nile

The ancient Egyptian shipyard at Tel Abu Saifi, Sinai, Egypt.

13 February, 2019 - 13:57 Alicia McDermott

Ptolemaic Era Shipyard Unearthed Near Roman Fortress in Egypt

Archaeologists working in the Sinai province of Egypt have unearthed the remains of a workshop that was once used to build and maintain one of the most valuable forms of ancient Egyptian transport –...

4 January, 2019 - 13:56 dhwty

Were The Worshipers of the Egyptian God Set Following a God or a Demon?

Set, sometimes known as Seth, but also as Sutekh or Seteh is an ancient Egyptian god depicted with the head of an unknown animal and referred to by Egyptologists as a ‘Set animal’. The ancient...

Close up of Sobek as represented on a relief from the Temple of Kom Ombo shows Sobek with typical attributes of kingship, including a was-scepter and royal kilt.

6 December, 2018 - 22:59 dhwty

Sobek, the Crocodile God Who Sweated the Nile While Creating the World

Sobek, the ancient Egyptian crocodile god of strength and power. His ferocious attributes led Sobek to become a patron of the Egyptian army, a defender of the Pharaoh, and the people of Egypt. The...

23 November, 2018 - 02:00 dhwty

What Egyptians Ate: Did the Cuisine of Ancient Egypt Reflect the Tastes of Today?

The ancient Egyptians enjoyed a variety of foods, not unlike what we enjoy today. Nevertheless, compared to many other ancient civilizations, the ancient Egyptians had access to better foods. The...

The newly-discovered carving at Gebel el Sisila

24 May, 2018 - 03:40 Mark Miller

Pharaoh bows to god of gods in newly discovered quarry carving

A team of archaeologists from a Swedish university has made some important discoveries at a large ancient Egyptian quarry. They’ve found a rock carving up to 3,000 years old depicting a pharaoh...

The magnificent Boat of Khufu, Solar Boat Museum, Giza

3 May, 2018 - 19:01 Istvan Soros

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

Perhaps this is not the first time that the reader will have heard of how in 1954 the Great Boat of Khufu was discovered, practically intact, at the southern face of the Kheops Pyramid, and how it is...

The funerary chapel surround, depicting the goddess Maat. Image:© Vincent Francigny / Sedeinga archaeological mission/ CNRS. Right: Aerial view at Nubian pyramids Meroe

7 March, 2018 - 01:57 ancient-origins

Ancient Nubia: The Melting Pot of Egypt and Black Africa

The archaeological site of Sedeinga is located in Sudan, a hundred kilometers to the north of the third cataract of the Nile, on the river's western shore. Known especially for being home to the...

The excavation site at Tell Edfu (with the temple of Horus and the modern town of Edfu in the background).

10 February, 2018 - 13:47 Alicia McDermott

Archaeologists get a Glimpse of Everyday Life in an Ancient Egyptian Royal Outpost

Hieroglyphic sealings, mudbrick buildings, storage containers, and small pieces of copper provide archaeologists with a glimpse into life in a Nile Valley settlement during the Old Kingdom of ancient...

27 November, 2017 - 13:54 dhwty

The Qurna Eviction: Separating the Living from the Dead in Egypt

Built atop the 3,000-year-old Tombs of the Nobles, Qurna, a village located on the West Bank of the Nile, is one of the most important archaeological sites in Egypt, but it is also one of the most...

Artist’s depiction of an Ancient Egyptian girl kneeling by the Nile River.

19 October, 2017 - 13:54 Alicia McDermott

Volcanic Eruptions and Climate Change Incited Upheaval in Ancient Egypt - and Historians Warn of Repetition

The Nile river was the lifeblood of ancient Egypt. When the waterway flooded nearby lands things were good, but a lack of that precious water caused serious issues. Now, historians have found that...

Digital reconstruction of the Nile River from Assassin’s Creed Origins.

9 October, 2017 - 22:57 Theodoros Karasavvas

The Nile: How One River Helped Build a Civilization – 10 Amazing Facts

The Nile River spans almost 4,175 miles (6719 km), crosses nine countries throughout Africa, and is widely regarded as the longest river in the world. While all this might be considered common...

Great Pyramid of Egypt. Source: BigStockPhoto

24 September, 2017 - 14:58 aprilholloway

Archaeologists Announce that New Discoveries Solve Mystery of How the Great Pyramid Was Built

A new set of investigations in ancient Egypt have led to some startling discoveries – the translation of an ancient papyrus, the unearthing of an ingenious system of waterworks, and the discovery of...

Painting of a scene around the River Nile in Egypt, found in Casa dell'Efebo

8 May, 2017 - 13:50 Theodoros Karasavvas

Archaeologists Discover Paintings of Ancient Egypt in a 2,000-Year-Old Villa in Pompeii

A team of archaeologists have discovered impressive paintings of Ancient Egypt in a Roman villa in Pompeii. The portraits clearly show the vast influence the Egyptian culture had in early Roman...

