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...

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Myths & Legends

Camazotz Maya style Batman suit created by Mexican designer Kimbal

Batman Existed in Mesoamerican Mythology and His Name Was Camazotz

As social media is abuzz with who might be cast in the next Batman movie, with concerns that some of the candidates might not be menacing enough to fill those big black boots, it might be time to...

The Three Fates: Destiny’s Deities of Ancient Greece and Rome

Ten Mythological Creatures in Ancient Folklore

The Real Story of Medusa: Protective Powers from a Snake-Haired Gorgon

Cerberus: Legendary Hell Hound of the Underworld

Lilith: Ancient Demon, Dark Deity or Sensual Goddess?

Human Origins

Early man looking up at the stars (Kovalenko I / Adobe Stock)

Translation of 5,500-Year-Old Babel Text from China Reveals Oldest Known Map of Inner Solar System

It is obvious to any astronomer that some of the brightest objects in the night sky are the planets. It is thus mysterious that there are so few references to the planets in ancient literature.

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

Resurrecting the Ancient Israelites From the Valley of Dry Bones

Do you dare enter a fairy ring? The mythical mushroom portals of the supernatural

Dwelling in the Land of Nod – Was it a Real City?

The Pagan Wheel of the Year: What Elaborate Rituals and Events Mark this Sacred Cycle?

Ancient Technology

Ancient Chinese Earthquake detector - Zhang (‘Chang’) Heng

The incredible earthquake detector invented nearly 2,000 years ago

Although we still cannot accurately predict earthquakes, we have come a long way in detecting, recording, and measuring seismic shocks. Many don’t realise that this process began nearly 2000 years...

Brain Surgery in Ancient Times

An Ancient Greek Machine Gun? The Innovative Catapult of Dionysius

Secrets Behind the Creepy Plague Doctor Mask and Costume

Robots Guarded Buddha’s Relics in a Legend of Ancient India

Boggling Bannerstones of Ancient Americans: Were They a Function of Flight or More a Flight of Fancy?

Ancient Places

Inside the alchemy laboratory of the Speculum Alchemiae museum.

Speculum Alchemiae: Secret Underground Alchemy Lab Discovered in Prague During Flood

The city of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, is known for many things. But one aspect of its history is often overlooked – it was a major center of the occult and the dark arts in the 16th...

Maya Gateway to the World Below: Balankanchè Cave, Throne of the Tiger Priest

The Dark Secret Behind the Hidden Room of Glamis Castle

San Pedro de la Roca Castle and the Military Might of Spain in Cuba

The Colossus of Rhodes: Ancient Greek Mega Statue

The Grim Reality of the Brothels of Pompeii

Opinion

Mysterious Worlds: Travels to the Faerie and Shamanic Realms

There are many accounts of a land of immortality and eternal youth in world myths and legends, as well as shamanic and indigenous spiritual traditions. Mysterious Worlds Writing in his recent work,...

Pharaoh Akhenaten: An Alternative View of the Heretic King

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

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

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.