petroglyph

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...

Image of the findings with a tracing of the engraved figures on the piece.

13 March, 2019 - 13:20 ancient-origins

Archaeologists in Spain Unearth Rare Paleolithic Art Featuring Bird and Human Interaction

Science Daily It is not very common to find representations of scenes instead of individual figures in Paleolithic art, but it is even harder for these figures to be birds instead of mammals such as...

25 November, 2018 - 23:00 Ed Whelan

The Glösa Rock Art in Sweden Provides a Peek Into the Lives of Stone Age Hunters

One of the most interesting and enjoyable historic sites in the Scandinavian country of Sweden is Glösa. This is an area with remarkable prehistoric petroglyphs, excavated hunting pits, and a center...

8 October, 2018 - 22:50 Michelle Freson

Petroglyphs Provincial Park: Home to Canada’s Greatest Collection of Rock Carvings

In Petroglyphs Provincial Park, Vancouver Island, Canada, rock art is generally divided into two categories. Pictographs are painted onto rocks using a variety of natural colors such as red, brown,...

The Great Spirit petroglyph at Petroglyphs Park Woodview

30 September, 2018 - 01:48 Ed Whelan

Petroglyphs Park Woodview in Ontario, Canada Has Over 1,000 Petroglyphs

The First Nation peoples of Canada have left many remains of their long and varied history on the Canadian landscape. In the Peterborough Park Woodview, Ontario there is a series of their petroglyphs...

A prehistoric human face stone carving, which is believed to be over 7,000 years old, discovered in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, North China.

20 July, 2018 - 23:01 ashley cowie

Discovered! An Ancient Mongolian Stone Selfie!

Somewhere, deep in prehistory a human being gazed at their reflection in rock-pool, and was struck with an urge to carve what he saw. Subsequently, the first selfie was created! Now, in Inner...

Archaeologists have found 3,500-year-old rock art depicting bulls, donkeys and sheep in the Eastern Desert.

14 June, 2018 - 18:53 Alicia McDermott

New Site is Found in an “Archaeological Oasis” of the Egyptian Eastern Desert

Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered 3,500 year old rock art demonstrating the interaction of Eastern Desert and Nile Valley artistic styles. They believe that this and other finds at the site...

A carving of an extinct deer in the Asphendou Cave on Crete.

13 April, 2018 - 13:58 Alicia McDermott

Greek Art Goes Palaeolithic: Cretan Cave Art Includes an Animal Extinct for 11,000 Years

More than 11,000 years ago, an Ice Age artist carefully carved the images of deer into the floor of a cave on Crete. Others would follow this person’s lead and soon the engravings became a jumble of...

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Kanopolis Lake recently discovered vandalism to an ancient petroglyph and is seeking information from the public.

15 March, 2018 - 21:54 ashley cowie

Vandalism at Ancient Sites, Who Really Cares Anyway?

Sometimes it doesn’t rain, but it pours. This month has seen two vandals, separated by thousands of miles, completely destroying a range of ancient carved animals. But does anybody really care...

Image shows the level of damage caused by the truck driving into the protected archaeological site.

31 January, 2018 - 18:51 aprilholloway

Driver Plows Truck into 2,000-Year-Old Nazca Lines Causing Irreversible Damage

In a shocking example of destruction of a fragile archaeological site, a truck driver has been charged with careless driving and entering a prohibited zone after he accidentally drove his truck over...

Large petroglyphs found in Western Venezuela. Oblique aerial view of western panel on Picure, with interpretative overlay of main engravings.

8 December, 2017 - 22:56 Theodoros Karasavvas

Man and Beast Depicted in Huge 2,000-Year-Old Petroglyphs Revealed in Venezuela

A team of UCL researchers has announced the discovery of rock engravings spotted in Western Venezuela. According to the experts, a few petroglyphs included are some of the largest ever recorded...

Detail of the kudu engraving which is said to depict female initiation rituals in the Namib desert thousands of years ago.

