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...

Pages

Myths & Legends

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

In ancient Greek mythology, Medusa is the most famous of three monstrous sisters known as the Gorgons. The earliest known record about the story of Medusa and the Gorgons can be found in Hesiod’s...

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

Jason and the Legendary Golden Fleece

Lilith: Ancient Demon, Dark Deity or Sensual Goddess?

The Dramatic True Story Behind Disney's Mulan

Ten Mythological Creatures in Ancient Folklore

Human Origins

Religion Isn’t The Enemy of Science: It’s Been Inspiring Scientists for Centuries

Take notice of any debate in the media and you’ll see that science and religion are, and always were, at loggerheads. Science is about evidence-based fact, religion is about faith-based belief.

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

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

The Outstanding Story of Osiris: His Myth, Symbols, and Significance in Ancient Egypt

Where are Ashkenazi Jews from? Their Origins May Surprise You

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

Ancient Technology

The Ancient Invention of the Water Clock

Today, the ability to keep track of time seems to be taken for granted. One just simply needs to glance at a watch, clock, or mobile phone to know the exact time, even down to the nearest second...

The South-Pointing Chariot: This Ancient Chinese Invention Led Armies In a Unique and Impressive Way

The revolutionary invention of the wheel

Does ‘New Evidence’ Prove Noah’s Ark Is Buried on a Turkish Mountain?

The Evidence is Cut in Stone: A Compelling Argument for Lost High Technology in Ancient Egypt

Defenders of the Dutch Polders: The Kinderdijk Windmills

Ancient Places

Kailasa Temple: How Was This Massive Hindu Temple Carved out of a Single Rock?

The Kailasa Temple has been dubbed as ‘Cave 16’ of the Ellora Caves, and is notable for being the largest monolithic structure in the world that was carved out of a single piece of rock. Apart from the temple’s impressive size, it is also remarkable for its sculptures, as well as for the fine workmanship of its other architectural elements.

The Lost Tribe of Clover Hollow – Oldest Civilization in the World Found in Appalachian Mountains?

The White Slaves of Barbary

The Colossi of Memnon: Why Did the Giant Statue Sing at Dawn?

Mount Hua Trail: Where 100 People Plummet to Their Deaths Every Year

It Looks Like a Laser Cut But What Really Split the Ancient Al Naslaa Rock?

Opinion

Nephilim - Giants - Sons of God And Daughters Of Man

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

Who were the nephilim ? The word nephilim appears twice in the Old Testament of the Bible. They are first mentioned in chapter 6 of the book of Genesis and then again in Number 13:33. But their brief...

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?

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

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.