Ancient - Atlas Obscura
What's near me?

428 Items Tagged

Ancient

Share Tweet
Xalapa, Mexico

Xalapa Museum of Anthropology

The largest collection of artifacts from the Olmec civilization, the mother culture of Mesoamerica.
Monsieur Mictlan Added by Monsieur Mictlan
story
library

An Ancient Snapshot of Native Taiwanese Culture

A newly available Library of Congress collection shows the lives of an oft-overlooked minority.
May 08, 2019
story
rituals

In a Remote Bolivian Cave, Evidence of a Trippy Ritual

Found in a sack made of fox snouts.
May 08, 2019
Jabriya, Kuwait

Tareq Rajab Museum of Islamic Calligraphy

A private collection of over 30,000 ancient and modern items showcasing the beauty of Islamic calligraphy.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Mörbylånga, Sweden

Sandby Borg Ringfort

Archaeologists are still unraveling the secrets of the brutal massacre that wiped out this ancient fort.
Added by PetterssonMalin
story
cuneiform

How to Calm a Crying Baby Like a Mesopotamian

Sing a simple song and sprinkle some sacred dust.
April 24, 2019
Borgholm, Sweden

Neptuni Åkrar

An otherworldly fossil-rich cobble beach marked with Viking graves.
Added by PetterssonMalin
Uppsala, Sweden

'Thing of all Swedes' Mound

The official meeting point for the oddly named governing assembly of ancient Sweden.
CoolCrab Added by CoolCrab
Uppsala, Sweden

Universitetshuset Runestone Circle

A large collection of ancient runestones decorates this university courtyard.
CoolCrab Added by CoolCrab
New Delhi, India

Yamuna Ghat

Ancient traditions and surreal birdwatching come into sharp relief along one of the world's most polluted rivers.
Added by anirudhavaddadi
story
cultures

Stone Age Tombs Were Family Affairs

New research examines the connections between people buried at mysterious megaliths.
April 15, 2019
Tikal, Guatemala

Spider Monkeys of Tikal

Monkeys inhabit the lush forest surrounding ancient Mayan ruins once considered sacred.
Monsieur Mictlan Added by Monsieur Mictlan
story
classic

The Latin Typo That Gave Us the Temple of Ridicule

Ancient Rome never had an "Aedicula Ridiculi," but plenty of people thought it did.
April 12, 2019
Tambon Tham Lot, Thailand

Tham Lod Cave

A mile-long navigable cave adorned with stalactites and stalagmites reaching up to 65 feet tall.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Cairo, Egypt

The Hanging Church

Standing atop 2nd-century Roman ruins, this church is one of the oldest and most iconic in Old Cairo.
Rebecca Byrne Added by Rebecca Byrne
London, England

Wolf-God of Woodeaton

A gruesome and mysterious ancient sculpture of a pagan deity from the Roman occupation of Celtic Britain.
Monsieur Mictlan Added by Monsieur Mictlan
story
judaism

Found: A Seal That May Have Belonged to a Biblical Courtier

If you know of another Nathan-Melech, this is your chance to speak up.
April 01, 2019
Jerusalem, Israel

Church of the Pater Noster

Dozens of elegant ceramic tiles decorate these ancient walls, each displaying the Lord's Prayer in a different language.
Rebecca Byrne Added by Rebecca Byrne