Travel

Mayflower II, a replica of the famous Mayflower ship

24 November, 2020 - 21:02 Natalia Klimczak

Trailing the Mayflower - The Iconic Ship of a Pilgrim Voyage to the New World

One of the most famous voyages from England to Virginia was on the Mayflower. This ship became the symbol of the search for a new life and pilgrimage to the New World in the 17th century. 2020 marks...

25 October, 2020 - 20:58 Joanna Gillan

10 Must-Visit Sites in Cappadocia

The Cappadocia region in central Turkey has one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world. The deep valleys and soaring rock formations are dotted with numerous archaeological wonders. There...

A Wa'a Kaulua (double canoe) of Hawaiian Nobility of the 18th Century. Polynesia was inhabited by skilled seafarers.

26 August, 2020 - 23:49 Caleb Strom

Where Did the Polynesians Really Come From?

Oceania was the last region to be settled by humans and the last part of Oceania to be settled by humans was Polynesia. Polynesians are famous for their voyages to remote islands in distant parts of...

There are many hidden travel destinations in India. Source: Roop Dey / Adobe Stock.

5 February, 2020 - 01:50 Saurav Ranjan Datta

Odd and Inexplicable Places in India Even Indians Don’t Know About!

A land of mysteries, a civilization which has endured several mutations, India is indeed a myriad of many contradictions and paradoxes. As the famous BBC correspondent Mark Tully would say, ‘there...

Reconstruction of Otzi the Iceman by Alfons & Adrie Kennis. (Thilo Parg/CC BY SA 3.0) View looking down westwards to the Ötzi site. (J.H. Dickson et al)

31 October, 2019 - 22:01 ashley cowie

Moss Reveals New Route For Otzi's Death Walk

His 5,300-year-old mummy contained traces of 75 plant species and reveal that Ötzi (Otzi) the Iceman climbed through the Schnalstal valley in Italy. The naturally mummified, 5,300-year-old corpse is...

Peru, old Incan road in the canyon Cotahuasi.

9 October, 2019 - 02:20 dhwty

Inca Empire Constructed Over 40,000 Kms of Roads and Superhighways in 100 Years

The Inca Empire was a superpower that was centered on the western coast of South America. This prevailing civilization flourished between the 15th and 16th centuries, and at its height of power it...

A representation of what human teleportation could look like.

13 September, 2019 - 01:29 johnblack

One Step Closer to ‘Beam Me Up’? Teleportation is Possible…At Least at the Quantum Level

Have you ever seen Star Trek? If so, you must be familiar with characters being ‘beamed’ from one spacecraft to another, or to a planet. While Star Trek is fictional, there are some concepts...

Viking explorers Source: Vlastimil Šesták / Adobe Stock

18 August, 2019 - 18:39 Dr Pat Hanratty

Pre-Columbian Explorers in the Americas: The Hard Evidence

These days, few people still believe Christopher Columbus was the first explorer to travel to the “New World.” But there is still a debate over whether adventurers and explorers from Europe, Asia,...

31 July, 2019 - 07:59 Nathan Falde

Anti-Gravity Research May Pave the Way for Warp Speed Travel

Researchers at CERN (the European Organisation for Nuclear Research) are looking for experimental confirmation to establish the existence of antigravity . The secrets of antigravity may be unlocked,...

2 September, 2018 - 14:03 Ed Whelan

First Swedish City was Metropolis of Viking-Era Immigrants

Researchers in Sweden have made an important discovery about one of the first cities in Sweden. They have conducted tests on a number of skeletons in Sigtuna and have found that many were Viking era...

25 February, 2018 - 18:56 Mary A Joyce

Did Jesus of Nazareth Travel to the Far East?

It is a mistake to think there wasn’t international travel during Jesus’ time. As this map of ancient merchant routes shows, the known world was linked by land and sea. Perhaps with some helpful...

An artist’s imaginary depiction of a pharaoh burning herbs in a ritual.

2 December, 2017 - 22:55 aprilholloway

Dealing in the Past: How Did Ancient Egyptians Get Nicotine and Cocaine?

Today, many people believe that Christopher Columbus was not the first non-American to set foot in the New World. The Vikings, Chinese , Greeks , and Italians may have all been his predecessors...

Paintings in the Kapova cave (Southern Urals).

