– Cowanchee
Few stories have the power to capture our attention like those that have not yet been solved. Ciphers, riddles and coded public messages tease us with their intrigue: Why is this message encrypted? What great secrets can it hide?
Go figure it out
Despite the efforts of the best historians, brilliant cryptographers and the most dedicated treasure hunters, history is full of mysteries that continue to baffle us to this day. Fictional stories, such as those described in the book The Da Vinci Code and the movie National Treasure, have nothing in common with these real-life mysteries. Take a look at our list of the ten most mysterious unsolved mysteries and unsolved ciphers.
Voynich manuscript
Named after the Polish-American antiquarian bookseller Wilfrid M. Voynich, who acquired it in 1912, The Voynich Manuscript is a detailed 240-page book written in a completely unknown language. Its pages are also filled with colorful drawings and strange diagrams, images of incredible events and plants that are unlike any known species, which only adds to the intrigue of a document that cannot be deciphered. The author of the manuscript is unknown, but radiocarbon dating has shown that its pages were written somewhere between 1404 and 1438. The manuscript has been called "The Most Mysterious Manuscript in the World."
There are many theories about the origin and nature of the manuscript. Some believe that it is a pharmacocopy describing various knowledge of medieval and early modern medicine. Many pictures of herbs and plants also suggest that it was something like a textbook for alchemists. The fact that many of the diagrams appear to depict astronomical phenomena, coupled with unidentifiable biological sketches, has even led some of the more sophisticated theorists to speculate that the book is of extraterrestrial origin.
But one thing almost all theorists agree on is that this book is unlikely to be a hoax, given the amount of time, money and meticulous work that went into its creation.
Kryptos
Kryptos is a mysterious code-covered sculpture created by artist Jim Sanborn that is located in front of the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, Virginia. It is so mysterious that even the CIA itself could not fully decipher its code.
The sculpture contains four encryptions, and although three of them were deciphered, the code of the fourth has not yet been cracked. In 2006, Sanborn gave a hint that the first encryption contained clues to the fourth, and in 2010 he revealed another: characters 64-69 NYPVTT in the fourth part mean the word BERLIN.
Maybe you can decipher it?
Bale cipher
The Bale Cipher is a set of three encryptions that purportedly reveals the location of one of the greatest buried treasures in American history: many thousands of pounds of gold, silver and precious stones. The treasure was originally obtained mysterious man named Thomas Jefferson Bale in 1818 during gold mining in Colorado.
Of the three encryptions, only the second was decoded. Interestingly, it seems that the key to the cipher is the American Declaration of Independence - amazing fact, given that Bale's name is the same as the author of the Declaration.
The decrypted text indicated the location of the treasure: Bedford County, Virginia, but its exact location appears to be encrypted in one of the remaining encryptions. Today, treasure hunters carefully scour (often illegally) the hills of Bedford County in search of this untold wealth.
Phaistos disc
The mystery of the Phaistos Disc is like an Indiana Jones story. Discovered by Italian archaeologist Luigi Pernier in 1908 in the ruins of the Minoan palace at Phaistos, the disc is made of baked clay and contains mysterious symbols that may represent an unknown form of hieroglyphs. It is believed to have been made sometime in the second millennium BC.
Some scholars believe that these hieroglyphs resemble those of "Linear A" and "Linear B", written languages that were once used in ancient Crete. Then what is the problem? The fact is that “Linear A” cannot be deciphered.
Today, the disk is one of the most famous mysteries in archaeology.
Encryption from Shaboro
Look from afar at the 18th century Shepherd's Monument in Staffordshire, Britain, and you might mistake it for a sculptural reproduction of Nicolas Poussin's famous painting The Shepherds of Arcadia. But look closer and you'll notice the strange sequence of letters DOUOSVAVVM - a code that has remained undecipherable for over 250 years.
Many of our world's greatest minds have tried to decipher this code and failed, including Charles Dickens and Charles Darwin.
Tamam Shud case
The Tamam Shud case is considered one of Australia's biggest mysteries, and revolves around an unidentified man who was found dead in December 1948 on Somerton Beach in Adelaide, Australia. Besides the fact that the man was never identified, the matter became even more mysterious when a tiny piece of paper with the words “Tamam Shud” was found in a secret pocket sewn into the man’s trousers.
This phrase translates as "finished" or "completed" and is used on the last page of Omar Khayyam's collection of poems, the Rubaiyat. To add to this mystery, a copy of the Rubaiyat was soon found, which contained a strange code supposedly left by the dead man himself.
