protection

The Acropolis of Athens. Source: moofushi / Adobe Stock.

3 August, 2019 - 14:06 Sarah P Young

The Acropolis Of Athens: A Golden Age Legacy

The Acropolis of Athens is the most famous of the many acropolises from ancient Greece. The Acropolis we know today was initially constructed in the 5th century BC under Pericles, a governor of...

Samurai armor is both brutal and delicate.

22 May, 2019 - 01:36 Kerry Sullivan

The Brutality and Delicacy of Samurai Armor: Superior Protection with a God-like Aesthetic

The Samurai class was officially dissolved over 150 years ago. Nonetheless, the warriors’ elaborate armor is still recognized globally as an iconic emblem of Japanese military strength and virtue...

17 February, 2019 - 14:01 Alicia McDermott

Cave Filled with Hundreds of Witches’ Marks Suggests People Used Magic to Counter Disease, Death, and Other Evils

Originally written off as graffiti, experts have now declared that the hundreds of markings of squares, letters, mazes, and lines in an English cave system are actually witches’ marks – apotropaic...

10 December, 2018 - 13:57 dhwty

Domovoi: Stay on the Good Side of This Mischievous Slavic House Sprite

The Domovoi is a supernatural creature found in Slavic mythology. These are household sprites that attach themselves to a family and serve as their guardian. As benevolent spirits, the Domovoi would...

24 November, 2018 - 13:49 dhwty

Ancient Childbirth Beliefs and Rituals Thought to Protect Mother and Child

For much of human history, pregnancy and childbirth was an extremely dangerous period in a woman’s life. It was often believed that the expectant mother and her baby were vulnerable to malevolent...

18 November, 2018 - 19:06 dhwty

Eye of Horus: The True Meaning of an Ancient, Powerful Symbol

The Eye of Horus is one of the best-known symbols of ancient Egypt. Known also as the Wadjet, this magical symbol is believed to provide protection, health, and rejuvenation. Due to its powerful...

16 May, 2018 - 01:49 Ed Whelan

Maria Reiche: The Governess of Nazca

Today, the birthday of the German lady who contributed greatly to our understanding of the famous Nazca Lines in Peru, is being marked by Google Doodle and others. Maria Reiche was a talented...

Ay as Sem Priest in tomb of King Tutankhamun. Note the leopard pelt – this is an example of the Imiut.

11 October, 2017 - 18:45 dhwty

The Enigmatic Imiut: Magical Gear for Ancient Egyptian Priests

The Imiut is a peculiar artifact which has puzzled Egyptologists for a very long time. It was worshipped for its supposed magical powers, making it a fetish, but no one is entirely sure what it was...

View point towards Katun River, Atlai Mountains

16 August, 2017 - 01:56 ancient-origins

Discovered: The Great Wall of Siberia Dating to 1st millennium BC

By Anna Liesowska, The Siberian Times Giant ramparts guarded Altai Mountains against attack from the north, says leading archaeologist Professor Andrey Borodovsky. The wall complex - now almost...

“The Painted Ones” hand-colored version of Theodor de Bry’s engraving of a Pict woman who is either painted or tattooed.

7 June, 2017 - 02:00 ancient-origins

Power, Perils and Rites of Passage – The History of the Female Tattoo

Emily Poelina-Hunter / The Conversation Almost a quarter of Australian women now have tattoos - a trend some attribute to the influence of feminism. What I find interesting is that the mainstreaming...

5 November, 2016 - 23:53 Natalia Klimczak

Deliver Us From Evil: How Ancient People Protected Their Houses from Bad Spirits and Bad Luck?

Some people say it is not real, but try to tell them that bad spirits just entered their houses. They will feel insane and try to ignore it, but the unpleasant feeling will stay. In this case people...

Leaving a Mark: Elaborate Tattoos Found on 3,000-Year-Old Egyptian Mummy

7 May, 2016 - 00:53 Alicia McDermott

Leaving a Mark: Unique and Elaborate Tattoos on 3,000-Year-Old Egyptian Mummy

A bioarchaeologist studying mummies found in Deir el-Medina, Egypt has discovered a special kind of ancient tattoo. While most Egyptian mummies with tattoos only have patterns of dots and dashes,...

