norway

Many famous Vikings were known throughout the era

11 May, 2019 - 22:35 ancient-origins

8 Notorious Vikings Who Left Their Bloody Marks on History

Although an excellent series in many ways, Vikings brought with it a pretty romanticized portrait of some of the key names found in the Norse Sagas and the lives they might have lived. Although these...

7 April, 2019 - 22:12 Theodoros Karasavvas

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

Ragnar Lothbrok was a fearless Viking hero who ransacked England and France and fathered the Great Heathen Army. However the historicity of the man with “hairy breeches” is subject to debate. Where...

A Sámi family in front of goahti and lavvu housing, early 1900s, Norway

4 April, 2019 - 02:05 Alicia McDermott

The Sami People: Reindeer Herding and Cultural Survival in the Far North

The Sámi are the northernmost indigenous people of Europe. For thousands of years they have lived in an area called Sápmi - the northern sectors of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Kola Peninsula...

A Viking warrior with an axe. Eric Bloodaxe raided around Britain before settling in to a kingship there.

16 January, 2019 - 01:42 dhwty

Eric Bloodaxe: Murderous Viking King of Norway and Northumbria

Eirik was a stout handsome man, strong, and very manly, —a great and fortunate man of war; but bad-minded, gruff, unfriendly, and silent. -Saga of Harald Fairhair Eric Haraldsson, nicknamed Eric...

The Viking ship was found by georadar at Viksletta right next to the monumental Jell Mound in Østfold.

16 October, 2018 - 01:50 Ed Whelan

Radar Reveals a Rare Viking Ship Burial in a Field of Archaeological Dreams

Norwegian archaeologists have announced a very rare and “incredibly exciting” find. They have used georadar equipment to identify structures and burials, including a buried Viking age ship. The find...

6 September, 2018 - 18:46 Alicia McDermott

Rituals at a Modern Viking Wedding: A Blood Sacrifice, Bride Running, and Obligatory Drinking

While others may have had weddings with a Viking theme, it has been said that Rune and Elisabeth Dalseth are the first couple in almost 1,000 years to have held a true Viking wedding that includes...

Swords in Rock monument in Hafrsfjord, Norway.

7 July, 2018 - 14:01 Gary Manners

Was a Sword Retrieved from a Lake in Norway Used for Executions?

A sword that has been pulled from a lake by two diving enthusiasts in Norway could have been used for executions, experts have claimed. The 500-year-old blade was dragged from one of Norway’s largest...

What did this ring with two wolf heads symbolize to the Viking who wore it?

14 April, 2018 - 01:46 ancient-origins

Two Wolves Entwined: What did this Viking Ring Symbolize?

By ThorNews In the autumn of 2015, a unique Viking Age spiral ring with two wolf heads was found in Goa in Randaberg, Western Norway. Does the ring show Odin’s two wolves, Geri and Freki – or is it...

This Medieval dice has two 4's and two 5's but no 1 or 2. Archaeologists believe that it was likely used to cheat while gambling. This photo shows the two 5's.

12 April, 2018 - 22:58 Alicia McDermott

An Altered Past: Modified Dice Tells Tales of Medieval Gambling in Norway

Is it true cheaters never prosper? Archaeologists believe that a 600-year-old wooden dice found in Norway was used in Medieval gambling. It was apparently a prized possession of a shifty player, who...

25 March, 2018 - 12:11 ancient-origins

When to Bathe and Bloodlet: The Oldest Text Printed in Norway is a Fortune-Telling Book

BY THORNEWS The year is 1643. Norway has been a Danish province since 1536, the year before the Protestant Reformation. King Christian IV and his officials have succeeded in “Dane-ifying” Norway:...

The Langeid Viking Battle Axe: The original and the copy.

24 March, 2018 - 21:59 ancient-origins

The Langeid Viking Battle Axe and a Warrior Who Singlehandedly Held Off the Entire English Army

BY THORNEWS Contrary to what many believe, battle axes from the last part of the Viking age, i.e. the 11th century, had evolved to become light, streamlined, and well-balanced. At the same time, they...

This microscopic image shows what bird feathers and bone fragments look like close up. Branching off the feathers are thin hairs.

6 March, 2018 - 01:59 ashley cowie

Avian Detectives Discover Vikings Dreamed on the Feathers of Giant Eagle Owls

Those legendary sea warriors who dominated the oceanic territories of the northern hemisphere between the 8th and 12th century, the Viking’s, rested their sea-weary heads on luxury pillows stuffed...

