Library

Dr. Benjamin Pohl with the both the royal charter and the Bishop of Durham charter

26 March, 2019 - 17:48 ancient-origins

Original King John Royal Charter Resurfaces After 800 Years [Press Release]

Press Release / University of Bristol A rare, original royal charter from the first year of King John’s reign has been discovered in Durham by a medieval historian from the University of Bristol. The...

Aerial view of the ruins of a Roman library found in Cologne, Germany.

2 August, 2018 - 18:52 Ed Whelan

The Truth is in its Walls: Excavated Ruins in Germany Have Been Identified as a Roman Library

Workers have made an extraordinary discovery in the German city of Cologne. It is believed that they have unearthed the walls of a large Roman library. The ruins are those of the oldest known public...

28 May, 2018 - 20:08 dhwty

The Search for the Lost Library of Ivan the Terrible

The thought of a lost library is a tantalizing one, as one can speculate and imagine the kind of knowledge it might provide to the person who finds it. Therefore, it is hardly surprising that there...

The interior of a private library in Chinguetti.

24 February, 2018 - 22:56 dhwty

From Tradition to Destruction: The Lost Libraries of Chinguetti

During the Middle Ages, Sahara outposts often found themselves filled with travelers, traders, and pilgrims passing through with their differing tasks. The pilgrims in particular interest us here, as...

17 February, 2018 - 13:27 dhwty

The Abbey Library of St. Gall: One of the Oldest Working Libraries in the World

Founded during the 8th century, the Abbey of St. Gall has served both the Church and scholars over the years. Its library has a particular draw because it is one of the oldest and most important...

Gospel of Thomas and The Secret Book of John (Apocryphon of John), Codex II The Nag Hammadi manuscripts

1 December, 2017 - 22:49 David Icke

Everything You Need to Know but Have Never Been Told – Insights from the Ancient Nag Hammadi Library

A few years ago, I came across a treasure trove of ancient information found in a sealed jar in 1945 near the town of Nag Hammadi about 75-80 miles north of Luxor on the banks of the River Nile in...

The interior of Duke Humphrey's Library, the oldest reading room of the Bodleian Library in the University of Oxford.

14 September, 2017 - 19:00 Theodoros Karasavvas

Year Zero: Ancient Indian Text Includes Oldest Recorded Zero Symbol

Scientists claim to have traced the earliest example of one of the most significant conceptual breakthroughs in arithmetic to an ancient Indian text, known as the Bakhshali manuscript. The specific...

Monastery of St. Catherine at Mount Sinai.

30 August, 2017 - 01:58 Theodoros Karasavvas

More Revelations From St. Catherine’s Monastery Include Lost Ancient Languages

Scientists have found languages not used since the “Dark Ages” among ancient manuscripts revealed at the St. Catherine’s monastery in Egypt. It is the latest findings to be released from the 1,500-...

medicine, manuscript, Egypt, Hippocrates, Catherine, monastery, library, text, writing, palimpsest

14 July, 2017 - 14:00 Alicia McDermott

Hippocratic Medical Recipe Lost in a Famous Egyptian Monastery Finally Comes to Light

The library at St. Catherine's Monastery is considered one of the most important for ancient texts. New research examining a manuscript from the 6th century shows that it is not just the visible...

30 June, 2017 - 01:49 John Tuttle

Boats, Bowling and Moldy Bread: Curious Achievements Ancient Egypt Shared With the World

Ancient Egypt is one on the oldest civilizations in the world and it was also home to many of the ancient world’s greatest achievements. Without their creativity and innovative approach to the world...

5 June, 2017 - 02:08 Sam Bostrom

The Lost Knowledge of the Ancients: Were Humans the First? Part 1

Much of modern science was known in ancient times. Robots and computers were a reality long before the 1940´s. The early Bronze Age inhabitants of the Levant used computers in stone, the Greeks in...

