With the advancement of environmental education, we’re all becoming a lot smarter. However some of the most mind-boggling mysteries on Earth still haven’t been solved. One example might be the fate of my disappearing socks, but that’s not important right now, is it? Let’s delve into the discoveries that have had historians scratching their heads in disbelief and bewilderment.
Stone Spheres
Costa Rica is home to our first confusing archaeological discovery. On the Diquis Delta, big stone spheres were discovered, and those who inspected them believe they date as far back as 600 A.D. What purpose they served is still being debated – some believing for astronomy use while others think of them as ancient GPS co-ordinates. I guess we aren’t going to find out any time soon.
Stone Spheres
From The Seas To The Stars
In 1900, a Greek sponge diver discovered a rusty mechanism in a shipwreck off the Greek island of Antikythera. Later, the understanding of what he found was mind-blowing. The mechanism was capable of tracking the sun’s and moon’s movements. It could also calculate the frequency of eclipses and could even track the four-year cycle of athletic games. Some believe that the Antikythera mechanism was the first computer.
From The Seas To The Stars
Cleopatra’s Tomb
Cleopatra VII’s reign lasted between 305 to 30 B.C. This Egyptian historical figure is known also for her affairs with Marc Antony and Julius Caesar. Where she’s been buried is a mystery, though. While the originals claims were that she was buried with Marc Antony, no such evidence has been found yet. In the place where archaeologists believe she was laid to rest, there isn’t anything, leading them to believe that the tomb was ransacked.
Cleopatras Tomb
Not Quite Toy Soldiers
Earlier we discussed the intricacies of ancient Chinese burials. This one takes us to a whole new level. In 1974, a farmer in the Chinese province of Shaanxi discovered an entire army underground. The Terracotta Army has rested near to Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s Mausoleum since around 210 BC. The army was responsible for maintaining the great emperor’s powerful status even in the afterlife. Consisting of over 8,000 members, 130 chariots and 670 horses, the man-made and life-sized figurines took around 38 years to be made.
Not Quite Toy Soldiers
Atlantis
To this day we still aren’t sure if Atlantis existed at all! Some believe that the sunken city is off the shore of Greece, while others claim that it is near Japan. We don’t know what to believe since so many discoveries from the underwater city have been debunked.
Atlantis
Iceless Antarctica
Can you imagine an Antarctica without ice? The white-colored continent that we know today was actually once depicted on a map without any snow or ice at all. The man who created the map was Ottoman admiral and cartographer, Piri Reis. Reis compiled his map in 1513. What really surprises historians and modern-day cartographers is that the continent was only supposedly discovered in 1818. If that wasn’t enough, the map seems to show a bridge which connected South America and Antarctica. Perhaps environmental education wasn’t so strong at that stage.
Iceless Antarctica
The Twilight Zone
This one is for the die-hard Twilight fans. Archaeologists found a collection of almost 100 “vampires” in shallow graves in Bulgaria. What really drew their attention, was that the corpses seemed to be nailed to their coffins. The “nails” were actually steel stakes that were wedged through the chests of the dead. The running belief is that the reason for the metal rods was to prevent the dead from rising and terrorizing the living.
The Twilight Zone
The Claw
During an archaeological expedition in New Zealand, archaeologists discovered what seemed to be the claw of a monster. A closer examination revealed that the claw belonged to the now-extinct moa bird – a prehistoric bird which existed 3,300 years ago. With the advancement of cloning and DNA modification, scientists have considered the extinct moa as a candidate for cloning. Can you imagine seeing a bird that size today?
The Claw
Get Ahead
In 2014, Peru was the site of historical squabble. Diggers discovered an intricate grave filled with more than 300 human skulls. What really got them wondering was that the skinless heads were elongated looking like aliens’ heads. The practice of elongating heads was common in many pre-Hispanic circles. While children were growing up, elders of the tribes bound the youngsters’ heads by compressing them between two wooden boards. They believed that it would boost their beauty and even enhance their intelligence with a higher power.
