Historical mysteries? Yes, please! Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’re embarking on an extraordinary journey through the veiled corridors of history, unraveling the world’s many enigmas.
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00:00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're embarking on a journey through the veiled corridors of history,
00:00:08unraveling the world's many enigmas.
00:00:11And we're starting with historical events that just can't be explained.
00:00:16The Wow signal, as it's now called, is considered to be one of the best potential radio communications from an alien life form.
00:00:24Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down the most enduringly perplexing or disputed
00:00:29social, scientific, and civilizational mysteries throughout history.
00:00:34They lie neglected for more than a thousand years, and aren't rediscovered until the era of the airplane.
00:00:43Number 20. The Bermuda Triangle.
00:00:45Why have so many ships come to grief in these crystal clear seas?
00:00:50Stretching from Miami to Bermuda and Puerto Rico, this loosely defined region in the western
00:00:55part of the North Atlantic Ocean has gained notoriety for numerous aircraft and ship
00:01:00disappearances. This has led to various theories, including magnetic anomalies,
00:01:05extraterrestrial activities, and underwater anomalies.
00:01:15However, many scientists dismiss the notion of any nefariousness,
00:01:18attributing incidents to human error, natural disasters, and the area's heavy maritime and air
00:01:24traffic. Despite efforts to debunk myths surrounding the Bermuda Triangle, its reputation
00:01:29as a dangerous zone persists in popular culture, fueling speculation and fascination.
00:01:35Number 19. Lost Colony of Roanoke.
00:01:38In 1587, the Roanoke Colony, led by Governor John White, was established on Roanoke Island,
00:01:44North Carolina. White returned to England for supplies that year, but when he came back in
00:01:491590, the entire colony had essentially disappeared. The only real clue was the word
00:01:59Croatoan carved on a post. The fate of the colonists, approximately 115 individuals,
00:02:05remains unknown to this day. Theories include assimilation with the Croatoan tribe, or
00:02:11struggles for survival. The disappearance of the Roanoke Colony is one of the most enduring
00:02:15unsolved historical questions in American colonial history.
00:02:24Number 18. Dyatlov Pass.
00:02:30In 1959, a group of nine experienced hikers, led by engineering student Igor Dyatlov,
00:02:37ventured into the Ural Mountains. Their deaths in what became known as the Dyatlov Pass incident
00:02:42perplexed investigators. The hikers' tent was found torn from the inside, and they fled into
00:02:47the freezing night without proper clothing. Six succumbed to hypothermia, while others
00:03:01exhibited bizarre injuries, including a crushed skull and missing eyes and tongues. The Soviet
00:03:08investigation concluded with an ambiguous statement of, quote, compelling natural forces.
00:03:13Theories abound, from avalanches to extraterrestrial encounters, but there is no definitive
00:03:18proof of just what happened to cause such a tragedy. Number 17. The Bronze Age Collapse.
00:03:31One of the most impactful historical collapses of all time happened around 1200 BCE,
00:03:37with the abrupt demise of several advanced civilizations across the eastern Mediterranean,
00:03:42including the Hittites, the Mycenaeans, and the Minoans. Cities were abandoned,
00:03:46trade routes disrupted, and writing systems vanished. The exact cause of this multifaceted
00:03:52collapse remains unknown, with proposed factors including invasions by the Sea Peoples,
00:03:57environmental disasters, and socioeconomic turmoil. The interconnectedness of these ancient
00:04:13cultures amplifies the enigma, as the collapse lacked a singular catalyst. The Bronze Age
00:04:18Collapse remains a complex historical puzzle, illustrating the vulnerability of even the most
00:04:23advanced societies to unforeseen and interconnected challenges. Number 16. The Egyptian
00:04:30Pyramids. Exactly how the ancient Egyptian pyramids were constructed, especially the Great
00:04:35Pyramid of Giza, is a question that is still not fully answered. Built around 4,500 years ago,
00:04:46these colossal structures were erected with immense precision, using massive stones weighing
00:04:51several tons each. The methods employed by ancient Egyptians to transport and lift these
00:04:56stones to great heights remains unclear. The lack of conclusive evidence on their construction
00:05:01techniques, considering the advanced architectural achievements of the time, still fuels ongoing
00:05:06debates. The intricate alignment of the pyramids with celestial bodies only adds to the intrigue.
00:05:12Number 15. Knight's Templar. This enduringly mysterious medieval Christian military order
00:05:23emerged around 1119 during the Crusades. Originally formed to protect Christian pilgrims
00:05:28in the Holy Land, they gained immense wealth and influence. Renowned for their distinctive white
00:05:33mantles adorned with a red cross, the Templars developed a sophisticated financial system,
00:05:38becoming early bankers. Their clever ways with the finance of Christendom
00:05:42aided in both their wealth and power. In 1312, Pope Clement V disbanded the order,
00:05:49under pressure from King Philip IV of France, leading to arrests, trials, and the execution
00:05:54of many Templars. This marked the sudden and violent end of history's most elite military
00:06:00order. Legends and conspiracy theories about them persist, often linking them to the Holy Grail.
00:06:06It is said they discovered a great secret buried deep beneath the Temple of Solomon.
00:06:12Number 14. The Holy Grail. Records show that for 500 years, a cup,
00:06:17thought to be the Holy Grail, was kept in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem.
