statue

12 March, 2019 - 00:48 ancient-origins

New Theories on the Shigir Idol Paint A Surprising Picture of its Life

By Anna Liesowska, The Siberian Times With its evocative main face and O-shaped mouth, its mysterious zigzag etched lines, the Shigir Idol is now accepted as one of the world’s oldest examples of...

9 January, 2019 - 13:59 dhwty

Elongated Skulls and Indecipherable Language: What Does the Mysterious Starving of Saqqara Sculpture Mean?

The Starving of Saqqara is the name given to an ancient Egyptian sculpture believed to date to the Pre-Dynastic period. Little is known about the origins and provenance of this statue, which is today...

Head and torso of god Xipe Totec found at Ndachjian–Tehuacán archaeological site

3 January, 2019 - 19:05 Ed Whelan

Gruesome Sacrificial Temple of the Macabre Fertility God Xipe Totec Discovered in Mexico

Delighted archaeologists in Mexico have found the first temple dedicated to the ‘Flayed Lord’ or Xipe Tótec, one of the most important Pre-Columbian deities. The find, which included a stone...

Oliver Cromwell statue, Palace of Westminster, London

1 October, 2018 - 18:58 ashley cowie

Cromwell Statue In London Caught Up In History Whitewashing Battle

Controversy has erupted in London, England as historians call for the removal of a statue of Oliver Cromwell situated in front of the Houses of Parliament. The winds of change are blowing east. The...

26 September, 2018 - 02:36 Robin Whitlock

Archaeologists find mysterious ancient dolphin statue near Gaza

An archaeological team discovered a rare dolphin statuette at a site near Kibbutz Magen, 12 miles (20km) inland from the Mediterranean Sea, on the border of the Gaza Strip amid the ruins of a...

Virgin and Child with saint Anne sculptures from the 15th century

10 September, 2018 - 22:59 ashley cowie

Three 500-year-old Holy Statues Damaged in Botched Restoration Job

2018 is the year of tasteless restoration jobs and now, the latest victims are three 15th century wooden statues of the Virgin and Child, the Virgin and Child with St Anne, and St Peter, are the...

28 August, 2018 - 19:05 ancient-origins

Ten of the Oldest Everyday Items Ever Found

Every day you get up, get dressed, eat, and probably head out to work, school, or some other activity outside your home. If you work, you may have to interact with customers, who are not always...

26 August, 2018 - 22:41 anya leonard

Asherah: God’s Forgotten Wife

Those raised in the Judeo-Christian tradition may be surprised to learn that the god we were told was singularly sacred once had a wife. How do we know? Asherah figures prominently as the wife of El—...

Photo of the Roman horse's head pre-restoration.

19 August, 2018 - 13:57 Alicia McDermott

German Farmer Lands $1 Million Reward for Rare Bronze Horse Head Found on His Property

Nine years ago, archaeologists unearthed a Roman bronze sculpture in farmland in Lahnau, Germany. They knew the discovery was both rare and valuable. The farmer who owns the land received a payment...

12 August, 2018 - 14:03 Ed Whelan

Surprise Discovery of 4,000-Year-Old Egyptian Sphinx with Human Head and Lion Body

Local authorities in Egypt have announced the discovery of an ancient sphinx statue between two of the best known ancient temples in the country – Karnak and Luxor. The discovery was made by chance,...

One of the two stone monuments found in Guatemala.

24 July, 2018 - 22:55 Ed Whelan

Symbolic Monuments Depicting 'Descent of the Grandfather' Myth of the Olmecs Found in Guatemala

It has been announced by the Guatemalan Ministry of Culture that two large carved stone monuments have been found in an archaeological park in the Central American country. The finds were made in the...

Leshan Giant Buddha is the world's largest stone-carved Buddha

22 July, 2018 - 22:20 Bryan Hill

The Leshan Giant Buddha: Largest Stone Buddha in the World

Not far from the city of Chengdu in Sichuan Province, China, sits the Leshan Giant Buddha statue. Carved into the side of Mt. Lingyun, the colossal statue is over 1,300-years-old and is considered to...

Xochiquetzal, with flower (Codex Fejérváry-Mayer, page 29)

14 July, 2018 - 01:46 dhwty

Xochiquetzal: Aztec Goddess of Beauty, Pleasure and Love… But Don’t Mess With Her!

According to the Aztecs, Xochiquetzal was the goddess of beauty, pleasure, and love. She is commonly associated with such beautiful things as flowers, plants, song and dance, which is quite distinct...

