Ancient Civilizations

Explore mysterious ancient civilizations and their legacy. We examine their buildings, artifacts, religion, rituals, scientific achievements, customs and traditions, inventions, government, geography, wars, cities, empires and much more.

Civilizations Archive

Vadnagar, Kirti Toran. credits: thatandthisinmumbai.

Archaeology

Unearthing Vadnagar And The Search For Hueng Tsang’s 10 Monasteries

AncientPages.com | December 11, 2015

AncientPages.com - Trading routes have been discovered that pass through the old town of Vadnagar, mentioned often in the Puranas and even in the travelogue of the great Chinese

Part of a circular clay tablet with depictions of constellations (planisphere); the reverse is uninscribed; restored from fragments and incomplete; partly accidentally vitrified in antiquity during the destruction of the place where it was found. Found in Kuyunjik, ancient Nineveh, in the so-called “Library of Ashurbanipal”. Neo-assyrian period.

Civilizations

Assyrian King Ashurbanipal’s Great Library With Thousands Of Cuneiform Tablets

AncientPages.com | December 9, 2015

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - The oldest surviving royal library in the world is that of Ashurbanipal, King of Assyria (668-around 630 BC). British Museum archaeologists discovered more than

This 8,000-year-old frog-like swastika made of nephrite has been discovered during the latest archaeological excavations of the Slatina Neolithic Settlement in Bulgaria’s capital Sofia. Photo: Trud daily

Archaeology

8,000-Year-Old Nephrite ‘Frog-Like’ Swastika In Bulgaria’s Neolithic Settlement – Unearthed

AncientPages.com | December 8, 2015

AncientPages.com - A "frog-like" swastika made of nephrite has been discovered during archaeological excavations of the8,000-year-old Slatina Neolithic Settlement in the Bulgarian capital Sofia. The swastika is 3 cm

The discovered tomb belonged to a rich male around 40 to 50 years old, judging by his skull, though his identity is not yet known. Photo: via http://english.cntv.cn/

Archaeology

2000-Year-Old Tomb Discovered In Northwestern China

AncientPages.com | December 7, 2015

AncientPages.com - An ancient tomb has been discovered by a construction team working in a village of Datong Hui, in Datong County, in northwestern China's Qinghai Province, according to

Pottery shards at a newly-discovered settlement on the Jiroft plain. Photo: Professor Peter Pfälzner

Archaeology

Ancient Trade Routes Between Iran And Mesopotamia – Uncovered

AncientPages.com | December 4, 2015

AncientPages.com - Impressive statues of ancient Mesopotamian rulers in the Louvre and the British Museum are famous. They bear witness to the wealth of Bronze Age Akkadian and Sumerian

A 2000-year old frescoed room has been discovered under a busy Roman street. Photo:Archaeological Superintendency Rome

Archaeology

2000-Year-Old Room With Frescoes Discovered In Central Rome, Italy

AncientPages.com | December 4, 2015

AncientPages.com - A 2000-year-old room plastered with frescoes was accidentally discovered during routine roadworks to install a gas pipeline under a busy street in central Rome, Italy. The find was

Samples of the drum will also be sent to France for in-depth analysis of its material and age. Timor Leste experts believe that it dates back at least 2,000 years.

Archaeology

Ancient Vietnamese Bronze Dong Son Drum Accidentally Discovered

AncientPages.com | December 4, 2015

AncientPages.com - Archaeologists accidentally discovered a traditional, ancient drum, an iconic artifact of the ancient Vietnamese people, dated to the Dong Son culture (700 B.C. – 100 AD). The Dong Son

Ancient Asyut was the capital of the Thirteenth Nome of Upper Egypt (Lycopolites Nome) around 3100 BCE. It was located on the western bank of the Nile. The two most prominent gods of the Ancient Egyptian Asyut were Anubis and Wepwawet, both funerary deities. Credits: Wikipedia

Archaeology

Ancient Mummy Of ‘Hatason’: Woman Who Died In Egypt More Than 3,000 Years Ago – Stanford Radiologists Investigate

AncientPages.com | December 2, 2015

AncientPages.com - Thousands of years ago lived a woman in the Egyptian city of Asyut, on the west side of the Nile River Valley, 375 miles south of the

The large number of fava beans unearthed at the site of Ahihud, where seeds of a uniform size were found husked and placed in storage pits, suggests that they were the preferred crop as many as 10,000 years ago.

