Pleistocene

Farmers from the Pontic Steppe drastically transformed Iberian DNA 4500 years ago.

15 March, 2019 - 21:58 ancient-origins

Unique Iberian Male DNA was Practically Wiped Out by Immigrant Farmers 4500 Years Ago [New Study]

An international team of researchers have analyzed ancient DNA from almost 300 individuals from the Iberian Peninsula, spanning more than 12,000 years, in two studies published today in Current...

Neanderthal (Homo neanderthalensis) footprint in the Natural History Museum in Prague.

16 February, 2019 - 01:54 ancient-origins

Young Neanderthal Footprint Found in Gibraltar is Only the Second Example in the World

The sand sheets in the rampant dunes above Catalan Bay in Gibraltar are a relic of the last glaciation, when the sea level was up to 120 meters below present levels and a great field of dunes...

10 February, 2019 - 22:57 Ed Whelan

Olorgesailie Prehistoric site, Kenya: A Factory of Tools With 1.2 Million Years of History

Kenya is a beautiful land, famous for its abundant wildlife and dramatic scenery and has been so for millions of years. It is also a country which plays a pivotal role in the early history of...

Examples of developmental skeletal abnormalities in Pleistocene people. Left to right: the Tianyuan 1, Sunghir 3 and Dolní V stonice 15 abnormal femora, Center, top to bottom: the Palomas 23 mandibular "flange", the Rochereil 3 cranial lacuna, the long Sunghir 1 clavicle, the Malarnaud 1 incisor agenesis. Right, top to bottom: the Shanidar 1 sacral hiatus, the Pataud 1 polygenesis, and the Dolní V stonice 16 cleft palate.

7 November, 2018 - 13:52 Ed Whelan

‘Abundant’ Occurrence of Skeletal Abnormalities Found in Early Humans

An American researcher examining ancient human remains has made a potentially ground-breaking discovery. The expert found a huge number of abnormalities and defects that seem to indicate extensive...

Artistic representation by Heinrich Harder of humans hunting glyptodon, a megafauna that lived during the Pleistocene period.

19 October, 2018 - 23:02 Caleb Strom

Pleistocene Epoch: Humans, Welcome to Earth

The Pleistocene epoch is a geologic epoch which began around 2.6 Mya (Million years ago) and came to an end around 11,700 BP (Before Present). It is characterized by lower sea levels than the present...

Our species is ecologically unique in its ability to occupy, and specialize in, a variety of different environments as it began to colonize the entire planet between approximately 300 and 60 thousand years ago.

1 August, 2018 - 19:02 ancient-origins

Adapt, Diversify, Find a Niche: Survival Tactics of Homo Sapiens That Brought World Domination

Our species' ability to occupy diverse and 'extreme' settings around the world in the Middle and Late Pleistocene (300-12 thousand years ago) stands in stark contrast to the ecological adaptations of...

26 July, 2018 - 22:37 ancient-origins

Cryogenic Breakthrough: Worms Frozen in Permafrost for 42,000 Years Have Been Resuscitated!

By The Siberian Times reporter Two ancient nematodes are moving and eating again for the first time since the Pleistocene age in a major scientific breakthrough, say experts. The roundworms from two...

The Woolly Mammoth at the Royal BC Museum, Victoria, British Columbia

13 May, 2018 - 01:55 ancient-origins

Could Resurrecting Mammoths Help Stop Arctic Emissions?

If you managed to time travel back to Ice-Age Europe, you might be forgiven for thinking you had instead crash landed in some desolate part of the African savannah. But the chilly temperatures and...

Artists impression of a giant sloth being confronted by human hunters. Credit: Alex McClelland, Bournemouth University

1 May, 2018 - 02:00 ancient-origins

How to Hunt a Giant Sloth – Ancient Tactics Revealed in Human Footprints

Rearing on its hind legs, the giant ground sloth would have been a formidable prey for anyone, let alone humans without modern weapons. Tightly muscled, angry and swinging its fore legs tipped with...

Track number #22 showing sediment displacement rim around distal end of the ancient footprint.

29 March, 2018 - 18:58 Alicia McDermott

13,000-Year-Old Footprints Found in British Columbia Are the Oldest in North America

13,000 years ago, three people disembarked from their boat and headed up a beach, but they suddenly stopped to watch something. It’s amazing to think that part of their journey has been preserved...

Obsidian projectile point sourced to Batza Tena, Alaska.

4 February, 2018 - 22:41 ancient-origins

Reconstructing an Ancient Lethal Weapon

Archaeologists are a little like forensic investigators: They scour the remains of past societies, looking for clues in pottery, tools and bones about how people lived, and how they died. And just as...

31 May, 2017 - 18:54 Kerry Sullivan

The Nampa Figurine: 2-million-year-old Relic or Just a Hoax?

In 1889, a group of workers was searching for water near the town of Nampa in southwestern Idaho. To create a well, they drilled a borehole down about 295 feet (90 meters), at which point their steam...

The archaeologists used a different method that incorporates facial data from around the world instead of data with a heavily European influence in creating the image of the woman from the Tham Lod rockshelter.

