All  

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ Mobile

stone

The three faces of the Lake Winnipesaukee Mystery Stone, New Hampshire, USA

Out of Place Artifact: The Mysterious Stone Egg of Lake Winnipesaukee

In 1872, construction workers digging a hole for a fence post near the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee in New England found a lump of clay with an egg shaped artifact inside it, six feet below the...
The ancient stone map dating back to 200 BC to 200 AD has been discovered in Colima, Mexico.         Source: INAH

Ancient Settlement Network Found Mapped in Stone in Mexico

Archaeologists from the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia ( INAH ) have confirmed the discovery of an ancient stone map carved into a volcanic rock in Colima , Mexico dating from between...
Deriv; The sands of Rub’ al Khali in Saudi Arabia (CC BY-SA 3.0), and dwellings near the Liwa Oasis, UAE

Qidan, The Lost City of King Ad: Hoax or Reality?

In the middle of World War II a Royal Air Force (RAF) transport plane flying off course over the Arabian desert found a ‘lost city’ deep in the Empty Quarter. It was never seen again. Or was it? In...
The Rock of Guatapé (El Peñon de Guatapé), Colombia.

Could you Climb the Mystery Rock of Guatapé in Colombia?

In the Colombian department of Antioquia between the towns of Guatapé and El Peñol there is an enormous monolith which is called the El Peñón de Guatapé. It is also called the Rock of Guatapé or the...
The rare photo showing the ingenious Stonehenge engineering.

Rare Photo Reveals Ingenious Stonehenge Engineering Secrets

England’s famous stone circle, Stonehenge , in Wiltshire, was built in four major phases with the first being completed around 5,000 years ago and what we see today, the final stage, was completed...
Stone balls, aka petrospheres were found at Qesem cave, Israel.        Source: Assaf et al 2020

Mystery of Stone Balls at ‘Magic’ Qesem Cave Finally Solved

Petrospheres, or spheroids, are two archaeological names for any man-made spherical object made from stone. These mostly prehistoric artifacts have been found intricately carved and painted,...
The Kaaba, Mecca, Saudi Arabia

The Kaaba Black Stone: A Holy Stone from Outer Space?

Every day, five times a day, Muslims across the world face the holy site of Mecca and pray. Mecca is believed to be the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad but when followers visit the site, it is not...
Ogham sticks

The Celtic Ogham: An Ancient Tree Alphabet that May Disappear Before Showing its Roots

In secluded fields, on the walls of churches, and beneath construction sites, stones have been found with intricate markings that rise from the lower left up to the center and then down to the lower...
The pocket-sized Ice Age artwork with an eye-like sunburst resembles a simple drawing of a sun. Source: Andrew Thomson, Author provided

Tiny Ice Age Art from Indonesia Confirms Humanity’s Creative Drive

By Michelle Langley , Adam Brumm , Adhi Oktaviana & Basran Burhan / The Conversation Archaeologists have unearthed two miniature stone engravings in Indonesia. These depict an anoa (dwarf buffalo...
The Fascinating History of Medieval Castles: From Emergence to Obsoletion

The Fascinating History of Medieval Castles: From Emergence to Obsoletion

Medieval castles are one of the most iconic buildings of the Middle Ages , especially in Western Europe. During this period, the castle served generally as the residence of a king, or the lord of the...
This small, gracile, almost complete cranium was found near Homo erectus tools in Ethiopia. Source: Dr. Michael J. Rogers, Southern Connecticut State University

Homo Erectus Tools Challenge Single Species-Single Tech Thinking

Even a million and a half years ago, our ancestors understood that sometimes you need a simple hammerstone and other times a finely-made hand axe would better suit the task in front of you. New...
Main: Group of Moai monoliths during sunset on Easter Island. Inset: Birdman cult carvings on the back of standing Moai.       Source: Aliaksei & thakala / Adobe stock

Easter Island’s Birdman Cult: A Story of Struggle and Survival

The Pacific Ocean is a world filled with diverse and remote islands, which are the home to some truly unique natives. Many of these islands were discovered comparatively recently in our history, and...
There were two main goals to the Tayos expedition 2019 – exploring cave entrances and discovering more about the rock formations. Source: All images are copyright Ancient Origins.

