Saqqara

29 June, 2019 - 20:18 Ed Whelan

Hundreds of Mummies Found Buried Around the World’s Oldest Pyramid

An amazing cache of mummies has been found in Egypt near one of the world’s oldest pyramids. Polish archaeologists discovered several hundred of them at the site. The unearthing of the mummified...

Left: The inscription on the column lists the titles of Djedkare’s wife, queen Setibhor. (Hana Vymazalová) Right: North and east walls of the decorated antechamber of the ancient Egyptian nobleman’s tomb.

4 April, 2019 - 22:41 Ed Whelan

Experts Find Lost Queen’s Name and a Favorite Nobleman’s Tomb in Saqqara

Experts working in a famous pyramid complex in Egypt have announced the discovery of the tomb of a nobleman. It was made in perhaps the most important archaeological site for the study of the early...

This 4,400-year-old tomb at Saqqara was constructed for a "divine inspector" named "Wahtye."

17 December, 2018 - 18:53 ashley cowie

Egyptian Tomb Dating To 4,400 Years Ago Has Hidden Shafts Which Might Hold The Treasures Of The 'Divine Inspector’

The 4,400-year-old tomb is the next in a string of rare discoveries at the Saqqara pyramid complex in Egypt. A BBC article quotes Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of...

One of the Serapeum sarcophagi in Saqqara, Egypt.

27 July, 2018 - 22:59 kborissov

Lighting Up Saqqara: An Electrifying Alternative Theory for the Oversized Serapeum Sarcophagi

The Serapeum of Saqqara has been a continuous source of speculation and mystery since its re-discovery in 1850. Even now, no theory has been able to explain exactly how or why the 24 giant sarcophagi...

12 May, 2018 - 14:07 Dr Massimo Bonasorte

The Saqqara Bird: Did the Ancient Egyptians Know How to Fly?

The pride of flying too close to the sun was a costly endeavor for Icarus. Mythology says he fled Crete on wings of feathers and wax built by his father Daedalus, of King Minos’ labyrinth fame. His...

Two people portrayed on the walls of the ancient Egyptian general’s tomb.

9 May, 2018 - 22:26 Alicia McDermott

Immense Tomb Provides a Fascinating Peek at the Life of High Steward of Ramesses II

Saqqara has given Egyptologists a wealth of knowledge on life and death in ancient Egypt. Recently, it has provided information on Queen Ankhnespepy II , King Tut’s Wet Nurse , and a royal messenger...

15 October, 2017 - 13:51 aprilholloway

4,000-Year-Old Pyramid Peak Discovered at Long-Lost Burial Site of 6th Dynasty Egyptian Queen

The peak of a pyramid, dating back to around 2,000 BC, has been unearthed at the long-lost burial site of Ankhnespepy II, an important Egyptian queen of the 6 th dynasty. The rest of the pyramid is...

The newly-discovered obelisk in Cairo, dedicated to an Old Kingdom Queen.

5 October, 2017 - 13:47 aprilholloway

BREAKING: 4,000-Year-Old Inscribed Obelisk Dedicated to Ancient Egyptian Queen Unearthed in Saqqara

The Ministry of Antiquities in Egypt has announced the exciting discovery of the upper part of an Old Kingdom granite obelisk that dates back to around 2,000 BC. The ancient monument, which once had...

4 August, 2017 - 18:57 Brien Foerster

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...

Collection of Egyptian Art, design by Anand Balaji (Photo credits: Rijksmuseum van Oudheden/CC BY-SA 4.0, Leiden; Dr Chris Naunton, Heidi Kontkanen and A. K. Moyls); Deriv.

9 June, 2017 - 15:37 anand balaji

The Many Mysteries of Maya: Faith, Labor and Love for the Motherland–Part II

The sudden and unfortunate death of Tutankhamun created an unprecedented power vacuum that had to be filled swiftly, if order was to be maintained in the Egyptian state. It is probable that a tussle...

Collection of Egyptian Art, design by Anand Balaji

7 June, 2017 - 15:27 anand balaji

The Many Mysteries of Maya: On the Trail of Tutankhamun’s Valued Courtier–Part I

The Amarna Period brought to fore many interesting personages, especially from the ruling disposition. While éminence grise Aye and the generalissimo Horemheb became pharaohs after the death of...

Pyramid of Pepi II with smaller pyramids for the queens Neith, Iput II and Udjebten.