00:06:24Then, in 909 AD, it disappeared from history. Speaking of the Grail, this legendary and
00:06:31elusive artefact in Christian mythology has enraptured imaginations for centuries. The
00:06:37chalice Jesus used at the Last Supper, which is what the Grail is usually purported to be,
00:06:42embodies both spiritual significance and magical qualities. Countless medieval tales,
00:06:50including Arthurian legends, depict knights embarking on quests to find this sacred vessel,
00:06:56often encountering trials and supernatural elements. The Grail's nature and location
00:07:00remain disputed, and many modern literary and cinematic explorations are still based
00:07:06on its myth and legend. Number 13. Shroud of Turin.
00:07:14For centuries, the Shroud of Turin has become one of the most mysterious and controversial pieces
00:07:20of cloth on the face of the planet. Another iconic relic of religion,
00:07:24the Turin Shroud is a linen cloth approximately fourteen feet long, bearing the image of a man
00:07:29believed by some to be Jesus Christ. The cloth displays a faint, front-and-back image of a man
00:07:35with wounds consistent with crucifixion. While some consider it an authentic burial cloth of Jesus,
00:07:40debates persist over its origin and authenticity. Carbon dating in 1988 revealed the overwhelming
00:07:47probability that the Shroud was actually a medieval creation, but some people of faith
00:07:52still believe that there is more to the story of the Shroud's origin.
00:07:55Perhaps the answer is as simple as we have been told, that we are looking at the sacrifice of a
00:08:00person. Number 12. Black Death.
00:08:06A devastating pandemic swept through Europe in the mid-fourteenth century. The plague resulted
00:08:11in unparalleled mortality rates. It is estimated to have wiped out thirty to sixty percent of
00:08:16Europe's population between 1347 and 1351. While the Black Death's cause is now identified as the
00:08:23Yersinia pestis bacterium, certain aspects of its historical impact remain contentious.
00:08:29It mainly affects rodents and spreads by way of insects.
00:08:33Questions persist about why some individuals seemingly had immunity,
00:08:37the true extent of mortality rates, and the precise mechanism of the pandemic's rapid spread.
00:08:43Additionally, the origins of the plague in Asia and its journey to Europe are not entirely clear.
00:08:48Number 11. Voynich Manuscript. This medieval manuscript stands as one of
00:08:54the world's greatest linguistic and historical puzzles. Originating in the fifteenth century,
00:08:59the Voynich Manuscript is an enigmatic book filled with indecipherable text and bizarre illustrations.
00:09:05Despite centuries of scrutiny by linguists and cryptographers, its code remains unbroken.
00:09:11Cryptologists say the writing has all the characteristics of a real language,
00:09:15just one that no one's ever seen before. Named after the rare book dealer Wilfred Voynich,
00:09:20who acquired it in 1912, the manuscript's purpose, origin, and meaning remain unknown.
00:09:26The pages feature unidentified plants, celestial diagrams, and peculiar human-like figures.
00:09:32Theories abound, linking it to alchemy, herbalism, or even extraterrestrial origins.
00:09:38There are theories that the book might have been written in a kind of encoded Latin.
00:09:42Number 10. Stonehenge. Time has taken its toll,
00:09:47but this monument remains a marvel of ancient engineering.
00:09:51A prehistoric monument located on Salisbury Plain in England, Stonehenge is an icon that
00:09:56has puzzled researchers for centuries. Constructed around 3000 BCE, its purpose,
00:10:02builders, and the methods used to transport its massive stones remain unclear. The arrangement
00:10:08of the standing stones in a circular pattern suggests astronomical significance, possibly
00:10:13aligning with celestial events. The mystery deepens with the origins of the blue stones,
00:10:25transported from Wales, over 150 miles away. The spiritual and ritualistic aspects of Stonehenge
00:10:31add layers to its allure. Number 9. Jack the Ripper.
00:10:36The identity of the infamous killer, active in the Whitechapel district of London in 1888,
00:10:41remains a gruesome riddle. The Ripper murdered at least five women, leaving a horrible trail
00:10:55of brutality that has inspired much disgusted fascination over the past century and a half.
00:11:00Five sordid East End murders became an international phenomenon, and the unknown
00:11:04miscreant responsible for those murders was elevated to the realm of legend.
00:11:08The killer's true identity has never been conclusively established,
00:11:12fueling a consistent stream of speculation. The lack of definitive evidence, the taunting letters
00:11:17sent to the media, and the Victorian setting have all contributed to the ongoing cold-case
00:11:23theorising of historians, detectives, and amateur sleuths. Number 8. The Lost City of Atlantis.
00:11:30A mythical island, first mentioned by ancient Greek philosopher Plato in his dialogues,
00:11:43has become one of history's greatest obsessions. Described as a prosperous and advanced
00:11:47civilization, Atlantis supposedly sank into the ocean in a catastrophic event.
00:11:52The lack of concrete evidence and the allegorical nature of Plato's accounts
00:12:03have fuelled speculation about the existence and location of Atlantis. Numerous proposed
00:12:08locations range from the Mediterranean down to Antarctica. Whether Atlantis was a real place,
00:12:14a metaphor, or a product of ancient imagination, the idea of a lost civilization beneath the waves
00:12:20remains enticing. Number 7. The Dancing Plague.
00:12:24Dancing is normally a very healthy activity, but not this time. In the town of Strasbourg,
00:12:29France, in 1518, people began involuntarily dancing in the streets, unable to stop for days
00:12:36or even weeks. The dancing phenomenon spread quickly, ultimately affecting around 400
00:12:42individuals. All dancing read lentilously without music or song. Nothing would stop the dancing.
00:12:47Some danced to exhaustion, including collapsing or even dying. The cause of what came to be
00:12:53called a plague remains uncertain, with explanations ranging from mass hysteria
00:12:57to poisoning or infection of some kind. Records from the time provide limited explanations,
00:13:03leaving the dancing plague as a bizarre and unexplained event.