24 February, 2017 - 01:58 Veronica Parkes

The Library of Pergamum: A Contender for the Greatest Library of the Ancient World

Pergamum, Anatolia, now the modern Turkish town of Bergama, was one of the most important cities in the Hellenistic Greek age. It was culturally rich, with an extensive library at its heart. The city...

31 January, 2017 - 13:50 Kerry Sullivan

What Really Lies Hidden in the Vatican Secret Archives?

Mystery and intrigue are inherent to the Holy See. People will always wonder what religious authorities are conspiring to behind closed doors, what treasures lie within the vaults of the Vatican...

1 January, 2017 - 04:11 ancient-origins

The House of Wisdom: One of the Greatest Libraries in History

Adding to the list of names among the greatest libraries of the past, the Bayt al-Hikmah (translated as ‘The House of Wisdom’) was established in Baghdad, the capital of the Abbasid Empire, around...

26 December, 2016 - 00:45 Veronica Parkes

From Papyrus to Parchment: The Imperial Library of Constantinople

Many years after the destruction of the great libraries of the ancient world, such as the libraries of Pergamum and Alexandria, the Imperial Library of Constantinople preserved precious Ancient Greek...

22 December, 2016 - 00:38 Kerry Sullivan

The Oldest University in the World May Not Be Where You Think And the Founder May Also Surprise You

Although many people would imagine that the oldest university in the world is in Europe or China, it’s not. The oldest standing university on Earth is in Morocco. Founded in 859 AD, Al-Qarawiyyin is...

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Myths & Legends

The Descent of Inanna into the Underworld: A 5,500-Year-Old Literary Masterpiece

The Descent of Inanna (known also as ‘Inanna’s Descent to the Netherworld / Underworld’) is a piece of work in the literary corpus of ancient Mesopotamia. This story, which was originally written in cuneiform and inscribed on clay tablets, is in the form of a poem.

The Amazons: Ancient Warrior Women Dismissed as Myth and Legend Were Real Fearsome Fighters

Stay Out of the Water: Does a Prehistoric Shark Still Live in the Ocean?

Eight Legendary Creatures from Greek Mythology That You Might Not Know About

Jason and the Legendary Golden Fleece

Tuatha Dé Dannan, the Enchanting Predecessors of Irish Fairies and Elves

Human Origins

Silhouettes (Public Domain) in front of blood cells (Public Domain) and a gene.

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

Most people who have the Rh blood type are Rh-positive. There are also instances, however, where people are Rh-Negative. Health problems may occur for the unborn child of a mother with Rh-Negative blood when the baby is Rh-Positive.

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

Drugs in Ancient Cultures: A History of Drug Use and Effects

They’re Alive! Megalithic Sites Are More than Just Stone

Mount Shasta: Spirits and Danger on a Sacred California Mountain

The human skull that challenges the Out of Africa theory

Ancient Technology

The Great Pyramid at Giza and Noah’s Ark: Are we coming closer to an understanding of the Ancient Mind? Part I

Two phenomena that have been haunting humanity for a long time are Noah’s Ark and the Great Pyramid of Giza. It has however rarely been suggested that these two are connected. One, the Ark, is part...

They’re Alive! Megalithic Sites Are More than Just Stone

6 Advanced Ancient Inventions Beyond Modern Understanding

Ancient Magic: The Illusions Created in Temples by Amazing Inventions

Secrets Behind the Creepy Plague Doctor Mask and Costume

The revolutionary invention of the wheel

Ancient Places

An Olmec style face adorns the side of the Mask Temple at the Mayan site of Lamanai in Belize

The mysterious civilization of the Olmecs

Mexico is perhaps most well-known, archaeologically speaking, as the home of the Aztec civilization. Yet, before the arrival of the Aztecs, another sophisticated civilization, the Olmecs, ruled the...

Xanten Archaeological Park – Step Back and Experience the Romans

The Mystery of Egyptian Tomb KV55 in the Valley of the Kings

The Rosslyn Chapel Carvings: Facts, Mysteries, and Conspiracies

A Millennium of Glory: The Rise and Fall of the Byzantine Empire

Why Isn’t This Map in the History Books?

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.