Nazca Lines, Moai Statues, and Other Mysterious Archaeological Discoveries That Made Scientists Puzzle

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Archaeological finds sometimes present scientists with no less mysteries than they give answers to questions related to antiquity. Sometimes scientists have been puzzling over these riddles for decades. This review contains archaeological finds that have become not only the discovery of the century, but also the most mysterious artifacts of all time.

1. The Voynich manuscript

The Voynich manuscript has been called "the most mysterious manuscript in the world." It was discovered in 1912 from Northern Italy. The language and author of the Voynich manuscript are still unknown. According to archaeologists, many pages of this unique artifact are missing and only 240 pages have survived to date.

One of the most interesting facts in the Voynich manuscript is the drawings of plants, which in general no one can compare with any known plant species on Earth. It is believed that the Voynich manuscript was written in the 15th century. Besides the herbal section, it also has astronomical, biological, cosmological and pharmaceutical sections. And yes, the language of the manuscript has not been deciphered for the last hundred years.

2. Moa from Mount Owen

In 1986, a group of archaeologists discovered a huge bird's claw while excavating a cave in Mount Owen in New Zealand. It was so well preserved that it still had flesh and muscle on it. Later, the archaeologist confirmed that this is the claw of the extinct wingless bird moa, which disappeared from the face of the Earth 2000 years ago.

The wingless moa was a very massive bird, whose height was up to 3.6 meters, and the weight was up to 250 kg. Early humans hunted moa until it became extinct. Today, the found moa claw is kept in the Museum of Natural History of New Zealand.

3. Sacsayhuaman

Saxayuman is an ancient walled military temple complex located in Machu Picchu, Peru. The construction of this complex structure was started in 1440 by Emperor Pachacutek. It took over 100 years to complete the grand structure. Its walls are composed of various rocks, including diorite blocks, Yukai limestones and dark andesite.

The 600-meter long Zigzag Wall of Sacsayhuaman was built from blocks weighing hundreds of tons and protected the famous towers of Moyok Marka, Salya Marka and Paukar Marka, as well as the Temple of the Sun.

4. Nazca Lines

The Nazca Lines are an unusual formation of white lines on the ground that can only be seen from the air when flying over the desert of southern Peru. This ancient mysterious place is replete with giant figures of trapezoids, rectangles, triangles and vortices, which can only be seen from a decent height. In total, at the moment, images of 70 animals, plants and 300 geometric figures have been discovered. The purpose of these lines is still unknown.

Archaeologists estimate that the Nazca Lines were created by the Nazca Indians between 500 BC. and 700 AD Thus, these ancient drawings remain intact for 2000 years.

5. Göbekli Tepe

Göbekli Tepe is the oldest archaeological site in the world, located in Turkey. This design showed everyone the artistic prowess of the Stone Age people who lived about 11,000 years ago. For the construction of this structure, limestone columns weighing 15 to 22 tons were used, which were cut from huge blocks of stones.

Archaeologists discovered 200 huge pillars during the expedition. This building is considered a place of public gatherings or a temple of ancient people. This discovery helped archaeologists study the Neolithic culture.

6. Terracotta army

In 1974, a group of archaeologists in Xi'an, China, made the greatest burial discovery: the terracotta army. They found thousands of clay soldiers buried next to the tomb of Emperor Qin Shihuandi, who was the first emperor of China. The clay soldiers were buried with him for protection from otherworldly forces after death. This ancient complex is about 2,200 years old.

Four main pits can be seen inside this archaeological site. Three of them are "filled" with terracotta army and weapons, while the fourth remains empty. Many parts of the Qin Shihuandi complex and tomb still remain unexcavated.

7. Moai statues, Easter Island

The moai statues are one of the most mysterious archaeological discoveries ever made in history, and the main attraction of Chile's Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean. They were carved from stone by the ancient people of Rapa Nui between 1300 and 1500 AD.

There are 288 statues in total on the island, located on stone platforms. They are 4 meters high and weigh up to 80 tons. The Rapa Nui people used stones from the island's extinct volcano to carve these statues. Their D-shaped base made it possible to move even such monumental structures with the help of strong ropes.

8. Stonehenge

Stonehenge is a 5,000-year-old prehistoric monument located near the town of Salisbury in England. This monument consisted of many small and large stones set in a circle. The largest stone is 10 meters high and weighs up to 25 tons. The actual purpose of Stonehenge is still unknown.

Stonehenge was built between 3000 BC. and 2000 BC To create it, the Neolithic builders brought huge stones from the Preseli hills, 100 kilometers from this mysterious monument. It is believed that 240 people died in the area during construction.

9. Pyramids of Giza

The pyramids are the greatest ancient structures ever seen on Earth. Although many civilizations have built pyramids, the Egyptian pyramids are unique and hardly comparable to anything else. The Great Pyramid of Giza has always been on the list of the great wonders of the ancient world. It is believed that the Egyptians began building pyramids in 2700 BC, mainly as a tomb for keeping royal bodies called mummies.

The "Great Pyramid" of Cheops is the oldest and highest pyramid in Egypt, with a height of 140 meters. It took almost 20 years to complete its construction, for which millions of limestone stones were used. The inner part of the pyramids is a real storehouse of priceless treasures and mummies. The walls of the pyramids are also decorated with beautiful paintings and carvings.

10. Atlantis

The Lost City of Atlantis is perhaps the most mysterious archaeological discovery in history (but still not made). Plato in 360 BC first told the assumption about Atlantis, sunk in the ocean. Researchers have since believed that a massive tsunami that struck the city in the 10th millennium BC buried Atlantis at the bottom of the ocean. But the real truth is still unknown to archaeologists.

Ancient stories claimed that Atlantis was built by the god of the sea, Poseidon, and was located somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. Researchers have not been able to determine the actual location of this city until today.

Continuing the theme of antiquities, the story about biblical testimonies, the earliest images of Jesus and other astounding artifacts found in 2019.