Wow! signal
One summer night in 1977, Jerry Eman, a SETI volunteer, may have become the first person to receive a message from another planet. Eman was scanning radio waves from deep space in the hope of accidentally stumbling upon a signal bearing the hallmarks of an intelligent race, when he noticed a jump in his measurements.
The signal lasted 72 seconds - the maximum possible measurement duration that Eman's equipment and scanning range allowed. It was loud and apparently transmitted from a place no human had ever been to: the constellation Sagittarius, from a point near a star called Tau Sagittarius, 120 light-years from Earth
Eman wrote the word "Wow!" on the original printout of the signal, and that's why it was called "Wow! signal."
All attempts to recapture the signal failed, leading to great debate regarding the nature of its origin and its significance.
Letters of the Zodiac
The Zodiac Letters are a series of four encrypted letters believed to have been written by the famous Zodiac, a serial killer who terrorized the people of San Francisco during the latter half of the 1960s and early 1970s. The letters were likely written as a way to taunt journalists and police, and while one letter has been deciphered, the other three remain unsolved.
Zodiac's identity has also never been established, although no further Zodiac murders have been identified since the 1970s.
Georgia Guidestones
The Georgia Waystones, sometimes called "America's Stonehenge", is a granite monument erected in Elbert County, Georgia in 1979. The stones contain engravings in eight languages - English, Spanish, Swahili, Hindi, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese and Russian - and each contains ten "new" commandments for the "Age of Reason". The stones were also installed taking into account some astronomical considerations.
And although the monument does not contain encrypted messages, its purpose and origin remain a mystery. It was erected by a man whose identity has never been precisely established, and who was hiding behind the pseudonym R. C. Christian.
Of these ten commandments, the first is perhaps the most controversial: “Keep the human population below 500 million in eternal balance with wildlife.” Many believe that this is a calling to reduce the human population to a specified number, and critics of the Guidestones have even demanded their destruction. Some conspiracy theorists even believe that they were created by the "Secret Society of Lucifer", calling for a new world order.
Rongorongo
Rongorongo is a system of mysterious signs inscribed on various artifacts found on Easter Island. Many believe they represent a lost writing system or proto-writing, and may be one of three or four independently invented writing systems in human history.
The signs still remain undeciphered, and they are true meaning- which some believe contains clues about the fate of the vanished civilization that built the statues on Easter Island - is likely lost forever.
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There are many blank spots and unsolved mysteries in our history that excite the minds of scientists and ordinary mortals, be it an unsolved murder, mysterious ancient civilizations or amazing archaeological finds. Many mysteries of the past are yet to be revealed, and who knows, maybe fortune will smile on you.
Assassination of John Kennedy
John Kennedy was professionally shot with just two shots (one in the back, the other in the head) as his motorcade passed through the streets of Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963.
Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested 45 minutes after the shots were fired. After several hours of interrogation, for which prosecutors' warrants were not even issued, Oswald was charged with premeditated murder and sentenced to death. The sentence was carried out by Jack Ruby in the garage of a police building in the presence of hundreds of journalists on November 24 of the same year.
On November 29, President Lyndon Johnson creates a Commission to investigate this daring murder. The commission was headed by Earl Warren, Chairman supreme court USA. He later discovered that Oswald had acted alone, firing from the sixth floor of the school library building with a Mannlicher-Carcano rifle.
Jack the Ripper
The oldest and most mysterious murders of Jack the Ripper, which struck fear in the heart of Victorian London, still capture the imagination. Between August and November 1888, five prostitutes were murdered in east London, Whitechapel.
Everything, from the crime itself to the identity of the killer and detailed letters about the crime committed, was shrouded in mystery. It is generally accepted that there were five victims in total, but this number was enough to agitate the whole of Great Britain.
Jack the Ripper became a kind of personification of the social problems of that time: poverty, crime, diseases that awaited every Briton on the threshold of his home.
Mysteries of Stonehenge
Built in three sections over 6,400 years ago during the Neolithic period on Salisbury Plain (southern England), Stonehenge has been impressing visitors with its majesty for several thousand years. This architectural monument consists of 30 vertical and 30 horizontal slabs, each weighing about 6 tons.
All the slabs were cut from basalt, mined 400 kilometers northwest of Salisbury Plain. Both the goals and methods of construction of this stone temple under open air. There are different versions voiced: from an observatory and a pagan temple to a UFO landing site.