Cueva de los Tayos Expedition 2019: Finding Answers in Amazonia

The Cueva de Los Tayos Expedition 2019 was an adventure no one will forget! Our expedition had two main goals – to find more cave entrances and to solve the mystery of the rock formations we called...
Main: Stonehenge, Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire (valeryegorov / Adobe Stock). Inset: Blick Mead (Photo: Tom Lyons via Archaeology.co.uk)

Britain’s First City Discovered and Inhabitants Built Stonehenge

Archaeologists have made an astonishing discovery near England’s famous ancient site of Stonehenge – Britain’s first ever ‘city’, AND its inhabitants were the builders of the world’s most iconic...
An island in Scotland (supakit / Adobe Stock)

1000 Ancient Sites Revealed by Aerial Scan of Scotland’s Arran Island

Archaeologists in Scotland have concluded a cutting-edge archaeological project which has revealed around 1,000 previously unknown archaeological sites on the Isle of Arran. There is an island off...
Taulas of Menorca megaliths

The Taulas of Menorca - Mysterious Megaliths of the Talaiotic People

Located in the Mediterranean Sea are a set of Spanish islands known as the Balearic Islands. One of those island, Menorca, is home to an impressive collection of megalithic stone monuments called the...
View of the ancient Inca City, Machu Picchu, Peru. Source: alekosa /Adobe Stock

Researchers Claim X Marks the Spot for Machu Picchu

The ancient Inca sanctuary of Machu Picchu is considered one of humanity's greatest architectural achievements. Built in a remote Andean setting atop a narrow ridge high above a precipitous river...
Costa Rica Spheres

Who Made the Giant Stone Spheres of Costa Rica?

Many will be familiar with the opening scene of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” where a giant stone sphere nearly crushes Indiana Jones to death. While everyone recognises the movie as a work of fiction,...
Dolmen de Guadalperal in Spain Credit: Rubén Ortega Martín/Raíces de Peralêda

5,000-Year-Old Temple Emerges from Underwater in Spain

An ancient megalithic complex in Spain comparable to England’s Stonehenge has emerged from receding waters in Spain, but within two weeks it might vanish again, forever, if action is not taken now...
Ancient human. Credit: procy_ab / Adobe Stock

Surprise Discovery of 45,000-Year-Old Tools in Mongolia Indicates Early Human Migration

Stone tools uncovered in Mongolia by an international team of archaeologists indicate that modern humans traveled across the Eurasian steppe about 45,000 years ago, about 10,000 years earlier than...
Peering Through Time: Early Mirrors in Mesoamerica - Elite Item and Divination Tool

Peering Through Time: Early Mesoamerican Mirrors for Grooming and Divination

Mirrors are known to have been used by human beings for thousands of years. The earliest examples of manufactured mirrors come from Anatolia (known today as Turkey). These were made from pieces of...
Pictish symbols carved on a standing stone, Aberlemno, Scotland. Source: Stuart /Adobe Stock

Scottish Prof Links Mysterious Pictish Symbols and Distant Gobekli Tepe Signs

The Picts were an ancient race of people who from at least the 1st century AD dominated the northern territories of what is known today as Scotland. In the works of Roman propaganda they are savages...
Are Shamir and Pito the answer to how people performed ancient stonework? Are they the “green chisel” gifted from the gods?          Source: Anjocreatif / Adobe.

Melting Stone With Plants: Was the Mythical 'Green Chisel' A Real Ancient Tool?

Archaeology is not an exact science. It is full of doubts, uncertainties, surprises, and unanswered questions. One of its unsolved mysteries concerns the methods of ancient stone work, which is lost...
Site of discovery of ancient barn carvings . Source: Yücel Şenyurt / Fair Use.

3,500-Year-Old Hittite Hieroglyphs Discovered In Anatolian Cattle Barn

Archaeologists digging in the Gülşehir district of central Nevşehir province in Turkey's historical Cappadocia region have discovered 3,500-year-old Hittite hieroglyphs built into the walls of a barn...

Pages