Archaeology

World’s Oldest Domesticated Fava Beans Were Grown In The Galilee Millennia Ago

AncientPages.com | November 28, 2015

AncientPages.com - Researchers say that humans have been eating these beans for many millennia. The world's oldest domesticated fava beans have been discovered in sites in the central-southern Levant, now

Most of the scenes at Amenhotep-Huy’s tomb represent the vizier’s daily life activities of agriculture, hunting and fishing. It also features scenes of female musicians and dancers and shows Huy, among his family members, being greeted by high priests. Credits: Ministry of Antiquities

Archaeology

2,700-Year-Old Sarcophagus Of ‘High Priest Of God Amun’ Discovered In Luxor

AncientPages.com | November 27, 2015

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - The sarcophagus of Ankh-f-n-khonsu, a high priest of the ancient Egyptian god Amun Ra, has been unearthed in the west bank of Luxor,

Non-invasive Japanese radar begins search for the queen's remains.

Archaeology

Tests On Tutankhamun’s Tomb: Non-Invasive Radar Search For Nefertiti To Start Thursday

AncientPages.com | November 23, 2015

AncientPages.com - Egyptian authorities announces the three-day operation that involves the use of non-invasive radar to search behind the walls of Tutankhamun's burial chamber. Exploration work will start Thursday to

Civilizations

The Face Of The Amarakarei – Remarkable Enormous Face Caved Into Stone Cliffs In Peru

AncientPages.com | November 20, 2015

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - Hidden deep in the Peruvian Amazon is a remarkable enormous face carved into stone cliffs. The “Face Of The Amarakarei“ has been there

People could live in the underground passages and room for several days without the need of going outside. Photo credits: Iran Front Page

Ancient Technology

Remarkable Underground City Of Nushabad: A Masterpiece Of Ancient Architecture

AncientPages.com | November 17, 2015

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - The underground city of Nushabad, known as Ouyi to locals is located 8 km north of Kashan in Esfahan province, central Iran. It's

Excavations and electrical resistance survey. Photo by M. Matera

Archaeology

Ancient Greeks In Ukraine: 2000-Year-Old Settlement With Previously Unknown Structures – Localized By Polish Archaeologists

AncientPages.com | November 15, 2015

AncientPages.com - Archaeologists from the University of Warsaw using aerial photographs and geophysical surveys, confirmed the location of settlement dating back more than two thousand years in Respublikaniec (Kherson

Deir Mar Musa; interior | 11th -13th century |Damascus | Photographer: James J. O’Donnell

Civilizations

Ancient Monastery In The Middle Of ‘Syria’s Stonehenge’ – Underground Caves, Tombs, Stone Circles Older Than Pyramids

AncientPages.com | November 13, 2015

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - In the mountains of the Syrian desert - covered with with unknown rock formations, stone circles and mysterious lines of stone - there is

A general view of a digging site of the remains of a citadel used by the Greeks more then 2,000 years ago to control the Al Aqsa mosque, also known as the Temple Mount at the City of David near Jerusalem Old City on November 3, 2015. Photo Credit: Israel Antiquities Authority

Archaeology

Ancient Mystery Of Acra Citadel – Solved

AncientPages.com | November 3, 2015

AncientPages.com - After 10 years of excavations, Israeli archaeologists have finally solved “one of Jerusalem’s greatest archaeological mysteries” — identifying the location of the Acra, an infamous fortress used by ancient

The hilltop of Mukawir, the Biblical Machaerus, is where Salome is believed to have danced for Herodus Antipus who, impressed by her performance, promised her anything she wanted.

Civilizations

The 2,000-Year-Old Citadel Of Machaerus – A New Look For An Ancient Site

AncientPages.com | October 30, 2015

AncientPages.com - The Citadel of Machaerus - a fortified hilltop palace - was built upon a conical peak of basalt, located in Jordan fifteen miles (24 km) southeast of

Civilizations

Secrets Of Mount Shasta – One Of The Most Sacred Places On Earth

AncientPages.com | October 24, 2015

AncientPages.com - Many people consider Mt. Shasta to be one of the most sacred places on Earth. This majestic mountain - a part of the Cascade Mountain Range, located

Archaeology

Earliest Known Abecedary Engraved On Shard Of Pottery Dated To 15th Century BC – Deciphered

AncientPages.com | October 23, 2015

AncientPages.com - Leiden Egyptologist Ben Haring has deciphered a list of words engraved on a shard of pottery from the 15th century B.C. and determined that it is

Archaeology

Ancient Graves That Date Back To Pre-Vijaya Era Discovered In Sri Lanka

AncientPages.com | October 21, 2015

AncientPages.com - In the ancient cemetery at Ibbankatuwa in Dambulla, located in the Matale District, Central Province of Sri Lanka, archaeologists unearthed graves that date back to the

In this year's excavations, archaeologists revealed that the colonnade was shaped like a "?" with a space of 2.30 meters between the columns and confirmed the direction of the walls of the colonnade and the outdoor courtyard.

