New Kingdom

Dr Sahar Saleem placing the mummy of Seqenenre in the CT scanner.

17 February, 2021 - 22:03 Nathan Falde

CT Scans Reveal Ceremonial Execution of Pharaoh ‘Seqenenre the Brave’

A professor of radiology from Cairo University has uncovered new and fascinating details about the death of the famed Egyptian Pharaoh Seqenenre-Taa-II (or Seqenenre the Brave), who ruled the...

This ‘mud mummy’ has revealed a previously unknown mortuary practice for non-elite ancient Egyptians.

4 February, 2021 - 01:25 Alicia McDermott

Ultra-Rare Mud Mummy Exposes Previously Unknown Mortuary Practice

CT scans of an Egyptian mummy from approximately 1,200 BC have exposed a type of mortuary treatment which has not been documented in the Egyptian archaeological record before now. The individual is...

17 January, 2021 - 17:34 ashley cowie

Major Discoveries of Coffins, Burial Shafts and Texts Made in Saqqara

Archaeologists excavating at the famous Saqqara necropolis in Egypt have announced a list of top-level ancient discoveries. Within a matrix of 52 burial shafts the researchers discovered 50 sealed...

Temple of Edfu passage with glowing walls of Egyptian hieroglyphs on either side. Source: Konstantin / AdobeStock

30 July, 2020 - 18:56 dhwty

Decrypting the Temple of Edfu and the Edfu Texts

Edfu city is located between Luxor and Aswan in the southern area of Egypt. The city, which is situated on the west bank of the Nile , is world famous for its temple, which was built during the...

Trade in Ancient Egypt portrayed in ‘Israel in Egypt’ by Edward Poynter Source: Edward Poynter / Public Domain

5 June, 2020 - 14:10 dhwty

The Vagaries of Trade in Ancient Egypt

Along with a lust for building enigmatic and long lasting structures, trade was an important feature of Ancient Egypt . The ancient Egyptians traded with many lands that bordered their country,...

The claim that Merit Ptah is the first known female physician has been called into question. Source: Freesurf / Adobe Stock

18 December, 2019 - 05:37 ancient-origins

Earliest Known Female Physician Likely Never Existed

Merit Ptah is often called the first woman doctor. Now, a researcher calls it a case of mistaken identity. For decades, an ancient Egyptian known as Merit Ptah has been celebrated as the first female...

The sarcophagus found in the ancient Egyptian soldier’s tomb; the largest rock cut tomb found to date in Thebes.

19 April, 2019 - 19:03 Ed Whelan

Burying an Ancient Egyptian Solider: New Kingdom Rock Cut Tomb in Luxor is Largest Yet

Tombs and burial sites are incredibly important to the study of our past and this is particularly true for ancient Egypt. The Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities has announced the discovery of a...

Cartouche found at the palace of Ramesses II

30 March, 2019 - 22:13 Ed Whelan

Cartouche Reveals Unearthed Egyptian Palace Belonged to Ramesses The Great

An amazing discovery has been made at the ancient site of Abydos in Egypt. American experts believe that they have uncovered a Royal place that was once home to one of the greatest of all the...

The flooded tomb is being sifted through by a research team in Gebel el Silsila, Egypt.

17 December, 2018 - 22:57 ashley cowie

A 3,500 Year Old Waterlogged Desert Tomb In Egypt Is “A Soup” Of Human Remains and Artifacts

A 3,500 year old desert tomb discovered at the ancient Nile quarry site of Gebel el-Silsila, in Upper Egypt, is being described by archaeologists as the “watery grave for 50 to 60 ancient Egyptians...

Face of the coffin in which the mummy of Ramesses II was found. (Credit: Petra Lether, designed by Anand Balaji)

18 January, 2018 - 19:01 anand balaji

Living God in a Wooden Box: In Whose Coffin was Ramesses II Buried?

Usermaatre Setepenre Ramesses II, the third pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty, was one of ancient Egypt’s longest-reigning monarchs. In an astonishing sixty-seven regnal years – the glory days of...

Collection of Egyptian Art, design by Anand Balaji (Photo credits: Rijksmuseum van Oudheden/CC BY-SA 4.0, Leiden; Dr Chris Naunton, Heidi Kontkanen and A. K. Moyls); Deriv.

9 June, 2017 - 15:37 anand balaji

The Many Mysteries of Maya: Faith, Labor and Love for the Motherland–Part II

The sudden and unfortunate death of Tutankhamun created an unprecedented power vacuum that had to be filled swiftly, if order was to be maintained in the Egyptian state. It is probable that a tussle...

