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The historic Buddhist icon Emerald Buddha at Wat Phra Kaew temple. Source: JPSwimmer / CC BY-SA 3.0

The Sacred Emerald Buddha: A Message of Peace

The religion of Buddhism has several sacred icons, but one of the most sacred is the famous Emerald Buddha. Housed in a temple named after it, the Emerald Buddha is an essential aspect of Buddhist...
A modern monk walks into Shaolin Temple, famous for its kung-fu warriors, located in the high mountains of Henan, China.                Source: Daniel / Adobe Stock

The Historic Struggle of China’s Culturally Rich Shaolin Temple

The still famous and active Shaolin Temple monastery is best known as the birthplace of Shaolin Kung Fu and Chan Buddhism, a traditional Chinese subtype of Mahayana Buddhism. Also called Shaolin...
The entrance to the Ganesha Gumpha section of the Udayagiri cave complex. Source:  Paramanu Sarkar / CC BY SA 4.0

Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves: Intricate Jain Monuments to Faith

There is an incredible archaeological site just outside the city of Bhubaneswar in Odisha, India that attracts thousands of tourists each year. The Udayagiri caves are part natural, part man-made...
An inscribed section of an altar stone in situ at one of the two Roman temples discovered in Herwin-Hemeling in the Netherlands near the German border. Source: ©RAAP

First Roman Temples from 2,000 Years Ago Found in the Netherlands

Dutch archaeologists from the private archaeological consulting firm RAAP recently uncovered the remains of a 2,000-year-old Roman temple complex in the Netherlands. While religious sanctuaries...
An amazing wooden mask found among the latest Aztec artifacts’ discoveries at Templo Mayor in central Mexico City. Source: Mirsa Islas Orozco / INAH

Mexican Archaeologists Find Over 2,500 Rare Wooden Aztec Artifacts!

Archaeologists in Mexico unearthed one of the largest and most impressive collections of Aztec artifacts ever found, just northeast of the central plaza of Mexico City. This incredible Aztec artifact...
The altar of the Ateshgah Baku fire temple in the capital of Azerbaijan. Source: vadim.nefedov / Adobe Stock

The Ateshgah Baku Fire Temple: Built On an Azerbaijan Natural Gas Vent

The Ateshgah Baku fire temple, located in the capital of Azerbaijan, was built over a natural gas vent, and constructed between the late 17th and early 18th centuries AD. There is evidence, however,...
Temple Destruction in India Causes Karnataka Religious Storm

Temple Destruction in India Causes Karnataka Religious Storm

Nanjanagudu is located in India’s ancient Mysuru (Mysore) district and is home to Srikanteshwara Temple, an ancient, important Hindu pilgrimage site. For this reason, the Nanjanagudu area is a holy...
A rare Phrygian temple was found to lie beneath the famous Maltas monument in Turkey and more will surely be found in the subterranean levels of the site.   Source: Anadolu Agency

Phrygian Temple Found Beneath the Famous Maltas Monument in Turkey

For almost 100 years archaeologists in Turkey thought they knew everything about the famous 7th-century-BC Maltaş monument. That just changed, after a 40-day emergency excavation revealed the rock-...
The so-called Abraham house at the Ur archaeological complex in southern Iraq is said to be the birthplace of the prophet Abraham (Ibrahim in Arabic). The "latest" Mesopotamian city discovered near Tell al-Duhaila is less than 20 miles (31 km) from Ur.      Source: Aziz1005 / CC BY 4.0

4,000-Year-Old Mesopotamian City Discovered In the Shadow Of Ur

A 4,000-year-old urban settlement has been discovered on the road to Ur in modern Iraq. Researchers suspect the discovery represents a lost Mesopotamian city capital that was founded on the ashes of...
Ta’ Cenc dolmen, one of the best-preserved Megalithic dolmens in Malta, sits on the edge of the Ta' Cenc Cliffs.

