sculptures

19 November, 2020 - 22:24 Kerry Sullivan

The Real Reason That Men in Classical Portrayals Were Given Small Manhoods

Today, bigger is widely regarded as better. But was this always the case? This article sheds some light on how the Western culture changed in its phallic preferences. Over the past few decades,...

19 December, 2019 - 12:56 Kerry Sullivan

Khajuraho: The Sexiest Temples in India

The Khajuraho temple complex is a series of beautifully built and decorated buildings in Madhya Pradesh. Of the 85 temples originally built by the Chandela dynasty between 900 AD and 1130 AD, only 25...

A rock surface containing a circular pattern with a central depression. Source: Science Direct.

23 September, 2019 - 23:01 ancient-origins

Explaining Ancient Patterns and Sculptures on South African Beaches

One of the first things many kids – or even adults – may do when they are on a beach or dune is to make patterns in the sand or sculptures in the form of sandcastles. Many generations of humans have...

Magnetized Potbelly Sculpture, Guatemala Source: Roger R. Fu

7 May, 2019 - 13:58 Ed Whelan

Ancient Attraction: Mesoamerican Sculptors Created Magnetic Stone Figures

Researchers from the world-famous Harvard University in America have made an astounding discovery in Guatemala . They have collected evidence that a very ancient Mesoamerican culture intentionally...

Roman busts found in an ancient cemetery outside the old city of Beit She'an, Israel

1 January, 2019 - 18:14 Ed Whelan

Woman Spots Stone Head Poking Out of the Ground in Israel and Discovers Two 1700-Year-Old Statues

A woman walking through a cemetery in northern Israel has made a very important discovery. After heavy rains had washed away top soil, she chanced upon the top of a stone head, which turned out to be...

Hidden carvings have been found on the tomb of Bishop Robert Cardeny at Dunkeld Cathedral.

27 December, 2018 - 23:05 Ed Whelan

Medieval Stone Carvings on Bishop's Tomb Lie Unseen for 600 Years

Many amazing discoveries have been made entirely by accident and Scottish experts have just announced one such discovery. During conservation work they have unexpectedly found medieval stone carvings...

Marine research and excavation in the area of the Mentor shipwreck

11 October, 2018 - 18:41 dhwty

The Mentor Shipwreck and the Disastrous Journey of the Parthenon Marbles to Britain

The British Museum in London is one of the largest and extensive museums on earth, containing approximately eight million works—objects taken from all over the world during the time of the British...

Black Madonna of Częstochowa with crown.

28 September, 2018 - 22:38 dhwty

Are the Black Madonnas found around the World intentionally so?

‘Black Madonna’ is a term used to describe depictions of the Virgin Mary (usually statues or paintings) that have dark-colored skin. In such images, the Virgin is often shown with the infant Jesus,...

Foreigners accompany a triumphal procession of the King; design by Anand Balaji (Photo credit: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York); Deriv.

16 March, 2018 - 12:58 anand balaji

Echoes of Eternal Egyptian Art: Effulgence and Beyond at Amarna—Part II

Egypt witnessed religious and cultural upheaval on an unimaginable scale when Pharaoh Akhenaten assumed the reins of power and declared the Aten as the supreme god. One of the noteworthy...

“Litany of Ra” scene in the tomb of King Merenptah (KV8), Valley of the Kings, Luxor; design by Anand Balaji

15 March, 2018 - 12:59 anand balaji

Echoes of Eternal Egyptian Art: Masters of Form and Finesse—Part I

The ancient Egyptians were pioneers of various forms of art and architecture. Down the millennia, the world has been left awestruck by the design and purpose of their grandiose monuments, their...

High relief of standing dromedary on sandstone spur at center of image.

14 February, 2018 - 01:41 ancient-origins

Rock art: Life-sized Sculptures of Dromedaries Found in Saudi Arabia

At a remarkable site in northwest Saudi Arabia, a CNRS archaeologist and colleagues from the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) have discovered camelid sculptures unlike any...

The famous Ica Stones in the collection of Professor Cabrera.

12 September, 2016 - 21:50 WalterJoergLangbein

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

I came to the realization that the dismissive attitude of orthodox science annoyed and aggrieved Professor Cabrera. He frequently voiced his outrage at the refusal of mainstream scientists to...

12 September, 2016 - 14:48 WalterJoergLangbein

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

In 1961, the Rio Ica burst its banks and flooded parts of the Ocucaje Desert. Was an earthquake responsible for the flood? When the water had retreated, the local farmers inspected the damage. Their...