Archaeology

New Discoveries In The Asklepieion Of Ancient Pheneos, Greece

AncientPages.com | October 19, 2015

AncientPages.com - New impressive findings have come to light in the archaeological excavations at the site of the Asklepieion in ancient Pheneos, in the Peloponnese. Among them are

City ofTenochtitlan at the height of its glory and power

Archaeology

Rise And Fall Of City-States In Ancient Mexico And Peru Influenced By Climate Change

AncientPages.com | October 19, 2015

AncientPages.com - One of the major forces, which influenced the rise and fall of agrarian states in Mexico and Peru was climate variability, according to researchers a new

Civilizations

Tracing Footsteps Of Giants In Africa – Obscure Past Of Mzoura Stones

AncientPages.com | October 18, 2015

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - Mysterious, holy stones of Mzoura have a very long and obscured past. "For in these stones is a mystery and a healing virtue against

Left: Clay tablets discovered at Kültepe; Right: A Hittite God from Kültepe

Civilizations

Kültepe: Once Part Of The Kingdom Of Hittites And The Center of a complex network of Assyrian trade colonies in the 2nd millennium B.C.

AncientPages.com | October 16, 2015

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - Mysterious Kültepe was once part of the kingdom of the Hittites. Excavations revealed ancient artifacts, clay tablets, and intriguing prehistoric structures. Kültepe still

Wittenham Sword found in a river in Oxfordshire dates from the Late Iron Age. © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Archaeology

Does Celtic Art Have Links With Iron Age Art Of The Eurasian Steppes?

AncientPages.com | October 15, 2015

AncientPages.com - Does Celtic art have links into the wider Eurasian world? Now, researchers focus their attention onto the relationship between Celtic art and Iron Age art in

A figure of a valorous hero who sacrificed his life protecting the villagers and cattle from neigbbouring marauders | EPS

Archaeology

Hero Stones Belonging to Pallava Era Found Near Tirupattur, India

AncientPages.com | October 15, 2015

AncientPages.com - Two ‘hero stones’ believed to be from the 13th century have been discovered by faculty members of the Department of Tamil, Sacred Heart College in Tirupattur,

Around 500-year-old Vaishanava saint sculptures (also called Vamana Avathar) at Nariyampallipudur in Tirupur district, which was discovered by a team of archaeologists.—Photo: R.VIMAL KUMAR

Archaeology

500-Year-Old Vaishnava Saint Sculptures Discovered

AncientPages.com | October 15, 2015

AncientPages.com - In the history of Indian spirituality the most important scriptural sources are Vaishnava sacred texts – The Mahabharata (including Bhagavad-gita), The Ramayana, and the The Srimad

Gilgamesh is ferried across the Waters of Death

Artifacts

Missing Lines From Epic Of Gilgamesh Shed New Light On Humbaba

AncientPages.com | October 9, 2015

AncientPages.com - The 'Epic of Gilgamesh' - devoted to gods, mortals, and monsters - is considered one of the first masterpieces of World Literature and tells the story of

Civilizations

Dispute And Mystery: Strange Case Of The Tomb KV55 In The Valley Of Kings, Egypt

AncientPages.com | October 8, 2015

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - Undoubtedly, a mysterious tomb KV55 located in the Valley of the Kings on the West Bank in Luxor is one of Egypt's most debated ancient places. Tomb

The inscription records a donation made for ‘Rudra Pooja,’ of Kotiswara Deva and dates back to Saka Era 1275 corresponding to 1353 AD

Archaeology

Vijayanagara King Bukkaraya’s Earliest Inscription Discovered

AncientPages.com | October 7, 2015

AncientPages.com - An inscription of Vijayanagara King Bukkaraya I has been discovered near Kollur in Udupi district. This is said to be the earliest inscription of Bukkaraya found

