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

The reconstructed Amber Room. 	Source: Public Domain

The Majestic Amber Room that Went Missing From Charlottenburg Palace

The gleaming yellow gold hue of amber is one of nature’s wonders and one which has been sought after and admired for centuries. It is perhaps for this reason that the precious fossilized tree resin...
A depiction of Ivar and Ubba setting forth to avenge their father, Loðbrók, as it appears on folio 47v of British Library Harley 2278. Source: Public Domain

The Great Heathen Army and the Truth about Ivar the Boneless (Video)

In the realm of Viking lore, Ivar the Boneless emerges as a formidable, if mysterious, figure. Born to Ragnar Lothbrok and Aslaug, Ivar led the infamous Great Heathen Army during the Viking Age. The...
Representation of hunter-gatherers in Scandinavia. Source: HaiderShah/Adobe Stock

Scandinavia's First Farmers Slaughtered the Hunter-gatherer Population

Lund University Following the arrival of the first farmers in Scandinavia 5,900 years ago, the hunter-gatherer population was wiped out within a few generations, according to a new study from Lund...
The Forge of Vulcan by Diego Velázquez (1630) (Public Domain)

Excalibur: Extracting Swords From Stone, Ancient Metallurgical Metaphors

The first mention of the famous ‘Sword in the Stone’ of the Arthurian tradition is found in Robert de Boron’s Merlin , a medieval French poem, part of the 13th-century Lancelot-Grail cycle of French...
The project team at the start of work at the end of 2018 in the University Library's manuscript collection with (from left) Markéta Preininger, Korshi Dosoo and Edward O. D. Love. Source: Gunnar Bartsch / Universität Würzburg

Translated Egyptian Magical Texts Map Human Emotions

After five years of research two German scientists have published translations of a collection of Egyptian magical texts. Cutting through the love spells, curses and protection rituals, this work...
La Noche triste (the sad night).	Source: Public Domain

The Hunt for Montezuma’s Stolen Aztec Treasure (Video)

In November 1519, the formidable Aztec king, Montezuma , ruled over a flourishing empire at its pinnacle. His empire, comprising 500 city-states and nearly 6 million people, centered on the...
Excavations of a city wall belonging to the ancient city of Gan which existed near the modern-day city of Puyang in China. It was here that the bone slips were uncovered. Source: China News Service

Bone Slips Excavated in Central China Linked to Ancient Fortune-Telling

During excavations at a 2,500-year-old archaeological site in Puyang, China, a set of 10 polished and painted bone slips or sticks were unearthed, all of which were inscribed with an ancient Chinese...
Woman adorned with a lei engages in the Hooponopono practice, traditional Hawaiian method of finding peace and forgiveness. Source: irissca/Adobe/Stock

The Intrigue and Mystery of Ancient Hawaii (Video)

Hawaii, known today as a popular tourist destination, conceals a deeper historical allure that predates Western influence. The archipelago, primarily volcanic, originated between forty and seventy...
Representational image of a Red Turban warrior. Source: Generated with Adobe Firefly

The Revolutionary Red Turban Rebellion: When Peasants Take Up Arms

The Red Turban Rebellion, which took place from 1351 to 1368, was a pivotal event in Chinese history, marking the decline of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty and the rise of the native Ming Dynasty. This...
Caves and rock shelters dot the mountains in the northwestern highlands of Thailand. Over 40 in Mae Hong Son province contain wooden coffins on stilts, dating back 1,000 - 2,300 years. Source: © Selina Carlhoff/ Max Planck Society

DNA Elucidates Thailand's Iron Age ‘Log Coffin Culture’

Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology A mortuary practice known as ‘Log Coffin culture’ characterizes the Iron Age of highland Pang Mapha in northwestern Thailand. Between 2,300 and 1,...
The bone, black henbane seeds and tar plug used to keep it sealed. Source: BIAC Consult

For Pain or Pleasure? Poisonous Plant Henbane Used by the Romans

While digging at the site of a rural, first-century AD Roman settlement in Houten-Castellum in the Netherlands, archaeologists uncovered a most unusual artifact. Inside a hollowed-out animal bone,...
Sekhmet at Rameses III’s temple at Mabinet Habu (abrilla / Adobe Stock)

The Enigma Of Egyptian Sekhmet And Leonine Deities

Typical of cats, the leonine goddesses of ancient Egypt, including Sekhmet are very elusive, despite countless research papers. A review of the attestations of the cult of feline deities in Egypt...
Left; Cimex lectularius, bedbug. Center; Wing casings (elytra) of Oryzaephilus surinamensis found at Vindolanda. Right: Almost complete wing casing (elytron) of Aphodius sp. Source: Left; Daktaridudu/CC BY-SA 4.0, Center and Right; Katie Wyse Jackson/Vindolanda Trust

