All  

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ Mobile

Latest News

All the latest news on finds, advancements, and research in archaeology and ancient history, from the No 1 Ancient History website in the world

News

Engraving of Cornelius Tacitus from a drawing by Brooke. Source: Public domain

Tacitus: The Master Chronicler of Ancient Rome

Publius Cornelius Tacitus, better known as just Tacitus, is arguably one of the most illustrious figures in Roman historiography. His writings cast a profound light on the intricacies and nuances of...
The Garamantes carved out a thriving civilization in one of the most inhospitable environments on Earth. Source: Superhero Woozie / Adobe Stock.

The Garamantes, Ancient Masters of the Hostile Sahara

In the heart of the Sahara desert, an arid wasteland the size of the US, it seems nothing can survive. But there were some who mastered this most inhospitable of landscapes, and turned an empty land...
Left, Painting of Euclid. Right, A page first printed edition of Euclid's Elements.           Source: Fondazione Cariplo/CC BY-SA 3.0; Erhard Ratdolt /CC BY-SA 4.0

Euclid and the Birth of Geometry

It’s no secret that many of us are not too fond of mathematics and geometry, and that it is often too complex. But even so, it can be pretty mind-blowing to look back in history and discover the...
Portrait of Tokugawa Ieyasu             Source: Public Domain

The Shogun - The True Story of Tokugawa Ieyasu (Video)

Amidst the turbulent backdrop of Japan's 16th and 17th centuries, Tokugawa Ieyasu emerged as a legendary figure, blending martial prowess with strategic finesse. Born in 1543, his early years were...
The foodstuffs found on the obsidian blades at Anakena in Rapa Nui suggest the islanders made the voyage to South America and returned. Source: F.C.G. / Adobe Stock.

Rapa Nui Obsidian Discovery: Did the Islanders sail to America?

It has long been thought that the people of Rapa Nui (popularly called Easter Island) lived a largely isolated existence, cut off from other lands by the vast and treacherous ocean. However a new...
Deity Rama  Source: Ruslan Batiuk/Adobe Stock

Rama's Bridge: Where Modern Science and Ancient Myths Collide

Historians, archaeologists, and researchers in our distant past insist that civilized life began on the Earth about 5,000 years ago. They point to the fact that there is no hard evidence to support...
Bringing an Italian Vampire Back to Life (With a Brick in Her Mouth!)

Bringing an Italian Vampire Back to Life (With a Brick in Her Mouth!)

A woman who lived in 16th century Italy was buried in a most unusual fashion. Originally excavated in a mass grave of medieval plague victims several years ago, the woman’s skull was found with a...
Left; part of one of the murals, Right; Entrance to the mastaba. Source: Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities

Mastaba With Stunning Murals Unearthed in Dahshur Necropolis

In the shadow of the ancient pyramids of Dahshur, a remarkable discovery has once again highlighted Egypt's enduring legacy as a cradle of human civilization. Thanks to the diligent efforts of a...
Triumph of Titus and Vespasian. Source: Public Domain

The Roman Empire’s First Civil War: The Year of the 4 Emperors (Video)

In the wake of Emperor Nero's demise , Rome plunged into the tumultuous Year of the Four Emperors , marked by intrigue, betrayal, and bloodshed. Galba, the Senate's nominee, faced immediate...
Representational image of the legendary giant Amazonian snake known in folklore as Yacumama. Source: Regys / Adobe Stock

The Legendary Yacumama is a Cryptozoologists Dream Come True

Deep within the heart of the Amazon rainforest, amidst the dense foliage and winding rivers, lies a creature of legend that has captivated the imaginations of indigenous peoples for generations...
Representation of Anglo-Saxon warriors in battle. Source: Sarah / Adobe Stock

The Battle of Cymenshore, AD 477

In the aftermath of the Romans’ departure from Britain in the fifth century AD, the coast of the former Roman province was left vulnerable to various invaders who sought to establish kingdoms of...
Representational image of Boudica, the warrior queen of the Iceni, one of the many Iron Age tribes of Britain. Source: NorLife / Adobe Stock

Forging a Nation: The Iron Age Tribes of Britain

The Iron Age tribes of Britain were dynamic societies that flourished between roughly 800 BC and 43 AD. This pivotal period marked a significant transition in British history, characterized by the...
Quantum computer-based simulation of a deuteron - when a neutron (in blue) and a proton (in red) bind together within a nucleus. Source: OLCF / CC BY 2.0

