priestess

6 March, 2020 - 19:27 dhwty

Pythia: Oracle and High Priestess of Delphi

Perhaps one of the most famous prophecies uttered by a Pythia, Oracle of Delphi, is that of Croesus’ defeat by the Persian Empire. According to Herodotus, Croesus , the king of the Lydians wanted to...

The rich double burial contained the skeletons of a male and female, who may have been a prince and princess. Source: Tengri News

30 July, 2019 - 22:36 Ed Whelan

Touching 4,000-Year-Old Royal Double Burial Found in Kazakhstan

Archaeologists working in a desolate and remote area of the Central Asian country of Kazakhstan have made a remarkable discovery. They found the remains of an adolescent couple from 4000 years ago in...

Representational image of high priestess and poet Enheduanna.

25 June, 2019 - 17:35 Kerry Sullivan

Enheduanna: High Priestess of the Moon and the First Known Author

The ancient Sumerian poet Enheduanna has a unique claim to fame: she was the first author in the world known by name. While there were previous instances of poems and stories written down, Enheduanna...

A rich Moche grave with elaborate copper artifacts and several ceramic vessels.

15 February, 2019 - 18:50 ashley cowie

Making Copper Look Like Gold: 1,400-Year-Old Moche Graves Reveal Rich Artifacts of Ancient Elite

A team of archaeologists digging at the Ucupe archaeological site in the north-western Peruvian region of Lambayeque have discovered Moche civilization graves dating back 1,400 years. The Moche...

The highly-decorated tomb is built in a distinctive ‘L’ shape

5 February, 2018 - 18:32 ashley cowie

Priestess’ Tomb Discovered in Egypt, Protected by her Soul Feeding Monkey

A mysterious ancient tomb with “unusual and rare” wall paintings has been discovered in Egypt. Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Enany told BBC reporters the discovery of a 4,400-year-old tomb found...

‘Ariadne in Naxos’ (1877) by Evelyn De Morgan.

9 January, 2018 - 18:52 Riley Winters

The Descent of Ariadne: Minoan Queen of the Dead to Mistress of the Labyrinth?

"Mistress of the Labyrinth", "the Great Goddess", "The Potnia ." These three terms have long been used, somewhat interchangeably, to describe the original forms of Ariadne, a Cretan princess who has...

Detail of a tomb painting depicting Meretites and Kahai – an ancient Egyptian couple who lived 4,400 years ago.

2 November, 2017 - 01:02 aprilholloway

The Priestess and the Singer: Locked in a Lasting Egyptian Love Story

A beautiful love story bloomed around a tomb painting found in Saqqara, Egypt. The image shows an ancient Egyptian couple in a tender scene. While sweet, this type of image isn’t a common one - so...

Orant, Catacomb of Priscilla. It has been argued that these catacombs provide evidence for women having a stronger role in early Christianity, perhaps even in the priesthood.

10 May, 2017 - 14:03 Kerry Sullivan

No Girls Allowed? Debate for Women in the Christian Priesthood Rages On

In many countries, laws prohibit employers from discriminating based on sex. However, exemptions to this law are often made for religious orders. The Roman Catholic Church is adamant that women...

29 September, 2016 - 01:58 MartiniF

Lost in Translation? Understandings and Misunderstandings about the Ancient Practice of “Sacred Prostitution”

In the modern world, the mere mention of “Sacred Prostitution” may receive raised eyebrows or disgusted grimaces. Evidently, this was also the case for the ancients as many ancient authors describe...

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...

24 August, 2016 - 21:43 Riley Winters

Eighth Priestess and Precious Grave Goods Unearthed in Famous San Jose de Moro Tomb

The remains of a Moche priestess have been unearthed at the famous tomb site of San Jose de Moro in Northwestern Peru. She is the fifth Moche priestess to be found at the site (an additional three...

Photograph of part of the archaeological complex in Vichama, Peru.

20 August, 2016 - 14:48 Marilo

New Archaeological Findings Reaffirm the Important Role of Women 4,000 Years Ago in Peru

Peruvian legends speak of a lonely and hungry woman who unleashed her fury against the sun. The star was moved by her situation, and ‘fertilized’ her with its rays. Four days later, the woman gave...

Detail of a mural depicting a Moche priestess. Reconstruction of a Moche priestess.

7 August, 2016 - 00:46 Riley Winters

Performance and Power: Moche Priestesses Uncovered

Despite being an agricultural society of ceremonial performance, bold works of art, and innovative irrigation processes, the Moche (100-800AD) are best remembered as one of many Pre-Columbian...

