london

One of the most exciting discoveries made during the excavation of the Great Sacristy at Westminster Abbey is the skeleton of a monk in “extraordinary condition”, which could hold valuable archaeological data. Source: Westminster Abbey

24 August, 2020 - 16:46 ashley cowie

Hundreds of Skeletons Uncovered During Westminster Abbey Excavation

The decomposed body parts of hundreds of medieval monks have been uncovered on the grounds of Westminster Abbey in London, during the excavation of the long-lost Great Sacristy of Westminster Abbey...

Archaeologists found the remains of well-preserved brick-lined cellar believed to be of London’s oldest theater, the Red Lion playhouse, in Whitechapel, East London. Source: Archaeology South-East / UCL

10 June, 2020 - 22:56 dhwty

London’s Oldest Theater Unearthed in Whitechapel

Archaeologists in London have made an amazing discovery. They have unearthed what they believe to be London’s oldest theater, the Elizabethan Red Lion. This structure is of immense importance because...

Havering Hoard of Bronze age weapons and tools found in London. Source: Museum of London

14 May, 2020 - 20:36 Ed Whelan

The Havering Hoard: Baffling Bronze Age Artifacts Found in London

Archaeologists in England have been studying the Havering Hoard for over a year. The Bronze Age weapons, tools, and personal grooming items are almost 3000 years old. They were found in London on a...

A collection of fake artifacts (figurines) seized by customs at Heathrow. Source: Trustees of the British Museum

7 May, 2020 - 01:52 ashley cowie

Trunks of Fake Artifacts from the Middle East Seized at Heathrow

Sent from the underworld of the Kingdom of Bahrain , the sovereign state in the Persian Gulf, to a private address in the U.K., the stash of apparently ancient, but in reality, fake artifacts,...

Cleopatra’s Needle: The Story Behind the Obelisks

6 May, 2020 - 19:58 Kerry Sullivan

Cleopatra’s Needle: The Story Behind Three Awe-Inspiring Obelisks

Cleopatra’s Needle is the name shared by three ancient Egyptian obelisks – one in New York City, one in London, and one in Paris. However, each comes from a different Egyptian site and none may have...

An image showing direct comparisons between the Shakespeare of the Cobbe Portrait, the Chandos Portrait and the Droeshout Engraving. Source: Brice Stratford / Public domain

24 April, 2020 - 02:01 ancient-origins

Archaeology Is Revealing New Clues About Shakespeare’s Life

William Mitchell / The Conversation William Shakespeare is widely regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time and one of the most important and influential people who has ever lived. His...

6,000-year-old prehistoric pottery from the Sahara Desert, which was subjected to the new dating technique. Source: Emmanuelle Casanova et al. / University of Bristol / Nature

9 April, 2020 - 13:58 ashley cowie

‘Holy Grail’ Dating Technique Sheds New Light on Prehistoric Past

A new archaeological dating technique has been successfully applied to shards of pottery uncovered from a dig in East London’s Shoreditch. The “groundbreaking” new dating technique analyzes fatty...

New website showing digitized medieval children’s books launched by the British Library Source: Pb / Adobe Stock.

24 February, 2020 - 18:40 ashley cowie

Medieval Book Tells Kids Don’t Pick Your Ears or Nostrils!

A new British Library website presenting collections of books from the British Library, Seven Stories, Bodleian Libraries, and the V&A includes manuscripts by Lewis Carroll and Jacqueline Wilson...

31 January, 2020 - 23:01 Ed Whelan

Bloodstained Shirt Worn By Charles I At His Execution Is Going Public

It has been announced that the silk shirt that was worn by the English king Charles I at his execution is going on public display. The garment is believed to still have the bloodstains of the monarch...

Head of Asian Art and Managing Director, Lee Young with the $1.2 million (£1 million) Qianlong Chinese teapot. Source: Duke’s Auctions

13 November, 2019 - 17:21 Ed Whelan

Chinese Teapot Skyrockets From £1000 to £1 Million At Auction

A small Chinese teapot that was found by chance has made some lucky person a millionaire. The 18 th century teapot crafted in China has sold for a staggering and totally unpredicted £1 million, or...

Elizabeth Brownrigg and her family abused their child servants. Source: JPRFphotos / Adobe Stock.

5 November, 2019 - 23:02 B. B. Wagner

Elizabeth Brownrigg: Child Abuse and Murder in the 18th Century

On the morning of Monday, September 14th, 1767, in the Tyburn Gallows , a 47 year-old Elizabeth Brownrigg stood in a cart awaiting her execution by a noose. So great was the uproar from angry crowds...

