oracle

Bird are the messengers of omens. Source: Yuriy Mazur / Adobe Stock

24 June, 2019 - 13:59 ancient-origins

Birds in the Ancient World: Messengers of Omens and Auguries

Translators regularly face the problem that the words and expressions of one language do not always translate exactly into those of another. In fact, a literal translation can sometimes seem...

This is the mouth of the well where modern archaeologists believe ancient Athenians invoked Apollo to tell the future in the water.

29 August, 2018 - 23:31 Mark Miller

Site in Athens revealed as an ancient temple of twin gods Apollo and Artemis

In 2015, an ancient well was uncovered in Kerameikos in central Athens, Greece, with inscriptions calling upon Apollo, the Greek god of prophecy. Archaeologists speculate that Kerameikos seers used...

Photo showing the pages of the 25th oracle

4 June, 2018 - 15:53 lizleafloor

Ancient Coptic text revealed to be divination tool for predicting the future

An ancient Christian oracle book of mysterious origins has been recently translated and found to contain a collection of encouragements, warnings, and cryptic divinations. The 1,500-year-old tome,...

Illustrations to Dante's Divine Comedy: The Inscription over Hell-Gate

19 February, 2018 - 13:55 ashley cowie

Toxicity at Gateway to Hell Explains ‘Miracle’ in Ancient City of Hierapolis

“Hell is empty and all the devils are here,” said William Shakespeare, and now, new scientific findings tells us how the devils got here! And it was through a “gateway to the underworld” located in...

Oracular cavern of Trophonius by Skene James (1838-1845) (Public Domain)

1 October, 2017 - 13:43 Riley Winters

Nourisher of Mind and Mayhem: The Oracle of Trophonius and the Cave of Nightmares

A god of nourishment in ancient Greek myth, Trophonius is a little-known character with a rather great role in ancient mythology. Though his exploits range from innocent to deceitful, Trophonius made...

Priestess of Delphi (1891) by John Collier. (Public Domain) Drawing of the Tholos of Delphi, Greece.

14 September, 2017 - 22:58 ancient-origins

Earthquake Faults May Have Shaken up the Cultural Practices of Ancient Greece

The Ancient Greeks may have built sacred or treasured sites deliberately on land previously affected by earthquake activity, according to a new study by the University of Plymouth. Professor of...

Undeciphered characters carved into an ancient tortoise shell.

24 July, 2017 - 13:59 Theodoros Karasavvas

China Offers $15,000 for Each Deciphered Character of Mystery Text on Ancient Oracle Bones

The National Museum of Chinese Writing in Anyang is offering a huge reward to anyone able to crack an ancient code found cut into bones and shells dating back more than 3,000 years to the Shang...

A reconstruction of a burial site from prehistoric China. In Yinxu, about 2,500 pits filled with remains of sacrificial victims have been found in addition to other cemeteries were elites and other locals were buried.

20 June, 2017 - 14:00 Mark Miller

Thousands of War Captives Enslaved for Years Before Being Slain as Sacrifice in Prehistoric China

Some archaeologists in China have analyzed the makeup of elements in the bones in a prehistoric cemetery and say the people buried there were probably war captives who were forced into slavery before...

A well-preserved skeleton in one of the 18 tombs that had several types of grave goods in the Ruins of Yin, an area called the Chinese cradle of civilization.

6 May, 2017 - 23:18 Mark Miller

Archaeologists Discover Undisturbed Tombs of Ancient Nomads in the Cradle of Chinese Civilization

Archaeologists in China’s Henan Province have excavated about 90 tombs, 18 of which contained golden earrings and turquoise artifacts, bronze and iron pots, and short swords. The 18 graves, of the...

24 April, 2017 - 15:34 Cam Rea

Ignoring Omens and Seeking Vengeance: The Greco-Persian ‘War of the Ages’ Was a Disaster for All

The Greco-Persian wars lasted for more than half a century in some respects. Some date the war as being from 499-448 BCE while others date the conflict from 492-448 BCE. Either or, the war itself was...

11 January, 2017 - 14:43 marinasohma

Magic in Ancient Greece: Necromancy, Curses, Love Spells, and Oracles

The magical traditions of ancient Greece encompassed spells, curse tablets, drugs, potions, poisons, amulets, and talismans. For many cultures of the past, there was a very fine line between magic,...