Collection of Egyptian Art, design by Anand Balaji

7 June, 2017 - 15:27 anand balaji

The Many Mysteries of Maya: On the Trail of Tutankhamun’s Valued Courtier–Part I

The Amarna Period brought to fore many interesting personages, especially from the ruling disposition. While éminence grise Aye and the generalissimo Horemheb became pharaohs after the death of...

21 May, 2016 - 14:40 ancient-origins

Burial Sites Show How Nubians, Egyptians Integrated Communities Thousands of Years Ago

New bioarchaeological evidence shows that Nubians and Egyptians integrated into a community, and even married, in ancient Sudan, according to new research from a Purdue University anthropologist. "...

31 March, 2016 - 00:51 Alicia McDermott

Previously Unreported New Kingdom Necropolis Revealed in Egypt

Dozens of tombs have been discovered by archaeologists working in Gebel el-Silsila in Egypt. Bones of men, women, and children of all ages have all been found in the rock-cut tombs. The necropolis is...

A general overview of the temple. Credit: The Gebel Silsila Survey Project 2015.

18 May, 2015 - 21:19 Mark Miller

Ancient temple dating back 3,500 years found near Aswan in Egypt

Archaeologists have made a remarkable discovery at Gebel el Silsila, a historic quarry site near Aswan on the River Nile, - a sacred temple used for four epochs of ancient Egyptian history spanning...

This is the lower part of the shrine unearthed in Heliopolis

16 April, 2015 - 22:05 Mark Miller

Archaeologists find Late Dynastic and pre-Dynastic ruins under Cairo

Egyptologists have found carved basalt blocks in a chapel to King Nectanebo I, founder of the 30 th Dynasty—the last native Egyptian royal house before Alexander the Great conquered the country in...

Pages

Myths & Legends

The Thirteen Legendary Treasures of Britain

The ancient Greek writer Hesiod once wrote that there were five ages of mankind – the Golden Age, the Silver Age, the Bronze Age, the Heroic Age, and the Iron Age. Similarly, in Hinduism, there are...

The Dogon’s Extraordinary Knowledge of the Cosmos and the Cult of Nommo

The Dark Reputation of the Dunmore Cave of Ireland

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

Legendary Black Knights: Mysterious Medieval Entities of Neutrality

Hidden in Plain Sight: The Pterodactyl of New Guinea

Human Origins

Photo of Zecharia Sitchin (left)(CC0)Akkadian cylinder seal dating to circa 2300 BC depicting the deities Inanna, Utu, and Enki, three members of the Anunnaki.(right)

Zecharia Sitchin and the Mistranslation of Sumerian Texts

In a previous 2-part article (1), the authors wrote about the faulty associations of the Sumerian deities known as the Anunnaki as they are portrayed in the books, television series, and other media, which promotes Ancient Astronaut Theory (hereafter “A.A.T.”).

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

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

Dark Skin and Blue Eyes: European Hunter-Gatherers Did Not Fit with Common Representations

The human skull that challenges the Out of Africa theory

Research Confirms that Neanderthal DNA Makes Up About 20% of the Modern Human Genome

Ancient Technology

The Man Who Stopped a Desert Using Ancient Farming

Desertification is a serious problem facing numerous countries in the world today. Various measures have been taken to counter the negative effects, with some providing better results than others. A farmer in Burkina Faso looked to his ancestors and came up with an innovative solution.

Han Purple: A 2,800-year-old artificial pigment that quantum physicists are trying to understand

Catapult: The Long-Reaching History of a Prominent Medieval Siege Engine

150,000-Year-Old Pipes Baffle Scientists in China: Out of Place in Time?

Ancient Chinese Earthquake Detector Invented 2,000 Years Ago Really Worked!

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

Ancient Places

Pavlopetri: 5,000-Year-Old Town Discovered Underwater in Greece

Nothing sparks the imagination of history enthusiasts quite like underwater discoveries, ranging from sunken cities to the millions of shipwrecks still unexplored on the seabed. The bottom of the...

The tragedy of Queen Ankhesenamun, sister and wife of Tutankhamun

The Great Boat of Khufu: The ‘Black Box’ to the Construction of the Pyramids

Ten enduring mysteries of the Longyou caves

The 9,000-year-old underground megalithic settlement of Atlit Yam

The Dark Underworld of the Paris Catacombs

Opinion

Unearthing Ancient Magic in The Runes –Messages with Hidden Symbols and Powerful Numbers

The etymology of the word “rune” means: “to carve, or to cut.” In Low German the word is “raunen.” As the runes were cut and carved into wood, metal or stone, the word “rune” was analogous to the rune letters themselves.

Petroglyphic Features of Portable Rock Art

The Northern Mysteries Current: Futhark and Mystery Schools of the Viking Age

Was There Ever a Trojan War?

Floki and the Viking Discovery of Iceland

Messiah on Temple Mount: Are We Nearing the End of Time?

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.