We know more about ancient civilisations today than ever before in modern history. This is all thanks to the hard work of dedicated scientists, historians, and archaeologists who continue to make new discoveries every day. These findings help us better understand how people lived thousands of years ago.
But even with all this progress, much of the ancient world is still a mystery. While experts have uncovered a lot, there are still many missing pieces. We’ve learned a great deal but there’s still so much more to discover.
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is one of the most well-known landmarks in England, and even today, it remains a mystery. Historians believe that the ancient people of Britain built it about 5,000 years ago.
No one really knows why it was built. Some people think it was used as a temple for religious events. Others believe it helped people track the seasons and time. A few even think it was part of a powerful civilization that disappeared long ago.
Since there are no written records from that time, we may never truly know the real reason Stonehenge was made.
Cleopatra’s Tomb
Cleopatra is one of the most famous rulers of Ancient Egypt, but no one knows where her body is today. After her lover Mark Antony died, and she took her own life, an old writer named Plutarch said they were buried together in the same tomb.
The problem is, no one knows where that tomb is. In 2010, some archaeologists searched around the city of Alexandria and found several tombs from Cleopatra’s time but not hers.
Many people think her tomb may have been destroyed or lost. It could be buried deep under the sea or hidden beneath modern buildings in Egypt.
Greek Fire
Greek fire was one of the most powerful weapons of the ancient world. It was similar to today’s napalm. The Byzantines invented it in the 7th or 8th century CE and mostly used it in sea battles. It helped them defend their capital, Constantinople, from many attacks.
They shot the burning liquid through special nozzles at enemy ships, causing huge fires. In some battles, Greek fire destroyed entire fleets, giving the Byzantines a big advantage.
As the Byzantine Empire started to fall apart in the 1200s, Greek fire slowly disappeared. Experts think the recipe was a closely guarded secret, and over time, fewer people knew how to make it. Eventually, the last person who knew the formula died without passing it on. Since then, the secret has been lost forever.
The Birth of Jesus
Christmas is one of the most popular holidays in the world and is celebrated on December 25th to mark the birth of Jesus Christ. But many historians believe that Jesus was probably not born on this exact date. In fact, the Bible doesn’t say exactly when he was born.It only tells us where and how.
Most experts agree that December 25th was chosen because it lined up with an old Roman holiday called Saturnalia. Saturnalia was a festival to honour the Roman god Saturn. People celebrated it by giving gifts and having big meals with family and friends.
As more Romans started following Christianity, it made sense to replace old Roman holidays with new Christian ones that happened around the same time. That’s likely how December 25th became the date for Christmas.
Yonaguni Monument
The Yonaguni Monument was discovered in the 1980s by a group of divers near Japan. It looks like the remains of an ancient city that may have sunk into the ocean.
Some people believe it was built by a lost civilization, but many experts like historians, archaeologists, and geologists, say it’s just a natural rock formation created by shifting tectonic plates. For now, no one knows for sure, so the Yonaguni Monument continues to be a mystery that sparks curiosity and debate.
The Viking Penny
It’s well known that the first Europeans to reach North America were the Vikings. Around the year 1000, they landed in what is now Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. They stayed for about a year to gather wood and supplies and to survive the winter. Not much is known about what they did during their time there.
But in 1957, an amateur archaeologist claimed to find a Viking coin that dates back to around 1060 or 1085. This could mean it came from the first Viking trip or from another Viking group that arrived later. To this day, it’s the only Viking coin ever found in North America.
Roman Dodecahedrons
These strange 12-sided shapes, known as dodecahedrons, are some of the most mysterious remnants from the Roman era. Most of the ones found by archaeologists date back to between 100 and 300 CE.
Experts still debate what these unusual objects were used for. Some believe they were used in religious ceremonies, while others think they might have been simple decorative items.
A small group of researchers even suggests that these odd shapes could be advanced weapons secretly created by the Romans.
Nazca Lines
Between 1 and 700 CE, the Nazca people in Ancient Peru carved deep markings into rock faces across their territory. The reasons for these carvings remain a mystery, and many questions are still unanswered today.
The carvings often depicted plants or animals, but there are also some instances of symbols and markings that are hard to understand.
As you might expect, these carvings have sparked many theories. Some recent ideas suggest that they were a way for the Nazca to communicate with their gods, or that they were related to astronomy.
Thonis-Heracleion
In the early 2000s, a team of divers made an incredible discovery: the real-world Atlantis, the lost city of Thonis-Heracleion. This once-thriving port city in Ancient Egypt had vanished from written records for thousands of years. Historians were unsure what had happened to it until it was found underwater.
What made the discovery so remarkable was how well-preserved the city was. Many of its features, such as bridges, large 16-foot stone statues, and other significant landmarks, were still intact. While the cause of the city’s disappearance remains unclear, one theory suggests that a combination of earthquakes, tsunamis, and floods around 800 CE led to the city sinking into the sea.
Sacsayhuaman
Sacsayhuaman is a huge Incan stone structure located in the mountains of Peru. The exact date of its construction is uncertain, with some believing it was built in the 14th century, while others think it may have been constructed much earlier.
What makes Sacsayhuaman so remarkable is not just its size, but the incredible construction methods used. The massive stones were put together without mortar or any binding substance. Despite their different shapes, the stones fit together perfectly, suggesting the builders created the fortress as they went along. How the Incas managed to move these enormous stones, some weighing up to 100 tons, remains a mystery to this day.
Bonus Entry: Linear A (Minoan)
The Minoan civilization thrived for centuries on what is now the island of Crete in Greece. Although not much is known about them, it’s clear they were a significant power during the Ancient Mediterranean Bronze Age.
However, their civilization disappeared just as suddenly as it appeared. It’s believed that many of their cities were destroyed by a series of natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, and tsunamis. The Minoans left behind a written language known as Linear A, which has yet to be fully deciphered. If researchers can crack Linear A, it could unlock many secrets about the Minoans and their sudden disappearance.
With advances in technology and ongoing research, it’s possible that more about the Minoans and other unsolved mysteries of history will be uncovered. Many mysteries that seemed impossible to solve have been solved in the past through technological breakthroughs or new archaeological finds. It’s exciting to think about what future discoveries might reveal about our ancient past.