00:13:07Some sources claim that, for at least some portion of the outbreak,
00:13:10as many as 15 people were dying a day. Number 6. The Mary Celeste.
00:13:15Hundreds of vessels were lost or abandoned in the Atlantic. One of these would become a legend.
00:13:21An American merchant ship was discovered adrift and deserted in the Atlantic Ocean in 1872.
00:13:27Its crew of seven and the captain's family vanished without a trace. The ship's cargo
00:13:32and belongings, including provisions and personal items, were left undisturbed,
00:13:37and no signs of violence or foul play were evident. But ten persons, the captain, his family,
00:13:43and crew had vanished without trace, leaving few clues as to their fate.
00:13:48The mystery deepened with the absence of a distress call or clear reason for abandonment.
00:13:53Was it piracy or mutiny? Other potential explanations put forward include natural
00:13:58disasters or seaquakes, but what happened to the Mary Celeste is still lost in time.
00:14:04Number 5. The Tunguska Event. A huge explosion occurred in Siberia on June 30th, 1908.
00:14:11A massive blast equivalent to 10 to 15 megatons of TNT flattened around 80 million trees over
00:14:19830 square miles. Eyewitnesses reported a fireball and shockwave, but no impact crater was found.
00:14:32Convincing theories include a comet or asteroid explosion, but conclusive evidence has proven
00:14:37difficult to find. Its lack of a clear cause, and the absence of a particular celestial body,
00:14:51continue to intrigue scientists. Unpredictable and powerful forces at play in the cosmos still can,
00:14:57literally, impact us. Number 4. The Disappearance of Flight MH370.
00:15:08Modernity also holds more mysteries. The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight
00:15:17MH370 on March 8th, 2014, remains one of the most affecting. The aircraft, en route from Kuala
00:15:24Lumpur to Beijing, lost contact with air traffic control and disappeared from radar screens.
00:15:30The circumstances surrounding the disappearance, including the sudden change in course and a
00:15:34communication shutdown, have raised numerous theories, from mechanical failure to deliberate
00:15:40actions. The lack of conclusive evidence has fueled speculation, leaving unanswered questions
00:15:45about the fate of the 239 people on board and the events leading to the tragedy. Number 3. The Nazca
00:16:01Lines. These massive geoglyphs, etched into the desert in Peru by the Nazca people between 500
00:16:14BCE and 500 CE, constitute one of archaeology's great discoveries. They depict animals, plants,
00:16:21and geometric shapes, and stretch across hundreds of square miles. Their purpose remains elusive.
00:16:27Some experts suggest ritualistic or astronomical significance, while others even muse about
00:16:32extraterrestrial connections. The precision and scale of the designs, visible only from the air,
00:16:45are astonishing. Despite extensive research, the true purpose behind the Nazca Lines remains
00:16:51shrouded in the secrets of an ancient civilization. Number 2. The Antikythera Mechanism.
00:17:04Discovered in 1901 from a shipwreck near the Greek island of Antikythera, the Antikythera
00:17:09Mechanism is an ancient Greek device dating back to around 100 BCE. It consists of intricately
00:17:16assembled gears and dials, making it an astonishing technological marvel for its time.
00:17:21The Antikythera Mechanism has captured the imagination of archaeologists, mathematicians,
00:17:27and scientists ever since. This artifact is believed to be an astronomical calendar or
00:17:33mechanical calculator, displaying complex astronomical cycles. Its sophistication
00:17:38challenges traditional views of ancient Greek technological capabilities. The purpose,
00:17:43construction, and the precise identity of its creators remain subjects of scholarly debate.
00:17:50Number 1. The Wow! Signal. Detected by SETI's Big Ear Radio Telescope in 1977,
00:18:04the Wow! Signal is an unexplained radio signal lasting seventy-two seconds. Named after the
00:18:09researcher's handwritten exclamation, the signal's origin remains a cosmic mystery. Its frequency
00:18:16and intensity were theoretically consistent with potential extraterrestrial origin,
00:18:20but subsequent searches failed to detect a recurrence. Various hypotheses, including
00:18:30natural phenomenon or a passing satellite, have been proposed, but none fully explain the Wow!
00:18:36Signal. Decades later, its origin and nature continue to elude scientists,
00:18:41fueling speculation about potential contact with intelligent extraterrestrial civilizations.
00:18:47What do you think is the most interesting unsolved mystery from the depths of history?
00:18:52It's such a clever, extraordinary, sophisticated machine. Completely,
00:18:59completely shocking for ancient Greece.
00:19:02Okay, get ready, because up next, we're delving into the dark heart of the Middle Ages
00:19:08and looking at the creepiest mysteries from that time.
00:19:13It's the world's most mysterious book, written by an unknown author.
00:19:18Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10
00:19:22creepiest mysteries about the Middle Ages. The one thing we can say for certain is that
00:19:28the person who benefits most from their deaths is Richard. For this list, we'll be looking at the
00:19:34weirdest and most disturbing unsolved mysteries from the 5th to the 15th centuries. Do you have
00:19:40a theory for any of these? Number 10. The mysterious fate of John Cabot and his crew.
00:19:47In 1492, Christopher Columbus landed in the modern-day Bahamas, thinking he was in East Asia.
00:19:53Following this, other merchant ship captains attempted to find alternate routes to Asia.
