moche

The Inca tomb found at Mata Indio archaeological site.

19 February, 2019 - 13:57 Ed Whelan

Incan Tomb Containing Elite Person and Sacrificed Children Unearthed in Peru

Archaeologists have announced that they have made an important discovery that will add to our knowledge of Inca society and culture in a remote area of northern Peru. They have found a tomb of a...

A rich Moche grave with elaborate copper artifacts and several ceramic vessels.

15 February, 2019 - 18:50 ashley cowie

Making Copper Look Like Gold: 1,400-Year-Old Moche Graves Reveal Rich Artifacts of Ancient Elite

A team of archaeologists digging at the Ucupe archaeological site in the north-western Peruvian region of Lambayeque have discovered Moche civilization graves dating back 1,400 years. The Moche...

1500-year-old construction at Limon archaeological site, Peru

13 January, 2018 - 13:53 Theodoros Karasavvas

Important Moche Ceremonial Rooms Discovered in Peru

A Peruvian archaeological mission has discovered a pre-Hispanic Mochica ceremonial banquet hall and another room possibly used for political announcements. The discovery took place at the ruins of...

Representational image of African travelers.

20 July, 2017 - 19:09 Clyde Winters

East African Invasions in South America: Tracing Cultural Clues and Artifacts Left by Early Travelers

Archaeologists have found many artifacts that suggest Blacks lived in Pre-Columbian America in locations including Tiahuanaco and Valdivia. Epigraphers and archaeologists have even found evidence...

The new 3D printed reconstruction of the face of the Lady of Cao

10 July, 2017 - 22:57 Theodoros Karasavvas

Lady of Cao Comes to Life: Face of Peruvian Priestess Reconstructed from 1,700-Year-Old Mummy

Scientists in Peru have managed to recreate the face of a female Peruvian leader who died 1,700 years ago, with the use of 3D printing. The Lady of Cao was discovered in the ruins of the Huaca Cao...

22 September, 2016 - 15:06 aprilholloway

Lord of Sipan: First Time Real Face of 2,000-Year-Old Mochican Priest Revealed

The face of a powerful ruler of the ancient Moche civilization of Peru, known as El Señor de Sipán (The Lord of Sipán), has been revealed for the first time following an intensive project to...

26 August, 2016 - 00:57 dhwty

By the Cut of a Tumi: An Iconic Ceremonial Artifact of Ancient Peru

The tumi was a ceremonial knife used by several pre-Columbian cultures that inhabited the Peruvian coast, including the Moche, Sicán, Chimu, and Inca cultures, to carry out blood sacrifice and...

24 August, 2016 - 21:43 Riley Winters

Eighth Priestess and Precious Grave Goods Unearthed in Famous San Jose de Moro Tomb

The remains of a Moche priestess have been unearthed at the famous tomb site of San Jose de Moro in Northwestern Peru. She is the fifth Moche priestess to be found at the site (an additional three...

Detail of a mural depicting a Moche priestess. Reconstruction of a Moche priestess.

7 August, 2016 - 00:46 Riley Winters

Performance and Power: Moche Priestesses Uncovered

Despite being an agricultural society of ceremonial performance, bold works of art, and innovative irrigation processes, the Moche (100-800AD) are best remembered as one of many Pre-Columbian...

This royal tomb, the eighth discovered in 25 years, is believed to have belonged to a Moche priestess buried 1,200 years ago. The great quantity of artifacts and the complexity of the burial reveal the power and influence this woman wielded in life.

20 July, 2016 - 14:40 ancient-origins

Where Women Once Ruled: Excavated Tombs of Moche Priestesses Provide Archaeologists with Troves of Artifacts

When archaeologists unearthed a large chamber tomb in San José de Moro, a ceremonial center of pre-Columbian Moche civilization on the northern coast of Peru, they found the remains of a woman who...

4 July, 2016 - 21:49 dhwty

The Mysterious Moche Icon of the Iguana, Companion to the Sky God Wrinkle Face

The iguana was an important animal in the mythology of the powerful Moche civilization. This creature is often depicted as a companion of a figure known as Wrinkle Face, who is sometimes thought to...

27 May, 2016 - 14:44 Mark Miller

Ancient Peruvian Queen Mummy and her Sacrifice Victims to Undergo DNA Analysis

A research delegation from Harvard University is making a visit this week to Peru to take DNA samples from the mummified remains of the famous Señora de Cao (‘Lady of Cao’), a powerful queen of the...