Lost Island of Atlantis
One of ancient secrets in the world, the legend of Atlantis has fascinated the inquisitive minds of mankind since ancient times. According to the Greek philosopher Plato, Atlantis was a large island somewhere west of the Pillars of Hercules (the Rock of Gibraltar) and home to an incredibly advanced civilization known as the Atlanteans.
Plato described Atlantis as a place with an unusually beautiful palace complex surrounded by three ring canals. Each ruler, inheriting a palace, wanted to surpass his predecessor, so the palace complex was constantly expanding.
The Atlanteans were the richest nation of their time, but irrepressible ambitions and the constant desire for power gradually undermined the foundations of this civilization, and a natural disaster, a powerful earthquake, completed the fall of Atlantis. Whether this is true or a myth, we will never know. All that remains is to believe Plato.
Riddle of the Sphinx
The Sphinx is not only a symbol of Egypt, but also of Greece, Phenicia and Syria. In fact, the riddle of the Sphinx dates back far before its appearance at the pyramids of Giza. The famous question that cost travelers who met the Sphinx their lives: Who walks in the morning on four legs, in the afternoon on two, and in the evening on three? If you answer this question correctly, then the Sphinx will collapse.
The only person who, according to ancient Greek myths, answered the question correctly is Oedipus (answer: man). Despite the fact that the mystery has long been solved, the stone Sphinx still raises many questions.
Bigfoot (Sasquatch)
Yeti is the nightmare of all tourists and hunters in North America. Scientists consider the Yeti to be just part of folklore. However, many people still believe that these humanoid creatures live throughout the globe.
Eyewitnesses describe the Yeti as an ape-like creature:
- 2.5 – 3 meters tall;
- weighing more than 500 kg;
- covered with dark brown or red hair;
- big eyes;
- heavy forehead, and a crest on the head, like a male gorilla.
The Yeti footprint can reach up to 60 cm in length.
Lost cities in the sands of the Sahara
The ruins of long-forgotten civilizations have been found beneath the sands of the Sahara Desert. Evidence of the existence of the highly developed civilization of Garamant remained undocumented due to the harsh regime of Gaddafi (Libya). However, now, due to changes in the political situation in the country, archaeologists have a chance to uncover the secrets of this ancient culture.
An elongated skull found in the city of Andahuaylillas pretty much frayed the nerves of anthropologists. The skull has an unusually elongated crown, enlarged eye sockets, and a full set of adult teeth, despite the fact that the skull is clearly that of a child.
A group of anthropologists who visited the excavation site disagreed. Some argue that this is not even a human skull, while others are inclined to believe that its owner underwent a special procedure to lengthen the shape of the skull from early childhood, as part of an ancient rite.
Is there a chance of ever finding answers to these still unsolved mysteries of humanity?
Unsolved natural mysteries of the world
Stone waves
Our planet Earth will never cease to amaze us. Let me introduce you to another extraordinary place - Wave Rock, located in Perth, Australia. Wave Rock is a stunning rock that resembles the crest of a huge wave, as if someone froze the water and turned it into stone. This is part of Hyden Rock, which according to scientists is more than 2,700 million years old. Recently, more and more tourists have been flocking here, and surfers dream of getting a photo with such a huge “wave”.
Cave of Swallows
Nature is brilliant in its creations, sometimes it delights and fascinates. Thus, the Cave of Swallows, which is located in the tropics of central Mexico, attracts base jumpers and cavers from all over the world.
Its size is impressive, its beauty delights, its originality fascinates. The Cave of Swallows ranks 2nd in depth in Mexico, and 11th in the world.
It descends to the depths of the Earth to a depth of 376 meters, which is comparable to the height of the Empire State Building (381 m without the spire).
Unique creations of nature
Black Rock Desert (USA). This mystical place is located in Nevada. Brightly colored various colors geysers, dry riverbeds and looming cliffs make this a fantastic place.
"Yellowstone National Park." Located in the USA. These are hot spring terraces similar to living sculpture, which is constantly changing due to the smooth flow of water and the erosion of limestone.
"Lake Powell, Glen Canyon." Located in the USA in the state of Utah. Glen Canyon National Forest, created in 1972, covers an area of more than 1 million acres. This is a rugged desert with numerous canyons stretching for 298 km along Lake Powell. The lake arose as a result of the damming of the Colorado River and its tributaries.