2 February, 2017 - 01:58 Mark Miller

Prostate Stones the Size of Walnuts Made Life a Nightmare for a Man 12,000 Years Ago

The earliest known case of prostate stones, roughly the size of walnuts and dating back about 12,000 years, has been discovered in the skeletal remains of a man in a cemetery in central Sudan. The...

16 December, 2016 - 00:58 Natalia Klimczak

Fast Money: The Egyptian Economy, Monetary System, and Horrendous Taxes

The ancient Egyptians created a sophisticated economic system thousands of years ago. Although they may seem far removed from modern life, their inventions in the monetary realm provided the basis...

9 November, 2016 - 21:57 Natalia Klimczak

Extensive Engraved Ramp Discovered Connecting an Elite Tomb to the Bank of the Nile

A decorated causeway leading to the tomb of a Middle Kingdom Elephantine Island provincial governor has been unearthed at Aswan, Egypt. The causeway is said to be the longest found to date on the...

Pages

Myths & Legends

Right: Detail of a statue of a reclining Attis. The Shrine of Attis is situated to the east of the Campus of the Magna Mater in Ostia. Statue of Jesus Christ as a shepherd with a lamb.

The Pagan Attis and Christian Jesus: A Spurious Connection?

Recently, it has been popular to suggest in some circles that Christianity was influenced, or even derived from, the ancient Roman mystery religions – religions often known to have orgiastic rituals and connection to a personal god.

The symbol of the Swastika and its 12,000-year-old history

Magu: The Hemp Goddess Who Healed Ancient Asia

Ten Mythological Creatures in Ancient Folklore

The Ballad of Hua Mulan: The Legendary Warrior Woman Who Brought Hope to China

Lilith: Ancient Demon, Dark Deity or Sensual Goddess?

Human Origins

Detail of ‘Ashkenazi Jews praying in the Synagogue on Yom Kippur. (1878 painting by Maurycy Gottlieb)

Where are Ashkenazi Jews from? Their Origins May Surprise You

Ashkenazi Jews are a Jewish ethnic group who have their earliest ancestors from the indigenous tribes of Israel…at least on one side of the family tree. A study published in 2013 in Nature Communications has shown their maternal lineage comes from a different, and possibly unexpected, source.

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

Rh-Negative Blood: An Exotic Bloodline or Random Mutation?

Facing the Facts: Just How Accurate Are Facial Reconstructions?

The human skull that challenges the Out of Africa theory

Drugs in Ancient Cultures: A History of Drug Use and Effects

Ancient Technology

Stone of the Pregnant Woman, an example of ancient high-tech stonework in Hajar al Hibla at Baalbek in Lebanon.

The High-Tech Stonework of the Ancients: Unsolved Mysteries of Master Engineers

There are many stone artifacts from the ancient world made from the hardest stone on the planet such as granite and diorite, which have been cut and shaped with such quality, precision and accuracy that the standard explanations of their manufacture are simply inadequate.

Both a Princess and a Priestess, What Did the First Known Author Have to Share with the World?

The revolutionary invention of the wheel

Ten amazing inventions from ancient times

The Ancient Invention of the Water Clock

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

Ancient Places

Buda Castle: Hidden Walls, Subterranean Chambers and Medieval Structures

Castles hold a particular fascination for many modern tourists and travelers. They are a unique way to understand the past and relive history. Ranked among the top ten most impressive castles in...

Were the Women of Petra More Important Than the Men?

Hill of Crosses: A Hundred Thousand Times Lithuania Has Stood Up

The Where, When and How of Quarrying Stonehenge 'Bluestones' Is Revealed in New Report

The Marvelous Mayan Zoomorph Monoliths of Quiriguá

The White Slaves of Barbary

Opinion

The astronomical ceiling at the Pronaos, Detail of the first Band west from the center. From left to right: two wind creatures (the winged ram with four heads personifies the south wind), the snake- and frog-headed eight goddesses and gods of the Ogdoad who ruled the cosmos before the creation of the world and Osiris seated on a throne sails across the sky as personification of the full moon accompanied by the seated goddesses Nephtys (left) and Isis on the right (Maat stands near the bow of the ship). Siri

Changing Colors and Scampering Across the Night Sky: What Did the Ancients Say about Sirius?

In Egypt, Sirius was the Star of Isis, Isis being the companion and rescuer of the god Osiris. In a very deep way, Osiris was Egypt.

Cracking the Code to Discover Ancient Tarot Symbolism and Forgotten Universal Knowledge

The Secret Strategic Plans of Darius the Great

The Secrets of the Kabbalists Garden

Alchemy and Generating Lifeforce —Global Temples Made in the Shape of Lingams: Shaivite Bull Cult Part II

From Green Man to Bull Son, The Universal Shaivite Bull Cult – Part I

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.