1 July, 2015 - 14:34 Mark Miller

4,000-Year-Old Mochica Temple and Tombs Unearthed in Peru

A 4,000-year-old temple and tombs of 14 ancient Peruvians have been excavated at an ongoing archaeological dig in the Lambayeque area. The temple belongs to the mysterious Moche civilization, while...

A sex-themed vessel found in Peru. Museo Arqueologico, Lima, Peru.

6 May, 2015 - 13:12 aprilholloway

Sex Pottery of Peru: Moche Ceramics Shed Light on Ancient Sexuality

The Moche were a mysterious civilization who ruled the northern coast of Peru beginning two thousand years ago. They built huge pyramids made of millions of mud bricks and created an extensive...

Gold Mochica Headdress (1 – 700 AD) representing a feline deity with fangs and condor ornaments.

5 January, 2015 - 22:09 Mark Miller

Scientist explores connection between Shang Dynasty China and ancient Peruvian cultures

Similarities in ancient art and artifacts found in China and Peru have led some scholars to suggest an ancient link between the two cultures. Now a Chinese scientist will be undertaking genetic...

18 August, 2014 - 23:17 aprilholloway

Tomb of the Lord of Sipan, Mochican Warrior Priest

(Part 1: The spectacular Mochican tomb complex of Huaca Rajada ) In 1987, an enormous complex of unplundered Moche culture tombs was unearthed at the Huaca Rajada archaeological site, near Sipán on...

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Myths & Legends

The Epic of Gilgamesh. Source: Luca Oleastri / Adobe.

The Epic of Gilgamesh Unveiled: Searching For a Way to the Home Planet

In contrast to many theorists, this unconventional retelling of key parts of the Epic explores the idea that Gilgamesh was not searching for life eternal on Earth, as has been suggested as the theme of the Epic, but was instead searching for the means of transport to return to his goddess mother Ninsun’s home planet in the heavens.

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

The Epic of Gilgamesh Unveiled: Enlightenment and Source of Religions

The Menhune of Hawaii – Ancient Race or Fictional Fairytale?

Say the Magic Word: The Origins of Abracadabra

The Disturbing True Story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin

Human Origins

Work using the Statue of Gilgamesh and Lamassu. Source: CC BY 4.0

The Epic of Gilgamesh Unveiled: Enlightenment and Source of Religions

This retelling of key parts of the Epic explores the unconventional idea that Gilgamesh was not searching for life eternal on Earth, as has been suggested as the theme of the Epic, but was instead searching for the means of transport to return to his goddess mother Ninsun’s home planet in the heavens. Taking poetic licence, the author merges some ideas from modern science and technology with the story from the ancient text.

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

The Pagan Wheel of the Year: What Elaborate Rituals and Events Mark this Sacred Cycle?

Pharaoh Akhenaten: An Alternative View of the Heretic King

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

Are the Distinctive Kalash People of Pakistan Really Descendants of Alexander the Great’s Army?

Ancient Technology

An ancient Roman road at Leptis Magna, Libya

Ancient Journeys: What was Travel Like for the Romans?

It was not uncommon for the ancient Romans to travel long distances all across Europe. Actually during the Roman Empire, Rome had an incredible road network which extended from northern England all...

Mummy Brown – the 16th century paint made from ground up mummies

Why Are There 365 Days in a Year? Organizing Dates with an Ancient Egyptian Calendar

Romans Had Ancient Tech for Creating Seismic Invisibility Cloak Around Monuments

The incredible earthquake detector invented nearly 2,000 years ago

Romans in Pompeii Repaired the Roads with Molten Iron

Ancient Places

Royal Palace at Ebla. Source: CC BY-SA 3.0

First Kingdoms: The Forgotten Mesopotamian Kingdom of Ebla

Spectacular things were happening in Mesopotamia in the period we call the Early Bronze Age, particularly in the southern part of it, commonly called Babylonia.

Sumer: Where Written Language, Arithmetic and Civilization Were Born

The Great Ziggurat of Ur

Homer’s Iliad Casts Doubt on the Aegean Location of Troy

A Monumental Cover Up? Why did Gobekli Tepe End Up in the Dirt?

The Mysterious Dolmens of the Caucasus

Opinion

Mysterious Worlds: Travels to the Faerie and Shamanic Realms

There are many accounts of a land of immortality and eternal youth in world myths and legends, as well as shamanic and indigenous spiritual traditions. Mysterious Worlds Writing in his recent work,...

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

The Secrets of the Kabbalists Garden

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.