"Dry Valley" Located in Antarctica. This desert is the driest place on earth, and the only part of Antarctica not covered with ice. There has been no precipitation here for several million years.
Socotra Island. It is part of a small archipelago of six islands in Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia, about 350 km south of the Arabian Peninsula. Socotra is one of the most isolated continental archipelagos in the world. Despite the hot and dry climate, the island abounds in many extremely rare flora and fauna, a third of which are endemic, i.e. found only here.
Rio Tinto quarry in Andalusia (Spain). The huge quarries of Rio Tinto create a landscape similar to the moon. The quarries are named after the river of the same name, which flows here and washes minerals out of huge craters. Mining has been carried out here for many centuries, so the river turns a bright red-orange color.
"Spotted Lake" The lake is located in British Columbia, Canada. Depending on the weather conditions and the time of year, the lake crystallizes and turns a certain color. Many “spots” - circles of minerals - form on the lake. This is the world's largest concentration of sulfates, as well as silver and titanium.
"Frozen Waterfalls" They are located in Mexico. From Spanish (Hierve el agua) translates as “boiling water.” This is another one of the wonders of the world. They are formed by water high content calcium carbonate, which, settling, forms sagging and bizarre relief forms.
National Park"Arches". The park is located in Utah (USA), near the city of Moab. This is a high-mountain desert, painted in all shades of dark red, in which various natural formations rise (arches, columns, fantastic figures). This place is rightly called one of the “Natural Wonders of the World”.
Stone forest "Shilin". Located in China. This is a stunning example of karst topography. The rocks are made of limestone and were formed by water, which destroyed everything except these tree-like pillars. Since the Ming Dynasty, the Shilin Stone Forest has been known as the "First Wonder of the World."
“Eye of the Sahara” (Rishat structure). Located in Mauritania. This natural formation with a diameter of about 30 km is clearly visible from space. Its origin is still a mystery. Initially, it was believed that the Eye was formed as a result of a meteorite fall. However, modern geologists believe that the Richat structure is the result of erosion.
“The Gates of Hell” (Davraz). This famous burning crater is located in Turkmenistan in the middle of the Karakum Desert. The crater, with a diameter of 60 m and a depth of 20 m, is a well in which gas burns, ignited after the completion of geological exploration work.
Petra is an ancient city. Located on the territory of modern Jordan, at an altitude of more than 900 m above sea level, in the narrow Siq canyon. In 2007, Petra was recognized as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.
Banaue Rice Terraces. Found in the Philippines in the Ifuago Mountains. They are spread over an area of more than 4,000 square meters. km, at an altitude of 1524 m above sea level. Locals They call them the “eighth wonder of the world”: hand-carved terraces on which rice has been growing for 2,000 years.
Ice caves "Eisreisenwelt". There are many ice caves in the world, but the Eisreisenwelt Caves are the largest among them. Total length caves is 40 km.
Hummingbird drawing on the Nazca Plateau, Peru.
Goreme National Park, Türkiye
Volcano "Ankisabe", Madagascar. Erosion on slopes.
"Chocolate Mountains" Bohol Island, Philippines "Baccanile Archipelago". Located 800 km west of the coast of Australia. The rocks on the islands are two billion years old.
"Cone on Tolbachik", Russia. These breakthroughs on the Kamchatka Tolbachik volcano, reminiscent of a Martian landscape, appeared in 1945. The place where the photo was taken is called the “lunar rover base.” It was here that Soviet lunar rovers were tested.
Antelope Canyon, USA
The most popular and famous canyon in the southwestern United States, in the Navajo Desert, Arizona. It consists of two sections called the Upper and Lower Canyon, or "The Crack" and "The Corkscrew". The Navajo Indians call the canyon "bighanilini", which simply means "the place where water has cut a path through the rock." It is logical that the Lower Canyon also has its own name - “Hasdestwazi” (“stone vaults”).
Great Blue Hole, Belize
Part of the Lighthouse Reef System, this formation is located 60 kilometers from Belize. Almost perfect round hole with a diameter of 400 meters is the most desirable for all divers on the planet. Inside it, the depth reaches 145 meters in depth, and on the walls of this natural well there are a large number of marine organisms just waiting to be photographed and examined. Due to the large difference in depth, the color of the water in this place differs sharply from the surrounding surface.
