Ancient Origins | (Page 824)Reconstructing the story of humanity's past

12 March, 2014 - 11:57 aprilholloway

9,000-year-old ritual wand etched with human faces discovered in Syria

Archaeologists made an incredibly unique and unusual discovery during excavations at Tel Qarassa, a site in southern Syria, when they unearthed an ancient wand carved with two realistic human faces...

12 March, 2014 - 01:23 aprilholloway

800-year-old remains of medieval monk found poking out of cliff face

The thigh bones of a medieval monk were exposed in a cliff face by a spate of bad weather along the British coastline. A beach walker was surprised to see the monk’s leg bones sticking out of the...

11 March, 2014 - 22:31 aprilholloway

New study suggests Mummy Lake was built to hold rituals, not water

A new analysis of a sandstone-walled pit in Mesa Verde National Park, known as Mummy Lake, has suggested that the channels were used by the Ancestral Puebloans for holding rituals , not for...

10 March, 2014 - 00:55 aprilholloway

The opulent life of royal dogs in the ancient Forbidden City of China

From specially-tailored dog outfits to slave eunuchs to serve their every need, the royal dogs of China’s Forbidden City had it all. Now researchers have revealed the opulent life of these royal...

9 March, 2014 - 21:40 aprilholloway

First ever human remains from 3,000-year-old Marcavalle culture uncovered in Peru

Archaeologists have discovered a burial site in Cusco , Peru, with skeletal remains and artefacts dating back to the Marcavalle culture, which flourished around 1,000 BC. The finding is very...

9 March, 2014 - 01:31 aprilholloway

Scientists look to ancient knowledge for seasonal forecasting

An Australian scientist is working to collate ancient methods of weather prediction in the Pacific , saying that the study could help improve contemporary forecasting tools, record important cultural...

8 March, 2014 - 01:14 aprilholloway

Incredible collection of Neolithic spirit masks revealed for the first time

More than 10,000 years ago, ancient people living in the Judean Desert and Hills abandoned their nomadic lifestyles and established permanent settlements. Around this time, art, culture, and...

Colin Hamlett, a traditional owner of an area of the WA Weld Ranges

7 March, 2014 - 22:15 aprilholloway

Wilgie Mia, the oldest continuous mining operation in the world

Wilgie Mia, known by the Wajarri Traditional Owners as Thuwarri Thaa (the place of red ochre), lies in the Weld Ranges of Australia. It is the largest and deepest underground Aboriginal ochre mine in...

7 March, 2014 - 10:56 aprilholloway

Ancient monuments of the Nabataeans were built according to celestial events

A study published in March by the Nexus Network Journal suggests that the spatial position of palaces, temples, and tombs built at least 2, 300 years ago by the Nabataeans, including the famous city...

7 March, 2014 - 00:50 aprilholloway

Pancreatic Cancer Treated With Ancient Chinese Medicine

Modern science has been paying increasing attention to the value and efficacy of ancient Chinese Medicine. A study earlier this year, for example, found that a Chinese herbal remedy involving the...

6 March, 2014 - 21:10 aprilholloway

1,800-year-old ancient Egyptian letter reveals hopes and fears of young soldier

I pray that you are in good health night and day, and I always make obeisance before all the gods on your behalf. I do not cease writing to you, but you do not have me in mind. These are the...

6 March, 2014 - 00:47 aprilholloway

Ancient virus recovered from permafrost has genes not found on Earth

An ancient virus of unprecedented size has been recovered from 30,000-year-old permafrost in Siberia and reactivated. Incredibly, sixty percent of its genes do not resemble anything currently found...

5 March, 2014 - 11:47 aprilholloway

Rare pre-Hispanic shaft tomb uncovered in Mexico

Archaeologists have uncovered an ancient shaft tomb in Colima, Mexico, containing the remains of children and small dogs, as well as the sculpture of a long-faced shaman. The intact pre-Hispanic tomb...

5 March, 2014 - 01:09 aprilholloway

Newly discovered ancient manuscripts from Dead Sea Scroll caves

An archaeologist has announced a remarkable finding at the International Research Seminar, History of the Caves of Qumran, which was held in Lugano, Switzerland – nine scrolls dating back 2,000 years...

4 March, 2014 - 11:40 aprilholloway

Stone Age bones found in Irish cave may reveal prehistoric practice of excarnation

An archaeologist made a chance finding while investigating the Knocknarea cave in Ireland and caught a glimpse of a sliver of bone, leading to the discovery of numerous bones belonging to a Stone Age...

4 March, 2014 - 00:25 aprilholloway

Four New Kingdom rock-hewn tombs discovered in Egypt

The Ministry of Antiquities in Egypt has announced the discovery of four rock-hewn tombs on Elephantine Island in Aswan, Egypt, which date to the New Kingdom period (16 th – 11 th century BC). The...