Romans Look to Have Brought Bedbugs to Britain

In a fascinating addition to our understanding of ancient Britain, recent archaeological work at Vindolanda, a key Roman garrison south of Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland, has unearthed evidence...
Reenactment of two Armored Medieval Knights Fighting with Swords. Source: Gorodenkoff/Adobe Stock

What a Medieval Duel Really Looked Like (Video)

In medieval Europe , justice was often sought through grim ordeals, and the judicial duel was a stark example. The murder of Charles the Good, Count of Flanders, triggered a brutal confrontation...
Replicas of the Treasure of Villena. Source: Public Domain

Treasure of Villena Reveals Traces of Extraterrestrial Iron!

A dazzling Bronze Age hoard, discovered 60 years ago in Spain, referred to as the Treasure of Villena, and dating back to the period between 2200 and 750 BC, has now been found to possess ‘extra-...
Dazu Rock Carvings in Chongqing, China . Source: rabbit75_fot/Adobe Stock

Guardians of History: How the Dazu Rock Carvings Captivate the World

The Dazu Rock Carvings are a series of Chinese religious sculptures and carvings located in the Dazu District of Chongqing, China. These carvings date back to the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD) and the...
AI image of Emperor Augustus also known as the founder of the Roman Empire.  Source: Nevio/Adobe Stock

How Did the Pax Romana Start and End? (Videos)

The Pax Romana, a remarkable era of relative peace in the Roman Empire from 27 BC to 180 AD, marked a pivotal period that shaped the empire's trajectory. Emerging from the political turmoil of the...
Left; One of the Herculaneum scrolls that are being deciphered. Right; Text from the Herculaneum scroll          Source: Vesuvius Challenge

AI Tool Deciphers Herculaneum Scroll, and It’s All About Pleasure!

A team of student researchers have combined 3D-mapping and AI to decipher a Greek scroll that was encased in ash during the 79 AD eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The philosophical musing reveals Greek...
Edward IV of England & Lancastrian Fugitives at Tewkesbury Abbey. Source: Public Domain

Top Five Worst Rebellions Under the Tudor Regime (Video)

The Tudor era , spanning 118 years, emerged from the aftermath of the Wars of the Roses . Henry VII's victory at Bosworth in 1485 secured his tenuous claim to the throne, symbolized by the Tudor Rose...
Archaeologists at Déri Museum made a significant discovery: a fully intact lamellar armor was unearthed from a solitary Early Avar warrior burial, near the border of Ebes, Hungary. Source: Déri Museum/Hungarian Museums

7th Century Armored Avar Warrior Buried with Horse Uncovered in Hungary

Archaeologists from the Déri Museum have unveiled an exciting find: the burial of an Avar warrior accompanied by a fully intact ‘lamellar’ armor set within a solitary early Avar tomb. This discovery...
A mass grave of over 50 headless Vikings, known as the headless Vikings of Dorset. Source: Simon Fraser University / CC BY 2.0

Unraveling the Mystery of the Headless Vikings of Dorset

In June 2009, archaeologists made a shocking discovery in the seaside town of Weymouth in Dorset, England. While excavating in preparation for the anticipated Weymouth Relief Road, archaeologists...
Photograph of the Pocahontas statue in Historic Jamestown, Virginia, USA.                            Source: I, Rolfmueller/CC BY-SA 3.0

The Real Pocahontas: Tragedy Beneath the Jamestown Sky (Video)

The historical narrative of Pocahontas , popularized through the writings of English explorer John Smith, presents a complex and contested tale. Smith, a key figure in Jamestown's early days,...
The Roman funerary bed during excavations in London and a reconstruction of the bed. Source: MOLA

“Flat-Packed” Roman Funerary Bed Found in London

In 2019 I wrote a news article on Ancient Origins about the UK’s first “flat-pack” medieval home. Now, archaeologists in London have announced their discovery of an incredibly well-made, and...
Bas relief at Nagsh-e-rostam showing the investiture of Ardashir I, Province du Fars, Iran. Source: Fabienkhan/CC BY-SA 2.5

The Parthian Empire: Rome’s Greatest Enemy (Video)

The Parthian Empire, successor to the Persian legacy, emerged in 238 BC, springing from the Parni tribe's conquest of Parthia in modern-day northeastern Iran. Although initially subdued by the...

Pages