Crystal Cave of the Giants, Mexico
Deep in a mine in southern Mexico, in Chihuahua, lies a group of mineral crystals hidden from human sight. Their height reaches several meters, their shape is usually rectangular, but some are cylindrical, and their color varies from silver to golden. Most likely, the space surrounding the crystals was filled with rock, which was gradually washed away by underground water flows, leaving such unusual formations.
Blue Lake Cave, Brazil
The Mato Grosso do Sul region in Brazil contains many picturesque underground lakes - Gruta do Lago Azul, Gruta do Mimoso, Aquário Natural. The first one is natural room, the interior of which is formed by bizarre stalactites and stalagmites, as well as a vast blue lake. Its beauty impresses all tourists who managed to see this miracle of nature; the transparency of the water and its rich bright blue hue are especially memorable.
Giants Causeway, Ireland
An area covered with 40 thousand basalt columns correct form, was formed as a result of an ancient volcanic eruption. It is located in the northeast of Northern Ireland, most of the columns are hexagonal, but there are columns with 4, 5, 7 and 8 faces. The tallest of them reaches a height of 12 meters, and the thickness of the frozen lava around is up to 28 meters. In 2005, according to a Times poll, the Giant's Causeway was named the fourth wonder of the world in Great Britain (or rather, the fourth wonder of Great Britain)
Fire Falls - "Horse Tail"
This stunning waterfall is located in Yosemite National Park in California (USA). It's called Horsetail Fall.
Just a few days in February you can see with your own eyes a rare event- reflection of the rays of the setting sun in the falling stream of the waterfall. The waterfall turns fiery orange. This waterfall is located on the eastern slope of Mount El Capitan.
The waterfall consists of two cascading streams with a height of about 480 m. The total height of the waterfall is 650 meters. The best place for shooting is the northern road leading to Yosemite Valley, east of Mount El Capitan.
Catatumbo Lightning
Catatumbo Lightning (Spanish: Relámpago del Catatumbo) - a natural phenomenon, arising above the confluence of the Catatumbo River into Lake Maracaibo ( South America). The phenomenon is expressed in the appearance of a glow at an altitude of about five kilometers. Lightning appears at night (140-160 times a year) and the discharges last about 10 hours. This adds up to about 1.2 million discharges per year.Lightning can be seen from a distance of up to 400 kilometers. They were even used for navigation, which is why the phenomenon is also known as the Maracaibo Lighthouse.
Catatumbo lightning is believed to be the largest single ozone generator on Earth. Winds coming from the Andes cause thunderstorms. Methane, which is rich in the atmosphere of these wetlands, rises to the clouds, fueling lightning strikes.
Local environmentalists believe this unique area should be protected by UNESCO.
Fish rain in Honduras
Rain of animals is a relatively rare meteorological phenomenon, although such cases have been recorded in many countries throughout human history. But for Honduras this is a regular occurrence. Every year between May and July, a dark cloud appears in the sky, lightning flashes, thunder rumbles, strong winds blow and heavy rain pours for 2-3 hours. As soon as it stops, hundreds of living fish remain on the ground.
People pick it like mushrooms and take it home to fry. Since 1998, the Festival de la Lluvia de Peces (Fish Rain Festival) has been held here. It is celebrated in the city of Yoro, Department of Yoro, Honduras. One of the hypotheses for the occurrence of the phenomenon is that strong winds they lift fish several kilometers high out of the water, since the waters of the Caribbean Sea off the northern coast of Honduras are abundant in fish and other seafood. However, no one has yet witnessed this happen.
And now a photo gallery of unusual places on the planet. All of them are so amazing that they are more similar to the landscapes of other worlds, and not to the surface of our planet.
Human civilization has existed on Earth for a very long time, and the Earth has existed for millions of years. So it is not surprising that there are secrets left by ancient civilizations that modern people are unable to understand and explain.
Here are 12 mysterious and strange discoveries made in the field of archaeology. Science still cannot fully explain them.
1) Baltic Sea Anomaly: A crew of Swedish divers discovered a large, disc-shaped object at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. No one is sure of the origin of this object.
2) Baghdad Batteries: These terracotta pots were created in Mesopotamia and are regarded as ancient voltaic cells, created 2000 years before the birth of their inventor Alessandro Volta.
3) Crystal Skulls: These are artifacts of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica (Aztec or Mayan civilization) created from clear or white quartz.