00:19:58John Cabot was funded by Henry VII in his expeditions. His first was a failure. His
00:20:03second, however, was successful, as he explored a portion of today's Atlantic Canada, still
00:20:08believing he was in Asia. His route is commemorated in the Cabot Strait. John Cabot makes his first
00:20:14landfall in North America, somewhere near Newfoundland or Labrador. In 1497, Cabot once
00:20:19again headed out, hoping to find the island of Chapangu or Japan. He runs into a number of storms
00:20:27and he is never officially heard from again. Cabot never returned, and there are theories but no
00:20:33definite answer as to his and his crew's fates. Did they perish at sea or make an extended stay
00:20:38in the New World? Whatever the outcome of the second voyage, all historians agree that John
00:20:44Cabot is responsible for the first English claims in the New World.
00:20:489. THE CHILDREN'S CRUSADE
00:20:51In 1212, two shepherd boys claimed to have received divine visions,
00:20:55Stephen of Cloyes in France and Nicholas of Cologne in Germany.
00:20:59It was as if the voice of God was speaking to us.
00:21:03Do not despair, he cried. I will lead you to the Holy Land.
00:21:08The two amassed thousands of followers, and while 12-year-old Stephen led his to Paris and later
00:21:13Marseilles, Nicholas' pilgrims crossed the Alps into Italy. Without any help,
00:21:18they were facing one single enemy, the cruelty of nature.
00:21:22He had promised that the Mediterranean Sea would dry up and allow them to reach the Holy Land,
00:21:27but most died on the journey, and his miracle failed to materialize.
00:21:31The fates of both groups are uncertain. Some accounts have them sold into slavery,
00:21:36others dying in a shipwreck. Many settled in Genoa, Italy.
00:21:40Nicholas may have joined the Fifth Crusade or died crossing back across the Alps.
00:21:45The sources provide no information at all on what really happened in the Alps.
00:21:50The children were certainly the victims of their own carefree abandon.
00:21:538. THE CERN ABYSS GIANT
00:21:57Located on a hillside in England, this landmark dates back to between 700 and 1100 CE.
00:22:03It's 180 feet high, 167 feet wide, and features a phallus 36 feet in length.
00:22:10The figure is fairly open to interpretation, as researchers have differing opinions.
00:22:15However, it's understood that it's likely linked to fertility.
00:22:18In the past, couples have trekked onto the hillside figure to... test it out.
00:22:23The giant is very unique in his appearance, and I think people really enjoy that.
00:22:28Others have theorized that it represents Hercules, a Celtic god,
00:22:32or even a satirical caricature of Oliver Cromwell.
00:22:35In the 1930s, a local bishop attempted to have the figure's manhood covered up, without success.
00:22:41He still does have an air of mystery. We haven't sorted it out completely.
00:22:467. THE SECRET RECIPE FOR GREEK FIRE
00:22:49The name Greek fire primarily refers to the substance used by the Byzantine Greeks in the
00:22:547th century CE. Credited to Callinicus of Heliopolis, it was used in naval battles,
00:23:00as it continued to burn even on water. The lengthy duration of the Byzantine
00:23:11Empire has been linked in part to the use of this incendiary weapon,
00:23:16and the Empire guarded the recipe so diligently that it remains a mystery.
00:23:20What ancient technology spewed this deadly incendiary mixture is not known,
00:23:26only that it was called Greek fire.
00:23:29There are and have been theories as to Greek fire's composition since its conception,
00:23:33which was probably some sort of petroleum-based mixture, but we may never know for sure.
00:23:386. THE VOYNICH MANUSCRIPT
00:23:51Strange documents are usually eventually interpreted, but not this one. The Voynich
00:23:57Manuscript, named after the book dealer who acquired it in 1912, is a 240-page codex from
00:24:03the 15th century. It contains a language that appears to have been invented by its author,
00:24:09as well as numerous illustrations. Using the illustrations, interpreters have divided the
00:24:13book into six sections, herbal, astronomical, balneological, or methods of medicinal bathing,
00:24:20cosmological, pharmaceutical, and recipes. The codex has a long history of attempted decryption,
00:24:32yet no definite interpretation to date.
00:24:445. GENGHIS KHAN'S BURIAL SITE
00:24:48Founder of the Mongol Empire, Genghis Khan was a feared, powerful, and ruthless conqueror.
00:24:57Though he was exceptionally successful in his military campaigns, it was at the cost of
00:25:01countless lives, as he and his army eradicated peoples and cultures for territorial gain.
00:25:07Such a man must have a formidable tomb, right? Well, Genghis Khan asked to be buried in secret,
00:25:12and his wishes were honored. It is said that his soldiers took his body to an
00:25:23undisclosed location, killing anyone who crossed their path in order to maintain secrecy.
00:25:28After the burial, they rode 1,000 horses over the grave site. The location has never been found.
00:25:34It is said that 1,000 horses were driven over his grave,
00:25:38until every last trace of Genghis Khan had vanished.
00:25:424. THE NORSE DISAPPEARANCE FROM GREENLAND
00:25:46Vikings don't seem like they'd be known for their vanishing acts. However, their settlement in
00:25:50Hvalsi Fjord in Greenland, established in the late 10th century, was the site of a mysterious
00:25:56disappearance. The Norse built homes, farms, and a church there, and engaged in foreign trade.
00:26:01However, sometime between the 15th and early 18th centuries, the entire population of Hvalsi
00:26:07up and vanished. There are no records of their departure, or any reasons known as to why.
00:26:13The only thing we know is that in 1721, a Danish missionary stopped by and found a ghost town.
00:26:203. THE PRINCES IN THE TOWER OF LONDON
00:26:23In April of 1483, King Edward IV died of illness. The king had two sons in line for the throne,
00:26:3012-year-old Edward V and 9-year-old Richard of Shrewsbury.