9 April, 2016 - 03:50 Natalia Klimczak

Hathor, the Turquoise Goddess Near the Nile

The shadow of Hathor is still present in many places related to the monumental history of ancient Egypt. She was one of the most important goddesses near the Nile, and remains one of the best-known...

Amulet of a Ba. Egypt, Ptolemaic Period, 332-30 B.C. Jewelry and Adornments; amulets. Gold with inlays of lapis lazuli, turquoise, and steatite.

24 December, 2015 - 03:54 valdar

Warding Evil and Welcoming Luck: Protective Amulets of the Ancient World

In the past, human life was vulnerable to disaster; Disease, wars, famine, natural disasters and many other factors could easily claim the lives of individuals. For this reason, people sought all...

Uncontacted indigenous tribe in the Brazilian state of Acre

26 May, 2014 - 03:31 aprilholloway

Operation Awa - giving the forest back to one of the most endangered tribes on the planet

We are Awá. We do not want to live in cities. We want to live here. We have much courage, but we need you close to us. We don’t want anything… but to live as we live and be who we are. We just want...

13 April, 2014 - 23:33 aprilholloway

Ancient Cahokia Mounds on their way to national historic park designation

Efforts are underway to urge Congress to designate the Cahokia Mounds , and similar sites in St. Louis, Illinois, as a national historic park or a national monument, which would give the ancient...

Pages

Myths & Legends

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

The swastika is a symbol that has been used for at least 12,000 years. While in the Western world it is synonymous with fascism, being the centerpiece of the Nazi flag, in ancient times it was used as a positive symbol representing well being and good fortune.

Everything he Touched Turned to Gold: The Myth and Reality of King Midas

Ukko, The Mighty Finnish God of Thunder and Lightening

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

The Warriors of the Rainbow Prophecy

Lilith: Ancient Demon, Dark Deity or Sensual Goddess?

Human Origins

Ark impression, 17 miles south of Ararat. Source: David Allen Deal.

Evidence that Noah’s Ark Landed on a Mountain 17 Miles South of Ararat

An illogical and unwarranted assumption prevails today relating to the landing spot of Noah’s ark. People—highly educated people—are sure that Noah’s ark landed on the remote and inaccessible heights of Mount Ararat, a 17,000-foot (5180 m) volcanic mountain in modern-day Turkey.

Nine Parts of the Human Soul According to the Ancient Egyptians

World’s First Human-Monkey Hybrid Created In China

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

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

Where are Ashkenazi Jews from? Their Origins May Surprise You

Ancient Technology

The mummified remains of Usermontu, Rosicrucian San Jose Museum

Medical Mystery of Usermontu: Why the Discovery of 2,600-Year-Old Knee Screw Left Experts Dumbfounded

In 1971, the Rosicrucian Museum in California acquired a sealed ancient Egyptian coffin containing the well-preserved mummy of a high status Egyptian male. More than two decades later, a team of...

The Master Archers of the Powerful Achaemenid Empire

Ten amazing inventions from ancient times

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

Wootz Steel: The Mysterious Metal that Was Used in Deadly Damascus Blades

Did Egyptian Mummification Descend from a More Ancient and, Perhaps, Reversible Preservation Technique?

Ancient Places

Representations in the Boxer Codex of two of the ethnic groups of people living in the Pre-Colonial Philippines - A Zambal Couple (Public Domain) and Pintados of the Visayas (Leyte or Samar). (Public Domain)

The Rarely Told Story of Pre-Colonial Philippines

The Philippines were ruled by Western powers - first the Spanish and later the United States, for some 350 years.

Conch Bar Caves: The Largest Non-Submerged Cave System of the Caribbean

New Evidence Ancient Chinese Explorers Landed in America Excites Experts

Fort Kyk-Over-Al and the Dutch Defense of Guyana

Ancient City of Mohenjo Daro Has Survived 5 Millennia but May Disappear in 2 Decades

Battles of the Caribbean: Fort Rodney, St Lucia – Built by the British to Spy on the French

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.