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Shows Dr. Catherine Frieman in a field in Cornwall with survey equipment. Credit: ANU.

2 April, 2018 - 13:59 ancient-origins

Property Owner Reports ‘Lump’ on His Land – Archaeologists Find 4,000-Year-Old Burial Mound

An Archaeologist at The Australian National University (ANU) has discovered a prehistoric Bronze-Age barrow , or burial mound, on a hill in Cornwall and is about to start excavating the untouched...

L-R: An iron involuted brooch, copper alloy horn-cap, dress pin and cauldron that were found at the site.

28 November, 2017 - 18:40 Theodoros Karasavvas

Ancient British Bake Off? Cauldrons Fit for Feasting Found at Iron Age Settlement

The wealth of evidence found suggests there were many mouths being fed at an Iron Age settlement in the UK that looks to have developed into a regional center for ceremonies and feasting. A Unique...

Top image: Archaeologists looking at aerial photography found what they thought to be a hidden long barrow, or Neolithic burial chamber, hidden beneath a wheat field.

22 November, 2017 - 02:02 ancient-origins

No Bones Provides a New Perspective for ‘House of the Dead’

This summer, the University of Reading Archaeology Field School excavated one of the most extraordinary sites we have ever had the pleasure of investigating. The site is an Early Neolithic long...

Squirrels – ancient messengers from the underworld (Public Domain) and squirrel tracks

20 November, 2017 - 18:59 Jonny Enoch

Squirrel! Fuzzy Messengers from the Ancient Underworld? The Little-Known Archetype in Mythology

When it comes to archetypal spirit guides, often the focus is upon ferocious guardians and large, intimidating beasts. However, one of the most important, yet overlooked animals in world mythology is...

13 September, 2017 - 18:59 Anthony Adolph

The Rocks, Stained Red with Blood: A Son of Hercules Slew Giants at Salcombe, Devon?

The myth of Brutus of Troy is well over a thousand years old, yet it continues to fascinate and current scholarship seeks to find new truths hidden in its mossy folds. John Clark’s excellent paper ‘...

Various images of the find including a close up of the supposed Cupid figure

5 September, 2017 - 14:00 Gary Manners

Who’s Who of Greek Mythology Depicted on the Most Exciting Roman Mosaic Found in the UK in 50 Years

A rare and unexpected find that could be one of the UK’s most spectacular Roman mosaics, containing designs based on Greek legend, has been partially revealed during a community archaeology project...

Archaeologists looking at aerial photography found a hidden long barrow, or Neolithic burial chamber, hidden beneath a wheat field Credit: Archaeological Field School, University of Reading

15 July, 2017 - 23:01 Theodoros Karasavvas

Neolithic Burial Mound Uncovered Near Stonehenge

A Neolithic burial mound near Stonehenge that experts refer to as the “House of the Dead” has been discovered in Wiltshire, England. According to archaeologists, the newly found tumulus in the Vale...

5 January, 2017 - 02:21 Charles Christian

Skeletons in the Attic and Babes in the Wood: Surprising and Spooky Yuletide Traditions

Although we nowadays associate ‘Happy Holidays’ with celebrations during Advent and the run-up to Christmas Day and then on to New Year’s Eve (or Hogmanay in Scotland) not that many years ago the ‘...

2 October, 2016 - 01:01 Alicia McDermott

Monumental 6000-Year-Old Long Barrow Unearthed in England

Excavations have begun at a 6,000-year-old long barrow found northeast of Cirencester in the Cotswolds, England. The prehistoric burial monument was created by some of the first farmers in the area...

21 April, 2016 - 03:52 dhwty

Fingal’s Cave: A Spectacular Sea Cave of Irish Legends and Modern Inspiration

Fingal’s Cave is a natural feature located on the island of Staffa, in the Inner Hebrides, Scotland. It has been stated that during the 18th century AD, Staffa was inhabited by 16 people. Today,...

17 April, 2016 - 22:05 dhwty

The Monumental and Mysterious Silbury Hill

Silbury Hill is a prehistoric site located near Stonehenge and Avebury (a Neolithic henge monument) in the southwestern English county of Wiltshire. Silbury Hill has been measured to be 30 m (98.4252...

Skeleton of one of the individuals unearthed in Hildersham.

12 April, 2016 - 00:53 Natalia Klimczak

Workers Building Parishioners a Toilet Unearth a Mass Anglo-Saxon Grave

A group of more than 40 skeletons was found during the building of a new toilet for the parishioners of a church in Hildersham, Cambridgeshire, UK. The remains are about 900 years old. According to...

An artist’s reconstruction of life at Star Carr, where recent excavations have uncovered evidence of a thriving Mesolithic settlement.