00:26:35The burden of ruling England now rests on the shoulders of a 12-year-old boy.
00:26:40Their paternal uncle, the Duke of Gloucester, took it upon himself to house the two princes
00:26:45in the Tower of London, which was the usual place for those awaiting coronation. The thing is,
00:26:51the two were never seen again. Young Edward will never set foot outside the tower again.
00:26:57There are several theories as to how this happened, yet the most generally accepted
00:27:01one is that the two were murdered by their uncle, who was subsequently crowned king.
00:27:06A small box was found by builders in 1674 containing two small skeletons,
00:27:12yet could not be proven to be the royal remains. There's no reliable record of their death.
00:27:18No bodies are found and no one is put on trial.
00:27:212. THE DANCING PLAGUE
00:27:24Some medieval mysteries are just plain bizarre. In 1518, in the French city of Strasbourg,
00:27:31a woman named Frau Trophia walked out into the street and began to dance.
00:27:36Things got even stranger when the manic dancing began to spread. Within a week,
00:27:40another 34 people were dancing. Others began to join her performance, and weeks later,
00:27:47between 50 and 400 people were dead from the dancing plague. Doctors had to intervene to
00:27:53put people in hospital. One report from the time claims 15 were dancing themselves to death
00:27:59every day. Theories in the Middle Ages were abundant, such as hot blood or demonic possession.
00:28:06More modern theories include food poisoning or mass hysteria.
00:28:09The cause, however, will likely remain a mystery forever.
00:28:131. THE GREEN CHILDREN OF WOLPIT
00:28:17In 12th-century Suffolk, England, in the village of Wolpit, villagers found a young boy and girl
00:28:22who spoke an incomprehensible language. Oh, and they had green skin. The children were taken in
00:28:29by a local man, Sir Richard de Calney. They refused to eat anything until they found a garden
00:28:34of green beans, which they ate with appetite. Over time, the children were converted to a
00:28:40normal diet, which rid them of their burdened complexion, and were taught to speak English.
00:28:45They spoke of how they found themselves transported to Wolpit in an instant from
00:28:49their homeland. These days, it's theorized that the children were Flemish,
00:28:53and that their green tone was the result of malnourishment.
00:29:03Okay, the strangeness is going to continue, because we're about to illuminate historical
00:29:07figures whose deaths are still cloaked in mysterious circumstances.
00:29:17Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most puzzling deaths
00:29:21of historical figures.
00:29:23It seems very strange for us to think that a man like Edgar Allan Poe could just vanish.
00:29:42Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark expedition mysteriously died at an inn in Tennessee.
00:29:48The innkeeper's wife reportedly heard gunshots in the middle of the night,
00:29:52and saw Lewis moving unsteadily, asking for water.
00:29:55She was too frightened to help him, though, and by sunrise, he was dead.
00:29:58Known to struggle with mental health issues, alcohol use, and finances,
00:30:02many believe he died by his own hand. But there are many theories about murder, too.
00:30:16The innkeeper's wife's story is doubted because it was night, and she was in a different building,
00:30:21leading to theories that Lewis was caught in a compromising position and shot by her husband.
00:30:25He could have been killed by bandits or even an assassination plot, but we'll never really know.
00:30:31We've just uncovered that a senior American military general named James Wilkinson
00:30:36was tipping off the Spanish about Lewis's whereabouts with encrypted cipher letters.
00:30:46The leader of the expansive Hunnic Empire died unexpectedly on his wedding night.
00:30:51Details vary, but it's consistent that guards found the body of Attila the Hun in his bedroom
00:30:55the morning after his latest marriage to a woman named Ildiko.
00:30:59The lack of wounds on Attila's body made it unlikely that Ildiko did anything.
00:31:03However, Attila was covered in blood.
00:31:06According to Priscus, it wasn't the Romans who caused Attila's sudden death, but booze.
00:31:13Where did the blood come from?
00:31:14The most likely theory is that he got a nosebleed in his sleep,
00:31:18and it turned into a hemorrhage due to excessive long-term alcohol consumption.
00:31:22My lord Attila didn't die at the Catalonian fields,
00:31:27but he may as well have done.
00:31:29Number 8.
00:31:29Martin of Aragon
00:31:31Martin of Aragon ruled over many lands from 1396 until his death in 1410.
00:31:37The King of Aragon, Valencia, Sardinia, Corsica, and Sicily could have died from a number of issues.
00:31:42Some sources cite the plague.
00:31:44Some say it was kidney failure.
00:31:46Still others claim it was poison.
00:31:48But the most famous account of Martin of Aragon's death deals with a goose.
00:31:52After Martin ate an entire goose, he suffered from indigestion.
00:31:56Borah the jester soon came in to entertain the court.
00:31:59Apparently, Borah's joke about a deer in the vineyard was so hilarious,
00:32:03the king died of laughter.
00:32:09Number 7.
00:32:10Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
00:32:12The prolific classical composer died at 35 years old,
00:32:17maybe from an illness, maybe from medical malpractice, or maybe from poisoning.
00:32:21True, he was ill for a few months before his death and he did suspect poison,
00:32:26but the official cause of death was a severe military fever.
00:32:29Of course, military fever is pretty vague,
00:32:32since it refers to bumps on the skin and is not an actual diagnosis.
00:32:36Wolfie?
00:32:42Wolfie?
00:32:43Soon after he died, a rumor spread that another composer,
00:32:46Antonio Salieri, poisoned him.
00:32:48But that has been largely dismissed.
