storytelling

Herodotus, by Jean-Guillaume Moitte, relief 1806.

20 October, 2016 - 17:08 MartiniF

Herodotus, Cato the Censor and Josephus: Understanding the Life and Times of Historians of the Ancient World

For thousands of years, we turned to history to explain the what, why and how an event happened. Although “historian” did not become a professional occupation until the late nineteenth century, the...

Myths & Legends

Glastonbury Tor. Source: vlorzor / Adobe. Inset: Representational image of a skeleton.

The Glastonbury Giant: Who Did the Mystery Bones of A Nine Foot Skeleton Belong To?

When researching the reality of giants in the past, one story which has survived the ages is the apparent discovery of the ‘Glastonbury Giant’ which was allegedly unearthed in 1190, on orders of King Henry II, following rumors that the legendary King Arthur was in fact buried at that specific location.

Batman Existed in Mesoamerican Mythology and His Name Was Camazotz

Ragnar Lothbrok: A Real Viking Hero Whose Life Became Lost to Legend

Enki: The Epic Mesopotamian Water God Who Saved Humanity

Lilith: Adam’s First Wife in Eden or a Diabolical Demoness?

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

Human Origins

Chichén Itzá’s shadow revealed during the spring equinox on Kukulcán.

Chichen Itza's Shadows: Unexpected Light Shed on Ancient Maya

What we see is not always what we expect, whether from nature or man-made. This is often true with archaeological remains of cities or human settlement, when new discoveries shed unexpected light on...

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

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

The Secret Life of an Ancient Concubine

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

Sky Burial: Tibet’s Ancient Tradition for Honoring the Dead

Ancient Technology

Two small figures guard the table holding the Buddha’s relics. Are they spearmen, or robots?

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

As early as Homer, more than 2,500 years ago, Greek mythology explored the idea of automatons and self-moving devices. By the third century BC, engineers in Hellenistic Alexandria, in Egypt, were building real mechanical robots and machines.

Secrets Behind the Creepy Plague Doctor Mask and Costume

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

Mysterious GodSelf Icon Found Worldwide: Lost Symbol of an Ancient Global Religion?

Was the Baghdad Battery a medical device?

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

Ancient Places

Chichen Itza's Shadows: Unexpected Light Shed on Ancient Maya

The Lost Gardens of Heligan: Rediscovering a Centuries-Old Paradise

Competing for the Title of the Oldest House in England - Luddesdown Court and Saltford Manor

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

Pindai Caves, Once Home to the Lapita People and Extinct Species

The Macabre Capela dos Ossos: Why was it Decorated with the Dead?

Opinion

Naupa Iglesia: An Egyptian Portal in the Andes?

Halfway up a near-vertical ravine in the Andes, someone carved an inverted V-shaped entrance into the mountainside. Then they sliced the bedrock with great precision to create a shallow door that...

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

Mount Shasta: Spirits and Danger on a Sacred California Mountain

Mysterious Worlds: Travels to the Faerie and Shamanic Realms

Pharaoh Akhenaten: An Alternative View of the Heretic King

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

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.