26 February, 2016 - 21:44 Mark Miller

Enigmatic Engraved Pendant from Stone Age Site is the Oldest in Britain

The oldest known engraved pendant in Britain, a small piece of shale dating back about 11,000 years, has been discovered at a Stone Age site in Yorkshire, England. Archaeologists found the pendant at...

29 November, 2015 - 04:07 valdar

Moments from the Life and Reign of Queen Victoria of Great Britain

The famous Queen Victoria set the tone for Britain’s era of industrial expansion and empire. Though often recalled as wearing black mourning clothes and having a strict code of morality, she was said...

19 March, 2015 - 02:44 lizleafloor

The Mysterious Tjipetir Blocks - Dark Slabs with Cryptic Writing Found on Beaches Across Europe

A woman was walking along the sea on a beach in Cornwall, England in 2012, when she by chance spotted a dark tablet in the sand, inscribed with a strange word. She shrugged off the curiosity. But a...

21 May, 2014 - 00:28 ancient-origins

Mystery Hill Megaliths May Be 4,000 Years Old—Did Celts Build It?

By Tara MacIsaac , Epoch Times Studying the origins of the aptly named Mystery Hill megaliths, also known as America’s Stonehenge, whets one’s curiosity but does not satisfy—unless one is satisfied...

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Myths & Legends

The Epic of Gilgamesh. Source: Luca Oleastri / Adobe.

The Epic of Gilgamesh Unveiled: Searching For a Way to the Home Planet

In contrast to many theorists, this unconventional retelling of key parts of the Epic explores the idea that Gilgamesh was not searching for life eternal on Earth, as has been suggested as the theme of the Epic, but was instead searching for the means of transport to return to his goddess mother Ninsun’s home planet in the heavens.

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

The Epic of Gilgamesh Unveiled: Enlightenment and Source of Religions

Say the Magic Word: The Origins of Abracadabra

The Menhune of Hawaii – Ancient Race or Fictional Fairytale?

The notorious and much feared ancient order of Hashshashins

Human Origins

Work using the Statue of Gilgamesh and Lamassu. Source: CC BY 4.0

The Epic of Gilgamesh Unveiled: Enlightenment and Source of Religions

This retelling of key parts of the Epic explores the unconventional idea that Gilgamesh was not searching for life eternal on Earth, as has been suggested as the theme of the Epic, but was instead searching for the means of transport to return to his goddess mother Ninsun’s home planet in the heavens. Taking poetic licence, the author merges some ideas from modern science and technology with the story from the ancient text.

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

The Pagan Wheel of the Year: What Elaborate Rituals and Events Mark this Sacred Cycle?

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

Pharaoh Akhenaten: An Alternative View of the Heretic King

Are the Distinctive Kalash People of Pakistan Really Descendants of Alexander the Great’s Army?

Ancient Technology

An ancient Roman road at Leptis Magna, Libya

Ancient Journeys: What was Travel Like for the Romans?

It was not uncommon for the ancient Romans to travel long distances all across Europe. Actually during the Roman Empire, Rome had an incredible road network which extended from northern England all...

Mummy Brown – the 16th century paint made from ground up mummies

Why Are There 365 Days in a Year? Organizing Dates with an Ancient Egyptian Calendar

Romans Had Ancient Tech for Creating Seismic Invisibility Cloak Around Monuments

The incredible earthquake detector invented nearly 2,000 years ago

Romans in Pompeii Repaired the Roads with Molten Iron

Ancient Places

Royal Palace at Ebla. Source: CC BY-SA 3.0

First Kingdoms: The Forgotten Mesopotamian Kingdom of Ebla

Spectacular things were happening in Mesopotamia in the period we call the Early Bronze Age, particularly in the southern part of it, commonly called Babylonia.

Sumer: Where Written Language, Arithmetic and Civilization Were Born

The Great Ziggurat of Ur

Homer’s Iliad Casts Doubt on the Aegean Location of Troy

A Monumental Cover Up? Why did Gobekli Tepe End Up in the Dirt?

The Mysterious Dolmens of the Caucasus

Opinion

Mysterious Worlds: Travels to the Faerie and Shamanic Realms

There are many accounts of a land of immortality and eternal youth in world myths and legends, as well as shamanic and indigenous spiritual traditions. Mysterious Worlds Writing in his recent work,...

Pharaoh Akhenaten: An Alternative View of the Heretic King

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

Cracking the Code to Discover Ancient Tarot Symbolism and Forgotten Universal Knowledge

The Secret Strategic Plans of Darius the Great

The Secrets of the Kabbalists Garden

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.

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