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The third issue of Ancient Origins Magazine is now available! Just subscribe on our premium site below for access to all the latest stories from the ancient world! This issue contains the mysteries of the oldest temple on earth, Göbekli Tepe, the suicide rituals of the honorable samurai, some fun cooking recipes from the middle ages, and a retelling of the history of the very first American Thanksgiving! Read about all this and more with Ancient Origins magazine: https://members.ancient-origins.net/magazines

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Chronicles from the Future tells a remarkable story about a bizarre and incredible event experienced by Paul Amadeus Dienach, the author, who lived during the beginning of the previous century in central Europe. Dienach claims that during his one-year comatose state, brought about by a serious illness, his consciousness travelled to the future in a different body and stayed there for the entire duration of his coma. Although this sounds impossible and indeed fanciful, Dienach’s written account was taken very seriously by the Freemasons, who kept his book as a closely guarded secret. You can read parts of the story on Ancient Origins: https://www.ancient-origins.net/unexplained-phenomena/chronicles-future-amazing-story-paul-amadeus-deinach-003121

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Sitting in an Irish landscape of prehistoric ruins, artificial islands, romantic castles and ancient tombs, Grange Circle remains as a lasting legacy of a rich culture dating back at least 6,000 years – a culture which had its heart the movements of sun, moon and stars. Located next to Limerick’s Lough Gur, a unique archaeological landscape which features sites that represent every major period of human history in Ireland, Grange Circle is the country’s largest and biggest stone circle, and one of its best preserved.

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The tomb of the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, despite being one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all times, endures as a mystery to archaeologists and historians as it remains largely sealed up and unexplored. The strange and deadly history of the tomb and its contents was sealed within and buried beneath vegetation for thousands of years. Read the complete article here at https://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-asia/secret-tomb-first-chinese-emperor-remains-unopened-treasure-002568

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Chinese New Year is one of the most ancient holidays still celebrated today, and is observed by a quarter of the world’s population. For millennia, people have launched fireworks, adorned the streets in red lights, and engaged in lion and dragon dances! But where did these practices come from? Join us as we explore the ancient myth behind Chinese New Year, and learn the story of the terrible Chinese monster, Nian. Check out our website for more fascinating historical content: https://www.ancient-origins.net/

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One hundred square miles with more than 200 underground villages and tunnel towns complete with hidden passages, secret rooms and ancient temples and a remarkably storied history of each new civilization building on the work of the last, make Cappadocia one of the world's most striking and largest cave-dwelling regions of the world. You can read a related article here: https://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-europe/incredible-rock-houses-and-underground-cities-cappadocia-001394

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Teotihuacan is one of the largest and most important sacred cities of ancient Mesoamerica, whose name means "the city of the gods" in the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs. It once supported an estimated population of 100,000 – 200,000 people, who raised giant monuments such as the Temple of Quetzalcoatl and the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon. Ancient Origins visited the ancient marvel to find out more about this spectacular site. This video reveals little known facts about the mysterious ancient city. Read more here https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/peruvian-pyramid-discovery-0010340

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The Land Of Nod

Alice C. Linsley - Investigation of the data in Genesis 5 and 4 reveals that his brother Seth and Cain and the daughters of a chief married. This is the reason for the similarity, indeed the linguistic equivalence of their firstborn sons names: Enoch\/Enosh. The names are the word anochie, which refers to the throne's Hebraicized form. Enoch was a royal title. The land to is called. Here we've a play on words. The words Nok and Nod are indistinguishable. This was recognized in the year 1984 by their Nigerian philologist Modupe Oduyoye. Oduyoye saw Nok's metal workers and a link between Cain.  They appear to be relatives of their alloy. The evidence indicates that Cain law Enoch lived in what's today Nigeria. There are places in Nigeria that reference Nok and Kain. Kano is a city and Nok is a recognized sphere of influence and both a site. The Nok culture is dated to approximately 1200 years ago, but has evidenced by discoveries in an area of Nok influence that contains the Lower Benue Valley and the Middle Niger Valley. Nod (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_of_Nod) is an etymological etiology meant to explain the clear peripatetic lifestyle of Cain and his alloy working descendants, the Kenites. 

This kind of play on words is typical of rabbinical writings and indicates that this a later interpretation. They worked for powerful rulers in their days when their Sahara had been much wetter between 8000 and 4500 decades ago. At different periods water systems connected their Nile along with Central Africa along with these river paths were their trade routes. This places Cain close to Bor'No in the area of Lake Chad. Cain and Seth could have lived between 200 and 300 decades before Noah. Noah had been a descendant of Seth along with Cain, since the lines of Seth along with Cain exclusively intermarried.  The rulers of the lines would be listed in their Genesis 4 and 5 King Lists. And Cain went out from their presence of their LORD, and dwelt in their land of Nod, on their east of Eden. - According to Genesis, their Land of Nod is situated to their east of Eden along with Cain went there when he had been banished after urinating his brother. The Hebrew nod means wandering. Cain named that settlement after his son, Enoch. The African equivalent of Enoch is Nok along with maybe Nakht.

