypt or Assyria for protection and...

Three different Jewish people giving Selichot prayers at the Wailing Wall, Jerusalem

18 September, 2018 - 01:56 Rabbi Allen Maller

Can Jewish People be a Nation, and a Religion, and a Race?

Although Jewish people usually, but not always, share a common gene pool, they are not a race because any non-Jew who converts to Judaism will be recognized as being Jewish by all those rabbis who...

Ancient Egyptian men undergoing circumcision.

19 July, 2018 - 18:52 Caleb Strom

The Cutting Truth about Circumcision: It Was All About Rites and Religion

When was circumcision first practiced? How did it evolve? Why was it practiced? The earliest literary evidence of the practice of circumcision goes back to ancient Egypt. There are many hypotheses...

Huqoq ancient synagogoue mosaic - inscription and face.

10 July, 2018 - 14:05 ancient-origins

Mosaics Provide Clues on Life in an Ancient Galilean Jewish Village

Recent discoveries by a team of specialists and students at Huqoq in Israel's Galilee, led by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professor Jodi Magness, shed new light on the life and...

Two of the jugs excavated from the hard to reach cave on the Israeli/Lebanon boarder.

4 July, 2018 - 18:55 ashley cowie

Remote Israeli Cave Holds A Potted Mystery

Two ancient jars dated to over 2000-years-old are mystifying archaeologists, as they were lowered down an “almost totally inaccessible... sheer 30 meter cliff-face” and stashed inside a tiny cave in...

Using Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI), this picture of the Antioch tablet was compiled. Source: Paula Artal-Isbrand, conservator at the Princeton Art Museums, with permission of Alexander Hollman

24 May, 2018 - 19:00 Ed Whelan

First Jewish Curse Found: Chariot Racer Hexed by Calling on Balaam’s Angel

Experts have made the remarkable discovery of a curse on a lead amulet from the Eastern Roman Empire. According to the Jerusalem Times, experts were shocked when they finally deciphered the message...

The Burning of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar’s Army (1630-1660)

9 May, 2018 - 18:44 Mark Oliver

By the Rivers of Babylon: Life in Ancient Babylon’s Thriving Jewish Community

In the 6th-century BC, the armies of Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and the Kingdom of Judah. They tore down the city walls, burned the temples, and ran down every person who tried to escape. The few...

Detail of ‘Ashkenazi Jews praying in the Synagogue on Yom Kippur. (1878 painting by Maurycy Gottlieb)

19 April, 2018 - 22:55 aprilholloway

Where are Ashkenazi Jews from? Their Origins May Surprise You

Ashkenazi Jews are a Jewish ethnic group who have their earliest ancestors from the indigenous tribes of Israel…at least on one side of the family tree. A study published in 2013 in Nature...

Mosaic of the vault of the chapel of San Zeno (IX century).

13 February, 2018 - 01:56 ancient-origins

Jesus’ Fashion Faux Pas: What Was He Wearing?

Joan Taylor / The Conversation Over the past few decades, the question of what Jesus looked like has cropped up again and again. Much has been made of a digital reconstruction of a Judaean man...

The Inspiration of Christopher Columbus by José María Obregón, 1856.

23 January, 2018 - 18:56 Dr. Steven L. D...

Can the Catholicism of Christopher Columbus be Questioned?

One of the great adventurers and explorers of Spain’s Golden Age of discovery was Cristoforo Colon, Christopher Columbus. His exploits, centering on the discovery of new lands across the Atlantic,...

Some of the ancient artifacts seized from the home of Michael H. Steinhardt.

8 January, 2018 - 22:56 Theodoros Karasavvas

Billionaire Accused of Illegally Owning Stolen Antique Artworks

New York’s Authorities that go after illegally obtained antique artworks have searched the Manhattan residence and office of notable billionaire Michael Steinhardt, who is suspected of illegally...

‘A Dance to the Music of Time’ (1634-1635) by Nicolas Poussin.

