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...

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Myths & Legends

The wild man has many names throughout the legends of the ancient world. Source: warpaintcobra/ Adobe Stock.

Wild Men of the Ancient World: Legends Across the Globe Tell of a Humanoid Beast – Are They Real?

Man-like beasts appear in myths and legends of cultures around the globe. The best known ‘wild man’ phenomena of today is the Sasquatch or Big Foot of North America

Understanding the Gods of Egypt: In Unison With Nature

The Real Story of Medusa: Protective Powers from a Snake-Haired Gorgon

Veles and Perun: The Legendary Battle of Two Slavic Gods

The Disturbing True Story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin

Lilith: Ancient Demon, Dark Deity or Sensual Goddess?

Human Origins

Detail of ‘Ashkenazi Jews praying in the Synagogue on Yom Kippur. (1878 painting by Maurycy Gottlieb)

Where are Ashkenazi Jews from? Their Origins May Surprise You

Ashkenazi Jews are a Jewish ethnic group who have their earliest ancestors from the indigenous tribes of Israel…at least on one side of the family tree. A study published in 2013 in Nature Communications has shown their maternal lineage comes from a different, and possibly unexpected, source.

Ancient Anomalous Human Skeletons: Humanity Could be Much Older Than We Think

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

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

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

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

Ancient Technology

Etruscans Transported Bees by Boat to Reach the Best Flowers!

The discovery of an ancient Etruscan honey harvesting workshop at Focello in Italy, and the analysis of charred remains unearthed at the site, has let archaeologists to propose a remarkable hypothesis.

Beaver's teeth 'used to carve the oldest wooden statue in the world’

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

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

The steam-powered pigeon of Archytas – the flying machine of antiquity

Could the Egyptian Ankh Symbol Be Spawned of the Viscera of Bulls?

Ancient Places

Ruins of Malden Island and The Mysterious Roads that Lead into the Sea

Malden is a tiny, island in the central Pacific Ocean, covering about 15 square miles in area. It is one of the Line Islands belonging to the Republic of Kiribati and while there are no resident staff on Malden, there are the occasional visits by foreign yachtsmen.

The Mystery of the Williamson Tunnels

To the Shores of Distant Death: The Failed Colony of San Miguel De Gualdape

Has the Function of the Great Pyramid of Giza Finally Come to Light?

The Anomaly of King Orry’s 5000-Year-Old Grave

Etruscans Transported Bees by Boat to Reach the Best Flowers!

Opinion

Floki and the Viking Discovery of Iceland

The Vikings’ next step out into the Atlantic – the discovery and settlement of Iceland – is one of the best documented events of the Viking Age. Medieval Icelanders were fascinated by genealogy, not only because, as emigrants

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

3 Problems to Remember When Trying to Find Atlantis

Naupa Iglesia: An Egyptian Portal in the Andes?

The Nephilim: Giant Offspring of the Sons of God and the Daughters of Man?

Mount Shasta: Spirits and Danger on a Sacred California Mountain

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.