4) Ancients aircrafts: These are small models of flying airplanes. However, man first took to the air only in 1780, and even then hot-air balloon. So how did ancient civilizations learn enough about flight to make models and sketches of flying machines?
5) Co-existing Dinosaur-Human Footprints: While many of the fossils have been proven to be fakes, there are some examples of human-dinosaur fossil footprints in ancient rock formations that remain a mystery. If they are indeed real, it would violate the theory of evolution.
6) Radioactive remains found in ancient cities: In the ruins of the ancient cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, the level of radiation is so high that it is believed that the population of these cities was killed by an atomic bomb around 1500 BC
7) Stonework of the Puma Punku complex: In Bolivia there is a large megalithic complex built from huge stone blocks connected together like Legos.
8) Voynich Manuscript: This has been proven to be an authentic copy of the manuscript from the Middle Ages, but no one has yet been able to decipher it. This is the most famous case in the history of cryptography.
9) Antikythera Mechanism: This is a mechanism from the Hellenistic period, it is the ancient equivalent of the modern computer that was developed to predict astronomical events and eclipses. The biggest mystery is that nothing like this has been created in two thousand years. What happened to technology?
10) Cocaine and tobacco residues on mummies: Residues from these drugs have been found on Egyptian mummies. How they obtained the drugs remains a mystery.
11) Pipes in Mount Baigong: These pipes are evidence of the presence of plumbing services in Ancient China. Many people believe that these technological advances are traces of a visit to our planet. extraterrestrial civilization.
12) Stone Spheres in Costa Rica: Their diameter reaches 2 meters and their weight is 16 tons. There are many myths surrounding these stones. Some claim that they came from Atlantis itself.
The most unpleasant thing is that no matter how much scientific research done, we will never solve these mysteries.
People have been struggling with the mysteries of the past for centuries, but they still remain unsolved. Mysterious artifacts, mysterious personalities and mysteries of history - as annoying as it is, apparently no one will ever know the explanation for these facts
Mummies from peat bogs
In the peat bogs and bogs of Denmark, Germany, Holland, England and Ireland, people have found well-preserved human mummies. About the first discovery made in Germany, it is said: “In the summer of 1640, a dead man was dug up in the Schalholtingen swamps.” Only a few of the swamp mummies found are so well preserved that they can be exhibited in museums. All the bodies show signs of violent death: signs of strangulation, broken bones, a cut throat, and sometimes all together. The body of the so-called “Lindow man” showed signs of blows and his skull was pierced by an axe. The executioners tied the animal's sinews around the unfortunate neck, and then cut the throat. Under long braids The young "Elling woman" was found with a deeply impressed inverted V on the back of her head. A teenager of 10-14 years old, who was pulled out of a swamp near Kayhausen in Lower Saxony, was bound so expertly that he could not even move.
It is still unclear whether this was an execution or a sacrifice. Why were these people treated so cruelly? Archaeologists believe that the swamps served as a place for ritual actions, because from ancient times they were considered sacred. However, this mystery will apparently remain unsolved.
Nazca geoglyphs
A geoglyph is a giant drawing on the earth's surface. In Nazca, such figures depict either geometric figures, or silhouettes of animals. They seem to have been scratched on rocky soil and from the height of human growth they are just a tangled web of yellow lines. Only when you rise into the air can you see their true outlines. And then what appears before your eyes is either a fifty-meter spider, or a condor with a wingspan of 120 meters, or a lizard with a length of 180 meters.
The age of geoglyphs can only be approximately dated. Archaeological research has shown that they were created in different time. The latest ones date back to the 1st century AD, the oldest - to the 6th century BC.
Easter Island idols
These grandiose stone sculptures, moai, are the mysterious remains of a little-known ancient civilization, differ from those found on other islands Pacific Ocean. The inhabitants of Easter themselves have long forgotten about their purpose. They were first seen by the Dutch navigator Jacob Roggeveen, who landed on this island on Easter Day.
In 1955 Thor Heyerdahl managed to raise one of the statues in 12 days with the help of the island residents. Armed with beams, the workers lifted one side of the statue and placed stones underneath. Then they raised the statue a little higher and added stones again. The operation was repeated until the sculpture stood upright. But Heyerdahl was never able to explain how “hats” weighing several tons were put on the statues
Pope Joanna
According to medieval biographers, Pope Joan was born in 882. Feeling thirsty for knowledge, she went to Athens. At that time, theological education was not available to women, so she disguised herself as a young man and took the name John the Englishman. When Joanna arrived in Rome, she was immediately noticed for her learning, piety, and beauty. After becoming a cardinal, after the death of Pope Leo IV, she was appointed as his successor. From the outside, she seemed absolutely worthy of her rank, but suddenly, during the festive procession of John, she gave birth to a child right on the road and soon died.