Get Ahead
Cloth Of Controversy
The Shroud of Turin is a cloth made of linen with the imprinted image of Jesus Christ. Well, that is what many people believe. A French exhibition in 1357 first publicly displayed the cloth which collected a ton of attention. Although all carbon dating tests have confirmed that the shroud originates from between the years 1260 and 1390, many still hold other beliefs. Conflicting beliefs are that Jesus was wrapped in the large cloth for burial after his crucifixion whereas other believe that medieval forgers created the cloth of controversy.
Cloth Of Controversy
Sports For Sacrifice
Are you a bad sport? Hate losing? Well then, be thankful that you’re living in this century. The ancient Mesoamerican populations played a game called “pok ta pok”. And guess what the losers had to do – well, nothing really. The winners would behead them and then sacrifice them. Sometimes the heads of the losers would even be used for another round instead of a ball. These games combined modern-day soccer and basketball, the rules only differed a little… apparently. More than 1,300 (actual) balls have been found.
Sport For Sacrifice
Die Hard
1988 was an interesting year. Well, for one, Bruce Willis dominated the big screen with the first “Die Hard”. But a discovery in Ashkelon, Israel made the world shudder with disbelief. Archaeologists were conducting excavations in an ancient Roman sewer when they discovered a mass grave. The grave contained almost 100 babies’ corpses and after further inspection, the investigators concluded that the babies were actually healthy at their times of death. The most common belief is that the babies were most likely the product of unwanted births of a brothel in the area.
Die Hard
Stonehenge Tetris
A marvel for the masses! Stonehenge is located in Wiltshire in England. It looks like a real-life game of Tetris. The compilation of blocks was probably constructed about 5,000 years ago. As most historical sites go, this site holds its own controversies. Some archaeologists believe that Stonehenge was used as a burial site. Other archaeologists believe that the landmark was a holy site for pagans who prayed there to receive healing and to connect to higher powers. And me? I see Tetris.
Stonehenge Tetris
Frozen To Death
Three Incan children were found in 1999 near the Argentinian volcano of Llullaillaco. The bodies were wrapped up like mummies and frozen. Researchers revealed that the children’s deaths occurred 500 years ago. What really got them questioning was that the children seemed to have ingested alcohol and even a raw form of cocaine produced from cacao leaves. The reason for their deaths is believed to be related to a ritual sacrifice. Interestingly, the eldest of the children (13) didn’t seem to be distressed at the time of her death.
Frozen To Death
Stone Jars
One of the most important prehistoric sites in Southeast Asia is the collection of stone “jars” in Laos which date back to 500 BC to 500 AD. So there’s the really cool theory of what they were used for, and then there’s the more realistic, yet less exciting theory. Legends of Laos claim that giants who once lived there would store their alcoholic beverages in the jars after victorious wars. However, historians found human remains in the jars and concluded that they probably used them for burial. You decide which one sounds right.
Stone Jars
A Stone That Speaks
French soldiers who were rebuilding a fort in Egypt discovered The Rosetta Stone. The stone is a text written by a group of priests in Egypt to honor the Egyptian pharaoh. The priests carved in two languages (Egyptian and Greek) and used three scripts (hieroglyphic, demotic and Greek). It lists all of the things that the pharaoh had done that were good for the priests and the people of Egypt. The stone dates back to 196 BC, a pretty long time ago.
A Stone That Speaks
Keep Scrolling
A couple of young Bedouin shepherds just happened to discover the Dead Sea Scrolls while walking near Qumran, Israel. One innocently tossed a rock into a cave in 1947 and heard a crashing sound. What he had broken was a clay jar housing one of the seven Dead Sea Scrolls. This ultimately became the greatest historical find of the 20th Century. The scrolls contain historical, religious and linguistic significance. They are the second-oldest known manuscripts containing nearly all of the Old Testament. The Israel Museum preserves the scrolls.