00:32:51Other theories include strep infection, kidney disease,
00:32:54eating undercooked pork, tuberculosis, and lack of sunlight.
00:33:01Number 6.
00:33:02Edgar Allan Poe
00:33:03He became apparently delusional.
00:33:05The famed mystery writer was found semi-conscious outside of a tavern
00:33:09in Baltimore, Maryland in dire need of medical help,
00:33:12and died four days later in a hospital.
00:33:14How did he wind up in that condition?
00:33:16One long-standing theory is that substance use played a big role,
00:33:20although Poe recently joined the temperance movement
00:33:22and the attending physician insisted there were no traces of alcohol or drugs in his body.
00:33:28My Lord, help my poor soul.
00:33:32Another prominent theory is that Poe was a victim of a violent cooping gang,
00:33:36a group that forced individuals into committing electoral fraud.
00:33:40Other possibilities include epilepsy, syphilis, a brain tumor, and even rabies.
00:33:46Poe dies alone without it ever being completely clear
00:33:50what exactly he was suffering from.
00:33:52Number 5.
00:33:53Vincent Van Gogh
00:33:55Don't blame anyone.
00:33:58The post-impressionist painter died of a bullet in his torso.
00:34:01But who shot the gun?
00:34:03And why was the bullet buried for so long?
00:34:05Many believe Van Gogh shot himself, but his body didn't have powder burns
00:34:09and he would have had to crawl a mile to get back to the inn where he was staying.
00:34:13His private writings also show that he believed taking his own life was sinful and immoral.
00:34:18Temporal lobe epilepsy was a brand new disease.
00:34:22Now, the murder theories come in.
00:34:24In 1956, a man confessed that he had been harassing Van Gogh in the summer of 1890.
00:34:30It's possible that as an antagonistic gun-loving teenager,
00:34:33this man accidentally shot the artist.
00:34:35But the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is committed to the first theory.
00:34:44Number 4.
00:34:44Amelia Earhart
00:34:46I wish I could have done it faster.
00:34:47The first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean
00:34:50reached a mysterious end when she attempted to fly around the globe.
00:34:54On June 1st, 1937, pilot Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan
00:34:58began their journey from Miami, Florida.
00:35:00On July 2nd, they were heading for Howland Island in the Pacific Ocean,
00:35:04but they never made it.
00:35:05Reports of SOS calls from her radio give the world hope that she is still alive.
00:35:10One of the last radio transmissions from the plane was about low fuel.
00:35:14It's likely that Earhart and Noonan crashed and sank somewhere in the ocean,
00:35:18never to be found.
00:35:19However, some people believe they crash-landed on Gardner Island,
00:35:23that they were captured by Japanese forces,
00:35:25and that they survived and continued living with different identities.
00:35:32Number 3.
00:35:33Grigori Rasputin
00:35:41Although his reputation was less than clean,
00:35:44Russian mystic and faith healer Grigori Rasputin
00:35:46was closely involved with Tsar Nicholas II and his family.
00:35:50By the end of 1916,
00:35:51a group of nobles decided they needed to protect the Russian Empire
00:35:55from Rasputin's influence.
00:35:56First, they poisoned the mystic with cyanide,
00:35:59but he was unaffected.
00:36:00Next, he was shot once in the chest,
00:36:02only to leap up soon afterward and attack the gunman.
00:36:05After another shot at close range,
00:36:07the body was wrapped in cloth and dropped in the Little Nevka River,
00:36:11where he eventually died of hypothermia.
00:36:13He was wrapped up in linen,
00:36:16and he was taken from here to the courtyard.
00:36:21Number 2.
00:36:22Alexander the Great
00:36:23The king of Macedon was 32 years old when he died.
00:36:26He had spent most of his 12 ruling years in military campaigns
00:36:30to amass one of the largest empires in history.
00:36:32But his death was likely completely unrelated to battle.
00:36:40There are theories of typhoid fever, malaria,
00:36:42poisoning, and West Nile encephalitis,
00:36:45but what makes the situation so weird
00:36:47is that Alexander's body didn't start to decompose for six days.
00:36:51Some scientists and historians speculate that he had Guillain-Barré syndrome,
00:36:55an autoimmune condition that causes muscle paralysis,
00:36:58which could have made it seem that he was dead
00:37:00while he was still breathing very shallowly.
00:37:08Number 1.
00:37:09Cyrus the Great
00:37:11The ruler of the Achaemenid Persian Empire
00:37:13was known to be unusually tolerant of the many different cultures he conquered.
00:37:17What is not known is precisely how he died.
00:37:20There are several documented sources about Cyrus' death,
00:37:23but they all tell it differently.
00:37:25Herodotus said he was beheaded by Queen Timaeus as revenge for killing her son.
00:37:29Ctesias claimed he couldn't settle a revolt from a nomadic Asian people.
00:37:33Berossus said it happened in battle with the Dehai nomads.
00:37:36It seems like Cyrus died at the hands of an enemy, but which one?
00:37:41It's Cyrus.
00:37:43He names you Sire.
00:37:45It means God is with you.
00:37:47Do you have any theories about the deaths of these figures?
00:37:52Our inquisitive quest is about to lead us into the prehistoric mists
00:37:56as we confront the puzzle of early humanity.
00:38:00Some of the lines are thousands of meters,
00:38:03all the way up to 25 miles, and this is quite incredible.
00:38:06Welcome to WatchMojo,
00:38:07and today we're counting down enduring mysteries from the mists of prehistory.
00:38:12Inevitably, in archaeology, if we don't know what something is for, we think of ritual.
