Warriors

Krishna driving a chariot with Arjun behind in Mahabharata

10 August, 2017 - 18:59 dhwty

The Supernatural Weapons of the Mahabharata and Their World Destroying Power

In many world mythologies, the characters in the myths are often given supernatural weapons. In Greek mythology, for instance, Zeus has his thunderbolts, whilst the Norse god Thor has his magic...

9 August, 2017 - 22:55 Theodoros Karasavvas

Butchered Dogs Consumed by Bronze Age Wolf Warriors in Rites Ceremonies

Archaeologists claim that remains of dogs and wolves found at the Srubnaya-culture settlement of Krasnosamarskoe in the Russian steppes, dating back to 1900–1700 BC, indicate that a ritual took place...

Left: Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Right: Warrior heroine Saikal

30 May, 2017 - 14:00 ancient-origins

Selling Sex: Wonder Woman and the Ancient Fantasy of Lady Warriors That Goes Back Millennia

When the film Wonder Woman is released in early June, it will surely join the blockbuster ranks of other recent comic book-inspired film franchises. Wonder Woman has long been a bestselling creation...

Saint Columba converting King Brude of the Picts to Christianity, Scottish National Portrait Gallery

13 May, 2017 - 01:42 ancient-origins

Does the Fierce Reputation of The Picts Reflect Reality?

It’s not that the Picts, a group of British Isle inhabitants, were that different from native Britons around the fourth century, a historian suggests in a new book. It’s just that Julius Caesar didn’...

4 February, 2017 - 22:50 dhwty

Blenda: The Cunning and Courageous Swedish Woman Who Defeated the Danish Army

Blenda is a heroine found in Swedish myths and legends. It is unclear as to exactly when she lived, but according to the legends, her heroic deeds took place during the time when Alle was the King of...

4 December, 2016 - 03:49 ancient-origins

How Ancient Warriors Coped with the Brutality of War

As many as 7% of armed forces personnel suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and that figure is expected to rise as the full impact of a decade of war in the Middle East makes itself felt. But...

24 November, 2016 - 03:57 ancient-origins

Why There Is So Much Backlash to the Theory that Greek Art Inspired China’s Terracotta Army

Archaeological discoveries in China rarely get noticed. Recently, though, mitochondrial DNA tests conducted on human remains from Xinjiang, China’s westernmost province, got the attention of...

12 October, 2016 - 21:44 aprilholloway

Controversial New Theory Suggests Ancient Greeks Helped Build Terracotta Army in China

New research suggests that Western explorers reached China more than 1,500 years before Marco Polo’s historic trip to the East, making it the first documented contact between Western and Chinese...

6 April, 2016 - 14:48 Adrienne Mayor

The Eagle Huntress: New Generations of Eagle Huntresses in Kazakhstan and Mongolia – Part II

Nomad Women Have Hunted with Eagles since Antiquity The ancient practice of eagle hunting is carried on today by a few hundred nomadic Kazakhs in Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Xinjiang (...

FIG 1.2. Tuva monument, mounted nomad archeress and falconer

5 April, 2016 - 14:45 Adrienne Mayor

The Eagle Huntress: Ancient Traditions, and Evidence for Women as Eagle Hunters – Part I

Evidence that Nomad Women Hunted with Eagles since Antiquity "A fast horse and a soaring eagle are the wings of a nomad." --Kazakh proverb Falconry, training raptors to hunt for game, is particularly...

Excavation of an ancient battlefield in northern Germany revealed signs of an immense battle, such as closely packed bones, as seen in this 2013 photo of the site. One area of 12 square meters is said to have held 1478 bones, including 20 skulls.

24 March, 2016 - 20:42 Mark Miller

Unexpected and Gruesome Battle of 1250 BC Involved 4,000 Men from Across Northern Europe

A battlefield of 3,250 years ago in Germany is yielding remains of wounded warriors, wooden clubs, spear points, flint and bronze arrowheads and bronze knives and swords. The gruesome scene, frozen...

A section of a Chinese Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220 AD) fresco of 9 chariots, 50 horses, and over 70 men, from a tomb in Luoyang, China, which was once the capital of the Eastern Han.

22 June, 2015 - 03:47 dhwty

Power and Prestige across Asia: A History of Chariots, Part II

Read Part I: Superweapon of the Ancient World: A History of Chariots According to written sources from ancient China, the chariot is reported to have been first used during the Xia dynasty. A Xia...

18 June, 2015 - 21:22 dhwty

Superweapon of the Ancient World: A History of Chariots - Part I

The chariot is often associated with the ancient Egyptian civilization. It became a prominent weapon of war during the New Kingdom. In fact, it is often considered a superweapon of the ancient world...

The 2500-year-old vase with Amazon woman depiction.

10 June, 2015 - 03:10 Robin Whitlock

Amazon Warrior Woman on Horseback Discovered on 2,500-Year-Old Vase

The 2,500 year old figure of an ancient Amazon woman has been discovered on a small vase preserved in an American museum. The figure was found painted on to a white pyxis , a cylindrical box often...

Screenshot from the movie 300 on the Spartan War which used Helots in combat on many occasions.

5 June, 2015 - 21:31 dhwty

The Helots: Slave Warriors of Ancient Sparta

The ancient Greek city state of Sparta had a social hierarchy that was different from many of its neighbors. The top of the social pyramid was occupied by the two kings, whose powers were checked by...

25 May, 2015 - 22:11 Mark Miller

Most European Men are Descended from just Three Bronze Age Warlords, New Study Reveals

The majority of European men are descended from just a handful of Bronze Age male ancestors, says a new genetic study in the journal Nature . The presence of genetic material from just a few men in...

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.

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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.