Use of Quantum Sensors at Megalithic Sites

The quantum: that pesky stuff hiding sub-atomically. Our world is made up of matter, and that matter is made up of atoms. If we were to grab our tape measure, the quantum space deals with matter...
Dinosaur tracks in highlight and petroglyphs circled by dashed lines. Source: Troiano, et al., Scientific Reports 2024

Dinosaur Tracks in Brazil Found to Have Petroglyph ‘Companions’

A study of a site in Brazil known for its dinosaur tracks has revealed stunning new details about previously unexamined petroglyphs (rock carvings) that cover the very same set of rock formations as...
Utu-Khegal, Prince of the Summerian city of Erech, imploring victory against the Gutian king, Tirikan. Source: Public Domain

The Gutians - Babylon's Brutal Barbarians (Video)

The Gutians , believed to have dwelled in the rugged terrain surrounding the Zagros Mountains, emerge as intriguing yet mysterious figures in ancient Mesopotamian annals. Dependent solely on accounts...
Pictorial reconstruction of Pebanista yacuruna in the murky waters of the Peruvian proto-Amazon. Source: Jaime Bran/University of Zurich

Prehistoric Giant Dolphin Discovered in the Amazon Has Foreign Connections

Between 3 and 3.5 meters long and 16 million years old: paleontologists at the University of Zurich have discovered a new species of freshwater dolphin in the Peruvian Amazon. Surprisingly, their...
The remains of the axe placed underneath Structure One at Must Farm Bronze Age Settlement. Source: Cambridge Archaeological Unit

Must Farm - Britain’s Pompeii - Reveals Bronze Age Lifestyle of ‘Cosy Domesticity’

‘Archaeological nirvana’ has been unearthed in ‘Britain’s Pompeii’, a stilt village occupied for less than a year before it burnt out, over a tragic summer day 2,850 years ago. As flames engulfed...
The thousand-year-old preserved human brain of an individual excavated from the c. 10th century churchyard of Sint-Maartenskerk in Ypres, Belgium. This specimen is among more than 4,000 recorded in a newly compiled archive.                           Source: Alexandra L. Morton-Hayward/Royal Society Publishing

Ancient Human Brains Found Preserved Through Millennia

In a revelation that is stirring the archaeological community, a recent study has demonstrated that human brains can survive the test of time far better than previously believed. This finding, led by...
Left; Excavation of one of the oldest Neolithic boats ever found, labeled Canoe 5. Right; Canoe Marmotta 1, on display in the Museo delle Cività in Rome. Source: Gibaja et al., 2024 / PLOS ONE / CC-BY 4.0

Earliest Neolithic Boats Found in Mediterranean Date Back to 5,000 BC

Archaeologists and historians from prominent institutions in Spain and Italy have recently published their findings on five ancient dugout canoes retrieved from La Marmotta , an Italian...
Severan Tondo depicting Septimius Severus, Julia Domna, Caracalla, and Geta (with his face removed in damnatio memoriae). Source: Public domain

The Severan Emperors and the Demise of the Roman Senate

By 190 AD, the debauched life of emperor Commodus had reached a sinister summit. Never had the Roman Empire been led by such a disgraceful character. Probably mad, he identified himself with the god...
The infant Heracles strangling the snakes sent by the goddess Hera (a woman protects Iphiclyse on the right).	Source: Public Domain

Surprising Mythological Stories From Around the World (Video)

Exploring mythological stories from diverse cultures unveils a rich tapestry of beliefs and narratives deeply embedded in human history. For instance, the Hawaiian tradition embodied in the kumulipo...
Bronze swords and spearheads, recovered from the Warring States Period Cemetery. Source: Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Warring States Period Cemetery With Pristine Weapons Discovered in China

Archaeologists in China have made the exciting discovery of a sprawling cemetery from the Warring States period, over 2,200 years ago. They have excavated many ancient tombs and more than 500...
Sumerian Cylinder Seal of King Ur-Nammu, about 2100 BC. Source: Steve Harris/CC BY-SA 2.0

Ascension to the Heavens in Ancient Mythology

The ascension of humans or beings into the heavens is a common theme among many mythologies and religions all over the world. Even though most people recognize the well-known ascension of Jesus, and...
Black-figured runners with the torch. AI Illustration in the ancient Greek style.  Source: sebos / Adobe Stock

The Olympics Saga: How the Olympics Came to Be (Video)

The ancient Olympics, originating in 776 BC in Olympia , Greece, were deeply ingrained in the fabric of Greek society. Held every four years in honor of Zeus, the games featured a range of events...

Pages