DISCOVERIES IN ARCHAEOLOGY
Added on: 4th Sep 2015
NAZCA LINES
Although they were literally beneath the feet of archaeologists for
hundreds of years, the Nazca Lines weren’t discovered until the
early 1900′s for the simple reason that they are nearly impossible to
see unless you are directly above them. While there have been
numerous explanations ranging from UFO’s to technically advanced
ancient civilization, the most probable explanation is that the Nazca
people were excellent surveyors, although why they would construct
such enormous geoglyphs remains a mystery.
DEAD SEA SCROLLS
Similar to the Rosetta Stone the Dead Sea Scrolls are one of the major
archaeological finds of the last century. They contain the earliest
known surviving copies of biblical documents that date all
the way back to 150 BC.
MOUNT OWEN MOA
In 1986 an expedition was making it deeper and deeper into the cave
system of Mount Owen in New Zealand when it came across the huge
claw you’re now looking at. It was so well preserved that it almost
seemed like whatever it belonged to had just died recently. Upon
excavation and inspection, however, it was determined to belong to
an Upland Moa, a large prehistoric bird that apparently came
with a nasty set of claws.
VOYNICH MANUSCRIPT
Described as the “world’s most mysterious manuscript” this piece of
literature has been dated back to early 15th century Italy. With most of
its pages filled with what seems to be herbal recipes, none of the plants
match known species and the language remains undecipherable.
GOBEKLI TEPE
Although at first glance it may seem like nothing more than a bunch of
rocks, this ancient settlement discovered in 1994 was constructed roughly
9,000 years ago and is currently one of the oldest examples of complex/
monumental architecture in the world, predating the pyramids
by thousands of years.
SACSAYHUAMAN
This walled complex just outside of Cusco, Peru is part of what used to
be the capital of the Inca Empire. The crazy part about this wall, however,
is in the details of its construction. The rock slabs fit together so tightly
that it would be impossible to slide even a hair between them. It’s a
testament to the precision of ancient Incan architecture.
BAGHDAD BATTERY
In the mid 1930′s several plain looking jars were discovered near Baghdad,
Iraq. No one paid any notice to them until not long after when a German
museum curator published a paper claiming that the jars may have been
used as galvanic cells, or batteries. Although it may seem far-fetched at
first even the Myth-busters got on board and confirmed that it was
indeed a good possibility.
HEADLESS VIKINGS OF DORSET
While digging a railroad in Dorset workers came across a small contingent
of Viking warriors buried in the ground, all missing their heads. At first
archaeologists thought that maybe some villagers had survived a raid
and exacted their revenge but upon closer inspection things got a little
less clear. The beheadings looked too clean and seemed to have been done
from the front rather than the back. They are still not sure what happened.
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