Keep Scrolling
A Copper Treasure Map
After the findings of the Bedouin shepherds, archaeologists began exploring the cave near Quran. In 1952 they made another startling discovery. Another scroll hid in the darkness, only this one was different. To start, the scroll was made of copper, but that wasn’t the most exciting discovery. The scroll from the times of the first or second temple in Jerusalem was actually a map, and a treasure map! Hebrew writing mapped out 64 locations where gold and silver was hiding. Talk about a true treasure hunt.
A Copper Treasure Map
I Want My Mummy!
1881 saw the discovery of many Egyptian tombs and mummies, but a specific mummy caught the attention of researchers in 1886. The “screaming mummy” or “Man E” as he was later named sent the hairs running up archaeologists’ necks. Examination told the team that this mummy was different. “Man E” had been bound so tightly around the ankles and wrists that marks still showed on his bones. Some historians believe that he was poisoned and buried alive. His coffin had no inscriptions at all. Creepy, if you ask me.
I Want My Mummy!
Right Hand Men
My mother always told me to give more than I take – that was smart advice. The ancient Egyptians had similar advice, kind of. Egyptian soldiers would cut off the hands of their enemies and then take them to the Pharaoh of the time in exchange for gold. This was only a rumor until 2010 when a team of archaeologists unearthed a pit of 16 human right hands. I suppose education was slightly different back then. Today we’re being taught about climate and environmental education, then they were learning about chopping hands off.
Right Hand Men
Fancy A Bite
We’ve all got a friend with pretty questionable taste. They choose the strangest items from the catalog, the weirdest dishes from the menu, and always the most eyebrow-raising relationship partners. But I’ve got news for you, they have some stern competition. Neanderthals from around 49,000 years ago used the skulls and bones of their cannibalistic victims as cutlery, crockery and jewelry. This came to light when archaeologists found 12 Neanderthals in a cave in northern Spain in 2010. This also further promoted the theory that Neanderthals’ cannibalism contributed to their extinction.
Fancy A Bite
Underwater Oracle Of The Dead
In 1962 explorers discovered a complex tunnel system within the cliffs at Baiae, Italy. The area had already attracted divers and researchers who went to explore Roman sculptures that were covered by water after volcanic activities over the centuries. But the mysterious part of Necromanteion was the temple where locals went to consult with the dead. It was appropriately named the “Oracle of the Dead”. It remains mysterious and generally unstudied by archaeologists.
Underwater Oracle Of The Dead
Hobbit People
Indonesia boasts beautiful Bali, but what else does this southeast Asian island claim for its fame? Only in 2003 did an Indonesian-Australian team of archaeologists discover a little (no pun intended) revelation – the remains of nine human bodies that were only about 3.3 feet tall. Research shows that these “hobbits” would have weighed about 55 pounds at full size. Seeing as these inhabitants of ancient Indonesia date back 13,000 years, this finding has been called the most spectacular find in paleoanthropology in half a century.
Hobbit People
What Do You Sphinx About This?
Believe it or not, there were a lot more than one sphinx in Egypt. The most famous one is The Great Sphinx of Giza. I like to call it “The Terrifying One”, not because I created that name, but because that’s the translation of the Arabic name – “Abu al-Haul”. The half lion and half human mythical creature was carved out of limestone. Egyptologists believe that Egyptians painted the sphinx in all different colors due to pigment traces that they found. Still, to this day, a lot has not been explored at this site.
What Do You Sphinx About This?
Lines In The Sand
An innocent plane ride in 1930 brought to light the giant geoglyphs carved into the plains of Peru. Called the Nazca lines because of the Nazca people who drew them, they vary in shapes and sizes. Some carvings represent birds while others show monkeys, lizards and even sharks. Luckily due to stable and dry conditions, these markings of art remain intact and preserved. One generally-accepted reasoning for these works is the relation to astronomy and cosmology.