Hundreds and Hundreds of objects in the once-secret collection of Professor Cabrera.

10 September, 2016 - 21:51 WalterJoergLangbein

Professor Cabrera’s Cabinet of Horrors: Secret Chambers and Shocking Artifacts with Controversial Origins

In Ica, Peru, I visited the most mysterious museum on our planet. It is the Museo de Piedras Grabadas de Ica , (Museum of the Engraved Stones of Ica). Professor Javier Cabrera Darquea (1924-2001)...

15 July, 2016 - 21:41 Mark Miller

Controversy Reignites as British MPs Propose Finally Returning Ancient Parthenon Marbles to Greece

When the British Empire ruled much of the world, many artifacts and artworks, including reliefs and statues from the Parthenon in Athens known as the Elgin Marbles, were taken to Britain. For years...

30 April, 2016 - 03:54 Mark Miller

Extraordinary Buddhist Sculptures Unearthed in the Ruins of an Ancient City in Pakistan

Archaeologists excavating the ruins of a city of the Kushan Empire in Pakistan have discovered an ancient shrine with statuary depicting the Buddha’s entry into the world of suffering people. After...

Pages

Myths & Legends

King Arthur monument in Tintagel, Cornwall.(left), Excalibur in Brocéliande Forest, Brittany, France.(right)

Has the King Arthur Gene Been Traced?

If stories of King Arthur and his knights are based on real people their DNA markers should still be with us today. New DNA research has perhaps found the King Arthur gene.

Legendary Black Knights: Mysterious Medieval Entities of Neutrality

The Dogon’s Extraordinary Knowledge of the Cosmos and the Cult of Nommo

Baba Yaga: The Wicked Witch of Slavic Folklore

Marduk: Babylonian King of Gods and Reportedly Liberator of the Jews

The Last of the Siberian Unicorns: What Happened to the Mammoth-Sized One-Horned Beasts of Legend?

Human Origins

The Controversial Lapedo Child – A Neanderthal / Human Hybrid?

Buried for millennia in the rear of a rock-shelter in the Lapedo Valley 85 miles north of Lisbon, Portugal, archaeologists uncovered the bones of a four-year-old child, comprising the first complete Palaeolithic skeleton ever dug in Iberia.

The Faces of Ancient Hominids Brought to Life in Remarkable Detail

Research Confirms that Neanderthal DNA Makes Up About 20% of the Modern Human Genome

The Mythological Maori Origin Stories of New Zealand

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

The human skull that challenges the Out of Africa theory

Ancient Technology

Catapult: The Long-Reaching History of a Prominent Medieval Siege Engine

One of the most iconic images of the European Middle Ages is the castle. This defensive structure was often heavily fortified and provided its inhabitants with much-needed safety. It was usually quite difficult for an enemy to capture a castle, and for that, an attacking army needed siege engines.

The High-Tech Stonework of the Ancients: Unsolved Mysteries of Master Engineers

Han Purple: A 2,800-year-old artificial pigment that quantum physicists are trying to understand

Ancient Magic: The Illusions Created in Temples by Amazing Inventions

The ancient invention of the steam engine by the Hero of Alexandria

Is this a 300 million-year-old screw or just a fossilized sea creature?

Ancient Places

Kidd Mine, which has the world’s oldest pool of water

Kidd Mine Ontario: The World's Oldest Pool of Water

In the depths of the earth there are discoveries being made that are revolutionizing our view of the world and even the nature of life. In a mine in Ontario there is a body of water that is probably the world’s oldest pool of water.

Tollund Man – the preserved face from Prehistoric Denmark and the tale of ritual sacrifice

Varna Man and the Wealthiest Grave of the 5th Millennium BC

Unravelling the Mystery Behind the East Bay Walls: Who Really Made Them and Why?

Tomb of the Lord of Sipan, Mochican Warrior Priest

Piri Reis Map - How Could a 16th Century Map Show Antarctica Without Ice?

Opinion

Unearthing Ancient Magic in The Runes –Messages with Hidden Symbols and Powerful Numbers

The etymology of the word “rune” means: “to carve, or to cut.” In Low German the word is “raunen.” As the runes were cut and carved into wood, metal or stone, the word “rune” was analogous to the rune letters themselves.

Petroglyphic Features of Portable Rock Art

The Northern Mysteries Current: Futhark and Mystery Schools of the Viking Age

Was There Ever a Trojan War?

Floki and the Viking Discovery of Iceland

Messiah on Temple Mount: Are We Nearing the End of Time?

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.