The Tower of London (Photocreo Bednarek /Adobe Stock). Inset: Representational image of a skeleton (tuulimaa / Adobe Stock)

21 October, 2019 - 14:01 ashley cowie

Skeletons of Woman and Child Found Beneath Tower Of London

The skeletons of a woman and child have been discovered at London’s famous 1,000-year-old royal fortress and prison, the Tower of London. But while the Tower is notorious for imprisonments, torture...

19 March, 2019 - 13:11 dhwty

Were the Chislehurst Caves Originally Created By Druids?

The Chislehurst Caves are a series of subterranean tunnels , man-made rooms, and caverns located in the southeastern part of Greater London . Although the history of the caves stretches back much...

Mudlarking on the exposed foreshore at low spring tide.

6 March, 2019 - 14:00 dhwty

Mudlarking the Thames: How a Riverbed Became the World’s Biggest Archaeological Site

A mudlark is the name given to a person who scavenges in the foreshore of a river for objects that could be sold. This term applies specifically to those operating along the Thames River in London...

The penance of Jane Shore by Robert Scott Lauder

15 December, 2018 - 18:59 dhwty

Jane Shore: The 15th Century Royal Mistress Forced to Walk London’s Streets in her Underwear

Elizabeth ‘Jane’ Shore was an Englishwoman who lived between the 15 th and 16 th centuries. She is best remembered as one the many mistresses of the English king Edward IV. As one of the king’s...

Great Fire of London in the year 1666 by William Russel Birch

8 December, 2018 - 18:56 ancient-origins

Here is What it Would Have Been Like to be Caught in the Great Fire of London

Great explosions rang out in London’s Lower Thames Street: the sound of houses, shops, warehouses and taverns being blown up, a method intended to halt the spread of the seemingly unstoppable flames...

Pages

Myths & Legends

‘Mermaid’ (1873) by Elisabeth Jerichau-Baumann. Mermaid tales are popular inspirations for the arts around the world

The Bizarre Tales of Four Lesser Known English Mermaids

Mermaids are half-human, half-marine beings that have been spoken of in shanty tales for hundreds of years. Here are some of the most thrilling of those tales from English folklore.

The Story of Ragnarok, The Ancient Norse Apocalypse

The Life and Death of Ramesses II

The Dramatic True Story Behind Disney's Mulan

The Real Story of Medusa: Protective Powers from a Snake-Haired Gorgon

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

Human Origins

Could the origins of Jewish New Year really lie in the coronation of Akhenaten? Source: On the left Jon Bodsworth. Background image Arthur Szyk / CC BY-SA 4.0

Surprising Links Between Pharaoh Akhenaten and the Jewish New Year

The origin of Jewish New Year celebrations has long been shrouded in mystery. Families around the world celebrate it during autumn with sweet delicacies, joyous prayers, and the blasting of the shofar ram’s horn.

Do you dare enter a fairy ring? The mythical mushroom portals of the supernatural

Romulus and Remus, Osiris and Moses: Are the Storytelling Similarities a Mere Coincidence?

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

Asherah: God’s Forgotten Wife

From jewel-capped teeth to golden bridges – 9,000 years of dentistry

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.

Ten amazing inventions from ancient times

Surprising Stone Age Knowledge Revealed on a Mammoth Bone Bracelet

The revolutionary invention of the wheel

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

Unknown Weapons of the Samurai: The Forgotten Warrior Arsenal from Feudal Japan

Ancient Places

A collection of shoes, presumably from those who have taken their lives, inside Aokigahara forest.

The Aokigahara Forest of Japan: Many Enter, But Few Walk Out Alive

The Aokigahara forest is situated on the north-western side of Japan’s famous Mount Fuji. Over the centuries, many people have entered the forest, but fewer have left it. This is because, sadly, the forest is notorious for being one of the most popular places in the world to commit suicide. As a matter of fact, the number of people taking their own lives in this forest is reported to be second only to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

The Rarely Told Story of Pre-Colonial Philippines

The Judean Date Palm: Extinct Tree Resurrected from Ancient Seeds

Chichen Itza: Ancient Maya City Built Above A Gateway to the Underworld

Both Religion and Royalty Reigned in the Assyrian City of Assur

The Haunted Ruins of Khara Khoto, The Black City of Mongolia

Opinion

3 Problems to Remember When Trying to Find Atlantis

It is perhaps the greatest unsolved mystery of all time: Did the lost city of Atlantis actually exist? And if it did once exist, where was it located before its watery demise? Fortunately, the...

Naupa Iglesia: An Egyptian Portal in the Andes?

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

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

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.