16 April, 2017 - 02:00 Natalia Klimczak

Documenting 6th Dynasty Pharaohs: The Significant Inscription on the South Saqqara Stone

The sands of Egypt still cover many secrets. One such example was unearthed in the desert in Saqqara, which is now a part of Cairo. The stories of the people who lived there more than 5000 years ago...

28 January, 2017 - 22:56 Mark Miller

Do You Think Breastfeeding a 3-Year-Old is Strange? In the Ancient World, It Saved Lives

There was a time in humanity’s history that later weaning of children, up to 3 years, was considered perfectly normal. In fact, late weaning may have actually saved lives by giving kids the nutrition...

Images at the entrance of the tomb of the wet nurse, called Maya, shows the pharaoh Tutankhamen seated on her lap. It's now believed that Maya may have been Tutankhamen's sister, Meritaten.

21 December, 2015 - 21:50 lizleafloor

Tomb Hidden by History, Now Revealed: Wet Nurse of Tutankhamun May have been His Own Sister

The famous Egyptian boy king, Pharaoh Tutankhamun is believed to have been wet-nursed by a woman named Maia—who may have been his sister. The tomb of this mysterious woman has been opened to the...

Close-up of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep from their joint mastaba (tomb) at Saqqara, Egypt.

5 November, 2015 - 00:46 dhwty

The Importance of Evidence in the Heated Debate on Homosexuality in Ancient Egypt

Sexual matters and practices are quite difficult to discern in the archaeological record. Unlike diet or diseases, sexual practices do not to leave traces on human remains. Additionally, objects used...

10 June, 2015 - 01:20 lizleafloor

Mummifying Millions: Operation of the Animal Cult Industry of Ancient Egypt

Read Part 1 Millions of animal mummies have been found in the dark, carved stone tunnels beneath the location of Egypt’s earliest pyramid, in the Catacombs of Anubis in North Saqqara. The astounding...

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Myths & Legends

Who Pulled the Sword from the Stone? The Truth of the Swords of King Arthur

This spring a new movie, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, is to hit the big screens. Staring Charlie Hunnam as the fabled warrior, the film title suggests that the central theme is Arthur’s legendary sword. It will be interesting to see just how the sword is depicted, considering that previous Arthurian epics have been far from true to the original tales.

Tuatha Dé Dannan, the Enchanting Predecessors of Irish Fairies and Elves

The Amazons: Ancient Warrior Women Dismissed as Myth and Legend Were Real Fearsome Fighters

Lovelock Cave: A Tale of Giants or A Giant Tale of Fiction?

Batman Existed in Mesoamerican Mythology and His Name Was Camazotz

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

Human Origins

Matsya protecting Svayambhuva Manu and the seven sages at the time of Deluge

In 1872, the amateur Assyriologist, George Smith, made a discovery that would shock the world. Whilst studying a particular tablet from the ancient Mesopotamian city of Nineveh, he comes across a...

The Maya myth of creation

The awesome, terrible, and unknowable creator gods through history

What Ancient Secrets Lie Within the Flower of Life?

Are The Nephilim Really The Offspring Of Sons of God And The Daughters Of Man?

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

Ancient Technology

Secrets Behind the Creepy Plague Doctor Mask and Costume

The plague doctor mask is one of the most recognizable symbols of the Black Death. Though the image is iconic the relationship may be a little anachronistic. While plague doctors have been plying their trade since the Middle Ages, it was only after this period, during the 17th century, that they acquired their creepy trademark costume. But what does it mean?

6 Advanced Ancient Inventions Beyond Modern Understanding

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

Philip’s Fountain: The Oldest Still-In-Use Hydraulic Work in the World

The Ancient Invention of the Water Clock

The Lost Knowledge of the Ancients: Were Humans the First? Part 3: Science in Antiquity

Ancient Places

Why Isn’t This Map in the History Books?

By the age of 10, most children in the United States have been taught all 50 states that make up the country. But centuries ago, the land that is now the United States was a very different place...

Mysterious Labyrinth of Buda: Enigmatic Ancient Caves beneath Castle Suddenly and Inexplicably Evacuated by Police

A Millennium of Glory: The Rise and Fall of the Byzantine Empire

It Looks Like a Laser Cut But What Really Split the Ancient Al Naslaa Rock?

Norte Chico: The First Civilization in the Americas?

Palenque – The Splendor of a Great Maya Metropolis

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.

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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.