soldiers

Terracotta Warriors from Tomb of First Emperor, China. Credit: Lukas Hlavac / Adobe Stock

1 January, 2020 - 18:54 Ed Whelan

220 More Terracotta Warriors Found in Chinese Emperor’s Tomb

Chinese archaeologists have found over 220 terracotta warriors in the Mausoleum of the First Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, adding to his enormous army of soldiers for the afterlife. The find is...

Many prosthetic dentures were composed of Waterloo Teeth . Source: Museum of London Archaeology

30 November, 2019 - 17:49 Aleksa Vučković

Waterloo Teeth: Wearing A Dead Man’s Grin

Toothaches are the worst. We all get them, and we all hate them. Going to the dentist can often seem like a very unpleasant necessity. But in the 21 st century, it is often taken for granted –...

One of the human leg bones being excavated at Mont‐Saint‐Jean Field Hospital. Source: Chris van Houts / Waterloo Uncovered.

20 July, 2019 - 06:27 Ed Whelan

Amputation Pit with Sawn-Off Limbs Found at Battle of Waterloo Field Hospital Site

A team of archaeologists working with army veterans has uncovered four amputated limbs at the site of the Battle of Waterloo in Belgium. The team also unearthed a French cannonball and evidence of a...

A man in Liqian, China. There is debate whether his village was inhabited by Roman soldiers from the lost legion of Carrhae.

19 November, 2018 - 18:55 Caleb Strom

The Lost Legion of Carrhae: Did a Roman Legion End Up in China?

Rome and China are two major civilizations that shaped the cultures within their sphere of influence. They are also cultures that appear to have been mostly isolated from each other. For this reason...

Several mass graves have been found at the site of one of the biggest battles of the Napoleonic Wars, during which some 55,000 soldiers died in July 1809.

12 June, 2018 - 19:00 ashley cowie

The Napoleonic Discovery of Mass Graves in Austria

A team of battlefield archaeologists near Deutsch-Wagram in Austria, working from a “makeshift detective's office inside a shipping container with photos of mass graves,” have discovered one of the...

Sultan Mahmud II (Public Domain), and ornament from a Janissary's Cap, 17th century Turkey

21 July, 2017 - 14:58 Cam Rea

Ultimatum from the Sultan to the Powerful Janissary Military - Change… Or Die! Guess what they Chose? The Auspicious Event—Part II

A force of disciplined, elite royal guards of the 15th and 16th century Ottoman Empire grew in size by seizing Christian children and raising them as civil servants and dangerous soldiers. The...

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk wearing the traditional Janissary uniform (Public Domain), and ornament from a Janissary's Cap, 17th century Turkey

19 July, 2017 - 15:28 Cam Rea

The Powerful & Dangerous Janissaries and the Secret Plan to Destroy Them: The Auspicious Event—Part I

The Janissaries ( yeni-cheri , or “new troops”) were a small elite branch established by the Ottoman military sometime around the 14th century by Orhan Ghazi, second bey (chieftain), of the Ottoman...

Bust of Timur ( CC BY-SA 3.0 ), and Timur defeats the Sultan of Delhi

30 June, 2017 - 15:52 Cam Rea

To Plunder, Destroy and Kill: Atrocity and Terror as Tamerlane Sacks Delhi— Part II

Timur, historically known as Tamerlane (1336 - 1405), was a Turco-Mongol conqueror and the founder of the Timurid Empire in Persia and Central Asia. After having conquered much of the Near East,...

Bust of Timur ( CC BY-SA 3.0 ), and Timur standing with cane (Public Domain)

28 June, 2017 - 15:26 Cam Rea

When I rise, the world shall tremble! Tamerlane’s Deadly Drive into India—Part I

Timur, historically known as Tamerlane (1336 - 1405), was a Turco-Mongol conqueror and the founder of the Timurid Empire in Persia and Central Asia. Timur rose through the ranks by gaining the...