29 November, 2017 - 23:01 Alicia McDermott

A Double-humped Camel Provides Clues to Long-distance Paleolithic Travel

Researchers have discovered an unexpected painting after graffiti was removed at a cave in the Southern Urals – a double-humped camel. Now they are explaining what it means about Upper Paleolithic...

Detail of a relief of Herodotus by Jean-Guillaume Moitte, 1806. Cour Carrée in the Louvre Palace, Paris, France.

5 November, 2017 - 12:49 dhwty

Picking Apart the Words of Herodotus: Was He a Father of Histories or Lies?

“I owe it to tell what is being told, but I by no means owe it to believe it”. Herodotus, [Book 7.153-2] Herodotus was an ancient Greek writer who lived during the 5th century BC. He was born in what...

12 August, 2017 - 22:52 Clyde Winters

Forgotten Voyagers: The Ancient Mexican Merchants Who Took to the Seas

“They were all young, well built and not black but fairer than the other natives I have seen in the Indies. They were handsome with fine limbs and bodies, and long straight hair cut in the Spanish...

22 July, 2017 - 19:08 ancient-origins

Mysterious Map Emerges at the Dawn of the Egyptian Civilization and Depicts Antarctica Without Ice – Who Made it?

On a chilly winter day in 1929, Halil Edhem, the Director of Turkey's National Museum, was hunched over his solitary task of classifying documents. He pulled towards him a map drawn on Roe deer skin...

Pages

Myths & Legends

The Dogon’s Extraordinary Knowledge of the Cosmos and the Cult of Nommo

France, 1920: Marcel Griaule is a young man who is very well-established in his studies, especially in mathematics. He has recently served as a volunteer in the French Air Force and aspires to attend the prestigious Lycée Louis le Grande.

Has the King Arthur Gene Been Traced?

The Dark Reputation of the Dunmore Cave of Ireland

Were the Merovingians Descended from a Monster? Meet the Quinotaur

Legendary Black Knights: Mysterious Medieval Entities of Neutrality

Baba Yaga: The Wicked Witch of Slavic Folklore

Human Origins

The Faces of Ancient Hominids Brought to Life in Remarkable Detail

Several years ago, a team of scientists from the Senckenberg Research Institute in Frankfurt, Germany, set out to put a human face to ancient hominid species that once walked the Earth.

Research Confirms that Neanderthal DNA Makes Up About 20% of the Modern Human Genome

The ‘Dynastic Race’ and the Biblical ‘Japheth’ – Part I: After the Deluge

The Controversial Lapedo Child – A Neanderthal / Human Hybrid?

The Mythological Maori Origin Stories of New Zealand

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

Ancient Technology

Catapult: The Long-Reaching History of a Prominent Medieval Siege Engine

One of the most iconic images of the European Middle Ages is the castle. This defensive structure was often heavily fortified and provided its inhabitants with much-needed safety. It was usually quite difficult for an enemy to capture a castle, and for that, an attacking army needed siege engines.

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

Secrets Behind the Creepy Plague Doctor Mask and Costume

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

Egyptian Blue – The Oldest Known Artificial Pigment

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

Ancient Places

Tollund Man – the preserved face from Prehistoric Denmark and the tale of ritual sacrifice

Tollund Man is the naturally mummified body of a man who lived during the 4th century BC, during the period characterised in Scandinavia as the Pre-Roman Iron Age. He was hanged as a sacrifice to the...

Varna Man and the Wealthiest Grave of the 5th Millennium BC

Kidd Mine Ontario: The World's Oldest Pool of Water

Ten incredible underwater discoveries that have captured our imagination

The Great Serpent Mound of Ohio, the Largest Earthen Effigy in the World

Unravelling the Mystery Behind the East Bay Walls: Who Really Made Them and Why?

Opinion

Unearthing Ancient Magic in The Runes –Messages with Hidden Symbols and Powerful Numbers

The etymology of the word “rune” means: “to carve, or to cut.” In Low German the word is “raunen.” As the runes were cut and carved into wood, metal or stone, the word “rune” was analogous to the rune letters themselves.

Petroglyphic Features of Portable Rock Art

The Northern Mysteries Current: Futhark and Mystery Schools of the Viking Age

Was There Ever a Trojan War?

Floki and the Viking Discovery of Iceland

Messiah on Temple Mount: Are We Nearing the End of Time?

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.