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When Julius Caesar Was Kidnapped By Pirates

Piracy is a practice that can be dated all the way back to ancient times. In the Mediterranean, pirates were not a major threat as long as they could be kept in check, usually by a strong navy. By the late 2 nd century BC, however, piracy became more rampant, more dangerous, and began to destabilize the Mediterranean, especially in its eastern part. The phenomenon continued into the 1 st century BC, before Pompey ended it. One of the most colorful stories about the pirates (known specifically as the Cilician pirates) was the time the kidnapped the future Dictator of the Roman Republic, Julius Caesar.

 More Money, More Problems

The pirates, of course, agreed, and Caesar sent some of his associates off to gather the silver, a task that took 38 days. Now nearly alone with the pirates—only two servants and a friend remained with him—Caesar refused to cower. Instead, he treated the pirates as if they were his subordinates. He even went so far as to demand they not talk whenever he decided to sleep. He spent most of his time with them composing and reciting poetry and writing speeches. He would then recite the works to the pirates. Caesar also played various games with the pirates and participated in their exercises, generally acting as if he wasn’t a prisoner, but rather, their leader. The pirates quickly grew to respect and like him and allowed him the freedom to more or less do as he pleased on their island and ships.

While Caesar was friendly with the pirates, he didn’t appreciate being held captive. He told the pirates that, after his ransom was paid, he would hunt them down and have them crucified. Once he was freed, he made good on that promise: Despite the fact that he was a private citizen, Caesar managed to quickly raise a small fleet which he took back to the island where he had been held captive. Apparently, the pirates hadn’t taken his threats seriously, because they were still there when he arrived. He captured them and took back his 50 talents of silver, along with all their possessions.

He next delivered the pirates to the authorities at the prison at Pergamon and then traveled to meet the proconsul of Asia, Marcus Junius, to petition to have the pirates executed. The proconsul refused: He wanted to sell the pirates as slaves and take the spoils for himself. Undeterred, Caesar traveled back to Pergamon where the Cilician pirates were being held and ordered that they be crucified. Before they went through that ordeal, however, Caesar showed some leniency he cut their throats.

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What was the secret weapon of the Roman Empire’s army, which became undefeated in battlefield?

The Roman secret? They were crazy.

 But they were crazy in a very particular and terrifying way. They didn’t give up. They didn’t stop. The very model of their army was built on this concept. Romans weren’t raiders, they used shock infantry.

 Raid infantry gallops in, attacks, and gallops away. It can be highly effective, but it is casualty averse. It husbands manpower. Its like football. High mobility down the field, some deft maneuvers, score!

 Shock infantry is a different kettle of fish. They march forward, persistently, relentlessly, until once side or the other is dead, dead. It’s like American football, smashing bodies together until the other side can’t anymore.

 The entire Roman military machine was built on this concept. March a legion into Germania. They all die? Send another. And another. Until Germania belongs to Rome.

 Now, the Romans were not stupid. They didn’t waste lives. But they were willing to spend them.

 And, the key, is that they had the logistics to undertake expeditionary war at this level. They could supply the legions far afield, both from Rome, and through local forage. Soldiers were not merely fighters, they had other skills usually found in support troops today.

 Finally, they were disciplined. They held ranks, and fought as a unit, not as men. A man did not fight, the Legion fought.

 Rome didn’t view defeat as losing a battle, they viewed defeat as losing the will and ability to maintain the fight.

 That is the secret of the Roman military machine. Determination, discipline, and logistics. Pretty much how every effective military operates today.

 Read more

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The fall of Babylon is a historical event that occurred in 539 BC. This event saw the conquest of Babylon by the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great and marked the end of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. The fall of Babylon is reported by a number of ancient sources, including the #Cyrus Cylinder, the Greek historian #Herodotus, as well as a number of books in the Old Testament.

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Top 10 facts about the historical origins of many Christmas traditions. Why do we celebrate Jesus' birth on December 25th? Who started the practice of Christmas trees? What does the Christmas wreath represent? Discover all this and more with Ancient Origins!

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What was Elizabeth’s Place in the Royal Family?

Elizabeth I was born on the 7th of September 1533. She was the daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Before Elizabeth reached the age of three, her mother was charged with adultery, incest, and high treason and executed. By the time of her father’s death in 1547, Elizabeth was third in line to the English throne, behind her younger half-brother Edward and older half-sister Mary. Although she was not expected to inherit the throne, she was not neglected by her father and received an education that would have customarily been reserved for male heirs at the time.

