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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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Remains of the original apse built in 1077 was unearthed during excavation work at St Albans Cathedral.

1,000-Year-Old Norman Cathedral Ruins Unearthed Beneath Church in England

The foundations of a Norman cathedral have been found under just 3ft (90cm) of soil during excavations at St Albans Abbey, the oldest place of continuous Christian worship in England. They are dated...
Hegassen scroll detail. Fart Battle, 1864

From Fart Gods to Farting Out One’s Soul: The Historic Ritualization of Farts

They command attention, bring silence into noisy environments and have been associated with the utterances of gods for thousands of years. In fact, entire rituals have been designed around them...
Externsteine, north-eastern face, across Wiembecke pond.

Worship? Meditation? Sacrifice? What Ancient Ritual Activities Were Held at the Externsteine Sacred Stone Formation?

Externsteine is an unusual sandstone rock formation near Ostwestfalen-Lippe in the northwest of Germany. It is unique among other monolithic sites in Europe because it is a natural formation that has...
The Little Chapel on Guernsey

Unusual Little Chapel Built with Glass and Broken Pottery Destroyed Many Times Over – But Still Stands!

A surprising and secluded chapel – with glittering mosaics on every surface creating a fairytale quality – lies hidden in verdant, wooded hills in St. Andrew, a parish on the island of Guernsey, a...
Han Dynasty granary between Dunhuang and the Jade Gate - an important supply center for the ancient Silk Routes.

3000-Year-Old Earthworks Confirmed as Sun Worship Altar on China’s Silk Road

Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a 3,000-year-old altar to the sun in North West China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Experts say that the altar resembles the heaven-worshipping...
Is this ‘Temple of Fertility’ in Peru Really a Giant Collection of Stone Penises, or is it a Phallic Fallacy

Is this ‘Temple of Fertility’ in Peru Really a Giant Collection of Stone Penises, or is it a Phallic Fallacy?

The megalithic Fertility Temple also known as “Chucuito” on the edge of Lake Titicaca in Peru is special and at the same time controversial basically for a single reason: its “sexuality”. Whether the...
The Magnificent Temple of Hathor, Goddess of Love: Best Preserved Temple in all of Egypt

The Magnificent Temple of Hathor, Goddess of Love: Best Preserved Temple in all of Egypt

Hathor was a major goddess in the ancient Egyptian pantheon , who personified the principles of joy, feminine love, and motherhood, and her cult center was at Dendera, one of the best-preserved...
The solar boat of the god Ra-Atum worshipped by baboons.

Why Were Baboons Inscribed on the Walls of This Newly-Discovered Egyptian Tomb?

Japanese and Egyptian archaeologists have unearthed a 3,000-year-old tomb of a Royal scribe in Thebes in Egypt. The tomb belongs to a man named Khonsu, described as “true renowned scribe” and its...
Surprising Hints of Possible Portal to Pan Found Near Ancient City in Israel

Surprising Hints of Possible Portal to Pan Found Near Ancient City in Israel

A team of archaeologists working in Hippos-Sussita, Israel have uncovered what may be a gateway to a worship compound for the Greek God Pan. This possibility is exciting as few built structures or...
Hypatia. Signed A. Seifert. Oil on panel, St Catherine of Alexandria

Is St Catherine of Alexandria a Fictional Person Based on Hypatia of Alexandria?

Saint Catherine of Alexandria, also known as The Great Martyr Saint Catherine, is one of the most important saints of the Middle East. Tradition says that she was a virgin who was martyred at the...
The Obsequies of an Egyptian Cat

The Veneration and Worship of Felines in Ancient Egypt

The ancient Egyptians revered and worshipped many animals, just as the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Norse did, but none were worshipped as reverently as the cat. It was not until the Pre-dynastic...
Capela do Senhor da Pedra - Chapel of the Lord of Stone

Capela do Senhor da Pedra: The Pagan Origins of the Chapel of the Lord of Stone

In the small seaside village of Miramar, along the spectacular coastline of Portugal, sits a tiny chapel perched on top of a rock known as Capela do Senhor da Pedra (“Chapel of the Lord of the Stone...
Ancient tablet depicting lewd scene  - India

Ancient tablet depicting lewd scene becomes object of veneration in India

An ancient stone tablet depicting a scene of bestiality has been turned into an object of veneration and added to a temple in a Naigaon village in Vasai, India, with locals believing the relic will...
Meteorites

Falling Stars and Black Stone: Humanity’s Worship of Meteorites

By Liz Leafloor | Mysteriorum NASA’s Curiosity rover recently discovered a massive metal meteorite on the surface of Mars. The first encounter of its type, the two meters (6.5 feet) wide iron...
The Great Ziggurat of Ur

The Great Ziggurat of Ur

The city of Ur was one of the most important Sumerian city states in ancient Mesopotamia during the 3 rd millennium BC. One of best preserved and most spectacular remains of this ancient city is the...
Pyramids - Orion

Mirrors of Orion: Star Knowledge of the Ancient World – An Introduction

Egypt is the image of the heavens, and the whole Cosmos dwells here, in this its sanctuary— but the gods will desert the earth and return to heaven abandoning this land that was once the home of...
Neolithic spirit masks - Jerusalem

Incredible collection of Neolithic spirit masks revealed for the first time

More than 10,000 years ago, ancient people living in the Judean Desert and Hills abandoned their nomadic lifestyles and established permanent settlements. Around this time, art, culture, and...
Nabataeans - Petra, Jordan

Ancient monuments of the Nabataeans were built according to celestial events

A study published in March by the Nexus Network Journal suggests that the spatial position of palaces, temples, and tombs built at least 2, 300 years ago by the Nabataeans, including the famous city...
Seals and Amulets in Turkey

More than 600 Ancient Seals and Amulets Found

Archaeologists have uncovered an unusually large quantity of amulets, stamp seals and cylinder seals in an ancient sanctuary in Turkey, which date back from the 7 th to the 4 th centuries BC. The...
Papua New Guinea phallus artefacts

6,000-year-old carved phallus artefacts found in Papua New Guinea

Archaeologists in Papua New Guinea have made a rare discovery – six ceremonial tools carved out of volcanic black glass , which date back around 6,000 years. However more significantly, the artefacts...

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