Roman Theatre

Theodora by Giuseppe de Sanctis (Public Domain)

13 September, 2021 - 20:29 MartiniF

Sociae Mimae: Ancient Roman Actresses Doing It For Themselves

When Thespis, a Greek performer, stepped on the stage in 534 BC and became the first known man to speak words as a character in a play or a narrative, he broke the tradition where ancient Greek...

Spain’s Sagunto Castle: From Iberian Arse To Roman Sagunto and Beyond!

6 May, 2021 - 02:11 dhwty

Spain’s Sagunto Castle: From Iberian Arse To Roman Sagunto and Beyond!

Sagunto Castle is located not far from the city of Valencia, on the east coast of Spain. The parts of Sagunto Castle that are most visible, i.e., its defensive walls, date largely to the Islamic...

The Roman Theatre, Amman, Jordan

17 December, 2019 - 02:01 Ed Whelan

Amman, One of the Finest Roman Theatres in the World

The Kingdom of Jordan has many historical sites. Many different civilizations have flourished in the area since ancient times. One of the most important and largest heritage sites is the Roman...

Theatrical masks of Tragedy and Comedy. Mosaic, Roman artwork, 2nd century CE. Capitoline Museums, Rome, Italy

29 June, 2018 - 19:58 MartiniF

The Black Sheep of the Empire: Actors and Actresses in Ancient Rome

The ancient Greeks loved the theater and ancient Greek actors enjoyed a position of eminence and respect. In contrast, although entertainment and drama were similarly adored in Ancient Rome, theater...

Top New Stories

Medieval lovers. Source: guruXOX / Adobe Stock

Pope Pius II Wrote a Bestselling Erotic Novel Before Turning to the Cloth

Pope Pius II was an unconventional Pope. Before turning to priesthood, he bore children out of wedlock, enjoyed the flames of love, and wrote of adultery, scandal and fiery passion in his erotic story, The Tales of Two Lovers, which became a bestseller of its time.

Archaeologists Unlock the Secrets of the Maya “Spirit of Man” City

Iklaina: The First City State of Mycenaean Culture?

Wars of the Diadochi: Alexander the Great’s Generals Fight For Spoils

Harran, City of Sin, Crusaders And Caliphs

First Complete DNA Sequencing Unveils Truth of Pompeii Victim

Myths & Legends

Legendary Black Knights: Mysterious Medieval Entities of Neutrality

Legendary Black Knights: Mysterious Medieval Entities of Neutrality

Black Knights began to appear in history during the Middle Ages. Since the 13th century, a series of legends mentioning the mysterious Black Knights emerged. Although the Black Knights were said to...

Viking Berserkers – Fierce Warriors or Drug-Fuelled Madmen?

The Penteli Cave Enigma – A Place of Unexplained Phenomena Since Ancient Times

The Truth Behind the Christ Myth: Ancient Origins of the Often Used Legend – Part I

Talos of Crete: A 2,000-Year-Old Tale of the First Robot God

The Origins of the Faeries: Encoded in our Cultures – Part I

Human Origins

A modern human, left, and Neanderthal woman, right.

Research Confirms That 20% of the Neanderthal Genome Can Be Found In Modern Humans

Though it was disputed for many years, there is conclusive evidence that Neanderthals bred with modern humans (Homo sapiens). The first complete mapping of a Neanderthal genome took place about five years ago - supporting the human-Neanderthal hook-up and also showing that Neanderthal DNA in humans is a thing.

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

The Truth Behind the Christ Myth: Ancient Origins of the Often Used Legend – Part I

The Origins of the Faeries: Encoded in our Cultures – Part I

Peking Man and China’s Paleontological Nationalism

The human skull that challenges the Out of Africa theory

Ancient Technology

Grinding stone, Dendera Temple, Egypt.

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

Most people know of the great construction achievements of the dynastic Egyptians such as the pyramids and temples of the Giza Plateau area as well as the Sphinx. Many books and videos show depictions of vast work forces hewing blocks of stone in the hot desert sun and carefully setting them into place.

Near-Pristine Bronze Age Spear Dated Over 3,000 Years Found in Britain

Ancient Maya Tooth Bling Was Also Good for Oral Hygiene!

Ancient Chinese Earthquake Detector Invented 2,000 Years Ago Really Worked!

Surprising Stone Age Knowledge Revealed on a Mammoth Bone Bracelet

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

Ancient Places

Pompeii man and woman discovered in the Casa de Fabbro, or House of the Crafsman, in a photograph taken in 1934. Source: Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità

First Complete DNA Sequencing Unveils Truth of Pompeii Victim

The skeletons of a man and woman discovered around 100 years ago, as they were trying to survive the notorious Mount Vesuvius eruption of 79 AD, have been put under the scanner by scientists.

Iklaina: The First City State of Mycenaean Culture?

The mummies of Qilakitsoq and the Inuit baby that captured hearts around the world

Wars of the Diadochi: Alexander the Great’s Generals Fight For Spoils

Home to 20,000, But Who Built it? The Underground City of Derinkuyu

L'Anse aux Meadows: Discovery of Norse settlement in Canada Proved Viking Sagas Contain Real History

Opinion

The Coming Gnostic Civilization, and his most recent book, Sedona: City of the Star People.

The Truth Behind the Christ Myth: Ancient Origins of the Often Used Legend – Part I

What is the origin of the legend of the Christed Son who was born of a virgin on December 25th? I am sure you are familiar with his legend which states that he was born in a manger surrounded by shepherds

Library in Stone: The Ica Stones of Professor Cabrera – Part I

Two Sides to Every Story: The North American Martyrs Shrines and Indigenous/ Roman Catholic Relations

The Origins of the Faeries: Encoded in our Cultures – Part I

Curse of the Buried Pearl: The Hunt for Ancient Treasures – Part I

The Enigma of the Shugborough Inscription

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 exist 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.

Ancient Image Galleries

View from the Castle Gate (Burgtor). (Public Domain)

Door surrounded by roots of Tetrameles nudiflora in the Khmer temple of Ta Phrom, Angkor temple complex, located today in Cambodia. (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Cable car in the Xihai (West Sea) Grand Canyon (CC BY-SA 4.0)