18 August, 2017 - 14:00 Alicia McDermott

Rock Art Rituals: Namib Desert Engravings Provide Fascinating Insight into Ancient Initiation for Girls

When it is carefully examined, rock art in the Namib Desert may shine light on forgotten rituals and practices from thousands of years ago. One particularly interesting feature appears to show...

Main: Total eclipse of the sun taken on 9 March 1997 (CC by SA 3.0). Inset: The petroglyph in Chaco Canyon, which may represent a solar eclipse. Credit: University of Colorado

14 August, 2017 - 01:51 Theodoros Karasavvas

Peculiar Petroglyph in Chaco Canyon Could Depict a Total Solar Eclipse

Experts say an ancient petroglyph on a free-standing rock in Chaco Canyon could possibly portray the solar eclipse that occurred over New Mexico on July 11, 1097. The rare petroglyph shows a circle...

14 July, 2017 - 23:00 Alicia McDermott

Hundreds of Tombs Found in Jordan Suggest Unexplained Cycle of Abandonment and Re-Habitation

Hundreds of ancient tombs lay in the Jebel Qurma desert region of Jordan close to the border with Saudi Arabia. There are simple graves from the Early Bronze Age to more elaborate tower tombs and...

Researchers traced around the edges of the figures to reveal a hunter, a possible shaman (medicine man) and an ostrich, which are still hunted today by San people of Africa. If you look underneath the image, you can see some faint pecking in the rock that clearly show the prehistoric human and ostrich images.

28 March, 2017 - 22:59 Mark Miller

Ancient Egyptian Ritual Image Predates the Rise of the Pharaohs

The ancient Egyptians built their first great monuments in stone beginning with the step pyramid of Djoser about 4,650 years ago. Well before that, around 6,000 years ago, a fine artist working in...

15 December, 2016 - 03:42 D.W. Naef

Legends of Mount Shasta: “The Abode of the Devil” Part 4 – Investigating the Castle Crags Petroglyphs

In the previous articles about Mount Shasta's J.C. Brown mystery, we explored the prehistoric lore of the area, which at face-value could suggest that Brown's claim of discovering a cave containing...

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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.

Say the Magic Word: The Origins of Abracadabra

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

The Epic of Gilgamesh Unveiled: Enlightenment and Source of Religions

The Nature and Dangers of the Legendary Kobold

The Menhune of Hawaii – Ancient Race or Fictional Fairytale?

Human Origins

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

Although it may be a long time (if ever) before pagans reclaim their Yule from Christmas or their Samhain from Halloween, it is worthwhile to explore these ancient religious traditions. The Wheel of the Year follows the cycle of pagan festivals.

The Epic of Gilgamesh Unveiled: Enlightenment and Source of Religions

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

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

Pharaoh Akhenaten: An Alternative View of the Heretic King

Are the Distinctive Kalash People of Pakistan Really Descendants of Alexander the Great’s Army?

Ancient Technology

An ancient Roman road at Leptis Magna, Libya

Ancient Journeys: What was Travel Like for the Romans?

It was not uncommon for the ancient Romans to travel long distances all across Europe. Actually during the Roman Empire, Rome had an incredible road network which extended from northern England all...

The incredible earthquake detector invented nearly 2,000 years ago

Mummy Brown – the 16th century paint made from ground up mummies

Romans in Pompeii Repaired the Roads with Molten Iron

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

Secrets Behind the Creepy Plague Doctor Mask and Costume

Ancient Places

Royal Palace at Ebla. Source: CC BY-SA 3.0

First Kingdoms: The Forgotten Mesopotamian Kingdom of Ebla

Spectacular things were happening in Mesopotamia in the period we call the Early Bronze Age, particularly in the southern part of it, commonly called Babylonia.

Sumer: Where Written Language, Arithmetic and Civilization Were Born

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

Explaining the Fall of the Great Akkadian Empire

The Great Ziggurat of Ur

The Incredible Subterranean City of Kish

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.

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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.