Sultan Bayezid is defeated by Timur at Ankara

31 May, 2017 - 14:48 Cam Rea

Empires Clash with Fire and War Elephants! Changing the World, and the Battle of Ankara – Part II

The bloody Battle of Ankara was fought on 20 July 1402. The Ottomans were led by Bayezid I, who brought his troops against the Turkic Mongols (Timurids), led by Timur, also known as Tamerlane. Two...

4 December, 2016 - 03:49 ancient-origins

How Ancient Warriors Coped with the Brutality of War

As many as 7% of armed forces personnel suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and that figure is expected to rise as the full impact of a decade of war in the Middle East makes itself felt. But...

The victory of Gustavus Adolphus at the Battle of Breitenfeld (1631)

1 December, 2016 - 13:59 Cam Rea

“Lion of the North” Gustavus Adolphus and the Thirty Years’ War: Fighting the Holy Roman Empire – Part I

On 9 December 1594, Gustav II Adolf was born. From the time of his birth until his coronation, his upbringing involved many lessons in politics, literature, military science, and physical development...

24 November, 2016 - 02:01 Cam Rea

Joining the Vast, Insatiable Armies of Khan: The Mongol Military – Part I

Genghis Khan, founder and emperor of the Mongol Empire rarely needs an introduction, but it is crucial in understanding how he gained his place in history by examining the Mongol military...

12 November, 2016 - 21:50 Caleb Strom

Sparta: An Ancient City of Fierce and Courageous Citizen Soldiers

The ancient Greek city-state of Sparta is famous for being a city almost entirely dedicated to the art of war. Non-war and non-politics related tasks were left to slaves so that male citizens could...

Assyrian relief of a horseman from Nimrud, now in the British Museum

1 November, 2016 - 00:59 Cam Rea

The Iron Army: Assyria - Deadly and Effective Siege Machine - Part II

Assyrian sappers (soldiers for building, demolitions, general construction) would approach the walls possibly under the cover of shield bears, the same type that protected the archers one could...

29 October, 2016 - 02:37 Cam Rea

The Iron Army: Assyria - Terrifying Military of the Ancient World - Part I

Before the famed Persian Empire, whose borders spanned from India to Thrace, there was another empire—the Assyrians. The Assyrian Empire, while much smaller than the future Persian Empire to come,...

Pages

Myths & Legends

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

France, 1920: Marcel Griaule is a young man who is very well-established in his studies, especially in mathematics. He has recently served as a volunteer in the French Air Force and aspires to attend the prestigious Lycée Louis le Grande.

Has the King Arthur Gene Been Traced?

The Dark Reputation of the Dunmore Cave of Ireland

Legendary Black Knights: Mysterious Medieval Entities of Neutrality

Baba Yaga: The Wicked Witch of Slavic Folklore

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

Human Origins

The Faces of Ancient Hominids Brought to Life in Remarkable Detail

Several years ago, a team of scientists from the Senckenberg Research Institute in Frankfurt, Germany, set out to put a human face to ancient hominid species that once walked the Earth.

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

The Controversial Lapedo Child – A Neanderthal / Human Hybrid?

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

The Mythological Maori Origin Stories of New Zealand

The ‘Dynastic Race’ and the Biblical ‘Japheth’ – Part I: After the Deluge

Ancient Technology

The Man Who Stopped a Desert Using Ancient Farming

Desertification is a serious problem facing numerous countries in the world today. Various measures have been taken to counter the negative effects, with some providing better results than others. A farmer in Burkina Faso looked to his ancestors and came up with an innovative solution.

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

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

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

150,000-Year-Old Pipes Baffle Scientists in China: Out of Place in Time?

Secrets Behind the Creepy Plague Doctor Mask and Costume

Ancient Places

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

Tollund Man is the naturally mummified body of a man who lived during the 4th century BC, during the period characterised in Scandinavia as the Pre-Roman Iron Age. He was hanged as a sacrifice to the...

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

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

The Great Serpent Mound of Ohio, the Largest Earthen Effigy in the World

Ten incredible underwater discoveries that have captured our imagination

Was There An Explosion In The Great Pyramid In Antiquity?

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.