00:38:16But really, it's pure speculation.
00:38:20Number 10.
00:38:21The Purpose of Stonehenge.
00:38:23Every year, a million people descend on Stonehenge.
00:38:28They ask the age-old questions about this mysterious monument.
00:38:33This famed prehistoric monument, located in Wiltshire, England,
00:38:36was constructed around 5,000 years ago.
00:38:38Its origins have been a topic of speculation,
00:38:41with conjectures including an astronomical observatory, a religious site, or a place for rituals.
00:38:47Recent archaeological findings suggest Stonehenge may have been part of a larger,
00:38:51sacred landscape, including nearby burial mounds and ceremonial pathways.
00:38:56Nearly 60 human burials were excavated here,
00:39:00many in that outer ring of 56 pits known as the Aubrey Holes.
00:39:04The transportation and erection of its massive stones, some weighing up to 25 tons,
00:39:10remains an impressive feat considering the limited technology of the time.
00:39:14The alignment of the stones with solstices suggests a connection to celestial events.
00:39:19Stonehenge's design and construction exhibit
00:39:22sophisticated understanding of mathematics and astronomy by its builders.
00:39:26What it's probably telling us is about a connection in people's minds
00:39:30between the sun and the seasonal cycle, and how by having the right
00:39:35ceremonials at the right time, they could keep in harmony with the cosmos.
00:39:399. The Settlement of the Americas
00:39:42The timing and route of the first human settlement in the Americas have been the
00:39:46subject of extensive research and discussion among archaeologists and anthropologists.
00:39:51While the traditional theory suggests migration from Asia to North America
00:39:56via the Bering Land Bridge around 13,000 years ago, recent discoveries challenge this timeline.
00:40:01There are plenty of unresolved questions about this, though, like when exactly the
00:40:05migration happened and why the ancient Native American and East Asian genomes are so different.
00:40:09Sites like Monte Verde in Chile and Bluefish Caves in Canada suggest an earlier presence,
00:40:15potentially predating the Clovis culture.
00:40:18This gave rise to a new theory that humans may have traveled by boat,
00:40:22starting in Beringia and sailing down the coast some 16,000 years ago.
00:40:27These findings imply alternative migration routes, including coastal or island-hopping paths.
00:40:33Genetic studies have added complexity to the debate, indicating multiple waves of migration.
00:40:38Understanding the initial peopling of the Americas sheds light on migration
00:40:42patterns and the adaptation of humans to new environments.
00:40:468. The Tassili Nager rock art
00:40:49Numerous paintings, some dating back 8,000 years,
00:40:53give us a glimpse of how life changed and evolved in the Sahara over the centuries.
00:40:57Located in the Sahara Desert of Algeria, the Tassili Nager plateau features one of the most
00:41:03important collections of prehistoric rock art in the world. The art, dating back to the Neolithic
00:41:08period, includes thousands of paintings and engravings depicting a wide range of subjects.
00:41:14This three-meter-tall painting of a god-like figure is the oldest painting in the area.
00:41:18His biceps and horns are symbols of power and strength.
00:41:22These works illustrate a transition from a wetter climate with savanna-like environments
00:41:27to the current desert conditions. The art provides clues about the lifestyle,
00:41:31beliefs and environment of the prehistoric inhabitants of the region.
00:41:35The depiction of animals such as giraffes, elephants and cattle
00:41:39indicate a once diverse and abundant wildlife.
00:41:42Paintings dating from around 6,000 years ago show people tending large herds of cows,
00:41:47but there are also scenes of battles with bows and arrows.
00:41:507. The Extinction of Megafauna
00:41:53When in recent history the fossils of megafauna began to emerge,
00:41:57people were as intrigued as they were confused. Around 10,000 years ago,
00:42:02the world witnessed the abrupt disappearance of large prehistoric animals known as megafauna,
00:42:07including the woolly mammoth, saber-toothed cats and giant ground sloths.
00:42:12Despite its looming presence, the giant sloth was a gentle herbivore,
00:42:17not really built for speed. It weighed in at over two tonnes.
00:42:21The leading theories for their extinction are overhunting and climate change,
00:42:24but a definitive cause remains elusive. Some researchers suggest a combination of both factors,
00:42:30along with other possibilities like disease and environmental changes.
00:42:34The loss of these megafauna had profound ecological impacts,
00:42:38altering ecosystems and the biodiversity of regions worldwide.
00:42:42Their extinction also coincides with the end of the last Ice Age, adding complexity to the
00:42:47understanding of climate and environmental shifts during prehistoric times. So, one theory of why
00:42:53the mammoth went extinct is that as the climate warmed and the forests spread, so the mammoth
00:42:58progressively lost its grassland habitat, and then the mammoth is extinct.
00:43:026. The Lascaux Cave Paintings
00:43:05This cave in southwestern France is renowned for its Paleolithic paintings,
00:43:09estimated to be over 17,000 years old. These paintings depict a variety of animals,
00:43:15human figures, and abstract symbols, showcasing a high level of artistic skill for the time.
00:43:21Cave paintings were mostly created with red or black pigments made from rocks.
00:43:26Some artworks were painted directly onto cave walls,
00:43:29while some were first engraved into the stone with tools.
00:43:33The purpose of the paintings is unknown, with potential explanations ranging from
00:43:37religious or ceremonial functions to expressions of early storytelling or documentation.
00:43:42Symbols repeated across artworks may indicate that those symbols had agreed upon meanings
00:43:47among the artists. Thus, perhaps cave art also represents the earliest form of graphic communication.