22 November, 2016 - 02:08 MartiniF

Seers, Women of Action: The Sibyls of the Ancient World

Virgil, in his Aeneid , describes Deiphobe, better known as the Sibyl of Cumae, as coming from “a hundred perforations in the rock, a hundred mouths from which the many utterances rush” (43-5, 163)...

10 September, 2016 - 00:37 Natalia Klimczak

Unveiling the Hittite Hasawa – A Forgotten Priestess, Healer, and Oracle

The term hasawa means ‘ she of birth' , and might have originally been used to refer to midwives. But hasawa is also a name applied to old, wise women. According to the few resources which described...

8 June, 2016 - 01:08 Natalia Klimczak

First Ancient Oracle Well to Apollo unearthed in Athens

Archeologists discovered an oracle well, which is at least 1,800-years-old and may be the first ancient oracle to Apollo found in Athens. Moreover, the prophecy at the sanctuary seems to be much...

The story of King Tang (Ta Ji), the dynasty, in a 17th-century painting Shang Dynasty (Public Domain)

28 March, 2016 - 14:49 dhwty

Reading Oracle Bones and Writing the Future in the Shang Dynasty

Oracle bones (known in Chinese as 甲骨, transliterated as ‘jiǎ gǔ’, and literally translated as ‘shells and bones’) are a type of artifact best known for its association with the Shang Dynasty (roughly...

: Inside the eerie chambers of the Nekromanteion (Evilemperorzorg/CC BY-SA)

30 November, 2015 - 14:11 ancient-origins

How Ancient Greeks Took Trippy Journeys to the Land of the Dead

By Tara MacIsaac , Epoch Times The Nekromanteion, or the “Oracle of Death,” was an ancient Greek temple in Epirus, Greece, in which supplicants sought to consult shades of the dead. Sensory...

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Myths & Legends

Who Pulled the Sword from the Stone? The Truth of the Swords of King Arthur

This spring a new movie, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, is to hit the big screens. Staring Charlie Hunnam as the fabled warrior, the film title suggests that the central theme is Arthur’s legendary sword. It will be interesting to see just how the sword is depicted, considering that previous Arthurian epics have been far from true to the original tales.

Tuatha Dé Dannan, the Enchanting Predecessors of Irish Fairies and Elves

The Amazons: Ancient Warrior Women Dismissed as Myth and Legend Were Real Fearsome Fighters

Legendary Black Knights: Mysterious Medieval Entities of Neutrality

Thoth’s Storm: New Evidence for Ancient Egyptians in Ireland?

Batman Existed in Mesoamerican Mythology and His Name Was Camazotz

Human Origins

Matsya protecting Svayambhuva Manu and the seven sages at the time of Deluge

In 1872, the amateur Assyriologist, George Smith, made a discovery that would shock the world. Whilst studying a particular tablet from the ancient Mesopotamian city of Nineveh, he comes across a...

Thoth’s Storm: New Evidence for Ancient Egyptians in Ireland?

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

The awesome, terrible, and unknowable creator gods through history

The Maya myth of creation

Are The Nephilim Really The Offspring Of Sons of God And The Daughters Of Man?

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?

6 Advanced Ancient Inventions Beyond Modern Understanding

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

Philip’s Fountain: The Oldest Still-In-Use Hydraulic Work in the World

The Ancient Invention of the Water Clock

The Lost Knowledge of the Ancients: Were Humans the First? Part 3: Science in Antiquity

Ancient Places

Why Isn’t This Map in the History Books?

By the age of 10, most children in the United States have been taught all 50 states that make up the country. But centuries ago, the land that is now the United States was a very different place...

Mysterious Labyrinth of Buda: Enigmatic Ancient Caves beneath Castle Suddenly and Inexplicably Evacuated by Police

A Millennium of Glory: The Rise and Fall of the Byzantine Empire

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

Xanten Archaeological Park – Step Back and Experience the Romans

Loftus Hall: Most Haunted House in Ireland Has Not Revealed All Its Dark Secrets

Opinion

Mount Shasta: Spirits and Danger on a Sacred California Mountain

Mount Shasta, located near the Oregon border in northern California, holds the distinction of being one of the world’s preeminent sacred mountains. It is recognized as an eligible Native American...

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

The Secret Strategic Plans of Darius the Great

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.