The Osiris statuette from Saqqara, Egypt.

5 July, 2018 - 13:59 Ed Whelan

Restoration Work Uncovers Statuette of Osiris Secreted in Pyramid Wall

Mostafa el-Waziri, the head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt has announced an amazing discovery, one which is exciting and intriguing the experts. During routine restoration work on the...

25 June, 2018 - 22:32 Bryan Hill

Oldest Wooden Statue in the World: The 11,000-Year-Old Shigir Idol

The Shigir Idol is considered to be one of the most important and mysterious pieces of pre-historic art from ancient Europe. The ancient wooden carving, which today sits in a museum in Russia, has...

20 June, 2018 - 03:28 Bryan Hill

The Colossus of Rhodes: Ancient Greek Mega Statue

The Colossus of Rhodes was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the most ambitious and tallest statue of the Hellenistic period. The last of the seven wonders to be completed, it was a...

Pages

Myths & Legends

Baphomet: Was the Diabolical Demon Really Worshipped by Knights Templars?

Baphomet is the demonic entity allegedly worshipped by the Knights Templars who later became a symbol for Satanic worship. During the Inquisition of the Templars in the 14th century, the knights were falsely accused of worshipping this figure.

The Ancient Pagan Origins of Easter

The Black Book - Source of Devils Magic that Wizards Wager Their Soul to Obtain

The Wooing of Etain: An Irish Tale of Love, Loss, and Jealousy

The symbol of the Swastika and its 12,000-year-old history

The Legendary Kraken

Human Origins

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

Sumer, or the ‘land of civilized kings’, flourished in Mesopotamia, now modern-day Iraq, around 4500 BC. Sumerians created an advanced civilization with its own system of elaborate language and writing, architecture and arts, astronomy and mathematics.

11 Mysterious Human Species That Most People Don’t Know Existed

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

Forensic Facial Reconstruction: The Journey to Connect with our Ancestors

The human skull that challenges the Out of Africa theory

The Secret Life of an Ancient Concubine

Ancient Technology

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

The Norimitsu Odachi is a huge sword from Japan. It is so large, in fact, that it was said to have been wielded by a giant. Apart from the basic knowledge of it having been forged in the 15th century AD, measuring 3.77 meters (12.37 ft.) in length, and weighing as much as 14.5 kg (31.97 lbs.), this impressive sword is shrouded in mystery.

Robots Guarded Buddha’s Relics in a Legend of Ancient India

The Indian Sage who developed Atomic Theory 2,600 years ago

Boggling Bannerstones of Ancient Americans: Were They a Function of Flight or More a Flight of Fancy?

Ten amazing inventions from ancient times

A Step Closer to the Mysterious Origin of the Viking Sword Ulfberht

Ancient Places

Palmerston Island part of the Cook Islands.

Populating Palmerston Island: One Man, Three Wives and A Desert Island Paradise

Palmerston Island is part of the Cook Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. This island is one of the six main islands located on a coral atoll and is the only one that is inhabited. Palmerston Island is one of the most isolated places on earth, and almost all of its inhabitants today are related to each other, as they are all descended from one Englishman who settled there about 150 years ago.

Khajuraho: The Sexiest Temples in India

Nsongezi Rock Shelter Offers Proof of Stone Age Craftsmen

The White Slaves of Barbary

The Mysterious Prehistoric Triple Burial of Dolni Vestonice

How Ancient People Marked the Equinox Around the World

Opinion

The astronomical ceiling at the Pronaos, Detail of the first Band west from the center. From left to right: two wind creatures (the winged ram with four heads personifies the south wind), the snake- and frog-headed eight goddesses and gods of the Ogdoad who ruled the cosmos before the creation of the world and Osiris seated on a throne sails across the sky as personification of the full moon accompanied by the seated goddesses Nephtys (left) and Isis on the right (Maat stands near the bow of the ship). Siri

Changing Colors and Scampering Across the Night Sky: What Did the Ancients Say about Sirius?

In Egypt, Sirius was the Star of Isis, Isis being the companion and rescuer of the god Osiris. In a very deep way, Osiris was Egypt.

Cracking the Code to Discover Ancient Tarot Symbolism and Forgotten Universal Knowledge

The Secret Strategic Plans of Darius the Great

The Secrets of the Kabbalists Garden

Alchemy and Generating Lifeforce —Global Temples Made in the Shape of Lingams: Shaivite Bull Cult Part II

From Green Man to Bull Son, The Universal Shaivite Bull Cult – Part I

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.