Lines In The Sand
When my time comes I would like my procession of well-wishers to play “Angels” by Robbie Williams. There are many customs when it comes to funerals. How about this one? The population during the Zhou Dynasty would honor their prestigious figures by burying them with chariots and horses. We know this since the discovery of 3,000 year-old tombs in Luoyang, China. The graves contained bronze, ceramics and wooden chariots which surprised archaeologists. The reason for their surprise was due to the fact that other ancient tombs had been raided and robbed of their riches.
Chariots Of China
“Dum Dum, Gum Gum”
Remember the talking “Num Num” head in the movie, “Night at the Museum”? Well, that thing is real… not the talking part, but the head is! In fact on Easter Island, the Rapa Nui people produced more than 900 of those humanoid statues between the years 1250 and 1500. All of the statues were built in one place and then placed all over the island. What many people don’t know, is that the statues are actually full-bodied – they are just buried beneath the earth. The Moai, as the locals call them, represent and honor deceased ancestors.
“Dum Dum, Gum Gum”
Chemical Warfare
Syria has been battling with chemical warfare over the last decade, but did you know that chemical warfare was used in ancient Syria too? 19 Roman soldiers and 1 Persian soldier died from inhalation of a poisonous gas during a Persian siege in 256 AD. Archaeological digs found the bodies from that fateful battle. The gas became poisonous when the Persian army burned sulfur and bitumen crystals in a tunnel that was being used by the Roman soldiers to attack the Persian city. The 19 Romans suffocated and died.
Chemical Warfare
Jesus’ Fishing Boat
It’s important to mention that although this is the kind of boat that Jesus supposedly used, it is not his boat. Now that we’ve gotten that out the way, let’s continue. Two Israelis who were archaeology enthusiasts took to The Sea of Galilee during a drought in hopes of discovering something. Amazingly, the two found what seemed to be a boat in poor condition stuck in the mud. Experts believe that it was a fisherman’s boat from the 1st Century. It took a fast-paced 12 days to recover the boat before the regular water level returned.
Jesus Fishing Boat
A Mysterious Stone
A mysterious stone, indeed. After Rev James Harvey discovered it in 1887, its purpose or what it means still remains unknown. What we do know is that others have been found around the world bearing similar features like patterns of spirals and geometric shapes. The Cochno Stone, which is a petroglyph dates back around 5,000 years to the Bronze Age. The stone is 42 feet by 26 feet which is quite large. Researchers intend to use advanced 3D tools to explore the stone’s history further.
A Mysterious Stone
Hoax Or History
A Polish book dealer came across an intriguing and yet mysterious book at a flea market in 1912. The Voynich manuscript as it became known is still a major question mark. The book was filled with a language that still hasn’t been deciphered. Dozens of code-breakers and cryptographers have worked tirelessly to try and crack the secret code, but to no avail. A popular belief is that the manuscript was the work of a 15th Century prankster, creating the belief that the book is in fact a hoax altogether.
Hoax Or History
Power To The People
Using fermented grapes, you could make your own wine. However, would you have ever guessed that you could use fermented wine to power a battery? Either the Persian Parthian Empire or Sassanid Empire used this method to power their own version of a battery as far back as 250 BC. The battery extended an iron rod that was surrounded by a copper cylinder and housed in a terracotta pot with an asphalt stopper. The liquid from the grapes was poured into the pot and then produced about 1.1 volts of electricity. Unfortunately researchers still haven’t discovered the actual purpose of the battery.
Power To The People
By Fire And Ashes
Can you imagine a city from over 1,500 years ago preserved in its original state to this very day? The ancient city of Pompeii was buried under volcanic ash in 79 AD. The city’s burial was caused by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius’ volcano. For a millennium and a half, the city along with its population was kept intact under the rubble. The lack of air and moisture made it possible to be preserved. The exact positions of those who were killed was even preserved. Pompeii has been a major tourist destination for 250 years and recently the Italian city was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
By Fire And Ashes