transportation

The passage of carts over decades could cause ruts (like the one shown), particularly in high-traffic areas of Pompeii.

17 May, 2019 - 12:37 Ed Whelan

Romans in Pompeii Repaired the Roads with Molten Iron

The buried city of Pompeii continues to provide many insights into Roman society , economy, and culture. The ash and pumice , that fell on Pompeii from Mount Vesuvius , froze the city in time. A...

Mari, Syria - A ziggurat near the palace.

1 January, 2017 - 14:36 ancient-origins

Nearly Lost from The Pages of History, Mari Is The Oldest Known Planned City in the World

The 7,000-year-old ancient city of Mari (known today as Tell Hariri) is one of the oldest known cities in the world, located on the west bank of the Euphrates River in what was once northern...

Dezful Bridge: The Oldest Usable Bridge in The World Was Built by 70,000 Roman Prisoners

11 November, 2016 - 21:51 marinasohma

Dezful Bridge: The Oldest Usable Bridge in The World Was Built by 70,000 Roman Prisoners

The city of Dezful, located in present-day southern Iran, once belonged to the ancient and powerful Persian Empire. One of its most iconic landmarks, the Dezful bridge, is the oldest still-standing...

Some of the Abydos boats in their brick-built graves.

21 December, 2015 - 14:48 dhwty

The Abydos Boats: Transporting the Pharaohs Through the Afterlife

The Abydos boats are a fleet of ships discovered in the sands of Abydos, Egypt. Sea vessels played an important role in ancient Egypt, not only in the everyday life of its people, but also in its...

Top New Stories

Medieval lovers. Source: guruXOX / Adobe Stock

Pope Pius II Wrote a Bestselling Erotic Novel Before Turning to the Cloth

Pope Pius II was an unconventional Pope. Before turning to priesthood, he bore children out of wedlock, enjoyed the flames of love, and wrote of adultery, scandal and fiery passion in his erotic story, The Tales of Two Lovers, which became a bestseller of its time.

Archaeologists Unlock the Secrets of the Maya “Spirit of Man” City

Iklaina: The First City State of Mycenaean Culture?

Wars of the Diadochi: Alexander the Great’s Generals Fight For Spoils

Harran, City of Sin, Crusaders And Caliphs

First Complete DNA Sequencing Unveils Truth of Pompeii Victim

Myths & Legends

Legendary Black Knights: Mysterious Medieval Entities of Neutrality

Legendary Black Knights: Mysterious Medieval Entities of Neutrality

Black Knights began to appear in history during the Middle Ages. Since the 13th century, a series of legends mentioning the mysterious Black Knights emerged. Although the Black Knights were said to...

Viking Berserkers – Fierce Warriors or Drug-Fuelled Madmen?

The Penteli Cave Enigma – A Place of Unexplained Phenomena Since Ancient Times

The Truth Behind the Christ Myth: Ancient Origins of the Often Used Legend – Part I

Talos of Crete: A 2,000-Year-Old Tale of the First Robot God

The Origins of the Faeries: Encoded in our Cultures – Part I

Human Origins

A modern human, left, and Neanderthal woman, right.

Research Confirms That 20% of the Neanderthal Genome Can Be Found In Modern Humans

Though it was disputed for many years, there is conclusive evidence that Neanderthals bred with modern humans (Homo sapiens). The first complete mapping of a Neanderthal genome took place about five years ago - supporting the human-Neanderthal hook-up and also showing that Neanderthal DNA in humans is a thing.

The Truth Behind the Christ Myth: Ancient Origins of the Often Used Legend – Part I

Dark Skin and Blue Eyes: European Hunter-Gatherers Did Not Fit with Common Representations

The Origins of the Faeries: Encoded in our Cultures – Part I

Peking Man and China’s Paleontological Nationalism

The human skull that challenges the Out of Africa theory

Ancient Technology

Grinding stone, Dendera Temple, Egypt.

The Evidence is Cut in Stone: A Compelling Argument for Lost High Technology in Ancient Egypt

Most people know of the great construction achievements of the dynastic Egyptians such as the pyramids and temples of the Giza Plateau area as well as the Sphinx. Many books and videos show depictions of vast work forces hewing blocks of stone in the hot desert sun and carefully setting them into place.

Near-Pristine Bronze Age Spear Dated Over 3,000 Years Found in Britain

Ancient Maya Tooth Bling Was Also Good for Oral Hygiene!

Ancient Chinese Earthquake Detector Invented 2,000 Years Ago Really Worked!

Surprising Stone Age Knowledge Revealed on a Mammoth Bone Bracelet

1,200-Year-Old Telephone, Amazing Invention of the Ancient Chimu Civilization

Ancient Places

Pompeii man and woman discovered in the Casa de Fabbro, or House of the Crafsman, in a photograph taken in 1934. Source: Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità

First Complete DNA Sequencing Unveils Truth of Pompeii Victim

The skeletons of a man and woman discovered around 100 years ago, as they were trying to survive the notorious Mount Vesuvius eruption of 79 AD, have been put under the scanner by scientists.

Iklaina: The First City State of Mycenaean Culture?

The mummies of Qilakitsoq and the Inuit baby that captured hearts around the world

Wars of the Diadochi: Alexander the Great’s Generals Fight For Spoils

Home to 20,000, But Who Built it? The Underground City of Derinkuyu

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

Opinion

The Coming Gnostic Civilization, and his most recent book, Sedona: City of the Star People.

The Truth Behind the Christ Myth: Ancient Origins of the Often Used Legend – Part I

What is the origin of the legend of the Christed Son who was born of a virgin on December 25th? I am sure you are familiar with his legend which states that he was born in a manger surrounded by shepherds

Library in Stone: The Ica Stones of Professor Cabrera – Part I

Two Sides to Every Story: The North American Martyrs Shrines and Indigenous/ Roman Catholic Relations

The Origins of the Faeries: Encoded in our Cultures – Part I

Curse of the Buried Pearl: The Hunt for Ancient Treasures – Part I

The Enigma of the Shugborough Inscription

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 exist 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.

Ancient Image Galleries

View from the Castle Gate (Burgtor). (Public Domain)

Door surrounded by roots of Tetrameles nudiflora in the Khmer temple of Ta Phrom, Angkor temple complex, located today in Cambodia. (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Cable car in the Xihai (West Sea) Grand Canyon (CC BY-SA 4.0)