Top Three Baffling Archeological Finds
February 16, 2024Objects left behind by our ancient ancestors and rediscovered by our contemporaries are often broken, worn, and challenging to identify. However, that doesn't stop archeologists and other experts from hypothesizing what these relics could have been used for in their time. As a result, what may first be a significant mystery, just might become a very illuminating artifact that redefines what we think about our place in history! Read on to learn about some of the most baffling archeological finds and be prepared to rethink much of what you thought you knew about the ancients!
3. The Saqqara Bird
The Saqqara Bird is a small wooden figure excavated in 1898 from a tomb located in Saqqara. Egypt. By expert approximations, it is said to be around 2,200 years old. The figure resembles the shape of a modern airplane with the head of a bird. Controversies surrounding this find suggest that the ancient Egyptians may have understood aerodynamics, and the Saqqara Bird may have been a small-scale replica of a larger aircraft. The model contains the “Dihedral angle,” a modern-day principle to achieve lift. While some argue this is proof of modern-day tech used in ancient times, others suggest this wooden figurine was merely a children’s toy. However, how does a simple children’s toy feature such a modern understanding of flight?
2. Dropa Stones
In 1938, 716 circular stone discs were discovered in the mountains of Brian Kara-Ula, between the border of China and Tibet. These stone discs date back 12,000 years, and each disc is said to measure up to 1 foot in diameter. Mysteriously, the hieroglyphics featured on these series of stones are argued to tell a story of ancient alien visitors attempting to contact the local peoples. After their attempts failed, the aliens took refuge in local cave systems and built an elaborate society with crystalline walls for healing and regeneration. Other local ancient traditions speak of disk-shaped artifacts that hold tremendous power. Are these the same mysterious Dropa Stones, and what abilities do they still have? The fact that none of the stones are featured in museums or shown publicly only adds to the mystery of their purpose and potential power.
1. The Antikythera Mechanism
The Antikythera Mechanism is an archeological find from coastal Greece that has engrossed experts in many fields of historical disciplines. The object is a mechanical computer with bronze gears that make accurate astronomical predictions. The principal surviving fragments of the mechanism are eroded; however, they contain evidence of mechanical components built with multiple impressive gear systems and tiny text characters that have gone unread for thousands of years. Experts suggest that this mechanism precisely predicted the complex movements of the sun, moon, stars, and planets, making it the world’s first known computer. How did the ancients create such a complex machine thousands of years before our first tabletop computers? What else may they have known thousands of years before we did?
If we want to ponder the mysteries of life, we need to do nothing more than look backward. Ancient peoples left much to be deciphered that continues to baffle us today. We may never satisfy our yearning questions with what they've left behind!
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