Stupa

Ajina-Tepa remain in Tajikistan Source: Aleksandar/ Adobe Stock

22 January, 2020 - 01:35 Ed Whelan

Ajina-Tepa, Tajikistan – Abandoned Buddhist Cloister on the Famous Silk Road

Although Central Asia is no longer inundated by tourists, in the past it was a dynamic and diverse area, largely thanks to the Silk Road . One of the many remarkable sites in this region is the...

11 January, 2020 - 02:03 Ed Whelan

Kuruhinna Tharaagandu, Maldives’ Forgotten Buddhist Past

The Maldives is a tropical paradise that attracts visitors from all over the world. There is, however, more to the beautiful island nation than pristine beaches and an abundance of sunshine. It has a...

A Buddhist stupa at Thotlakonda Buddhist Monastery

29 October, 2019 - 22:02 Ed Whelan

Heavy Rain Reduces Indian Buddhist Stupa to Rubble

In India, archaeologists and historians have been shocked by the sudden collapse of a restored 2200-year-old Buddhist stupa at a monastery in India. The monument half-collapsed after a prolonged...

Ancient Buddhist text discovered near Mes Aynak, Afghanistan

29 July, 2019 - 23:02 ashley cowie

Rare Ancient Buddhist Text Discovered In Doomed Temple Super-Complex Near Kabul

Archaeologists in Afghanistan have discovered exceptionally rare pieces of an ancient Buddhist manuscript dated to around the seventh century AD at an ancient settlement near Kabul. In the spring of...

8 February, 2019 - 01:46 Ed Whelan

Bojjannakonda, India: The Hill of the Buddha Where Kings and Nobles Donated Countless Treasures

Buddhism is one of the most well-known spiritual traditions in India and its long history in the country has resulted in many spectacular and significant Buddhist sites and ruins. These include...

6 December, 2018 - 01:45 Michelle Freson

Somapura Mahavihara: The Most Spectacular Pre-Islamic Monument in Bangladesh

Somapura Mahavihara is an 8th century Buddhist monastery and an important archaeological site located in Paharpur, Bangladesh. It is one of the five great mahaviharas, (meaning great vihara or large...

9 September, 2016 - 21:45 Mark Miller

22 Ancient Gold Plates Inscribed with Names of Gods Unearthed in Stone Box in Java

Twenty-two small gold plates with divine symbols and characters have been unearthed in central Java, a large island in the Indonesian archipelago. When archaeologists went to investigate, they found...

1 July, 2016 - 00:50 Alicia McDermott

Mini Golden Coffin Found in Crypt May Hold Skull Bone of Buddha

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...

19 January, 2016 - 14:44 Mark Miller

Shelters from the Storm: More Ancient Buddhist Caves Found in Mumbai

Seven caves that served as shelters from monsoons for Buddhist monks more than 2,000 years ago (and even into the 1990s) have been discovered in the forests of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in...

The spectacular architecture of Angkor Wat, Cambodia

7 July, 2015 - 03:58 SACHIN KUMAR TIWARY

Tracing Indo-Cambodian relations through Magnificent Stupa Architecture - Part 2

Over the centuries, there was a great influence of art, culture, literature, and architecture from India to Cambodia. But after a certain time, when Cambodia and India become the cultural, religious...

7 July, 2015 - 01:06 SACHIN KUMAR TIWARY

Tracing Indo-Cambodian relations through Magnificent Stupa Architecture

Southeast Asia was under Indian influence from around the 3 rd century BC until the 15th century AD, when Hindu - Buddhist influence was absorbed by local politics. India had established trade,...

The Patan Durbar Square, one of four plazas that remain that were home to the Nepalese royal family, before and after the earthquake.

27 April, 2015 - 21:51 Mark Miller

Nepal Tragedy: Devastating Loss of Human Life and Ancient Heritage

At least 4,000 people have been killed and more than 100,000 left homeless in the worst earthquake to have hit Nepal in more than 80 years. Along with the ever growing loss of life, the disaster has...

21 March, 2015 - 03:56 lizleafloor

Large, Rare Statue Portraying the Death of Buddha Unearthed at Ancient Bahmala Stupa Site

Two rare and ancient Buddha statues have been unearthed at the Bhamala Stupa site in Pakistan. The largest ever statue found at the site depicts the death of ancient sage Buddha. A second statue...

16 June, 2014 - 12:26 dhwty

The magnificent ancient Buddhist Temple of Borobudur

Indonesia is the country with the largest Muslim population in the world. Prior to the coming of Islam, however, this archipelago was dominated by Hinduism and Buddhism. One of the most iconic...

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

The Disturbing True Story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin

The Powerful Symbol of the Swastika and its 12,000 Year History

Lilith: Ancient Demon, Dark Deity or Sensual Goddess?

The Sumerian King List still puzzles historians after more than a century of research

Human Origins

The human skull that challenges the Out of Africa theory

This is the account of the discovery of a skull that has the potential to change what we know about human evolution, and a suppression and cover-up which followed. In 1959, in an area called...

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

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

The Outstanding Story of Osiris: His Myth, Symbols, and Significance in Ancient Egypt

Asherah: God’s Forgotten Wife

Mount Shasta: Spirits and Danger on a Sacred California Mountain

Ancient Technology

Secrets Behind the Creepy Plague Doctor Mask and Costume

The plague doctor mask is one of the most recognizable symbols of the Black Death. Though the image is iconic the relationship may be a little anachronistic. While plague doctors have been plying their trade since the Middle Ages, it was only after this period, during the 17th century, that they acquired their creepy trademark costume. But what does it mean?

Ten amazing inventions from ancient times

Taking a ‘Knapp’ With Our Ancient Ancestors - Stone Tools Through the Ages

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

The revolutionary invention of the wheel

Wootz Steel: The Mysterious Metal that Was Used in Deadly Damascus Blades

Ancient Places

The Bosnian Pyramids: One of the Greatest Finds Ever?

In 2020, as we begin a new decade, Dr Sam Osmanagich and The Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun Foundation is celebrating its 15th year since multidisciplinary investigations of the Bosnian Pyramids began.

The Rarely Told Story of Pre-Colonial Philippines

Why Isn’t This Map in the History Books?

Greby Grave Field: Final Resting Place of Scottish Warriors Theory Debunked

L'Anse aux Meadows: Discovery of Norse settlement in Canada Proved Viking Sagas Contain Real History

Anglo-Saxon Abbey where Lusty King Edgar was Crowned, Found!

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.