30 December, 2017 - 18:42 aprilholloway

Humans Have Been Making New Year’s Resolutions for Over 4,000 Years

New Year’s resolutions are a popular practice. Countless people begin to consider them every year as December 31st rolls around. Although the big plans and ambitious goals can be difficult to follow...

The Burning of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar’s Army by Circle of Juan de la Corte (1580 - 1663)

28 July, 2017 - 22:55 Theodoros Karasavvas

New Evidence Verifies Biblical Accounts of the Babylonian Destruction of Jerusalem

In the week leading up to Hebrew ceremonies associated with the destruction of Jewish Temples in Jerusalem, archaeologists in Israel have uncovered the remnants of a firestorm, strong evidence...

Pages

Myths & Legends

Baphomet: Was the Diabolical Demon Really Worshipped by Knights Templars?

Baphomet is the demonic entity allegedly worshipped by the Knights Templars who later became a symbol for Satanic worship. During the Inquisition of the Templars in the 14th century, the knights were falsely accused of worshipping this figure.

The Ancient Pagan Origins of Easter

The Black Book - Source of Devils Magic that Wizards Wager Their Soul to Obtain

The Wooing of Etain: An Irish Tale of Love, Loss, and Jealousy

The symbol of the Swastika and its 12,000-year-old history

The Legendary Kraken

Human Origins

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

Sumer, or the ‘land of civilized kings’, flourished in Mesopotamia, now modern-day Iraq, around 4500 BC. Sumerians created an advanced civilization with its own system of elaborate language and writing, architecture and arts, astronomy and mathematics.

11 Mysterious Human Species That Most People Don’t Know Existed

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

Forensic Facial Reconstruction: The Journey to Connect with our Ancestors

The human skull that challenges the Out of Africa theory

The Secret Life of an Ancient Concubine

Ancient Technology

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

The Norimitsu Odachi is a huge sword from Japan. It is so large, in fact, that it was said to have been wielded by a giant. Apart from the basic knowledge of it having been forged in the 15th century AD, measuring 3.77 meters (12.37 ft.) in length, and weighing as much as 14.5 kg (31.97 lbs.), this impressive sword is shrouded in mystery.

Robots Guarded Buddha’s Relics in a Legend of Ancient India

The Indian Sage who developed Atomic Theory 2,600 years ago

Boggling Bannerstones of Ancient Americans: Were They a Function of Flight or More a Flight of Fancy?

Ten amazing inventions from ancient times

A Step Closer to the Mysterious Origin of the Viking Sword Ulfberht

Ancient Places

Palmerston Island part of the Cook Islands.

Populating Palmerston Island: One Man, Three Wives and A Desert Island Paradise

Palmerston Island is part of the Cook Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. This island is one of the six main islands located on a coral atoll and is the only one that is inhabited. Palmerston Island is one of the most isolated places on earth, and almost all of its inhabitants today are related to each other, as they are all descended from one Englishman who settled there about 150 years ago.

Khajuraho: The Sexiest Temples in India

The White Slaves of Barbary

Nsongezi Rock Shelter Offers Proof of Stone Age Craftsmen

The Mysterious Prehistoric Triple Burial of Dolni Vestonice

How Ancient People Marked the Equinox Around the World

Opinion

The astronomical ceiling at the Pronaos, Detail of the first Band west from the center. From left to right: two wind creatures (the winged ram with four heads personifies the south wind), the snake- and frog-headed eight goddesses and gods of the Ogdoad who ruled the cosmos before the creation of the world and Osiris seated on a throne sails across the sky as personification of the full moon accompanied by the seated goddesses Nephtys (left) and Isis on the right (Maat stands near the bow of the ship). Siri

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

In Egypt, Sirius was the Star of Isis, Isis being the companion and rescuer of the god Osiris. In a very deep way, Osiris was Egypt.

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

The Secret Strategic Plans of Darius the Great

The Secrets of the Kabbalists Garden

Alchemy and Generating Lifeforce —Global Temples Made in the Shape of Lingams: Shaivite Bull Cult Part II

From Green Man to Bull Son, The Universal Shaivite Bull Cult – Part I

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.