The 7 Greatest Ancient Mysteries
By: Peter Preskar
Tags: Archaeology, Mystery, World, History, Art

The 7 Greatest Ancient Mysteries

Stonehenge (Photo by Andre Pattenden)

We consider ourselves technologically superior to our ancestors. We believe that we understand everything and can solve anything. After all, we can rely on the almighty science that put a man on the Moon and split the atom.

However, from time to time we stumble upon ancient artifacts that contradict our beliefs.

The following seven mysteries will make you wonder how our ancestors were able to create them.

1. Stonehenge is too big to be built by the prehistoric people

Stonehenge, England (Photo by Andre Pattenden)

For many, Stonehenge is the most mysterious place in the world. One of the planet’s most famous prehistoric monuments dates to 3.000 BC and is located in England.

Stonehenge comprises a ring of standing stones, each weighing around twenty-five tons. These stones are from a quarry that was located twenty-five kilometers away from the monument’s site.

How did our prehistoric ancestors move and raise such enormous blocks of stone without the aid of the wheel and a pulley?

What was the purpose of Stonehenge? Was it an astronomical observatory, a religious site, or a healing place?

Nobody knows! But one thing is certain, Stonehenge captures our imagination.

2. The Piri Reis map showed Antarctica 250 years before its discovery

The famous map made by Ottoman admiral Piri Reis in 1513. At the bottom, we can see the depiction of Antarctica (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

In 1929, by chance, an old map was found at the sultan’s palace in Istanbul, in Turkey. The author of the mysterious map was Piri Reis (1465–1553), a legendary commander of the Ottoman fleet.

The Piri Reis map of the world is very precise. So precise, that it even contains the continent of Antarctica. Here is where things get really interesting:

Piri Reis drew the map in 1513. However, Antartica was discovered 250 years later, in 1773, by British captain James Cook.

Could it be that Antarctica was discovered much earlier than we know? Could it be that Cook was only the first to brag about his discovery?

3. The Nazca Lines depict images that can only be seen from an airplane

The depiction of hummingbird in the Nazca Desert, Peru (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

In the 1930s, the first pilots flying over the Nazca desert in Peru noticed enormous drawings. They called them the Nazca Lines.

The Nazca Lines measure 1.300 kilometers and cover an area of fifty square kilometers. They depict animals, humans, and plants.

The ancient Nazca civilization created these enormous symbols around 2.000 years ago.

Peru’s greatest mystery still baffles scholars today. Why did the Nazca people create these depictions? How did they draw them, especially if you consider that you can’t fully see these figures unless you fly over them?

4. The Antikythera mechanism is an astronomical calendar

The Antikythera mechanism is on display in National Archaeological Museum, Athens, Greece (Image: smithsonianmag.com)

In 1901, a group of divers discovered a 2.200 years old artifact near the island Antikythera. A closer look at the device, which is the same size as a shoebox, revealed a set of gears, put together with the master’s precision.

After scientists reconstructed its complex design, they were stunned. They were looking at the world’s first mechanical computer. By turning a hand crank, a user could precisely simulate the movement of planets in our Solar system.

The Antikythera mechanism was so technologically advanced that nothing surpassed it for the next 1.500 years.

How the ancient Greeks developed such a complex machine remains a mystery to this very day.

5. The Voynich manuscript — a Medieval book that is undecipherable

The extract from the Voynich manuscript (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

The Voynich manuscript got its name after the Polish book dealer, Wilfrid Voynich. He purchased this mysterious manuscript from Italian Jesuits in 1912. The fifteenth-century manuscript is written in an unknown, possibly cryptic, language.

Many professional and amateur cryptographers, including Alan Turing, tried to decipher the manuscript. William Friedman spent thirty years trying to decipher the book. Even though Friedman was the chief cryptoanalyst in the United States Army, he miserably failed.

The manuscript contains information about herbal remedies, therapeutic bathing, and astrology. The text is written in a forgotten language. At least, this is what of the many theories about the Voynich manuscript claim!

6. The Baghdad batteries are 2000 years old

The reconstruction (left) and the actual (right) Baghdad battery (Image:science-rumors.com)

Electricity in ancient times? Everyone assumed such claims were far-fetched imagination of some crazy conspiracy writer.

But then, in 1936, archaeologists excavated artifacts that looked like primitive batteries. The artifacts comprised a ceramic pot, a copper tube, and an iron rod.

Scientists replicated the design, filled it with vinegar, and the device began producing a current. They confirmed that the Baghdad battery could function as a galvanic cell.

Did our ancestors really learn to create electricity? How did they use it?

One theory suggests they used the Baghdad batteries for the gilding of jewelry. Another theory says they used electricity for healing purposes.

7. Turkey’s Göbekli Tepe is older than any known civilization

The excavation site at Göbekli Tepe in modern-day Turkey (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Officially, the first civilization, the Sumer civilization, began around 4.000 BC. The Sumerians built cities and magnificent temples.

The widely accepted theory says that an agricultural revolution triggered the creation of large societies. Only these agricultural societies could carry out enormous building projects.

The discovery of the vast complex of temples at Göbekli Tepe, in Turkey, in 1963 challenged the theory.

The Göbekli Tepe temples date back to 9.000 BC. According to the theory, around 9.000 BC, our ancestors were hunter-gatherers. That means that they lived in small and independent tribes.

How could hunter-gatherers organize such an enormous building project? Where did they get the knowledge to build such complex buildings? How did they motivate large enough groups of people to carry out the building project?

Conclusion

After reading about these seven mysteries, are you asking yourself why and how did our ancestors create them? The answer is that we simply don’t know.

We came up with multiple theories to explain these mysteries, but deep inside of us the shadow of doubt still lingers. Are the history books the genuine reflection of what actually happened hundreds and thousands of years ago?