In a dramatic U-turn following on from Edward’s Protestant reign, Mary I, immediately embarked on a mission to return England to being a Catholic country and she burned hundreds of people at the stake for heresy. Earning herself the name ‘Bloody Mary’, her popularity rapidly waned, not helped by her decision to marry King Philip II of Spain. Under Mary’s rule, Elizabeth lived in constant danger.

When Mary died, aged just 42, it became apparent that Elizabeth would succeed her and after the bloodshed of previous years, Elizabeth’s calmer rule, encouraging more freedom of worship, was loved and welcomed.

Even the physical appearance and demeanor of the two sisters fell in Elizabeth’s favor; whereas Mary had been small and looked older than her years, Elizabeth’s fiery red-gold hair and imposing stature impressed the populace and offered fresh hope for the future.

The festivities for Queen Elizabeth I’s coronation kicked off on 14 January 1559 with a procession through London. The day-long spectacle saw the Queen carried through the streets on a golden litter and was punctuated with a series of five pageants staged by various London bodies in Elizabeth’s honor.

Elizabeth received a rapturous reception when she rode into the City of London as Queen, with her charismatic and open nature endearing her to the spectators. The coronation ceremony was a triumph, and when she was finally crowned and anointed by Owen Oglethorpe, the Catholic bishop of Carlisle, in Westminster Abbey, she was greeted by a deafening fanfare of organs, trumpets, drums, and bells.

During the course of her reign, Elizabeth married herself to her country – she did not dilute her power with a consort or a king. She was accomplished and educated and truly sought the love and admiration of her people. She was perhaps the first monarch who understood the power of ‘star quality’ and self-promotion.

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What is Shamanism?

Shamanism was the dominant religion of the Tungusic peoples in northeast Asia, and during the Jin dynasty (1111–1234). The descendants of the Manchu people, the ‘Jurchens’, conducted rituals and rites at shamanic shrines or altars called tangse (“hall” in Chinese). The word tangse originated from portable god boxes, shrines in which the Jurchen hunter shaman placed small figurines of their gods, before beginning to settle into villages where tangse became permanent and central holy fixtures.

It is believed the word “shaman” originates from the Tungusic Evenki language of North Asia. The term was introduced to the west after Russian forces conquered the shamanistic Khanate of Kazan in 1552. The term “shamanism” was first applied by western anthropologists to the ancient religion of the Turks and Mongols, as well as those of the neighboring Tungusic and Samoyedic-speaking peoples.

Upon learning more about religious traditions across the world, some anthropologists began to also use the term to describe unrelated magico-religious practices found within the ethnic religions of other parts of Asia, Africa, Australasia and the Americas, as they believed these practices to be similar to one another.

Shamanic beliefs and practices have attracted the interest of scholars from a wide variety of disciplines, including anthropologists, archaeologists, historians, religious studies scholars, and psychologists. Hundreds of books and academic papers on the subject have been produced, with a peer-reviewed academic journal being devoted to the study of shamanism. In the 20th century, many westerners involved in the counter-cultural movement have created modern magico-religious practices influenced by their ideas of indigenous religions from across the world, creating what has been termed neo-shamanism or the neo-shamanic movement. It has affected the development of many neo-pagan practices.

Shamans teach us to develop our minds, our own wills, and our own power and bring them into the world – in short, they teach us how to be medicine men and women in our own right.

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Last year, the Ministry released an aerial photograph of a group of 3000-year-old houses from the ancient settlement and Elena Korka, Greece’s director of antiquities and cultural heritage,  told the Associated Press that a team of archaeologists had successfully identified “distinctive door openings, walls and floors, and had unearthed additional pottery spanning the 4th century BC to late Roman times.”

For almost a decade Korka had searched for a lost city of Tenea which was reported to have been settled by war prisoners from the battle of Troy. According to a report about the discovery in The Washington Post , Korka followed clues left by the Ancient Greek philosopher Strabo who wrote that the city of Tenea enjoyed “an ideal location to the south of the bustling ancient port of Corinth, on the narrow strip of land connecting Greek’s mainland and its Peloponnesian peninsula.”

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“The pit, along with several other archaeological sites, was discovered in the winter of 2007 during construction work” and was excavated by the Cultural Relics Agency of Linzi District of Zibo city. According to an article in Live Science archaeologists from this agency teamed up with researchers from the Shandong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and they published a report journal Wenwu, recently translated into English and published in the journal Chinese Cultural Relics .

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Common Theories About Why Pirates Wore Eyepatches

Among possible reasons, a common theory is that pirates wore eyepatches because they had lost one eye in battle. This makes sense, and there probably were many maimed pirates who wore eyepatches, but some believe that this is not enough to explain the prevalence of eyepatches among pirates compared to non-pirates. Another recent hypothesis is that pirates used the eyepatch to protect their dark-adapted vision. This would have been in case they needed to go underdeck to continue a fight after having taken the deck of a ship.