Secrets Of The Stones: Malta’s Lesser-Known Megalithic Design

Malta’s prehistory is as dazzling as it is opaque. The excavations and research by archaeologists and other academics have been incredibly thorough, and have helped to create fantastic insights into...
Myanmar Violence Spreads to Ancient Temples of Bagan

Myanmar Violence Spreads to Ancient Temples of Bagan

Police in Myanmar have opened fire on protesters in Bagan, the former ancient capital and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, bringing even more destruction to one of the world’s oldest religious centers...
Crimes And Conspiracies Continue At Ancient Caral Site In Central Peru

Crimes And Conspiracies Continue At Ancient Caral Site In Central Peru

Along the rust colored, arid, and rocky costal valleys of North Central Peru, within the Supe Valley resides an extensive archaeological site known as Caral. This is one of the most important...
Kedarnath temple is the first on the Panch Kedar pilgrimage and is visited by thousands of pilgrims every year. Source: Sushant Pandey / Knowledge of India

Atoning for Your Sins in the Himalayas: The Panch Kedar Pilgrimage

India is generally associated with two remarkable features: the vast Himalayan mountain range, which hosts some of the highest peaks in the world, and for being the birthplace of religions. Hinduism...
The Forum, Roman ruins      Source: sborisov / Adobe Stock

The Forum: Epicenter of the Mighty Roman Empire

Italy takes pride in its long history and is home to some of the most famous architectural monuments, as well as archaeological locations. The Roman Forum was the heart, not only of the city, but...
Temple Khajuraho, India

Khajuraho: The Sexiest Temples in India

The Khajuraho temple complex is a series of beautifully built and decorated buildings in Madhya Pradesh. Of the 85 temples originally built by the Chandela dynasty between 900 AD and 1130 AD, only 25...
Ancient site of Göbeklitepe in Turkey, the oldest temple in the world. Source: JB Press / CC BY-SA 2.0)

Was Göbeklitepe An Ancient Temple of Sacrifice?

Göbeklitepe, the world’s oldest temple , is around 12,000 years old. It was built by hunter-gatherers in the pre-pottery Neolithic period, before writing and the wheel were invented. Göbeklitepe has...
LiDAR image revealing Maya structures beneath the jungle canopy in Guatemala

Laser Scans Reveal 60,000 Previously Unknown Maya Structures Hidden in Guatemalan Jungle!

In a monumental archaeological discovery, whose magnitude hasn’t been seen in decades, an aerial survey over northern Guatemala revealed tens of thousands of Maya structures, including pyramids,...
Shinto painting from manuscript of Todaiji, Nara, Japan

Purification as the Core of the Ancient Shinto Faith

A ritual based religion, Shintoism is defined as "the way of the gods" in Japan, from the Chinese Shendao. It is the indigenous religion of the country, and survives today as the state religion,...
False Doors: The Gateways to the Egyptian Underworld

False Doors: The Gateways to the Egyptian Underworld

As the name would suggest, a false door is an imitation door usually found in mortuary temples and tombs across ancient Egypt. Facing west, these doors served as an imaginary passage between the...
A view of the Ancient Pagoda in the Ayuthaya World Heritage park.

The Powerful Past of the Former Siamese Capital Revealed in the Splendor of 400 Temples

Long ago, the city of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya was a global center of economics and commerce. Within a few centuries of being founded, the city grew to having a population of one million inhabitants...
Temple at Ceibal site, Guatemala

LiDAR Lifts the Veil on the Oldest Known Maya Settlement in Guatemala

With the help of airborne laser mapping technology, a team of archaeologists, led by University of Arizona professor Takeshi Inomata, is exploring on a larger scale than ever before the history and...
Finding Zen in the World’s Most Famous Rock Garden

Finding Zen in the World’s Most Famous Rock Garden

Ryōanji, translated as Peaceful Dragon Temple, is a Zen Temple located in the northwestern part of Kyoto, Japan. This well-known temple was built during the 15th century, and is today best known for...
Engravings, Passageways, and Intriguing Stone Monuments: The Astronomical Temples of Loughcrew

Engravings, Passageways, and Intriguing Stone Monuments: The Astronomical Temples of Loughcrew

It is probably not possible to tell when humans first began to wonder about the stars, the sun, and the moon or try to understand their motion, though there is evidence of a lunar calendar being used...
The King of Beasts That Have Witnessed the Rise and Fall of Ancient Civilizations

The King of Beasts That Have Witnessed the Rise and Fall of Ancient Civilizations

Lions are often said to be the kings of all animals. They are also a symbol of power and popular archetypes for influential rulers. Most civilizations have depicted these regal animals in their...

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