nile

Memorial to Stanley and Livingstone, Burundi Source: Poffer, D / CC BY 2.0

15 September, 2019 - 01:48 Ed Whelan

The Livingstone – Stanley Monument and The Famous Tale of Two Explorers in Africa

Without a doubt, European explorers in 19 th century Africa changed history. Two of the most famous are Dr David Livingstone, and the journalist and explorer Henry Morton Stanley , who opened central...

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...

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Myths & Legends

Glastonbury Tor. Source: vlorzor / Adobe. Inset: Representational image of a skeleton.

The Glastonbury Giant: Who Did the Mystery Bones of A Nine Foot Skeleton Belong To?

When researching the reality of giants in the past, one story which has survived the ages is the apparent discovery of the ‘Glastonbury Giant’ which was allegedly unearthed in 1190, on orders of King Henry II, following rumors that the legendary King Arthur was in fact buried at that specific location.

Batman Existed in Mesoamerican Mythology and His Name Was Camazotz

Ragnar Lothbrok: A Real Viking Hero Whose Life Became Lost to Legend

The Legend of the Blair Witch: Myths that Created an Infamous Curse

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

The Powerful Symbol of the Swastika and its 12,000 Year History

Human Origins

Chichén Itzá’s shadow revealed during the spring equinox on Kukulcán.

Chichen Itza's Shadows: Unexpected Light Shed on Ancient Maya

What we see is not always what we expect, whether from nature or man-made. This is often true with archaeological remains of cities or human settlement, when new discoveries shed unexpected light on...

Sky Burial: Tibet’s Ancient Tradition for Honoring the Dead

Ancient Anomalous Human Skeletons: Humanity Could be Much Older Than We Think

Pre-dating the Minoans: The Cycladic Civilization and Their Unusual ‘Modern’ Art

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

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

Ancient Technology

Secrets Behind the Creepy Plague Doctor Mask and Costume

The plague doctor mask is one of the most recognizable symbols of the Black Death. Though the image is iconic the relationship may be a little anachronistic. While plague doctors have been plying their trade since the Middle Ages, it was only after this period, during the 17th century, that they acquired their creepy trademark costume. But what does it mean?

Was the Baghdad Battery a medical device?

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

Norimitsu Odachi: Who Could Have Possibly Wielded This Enormous 15th Century Japanese Sword?

A Step Closer to the Mysterious Origin of the Viking Sword Ulfberht

The Indian Sage who developed Atomic Theory 2,600 years ago

Ancient Places

Chichen Itza's Shadows: Unexpected Light Shed on Ancient Maya

The Ottoman Empire: 600 Years of Domination

Competing for the Title of the Oldest House in England - Luddesdown Court and Saltford Manor

The Macabre Capela dos Ossos: Why was it Decorated with the Dead?

Pindai Caves, Once Home to the Lapita People and Extinct Species

The Templar Tunnel: Knight’s Strategic Passageway Was Lost for 700 Years

Opinion

Naupa Iglesia: An Egyptian Portal in the Andes?

Halfway up a near-vertical ravine in the Andes, someone carved an inverted V-shaped entrance into the mountainside. Then they sliced the bedrock with great precision to create a shallow door that...

The Nephilim: Giant Offspring of the Sons of God and the Daughters of Man?

Mount Shasta: Spirits and Danger on a Sacred California Mountain

Mysterious Worlds: Travels to the Faerie and Shamanic Realms

Pharaoh Akhenaten: An Alternative View of the Heretic King

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

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.