The medieval chess piece found in Norway in December 2017.

30 January, 2018 - 22:51 Theodoros Karasavvas

Richly Adorned Arabic Influenced Chess Piece Unearthed in Norway

Archaeologists from the Norwegian Institute of Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) have recently discovered a rare and richly decorated Arabic-inspired chess piece in Tønsberg. Arabic Inspired Chess...

Albany Bulb Sea Witch Prays to the Pink and Purple Sky.

29 January, 2018 - 18:52 ashley cowie

Untwisting the Knotted History of Sea Witches

You might have noticed that Ursula, the antagonist in Disney's The Little Mermaid (1989), was a sea witch disguised as a half-human, half-octopus mythological hybrid creature . And, the antagonist of...

Iron Age arrow from Trollsteinhøe used to study the relationship between climate variability and how humans used alpine landscapes in the past.

24 January, 2018 - 23:00 Theodoros Karasavvas

Thawing Ice Reveals Norwegian Mountains Littered with Iron and Bronze Age Artifacts

A group of researchers have reportedly discovered artifacts of wood, textile, hide and other organic material on Jotunheimen and the surrounding mountain areas of Oppland, which include Norway's...

The clinker-built Gokstad ship dating back to the year 890 AD is currently on display at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Norway. (Image: Museum of Cultural History, Oslo, 1938)

24 January, 2018 - 02:00 ancient-origins

Who Was the Exceptionally Powerfully Built Viking Buried in the Gokstad Ship?

By ThorNews Ever since the publication of a scientific article in 1883, “everyone” has known that the skeleton found in the magnificent Gokstad ship in Eastern Norway belonged to Olaf Geirstad-Alf,...

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Myths & Legends

The Epic of Gilgamesh. Source: Luca Oleastri / Adobe.

The Epic of Gilgamesh Unveiled: Searching For a Way to the Home Planet

In contrast to many theorists, this unconventional retelling of key parts of the Epic explores the idea that Gilgamesh was not searching for life eternal on Earth, as has been suggested as the theme of the Epic, but was instead searching for the means of transport to return to his goddess mother Ninsun’s home planet in the heavens.

The notorious and much feared ancient order of Hashshashins

The Epic of Gilgamesh Unveiled: Enlightenment and Source of Religions

English Nursery Rhymes with Unexpected and Sometimes Disturbing Historical Origins

Say the Magic Word: The Origins of Abracadabra

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

Human Origins

Work using the Statue of Gilgamesh and Lamassu. Source: CC BY 4.0

The Epic of Gilgamesh Unveiled: Enlightenment and Source of Religions

This retelling of key parts of the Epic explores the unconventional idea that Gilgamesh was not searching for life eternal on Earth, as has been suggested as the theme of the Epic, but was instead searching for the means of transport to return to his goddess mother Ninsun’s home planet in the heavens. Taking poetic licence, the author merges some ideas from modern science and technology with the story from the ancient text.

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

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

Mysterious Worlds: Travels to the Faerie and Shamanic Realms

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

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

Ancient Technology

The passage of carts over decades could cause ruts (like the one shown), particularly in high-traffic areas of Pompeii.

Romans in Pompeii Repaired the Roads with Molten Iron

The buried city of Pompeii continues to provide many insights into Roman society , economy, and culture. The ash and pumice , that fell on Pompeii from Mount Vesuvius , froze the city in time. A...

Why Are There 365 Days in a Year? Organizing Dates with an Ancient Egyptian Calendar

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

The revolutionary invention of the wheel

The incredible earthquake detector invented nearly 2,000 years ago

The legacy of Dujiangyan: China’s ancient irrigation system

Ancient Places

Sumer: Where Written Language, Arithmetic and Civilization Were Born

The Sumerian civilization (known also as Sumer) was one of the earliest civilizations in the world. This ancient civilization emerged in the region of southern Mesopotamia (modern day southern Iraq), between the Tigris and Euphrates River.

Homer’s Iliad Casts Doubt on the Aegean Location of Troy

Is Makhunik an Ancient City of Little People?

Fuerte De Samaipata - A Site of Ceremonial Carvings and Sacrifice

Mystery Hill Megaliths May Be 4,000 Years Old—Did Celts Build It?

The Great Serpent Mound of Ohio, the Largest Earthen Effigy in the World

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.