A kind of confirmation of this story is the fact that from about 1000. and for almost five centuries the gender of each candidate for the papal throne was verified.
The veracity of the story of the female pope, repeated since the 13th century, was first challenged in the 15th century. Starting from the middle of the 16th century, historians no longer doubted the fictionality of this story. The legend probably arose as a mockery of the pornocracy - the period of female dominance at the papal court, starting from John X to John XII (919-963). A similar phenomenon was also noted under Pope Alexander VI Borgia (1492-1503), who appointed his mistress Giulia Farnese to the post of chief treasurer (accountant-auditor) of the Curia, and her younger brother Alessandro Farnese, without clergy, a little later, in 1493 , at the age of 25, received the post of cardinal-treasurer of the Curia and at the same time bishop of three dioceses at once; Moreover, it was this cardinal who subsequently occupied (through two popes) the papal throne under the name of Paul III (1534-1549). Also known interesting fact, associated with the military campaign of Alexander VI during civil strife with the Sforza family, when his youngest daughter Lucrezia Borgia was in loco parentis, that is, “in the place of the parent” - she occupied the throne of St. Peter in the absence of her father by his own appointment.
Tomb of Genghis Khan
It is still unknown where Genghis Khan's grave is located. No one has been able to solve this, one of the greatest mysteries of human civilization, over the past eight hundred years. The burial place attracts not only its historical value, but also the untold riches buried in the ground along with the deceased. According to the most conservative estimates, taking into account historical value, the cost of precious stones, gold coins, expensive dishes, and skillfully made weapons is estimated at no less than two billion dollars. The jackpot is quite decent and deserves to devote years and even decades to searching for the tomb of Genghis Khan.
After Genghis Khan's death, his body was returned to Mongolia, apparently to his birthplace in the territory of modern Khentii aimag; he was allegedly buried somewhere near the Onon River. According to both Marco Polo and Rashid ad-Din, the funeral escort killed everyone they met along the way. The slaves who performed the burial were put to the sword, and then the soldiers who executed them were killed. The Mausoleum of Genghis Khan in Ejen Khoro is a memorial and is not his burial place. According to one folklore version, a river bed was laid over his grave so that this place could not be found. According to other legends, many horses were driven over his grave and trees were planted there.
Origin of the Basques
The Basques are one of the most amazing mysteries of history: their language has nothing in common with other European languages. In addition, genetic studies have established the uniqueness of the people we are considering. Basques are people who have the highest proportion of Rh negative blood of all Europeans (25 percent) and one of the highest proportions of blood type O (55 percent). There is a very sharp genetic difference between representatives of this ethnic group and other peoples, especially in Spain.
Most scientists agree that the Basques are the indigenous inhabitants of Europe, directly descended from the Cro-Magnons, who came to European lands from Africa 35 thousand years ago and remained there. The Cro-Magnons probably did not participate in any subsequent migrations, since archaeologists have not found any evidence to suggest that the population in this area changed throughout time until the arrival of the Romans. This means that all those people who today call themselves Europeans are just children compared to the Basques. Amazing, isn't it?
Time Travelers
Is time travel possible? Science does not give a clear answer. But the world has accumulated a lot of, to put it mildly, strange facts that no one can explain. Here are some of them.
This photo was taken in 1941 at the opening of the South Fork Bridge in British Columbia, Canada. The shot captured a man who clearly stood out from the crowd with his extraordinary appearance. Short haircut, dark glasses, a knitted sweater with a wide neckline over a T-shirt with some kind of symbolism, a massive camera in his hands. Agree, the appearance is quite familiar for our days, but not for the early 40s! And he completely stands out among others. This photo was investigated. We found a participant in these events. But he could not remember this man at all.
Swiss Watches
This item, discovered in a Ming Dynasty tomb, has puzzled researchers. The tomb was opened in 2008 in the Guangxi region (PRC) during filming documentary film. To the surprise of archaeologists and journalists. in the burial there were... Swiss watches!
