Ancient Origins | (Page 721)Reconstructing the story of humanity's past

An Elegant Party (detail), painting of a small Chinese banquet hosted by the emperor for scholar-officials from the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

11 January, 2016 - 21:48 Mark Miller

Leaf Buds Discovered in Tomb of Early Chinese Emperor May Be the Oldest Example of Fine Tea

Archaeologists have identified the oldest known tea in the tomb of Jing Di, a Han Dynasty Chinese emperor who went into the afterlife well-provisioned with food, weapons, a ceramic-animal army and...

Traité des Fardements et Confitures, Lyon 1556.

11 January, 2016 - 04:00 dhwty

Treatise on Make-up and Jam: A Bestselling Cookbook by Nostradamus

It is undeniable that Michel de Nostredame (more commonly known as Nostradamus) is most renowned for his published collection of prophecies known as Les Prophéties , or in English as The Prophecies...

Pirate Bellamy sailing in search of treasure

11 January, 2016 - 00:43 Natalia Klimczak

Samuel Bellamy and the Treasure of Whydah

Samuel Bellamy was one of the most famous pirates of the Caribbean Sea. He was also lucky to finish his life on the sea on the ship which carried the greatest treasure discovered by the pirate...

10 January, 2016 - 21:51 ancient-origins

Why the Romans were not quite as clean as you might have thought

Prior to the Romans, Greece was the only part of Europe to have had toilets. But by the peak of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century AD, the Romans had introduced sanitation to much of their domain,...

10 January, 2016 - 15:26 aprilholloway

Archaeologists discover Royal Maya Burial at El Zotz Ruins in Guatemala

Archaeologists with the University of Southern California (USC) have discovered a burial chamber in the Five Temples section of El Zotz, an ancient Maya city lying in ruins in Guatemala’s Maya...

Artist’s rendering of the palace of Knossos.

10 January, 2016 - 01:08 Alicia McDermott

Knossos Thrived Well into the Iron Age and Was Much Larger than Once Believed

Current research on the ancient Greek city of Knossos in Crete suggests that it not only recovered from the Bronze Age collapse that brought down many of the Aegean palaces, but actually flourished...

9 January, 2016 - 21:36 giopastore

Unraveling the Mystery of the Ancient Olbia Gearwheel

The restoration of the gearwheel found in Olbia (Sardinia, Italy) in 2006 by the Superintendence for Archaeological Heritage, dated between the mid-2nd century and the end of the 3rd century BC, has...

The outline of the phallus can be faintly seen in the left image. It is from Roman times, was found in Lincolnshire in 1995, and will go on display in a Lincoln, England, museum. The object is also thought to depict a vagina or an evil eye.

9 January, 2016 - 12:12 Mark Miller

Ancient Roman Garden Ornament of a Phallus Revealed to the Public

The ancient Romans were obsessed with phallic images in art and architecture. Now, The Collection , a museum in Lincoln, England, will put on display a Roman phallus carved in stone that a family in...

A “were-jaguar” effigy, likely representing a combination of a human and spirit animal, is part of a still-buried ceremonial seat, discovered in a cache in ruins deep in the Honduran jungle.

9 January, 2016 - 03:50 ancient-origins

Honduras to Begin Investigations of Ancient Jungle Ruins Believed to be the Legendary White City

The President of Honduras has announced that scientists will begin exploring an ancient archaeological site in the jungle where they believe the legendary ‘White City’, otherwise known as ‘City of...

‘Le Moustier Neanderthals, AMNH.’ (1920) By Charles Robert Knight.

8 January, 2016 - 21:48 Mark Miller

Improving Our First Line of Defense: Neanderthal Genes

Our close cousins the Neanderthal and Denosivan people interbred with Homo sapiens and gave us genes that help us fight off infections, according to two new studies coming out this month...

A European eel with some fish in an aquarium; most European eels grow to 23 to 31 inches (60 to 80 centimeters).

8 January, 2016 - 14:50 Mark Miller

Could Nessie the Loch Ness Monster be a giant, 15-foot Eel? (Probably not)

The Loch Ness Monster is again in the news, as a Scotsman says his 2007 footage probably was not of the famed sea monster, but actually shows a 10-15 foot (3- 4.5 meter) giant eel. This too is...

NASA artist’s depiction of the Black hole Cygnus X-1.

8 January, 2016 - 03:40 Natalia Klimczak

Did the Beginning of Life on Earth Depend on Black Holes?

An American researcher believes that there is a chance that complex life on habitable planets, such as Earth, could have been “switched on” by black holes. The results of his research seem to be...

Reconstruction of the Iceman. Prehistory Museum of Quinson, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France.

8 January, 2016 - 00:53 Alicia McDermott

Stomach Troubles for the Iceman: How Otzi Continues to Provide Information About the Past

Ötzi, the Copper Age man, continues to tell tales of our homo sapien past. Now, an international team of scientists including paleopathologist Albert Zink and microbiologist Frank Maixner from the...

Meteorite recovered from Kati Thanda – Lake Eyre.

7 January, 2016 - 21:45 aprilholloway

4.5 Billion-Year-Old Meteorite Recovered Before Being Washed Away as Heavy Rains Cause Rare Filling of Ancient Australian Lake

A meteorite that is older than Earth itself was recovered from Kati Thanda – Lake Eyre in South Australia, just hours before heavy rains would have washed away all trace of it. The retrieval of the...

The Bayeux tapestry: Harold swears his oath to William.

7 January, 2016 - 14:48 ancient-origins

Five Missing Kings and Queens – and Where We Might Find Them

As 2016 begins, the recent public interest in hunting for royal burials shows no sign of abating. Hardly has the dust begun to settle on Richard III’s expensive new tomb in Leicester than work is...

A painting titled “Battle of the Cheseapeake” of the Revolutionary War, by V. Zveg; the Potomac River, where the ship was found, empties into the Chesapeake Bay.

7 January, 2016 - 03:46 Mark Miller

Remnants of 18th Century Ship May Provide Clues to Revolutionary-era Shipbuilding

Archaeologists preparing for a Potomac riverfront redevelopment project in Alexandria, Virginia, United States, have found the remains of a large, heavy ship dating to between 1775 and 1798 that will...