This royal tomb, the eighth discovered in 25 years, is believed to have belonged to a Moche priestess buried 1,200 years ago. The great quantity of artifacts and the complexity of the burial reveal the power and influence this woman wielded in life.

20 July, 2016 - 14:40 ancient-origins

Where Women Once Ruled: Excavated Tombs of Moche Priestesses Provide Archaeologists with Troves of Artifacts

When archaeologists unearthed a large chamber tomb in San José de Moro, a ceremonial center of pre-Columbian Moche civilization on the northern coast of Peru, they found the remains of a woman who...

25 June, 2016 - 00:46 Natalia Klimczak

Omm Sety – A British Woman Whose Life Was Lined by Reincarnation and Connected to a Pharaoh

When Dorothy Eady arrived to Egypt for the first time, it was obvious to her that she had been there before. But her last visit near the Nile may have taken place thousands of years earlier. Dorothy...

Gold earrings, two knives, a collection of shells, and ceramic containers were uncovered from a flooded Lambayeque tomb.

2 July, 2015 - 21:59 aprilholloway

DNA tests to unravel mystery of Peruvian priestess and burial companions

About 800 years ago, a high status Peruvian woman was buried with seven people and a llama. Some theorize that her burial companions were her relatives, while others maintain they were servants. Now...

Pages

Myths & Legends

The wild man has many names throughout the legends of the ancient world. Source: warpaintcobra/ Adobe Stock.

Wild Men of the Ancient World: Legends Across the Globe Tell of a Humanoid Beast – Are They Real?

Man-like beasts appear in myths and legends of cultures around the globe. The best known ‘wild man’ phenomena of today is the Sasquatch or Big Foot of North America

Wayland the Smith: The Lost Germanic Legend of the Flying Blacksmith

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

Long Lost Golden Age - Just a Myth?

The Disturbing True Story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin

Lilith: Ancient Demon, Dark Deity or Sensual Goddess?

Human Origins

Detail of ‘Ashkenazi Jews praying in the Synagogue on Yom Kippur. (1878 painting by Maurycy Gottlieb)

Where are Ashkenazi Jews from? Their Origins May Surprise You

Ashkenazi Jews are a Jewish ethnic group who have their earliest ancestors from the indigenous tribes of Israel…at least on one side of the family tree. A study published in 2013 in Nature Communications has shown their maternal lineage comes from a different, and possibly unexpected, source.

Messiah on Temple Mount: Are We Nearing the End of Time?

Ancient Anomalous Human Skeletons: Humanity Could be Much Older Than We Think

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

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

Dark Skin and Blue Eyes: European Hunter-Gatherers Did Not Fit with Common Representations

Ancient Technology

Etruscans Transported Bees by Boat to Reach the Best Flowers!

The discovery of an ancient Etruscan honey harvesting workshop at Focello in Italy, and the analysis of charred remains unearthed at the site, has let archaeologists to propose a remarkable hypothesis.

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

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

Beaver's teeth 'used to carve the oldest wooden statue in the world’

1,200-Year-Old Telephone, Amazing Invention of the Ancient Chimu Civilization

Beyond the Pyramid Ramp: Unravelling Egypt’s Most Elusive Enigma

Ancient Places

The residents of San Miguel De Gualdape were overcome with sickness in the swampy environment. (NPS / Public Domain)

To the Shores of Distant Death: The Failed Colony of San Miguel De Gualdape

The year is 1526. Onto the wild and wooded lands of what is today Georgia in the United States, European feet had never permanently walked.

The Anomaly of King Orry’s 5000-Year-Old Grave

Has the Function of the Great Pyramid of Giza Finally Come to Light?

Piri Reis Map - How Could a 16th Century Map Show Antarctica Without Ice?

Ruins of Malden Island and The Mysterious Roads that Lead into the Sea

The Lost Tomb of Imhotep?

Opinion

Floki and the Viking Discovery of Iceland

The Vikings’ next step out into the Atlantic – the discovery and settlement of Iceland – is one of the best documented events of the Viking Age. Medieval Icelanders were fascinated by genealogy, not only because, as emigrants

Messiah on Temple Mount: Are We Nearing the End of Time?

3 Problems to Remember When Trying to Find Atlantis

Naupa Iglesia: An Egyptian Portal in the Andes?

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

Mount Shasta: Spirits and Danger on a Sacred California Mountain

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.