Civilizations

Fascinating Accounts Of Incredible Vehicles, Cosmic Cities In Vedic Literature

AncientPages.com | October 6, 2015

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - Since ancient times India is well-known for its long tradition of spiritual customs. At the same time there is no other country on

Civilizations

Physical Evidence Of Ancient Atomic Wars Can Be Found World-Wide

AncientPages.com | October 6, 2015

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - In 1952 archaeologists conducting excavations in Israel discovered a layer of fused green glass. The layer was a quarter of an inch thick and

A rare turtle-shaped brick tomb dating back to about 800 years. Credits: (AFP)

Archaeology

Unique Ancient Turtle-Shaped Tomb Discovered In North China

AncientPages.com | October 5, 2015

AncientPages.com - Archeologists in North China's Shanxi Province have excavated a rare turtle-shaped brick tomb dating back to about 800 years. The tomb of the mid to late Jin

Sunduki observatory - ancient paintings,16,000 years old

Civilizations

Sunduki – ‘Home Of The Gods’ – One Of The World’s Oldest Astronomical Observatories

AncientPages.com | October 4, 2015

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - Many people believe that one of the oldest astronomical observatories is Stonehenge. However, an ancient and spectacular Sunduki (or "home of the gods") could

Civilizations

Secret Ancient Subterranean Tunnels And Caverns Across America: Who Or What Were Our Ancestors Hiding From?

AncientPages.com | October 4, 2015

Ellen Lloyd - Ancient Pages.com - Throughout all the Americas there are a number of legends of secret of subterranean passages stretching for miles. Did perhaps our ancestors for

A new project is performing CAT scans on the plaster casts of the victims of Pompeii. Photo: Mario Caporta/AFP

Civilizations

Incredible CT scans show Pompeii victims ‘in good health’

AncientPages.com | October 3, 2015

AncientPages.com - A recently launched project that is performing CAT scans on the remains of Pompeii victims contained within plaster casts has revealed that good health was widespread

Mounting from a reliquary, produced in Northumbria in the 8th century. The mounting have been modified and was used as a brooch. It was found in a woman's grave from the second part of the 9th century, in Buskerud, Norway. Copyright: Museum of Cultural History

Ancient Symbols

Viking’s Symbols Of Travels Prestige And Adventure Were Imported From Abroad

AncientPages.com | October 1, 2015

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - The Viking Age (ca. 800 to 1050) was a time of increased contact with other countries. People from Scandinavia plundered and traded in

Civilizations

Egyptians Mastered Medicine Thousands Of Years Ago

AncientPages.com | October 1, 2015

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - Civilization in Ancient Egypt means tombs, pyramids, and all aspects of human life. Prehistoric physicians in Egypt had an impressive knowledge of the

The skeletal remains were found both inside and outside the rectangular stone-lined cist (pictured), under the floor of the cavernous, vaulted structure that is 26 feet (eight metres) tall. They are undergoing DNA analysis

Civilizations

Mystery Greek tomb was dedicated to companion of Alexander – experts say

AncientPages.com | October 1, 2015

AncientPages.com - A massive ancient tomb recently opened in northern Greece was likely a monument to Hephaestion, the close companion of Alexander the Great, experts working on the

“The present sea levels in Australia were reached 7,000 years ago and as such any stories about the coastline stretching much further out to sea had to pre-date that time.”

Civilizations

Aboriginal ‘Memories’ Of Australia’s Coastline Go Back More Than 7,000 Years

AncientPages.com | September 30, 2015

AncientPages.com - Aboriginal society has preserved memories of Australia's coastline dating back more than 7,000 years, researchers say. After three years of painstaking research, University of the Sunshine

THE RARE stone seal unearthed by the Temple Mount Sifting Project dating to the 10th century BCE. . (photo credit:ZE’EV RADOVAN AND ZACHI DVIRA)

Artifacts

Rare 3,000-Year-Old Seal From The Time Of King David Discovered

AncientPages.com | September 28, 2015

AncientPages.com - A rare 3,000-year-old seal, from the time of King David in the 10th century BCE, was recently discovered by a 10-year-old Russian volunteer at Jerusalem’s Temple

Rosetta Stone was instrumental in deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Artifacts

Rosetta Stone – Artifact That Solves The Riddle Of Egyptian Hieroglyphics

AncientPages.com | September 28, 2015

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - A black basalt slab known as the Rosetta Stone was found by a French artillery officer Boussard during Napoleon Bonaparte's Egyptian campaign in 1799.