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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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rituals

The coronation of Charles VII of France (1429), detail of the painting Jeanne d'Arc (1886–1890) by Jules Eugène Lenepveu. Many ancient coronation traditions will be recreated in the coronation of King Charles III. Source: Public Domain

King Charles III’s Coronation: A 900-Year-Old Ceremony in the Modern Day

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...
Blackening the Bride. In Scotland, newlyweds are covered in filth. Source: azazello / Adobe Stock.

10 Funny and Fascinating Wedding Rituals from Ancient History

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...
The circular monument discovered in Waskiri, Bolivia. Credit: Antiquity.

Ritual Site Connected to Ancient Andean Cults Discovered in Bolivia

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 pagan celebration. Source: Karrrtinki / Adobe Stock.

5 Pagan Traditions That Will Leave You Spellbound (Video)

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...
Artist’s impression of the dyeing scene in the funerary chamber.         Source: Oriol Garcia i Quera, ASOME-Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona/Nature

Island Near Spain Reveals Evidence of Hallucinogenic Use in 1,000 BC

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...
Maya warrior. Source: Art Gallery / Adobe Stock.

The Shocking Truth About the Bloody Rituals of the Maya (Video)

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 and other plants have been used for medicinal, spiritual, and recreational purposes since time immemorial. The pictured Amazonian shaman uses ayahuasca ritualistically. Source: Ammit / Adobe Stock

Marijuana for All that Ails You: Cannabis in the Ancient World

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...
Toasting with champagne and sparklers is a New Year’s tradition, or is it a ritual? Source: Valerii/Adobe Stock

Why Rituals Have Been Crucial for Humans Throughout History

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...
Top Image: On Carrington Moss, shows individuals gathering material for besoms by David Cox (1851) (Public Domain)

Hepatomancy In Ceremonial Beginnings: Finding An Auspicious Site

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...
Men of the Asmat tribe are floating in a canoe on the river. Amanamkay. Village, Asmat province, Indonesia (gudkovandrey/ Adobe Stock)

Papua New Guinea’s Sepik River Rituals

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...
Maya pottery found in Guatemala depicting a man applying a ritual drug enema, from the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.			Source: Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Maya Drug Enema Study Receives Ig Nobel History Prize

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,...
One of 13 intentionally modified deformed skulls found at the Tol-e Chega Sofla Neolithic cemetery in Iran. Source: Tehran Times

Intentionally Deformed Skulls Dug Up in Odd Neolithic Iranian Cemetery

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...
Representation of a ritual human sacrifice on an altar. Source: archangelworks / Adobe Stock

Blood for the Gods: 10 Cultures that Engaged in Ritual Sacrifice

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...
Archaeologists excavating a grave at the recently discovered graveyard at the ‘Duropolis’ site in Dorset, England.	Source: Bournemouth University

Sacrifice Remains From 100 BC Dug Up At ‘Duropolis’, Dorset

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...
Witch on a broomstick. Source:  T.Den_Team / Adobe Stock

The Cringeworthy Reason Witches are Shown Riding Broomsticks

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...
The Chiapas cave sacrifice scene, where about 150 toothless skulls were found, as it was discovered in 2012.		Source: INAH

150 Toothless Skulls in Mexico ‘Crime Scene’ Cave are Ancient Sacrifice Victims

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...
Sieving For Micro-Insights into the Maya Rituals at Palenque Palace

Sieving For Micro-Insights into the Maya Rituals at Palenque Palace

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...
The persecution of witches is a common theme within the history of witchcraft. Source: Matrioshka / Adobe Stock

The Long History of Witchcraft Persecution

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...
Japan’s world-famous sumo wrestling has always been connected with its origins as a shrine spectacle offering to please the gods. With the rise of the Japanese merchant class in the 17th century sumo became the spectator sport it is today.		Source: AQ-taro Images / Adobe Stock

Sumo Wrestling: From Ritual Origins to Honorable Sport

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...
This spectacular, large Navulá-type monochrome vessel, used in pre-Hispanic Maya rituals, was complete but for one of its two handles.		Source: INAH

Yucatán Cave Was Used For Pre-Hispanic Maya Rituals

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...
The complete large straw-tempered Egyptian beer jars from Hierakonpolis in the background. The recent research study suggests the contents of these big jars would have been decanted into smaller, finer beakers, like the three shown in this image.		Source: Journal of Anthropological Archaeology

Porridge-like Egyptian Beer Was Used 5,800 Years Ago in Rituals

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...
Giant Camel Sculptures in Saudi Desert Found To Be Incredibly Ancient

Giant Camel Sculptures in Saudi Desert Found To Be Incredibly Ancient

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...
Rice Beer Was Consumed in Sacred Rituals 9,000 Years Ago in China

Rice Beer Was Consumed in Sacred Rituals 9,000 Years Ago in China

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...
Two images of Aghori.

The Aghori and Their Unorthodox Path to Enlightenment

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...

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