Cominh this weekend, King Charles III’s coronation will be the 39th coronation ceremony of a British monarch at Westminster Abbey. It is an ancient ritual that dates back over 900 years and is the...
For countless couples across the globe, the wedding day is one of the most cherished days in their life. No matter how it is celebrated or how lavishly, it is the moment of their union - “‘til death...
Archaeologists in Bolivia have discovered 135 ancient hilltop sites including an enormous circular structure where they say members of ancient Andean cults would have once worshipped the sun. The...
Beltane is an ancient Gaelic festival celebrating the beginning of summer and the renewal of life. The pagan traditions associated with it have survived through the centuries, with many still...
A new study has produced evidence that ancient peoples living on a Mediterranean island off the coast Spain nearly 3,000 years ago were regularly consuming hallucinogenic drugs obtained from plants...
Spanish conquerors, upon their arrival in the Americas, discovered thousands of Mayan hieroglyphs that detailed secret rites, offering a glimpse into a society that was both sophisticated and brutal...
Marijuana, also known as cannabis, has been used by humans for thousands of years for both medicinal and recreational purposes. Its versatility and effectiveness in treating a wide range of ailments...
By Michelle Langley /The Conversation Each December, Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, among others, take over our thoughts and our wallets as we participate in ceremonies our ancestors have practiced...
Beginning with a proper state of mind, augmented by proper rites and ceremonies, is essential for any enterprise. The most developed ceremonies of beginning are in European building traditions. One...
Winding its way like a serpentine from its origin source in the Victor Emanuel Mountain Range in the central highlands of Papua New Guinea, the Sepik River receives many tributaries along its way...
Mesoamerican tribes have had a long history of administering liquids through the lower digestive tract in a procedure known today as an enema. Maya drug enemas included psychoactive substances,...
In excavations in southwestern Iran at the Tol-e Chega Sofla site on the Zohreh plain, a team of Iranian archaeologists unearthed 13 deformed skulls of humans, all of which had been intentionally...
Since the dawn of humanity, countless civilizations have engaged in ritual sacrifice. Often, these sacrifices involved other humans, and were so common they were considered a normal aspect of life...
A team of 65 Bournemouth University archaeology students exploring an Iron Age site in Dorset County in southwest England have been credited with a significant discovery. While digging at a location...
What comes to mind when you think of a witch? For most people, the first image that comes to mind is of a witch flying through the night sky on a broomstick. Ever wondered why witches have been...
In 2012, a citizen alert brought the Mexican police to a cave on the Guatemalan border where a horrific cave sacrifice scene met their eyes. Some 150 skulls and other human skeletal remains lay piled...
Archaeologists in Mexico are enjoying fresh insights into the Maya people’s relationship with animals, having devised a new sieve to capture micro-remains. The Maya city of Palenque (fortified place...
Since the beginnings of history, humans believed in religions of a polytheist type, worshipping a plurality of gods and spirits. By proposing a monotheist religious system, Christianity intended to...
It is hard to think of Japan without sumo wrestling. This unique and very old sport has been one of the indivisible aspects of Japanese identity for over 1,500 years or more! Granted, sumo wrestling...
A recent pottery find dating to the Late Postclassic Maya period by archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) in Chemuyil town of Mexico’s Quintana Roo state shows...
New research published in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology has revealed that Egyptian beer was produced and consumed as a staple as well as for ritual purposes as far back as 5,800 years...
A team of archaeologists studying life-size rock carvings of animals in the Saudi Arabian desert were shocked to discover the true age of these impressive stone sculptures. These carved figures of...
A team of researchers performing excavations at an ancient burial site in southcentral China have found proof that people were drinking rice beer there 9,000 years ago . This drinking wouldn’t have...
The Aghori are followers of a Hindu sect believed to be 1000 years old. These ascetics are often regarded as sadhus (Sanskrit for ‘good/holy man’), and have devoted their entire lives to the...