6 April, 2017 - 23:03 Mark Miller

Researchers Reveal the Pretty Face of a Woman Who Lived 13600 Years Ago

Near the end of the last great ice age, the remains of a descendant of the first people to move into Southeast Asia were found in the Tham Lod rock shelter of Thailand’s northwestern highlands. Now...

The girl’s skull was found along with most of her skeleton deep in a cave now inundated with water on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.

1 April, 2017 - 22:48 Mark Miller

Bones of a Teenage Mother Who Died 12,000 Years Ago Tell Researchers a Dark Story of Carnivores and Malnutrition

One of the earliest known people to live in the Americas, a girl dubbed Naia who roamed the Yucatan Peninsula about 12,000 years ago, was slender and short and endured hardship, childbirth, and death...

Virtual reconstruction of the Aroeira 3 cranium in frontal (A), posterior (B), superior (C), and endocranial (D) views. The frontal sinus in D is exposed in a parasagittal section located 4 mm to the right of the sagittal plane.

14 March, 2017 - 21:58 Theodoros Karasavvas

At Nearly Half a Million-Years-Old, the Fossil of a Human Cranium Discovered in Portugal is a Shock Find

Archaeologists unearthed a 400,000-year-old skull of a mysterious human ancestor with Neanderthal traits in Portugal. It is considered to be the oldest fossil of a human ancestor discovered in the...

11 November, 2016 - 03:46 Kerry Sullivan

Garden of the Gods: Sacred Ground and Native American Crossroads

Located in Colorado Springs, the Garden of the Gods is a stunning expanse of unique geological formations. Its known human history goes back around 3,000 years, however, the indigenous Ute people...

Pages

Myths & Legends

One of the giants in St Mary's church, Aldworth

The Life and Legend of the Aldworth Giants

In the simple, tiny church of St. Mary, Aldworth there lie the nine stone statues of what have become known as the “Aldworth Giants,” a name bestowed upon them because all are over 7 feet tall and...

The Lost City of Aztlan – Legendary Homeland of the Aztecs

The Ancient Pagan Origins of Easter

Tracing the origins of the Serpent Cult

Legendary Ancient Musicians Charmed Beasts, Sirens and Even Hades Himself

The Story of the Scary Shtorka and the Revival of Croatian Mythology

Human Origins

Rembrandt - Christ with Hands Folded (Public Domain), and Nivedita, Sister - the Departure of Siddhartha

The Christ And The Buddha: How Can You Explain the Uncanny Similarities?

Buddhism and Christianity arose independently of each other, separated as they were by almost 3,000 miles and at least 500 years. In terms of religious belief systems they are even farther apart.

One Hundred Thousand Adams and Eves?

Drugs in Ancient Cultures: A History of Drug Use and Effects

Creation Myth of the Maori – New Zealand

Australian Aboriginals - Creation Myth

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

Ancient Technology

Mammoth in the Royal BC Museum in Victoria (Canada). The display is from 1979, and the fur is musk ox hair.

Surprising Stone Age Knowledge Revealed on a Mammoth Bone Bracelet

In Sivershchina, close to the village of Mizyn in Ukraine is one of the oldest and most unique settlements of humans – and it was discovered in a parking lot. The now well-known archaeological site, known plainly as the Mizyn parking lot, dates back 18-20 thousand years.

Gladiator Helmets: Fit for Purpose, Not Just Protection

Geometric Stone Spheres of Scotland: Part 1 – More Than A Projectile - What Possible Purpose 5,000-years Ago?

Secrets Behind the Creepy Plague Doctor Mask and Costume

6 Advanced Ancient Inventions Beyond Modern Understanding

The Amazing Hoddøya Bronze Age Spear – A Gift to the Gods

Ancient Places

Ashurbanipal: The Oldest Surviving Royal Library in the World with Over 30,000 Clay Tablets

The Royal Library of Ashurbanipal has sometimes been described as the ‘first library’ in the world, or the ‘oldest surviving royal library in the world’. The library was discovered by archaeologists who were excavating at the site of Nineveh, today known as Kuyunjik.

The Colossus of Rhodes: Ancient Greek Mega Statue

Ashurbanipal: The Oldest Surviving Royal Library in the World with Over 30,000 Clay Tablets

Roque Bentayga, Gran Canaria: Vestiges of the Mysterious Guanche People

The Rich Mythology and Megalithic Culture of the Ancient Berbers, Lords of the Desert

Surprising Stone Age Knowledge Revealed on a Mammoth Bone Bracelet

Opinion

The astronomical ceiling at the Pronaos, Detail of the first Band west from the center. From left to right: two wind creatures (the winged ram with four heads personifies the south wind), the snake- and frog-headed eight goddesses and gods of the Ogdoad who ruled the cosmos before the creation of the world and Osiris seated on a throne sails across the sky as personification of the full moon accompanied by the seated goddesses Nephtys (left) and Isis on the right (Maat stands near the bow of the ship). Siri

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

In Egypt, Sirius was the Star of Isis, Isis being the companion and rescuer of the god Osiris. In a very deep way, Osiris was Egypt.

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

Alchemy and Generating Lifeforce —Global Temples Made in the Shape of Lingams: Shaivite Bull Cult Part II

From Green Man to Bull Son, The Universal Shaivite Bull Cult – Part I

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.