The Manchu people are an ethnic minority in China sometimes called "red-tasseled Manchus", a reference to the ornamentation on traditional Manchu shaman’ hats. Shamanism was the dominant religion of...
An ancient shrine swallowed by the ashes of Mount Vesuvius almost 2,000 years ago has been uncovered in the ancient city of Pompeii . The sacred altar space was discovered in a near perfect state of...
When we use the term “hero” today while discussing Greek mythological figures, it usually designates a man whose superhuman exploits and semi-divine parentage make him a person of legend. But in real...
According to reports from the Greek City Times and other news outlets, a 2,300-year-old tomb in Turkey once revered as a holy man’s shrine is no such thing. Instead, the ‘shrine’ is actually the...
Read Part 1 Jerome Lalemant, the second Superior of the Huron mission, said there were so few converts because no Jesuit had been martyred yet. It is stated more than once that if the “glorious crown...
Recent discoveries at two of the major ancient sites in Egypt emphasize the diversity of culture and power that existed in the region over time. In Aswan, the head of a marble statue of the Roman...
Mexican archaeologists claim to have unearthed a stone sanctuary in a small lake on the side of a volcano east of Mexico City that may have been created as a miniature model of the universe. Stone "...
“At the beginning of the 1st millennium BC, there was raised an 8-storied towered temple (Maiden’s Tower) devoted to seven gods, grandiose for those day… [possessing] seven sacred levels, [and] wall-...
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is considered to be the holiest site in Christianity. According to tradition, this was the place where Jesus Christ was crucified, buried, and...
Jason König / The Conversation The mountains of the Mediterranean are permanent reminders of the past. The ancient Greeks climbed to their summits to offer sacrifices to the gods for centuries, even...
Shah Cheragh is a religious monument located in Shiraz, the capital of the Fars Province in the southern part of Iran. The story of its founding and its awe-inspiring decoration have made it one of...
Archaeologists have uncovered a fantastic Roman mosaic and evidence of good living over 1,500 years ago in Leicester city centre in a home with underfloor heating. The team from the University of...
This year has provided an array of exciting, and sometimes puzzling, discoveries for archaeologists and ancient history enthusiasts. Looking back to our most ancient ancestors, a few of the...
Archaeologists think they have found a shrine dedicated to the Viking king Olaf Haraldsson in the ruins of a church in Trondheim, Norway. The team of archaeologists from the Norwegian Institute for...
When archaeologists were excavating the Grand Bao’en Temple of Nanjing, China in 2008 they came across a significant find – a relic linked to Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. The artifact was a skull bone...
The Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi (translated as Grass-cutting Sword or Herb-quelling Sword ) is a legendary Japanese sword. This weapon, commonly referred to simply as The Kusanagi , is one of the three...
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...
The legend of the Apostle John’s brother is one of the most important stories in Spanish Christianity. According to legend, a man who was a friend of Jesus is buried in the cathedral in Santiago de...
Three huge rock formations that appear to depict human faces have been discovered in southern Bulgaria. They are estimated to be about 4,000 years old. The carvings, found in an area called Eagles’...
Dozens of tombs have been discovered by archaeologists working in Gebel el-Silsila in Egypt. Bones of men, women, and children of all ages have all been found in the rock-cut tombs. The necropolis is...
An Egyptian and German archaeological team sifting through the ruins of a temple dedicated to the ancient King Nectanebo I has found building blocks and parts of the ceiling, which was decorated with...
The Isonokami Shrine is a Shinto shrine believed to have been built in 4 AD. Located in in the foothills of Tenri in Nara prefecture, Japan, this shrine is culturally significant for it houses...
Japan is known for having its fair share of unique and unusual ancient shrines and associated festivals, from the Mama Kannon temple dedicated to breasts to the Kanamara Matsuri (Festival of the...
Archaeologists sometimes face the same gruesome discoveries that forensic scientists deal with today, having to unravel the stories behind brutal murders, sacrifices and other dark rituals. Here are...