“When we were removing the soil, a piece of rock suddenly jumped off the surface of the coffin and hit the floor with a metallic sound,” said Jiang Yanyu, a former curator at the Guangxi Museum who participated in the excavation. - We picked up the item. It turned out to be a ring. But, having cleared it of the earth, we were shocked - a miniature dial was discovered on its surface.”
Inside the ring was an engraved inscription “Swiss” (Switzerland). The Ming Dynasty ruled China until 1644. It is out of the question that such a miniature mechanism could have been created in the 17th century. But Chinese experts say the tomb has never been opened in the last 400 years.
An ancient computer?
On the remote Kamchatka peninsula, 200 km from the village of Tigil, strange fossils have been discovered by the University of Archeology of St. Petersburg.
According to archaeologist Yuri Golubev, the discovery surprised scientists by its nature, it can change the course of history. This is not the first time that ancient artifacts have been found in this region. But this find is special. Analysis showed that the mechanism is made of metal parts, which seem to combine to form a mechanism that could be something like a watch or a computer. The amazing thing is that all the pieces have been dated back to 400 million years ago
Voynich manuscript
The Voynich Manuscript is a mysterious, undeciphered book written in the 15th century (1404–1438) by an unknown author in an unknown language using an unknown alphabet. The thickness of the book is 5 cm, it contains about 240 pages, measuring 16.2 by 23.5 cm. During its existence, the manuscript was intensively studied by many professional cryptographers, including those recognized throughout the world, and none of them managed to decipher a single word . There is a theory that this book is just a bunch of meaningless random symbols that have no meaning, but there are also those who believe that the manuscript is an encrypted message.
Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper is the nickname of an unknown serial killer (or killers) active in the Whitechapel area of London in the second half of 1888. His victims were prostitutes from poor neighborhoods, mostly middle-aged, whose throats were cut by the killer before opening the abdominal cavity. The removal of certain organs from the victims' bodies was explained by the assumption that the killer had some knowledge of anatomy or surgery. However, all the names, the exact number of victims, as well as the identity of Jack the Ripper still remain a mystery.
Crystal Skulls
Crystal Skulls
Experts from various fields of science have long been trying to solve the mystery of fossil crystal skulls (made from rock crystal). Where could they have come from? Who was able to create them? What were they intended for and who did they serve?
A total of 13 crystal skulls are known, and according to some sources, even 21. They are kept in museums and private collections. These are very accurate copies of human skulls and mask portraits made of quartz. They were found in Central America and Tibet. All these amazing objects were made in ancient times, but the skill of their execution testifies to the highest level of technical knowledge possessed by the ancestors of modern humanity.
Ancient aircraft
The Incas and other peoples of America of the pre-Columbian era left behind a lot of very interesting mysterious things. Some of them have been called "ancient planes" - these are small gold figurines that closely resemble modern planes. Initially it was assumed that these were figurines of animals or insects, but later it turned out that they had strange parts that looked more like parts of fighter aircraft: wings, a tail stabilizer and even landing gear. It has been suggested that these models are copies of real aircraft. It is also quite possible that these figurines are just an artistic depiction of bees, flying fish or other earthly creatures with wings.
Phaistos Disc
The mystery of the Phaistos Disc, a round clay tablet found by Italian archaeologist Luigi Pernier in 1908 in the Minoan Palace, also remains unsolved.
The Phaistos disc is made of baked clay and contains mysterious symbols that may represent an unknown language. The language is believed to have been developed sometime in the second millennium BC. Some scholars believe that the hieroglyphs resemble symbols once used in ancient Crete. However, this does not provide the key to deciphering them. Today, the disc remains one of the most famous puzzles in archaeology.
Taman Shud case
"Taman Shud" or "the case of the mystery man of Somerton" is a still unsolved criminal case based on the discovery of the body of an unknown man on December 1, 1948 at 6:30 a.m. on Somerton Beach in Adelaide, Australia.
Despite the fact that the best police officers from all over the world were involved in identifying the person who died from poisoning with barbiturates or sleeping pills, it was not possible to establish who the unknown person was...
In addition, a great resonance was caused by a piece of paper found with the deceased (in a secret trouser pocket), torn from a very rare copy of the book of Omar Khayyam, on which only two words were written - “Taman Shud”.
After persistent searches, the police managed to find one of the copies of the book with Khayyam’s poems and with a torn last page. On the back of the book, several words were written in pencil that looked like a code.
All numerous attempts to understand the inscriptions were in vain. Thus, the Taman Shud case remains one of the most confusing and mysterious cases still unsolved by the police.