00:43:54The cave's discovery in 1940 provided invaluable insights into upper Paleolithic life and art.
00:44:00The variety of animals painted, including horses, deer, and large cats,
00:44:04indicates a rich biodiversity in the region during that period.
00:44:08The paintings also raise questions about the symbolic and communicative abilities
00:44:13of early humans and their relationship with their environment.
00:44:16Cave artists were prehistoric naturalists. Their detailed drawings may teach us about
00:44:22the appearance and behavior of animals that have long been extinct.
00:44:265. The Origin of Language
00:44:28Language is probably the hardest problem in science. Nobody really knows how it works,
00:44:36and nobody really knows where it came from. Indeed, we can all do it.
00:44:39How language began is a complex and unresolved issue in the field of linguistics and anthropology.
00:44:45The lack of direct evidence makes it challenging to pinpoint when and how
00:44:49humans developed structured, symbolic communication. Theories on the origin
00:44:54range from a gradual evolution of language from animal calls to a sudden emergence due
00:44:59to genetic mutations. The fossil record of our ancestors and relatives can still
00:45:04give us important clues about the time when we first talked.
00:45:08The development of language is closely tied to the evolution of the brain,
00:45:11particularly regions associated with speech and cognitive processing.
00:45:16The appearance of symbolic artifacts, such as cave paintings and carved figurines,
00:45:21suggests the presence of abstract thinking and communication skills in early humans.
00:45:274. Gobekli Tepe's Purpose
00:45:36Located in southeastern Turkey, Gobekli Tepe is one of the oldest temple complexes known,
00:45:42dating back to around 11,000 years ago. The site predates Stonehenge and the Egyptian Pyramids,
00:45:48challenging traditional views of the development of complex societies.
00:45:52Gobekli Tepe consists of massive stone pillars arranged in circles,
00:45:56many carved with elaborate animal motifs and abstract symbols.
00:46:06The site's construction implies a high degree of social organization and communal effort,
00:46:10suggesting that religious or ritual activities played a significant role in early societies.
00:46:16Gobekli Tepe remains a subject of speculation, and possible explanations include a ceremonial
00:46:21site, a centre for a cult, or a gathering place for hunter-gatherers.
00:46:323. The Venus Figurines
00:46:35It's the earliest representation of a human being,
00:46:38and it's the absolute root of figurative depiction as we know it.
00:46:43The small prehistoric statuettes depicting female figures found across Europe and parts of Asia
00:46:49date back to between 30,000 and 10,000 years ago. These figurines vary in style and detail,
00:46:55but most share common features, such as emphasized breasts and hips.
00:47:00The widespread distribution of these figurines suggests a shared cultural or symbolic significance
00:47:06across different Paleolithic societies. Theories include representations of fertility or motherhood,
00:47:12symbols of a mother goddess, or simply artistic expressions.
00:47:16Some researchers propose that the figurines may have been used in rituals or served as amulets.
00:47:30The variation in their forms, from realistic to highly stylized,
00:47:37indicates a diversity of cultural practices and beliefs among prehistoric peoples.
00:47:552. The Nazca Lines
00:47:57They lie neglected for more than a thousand years,
00:48:01and aren't rediscovered until the era of the airplane.
00:48:04Peru is the location of the Nazca Lines, a series of large geoglyphs created by the Nazca culture
00:48:10between 500 BCE and 500 CE. The designs, visible only from a high vantage point or the air,
00:48:18include various animals, plants, and geometric shapes.
00:48:21Some of the lines are thousands of meters, all the way up to 25 miles, and this is quite incredible.
00:48:26The purpose of these lines is still debated, with hypotheses ranging from
00:48:31astronomical markers to religious or ceremonial functions.
00:48:35Excavations suggest the Nazca Lines are sacred sites where people smash pots and make offerings
00:48:42for rain. The geoglyphs were made by removing the reddish-brown, iron-oxide-coated pebbles
00:48:48that cover the surface of the Nazca Desert, and revealing the light-coloured earth underneath.
00:48:53The preservation of the lines, despite being in a region prone to earthquakes and wind erosion,
00:48:58is remarkable.
00:48:591. The Disappearance of Neanderthals
00:49:03Neanderthals, a distinct species or subspecies of archaic humans,
00:49:07lived in Eurasia until approximately 40,000 years ago. Their disappearance coincides with
00:49:12the arrival and spread of anatomically modern humans in Europe and Asia.
00:49:18If we see evolution in some way and ourselves as some kind of pinnacle of evolution,
00:49:23then everything else has to have a secondary position.
00:49:25Various attempts have been put forward to explain their extinction,
00:49:29including competition for resources, climate change, and a lower reproduction rate.
00:49:33But I think the last Neanderthals were struggling. We know genetically the Neanderthals were
00:49:38challenged. They had very low diversity, very low numbers.
00:49:41Genetic evidence shows interbreeding between Neanderthals and modern humans,
00:49:46DNA present in the modern human genome.
00:49:54The Neanderthals' ability to create tools, use fire, and possibly have symbolic thought
00:49:59and language indicates a high level of cognitive and cultural complexity.
00:50:04Their disappearance marked a significant event in our evolution.
00:50:08What do you think is the biggest unsolved prehistoric mystery?
00:50:16Where we came from. Cave art may provide evidence of a time when humans were first
00:50:21able to etch their thoughts in stone.
00:50:24Our next countdown is about mysteries that have puzzled scholars for centuries.
00:50:29And warning, extreme head scratching is highly likely.
00:50:34Why do the Nazca construct 300 foot wide images and mile long lines that they have no way of
00:50:42viewing?
00:50:42Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we'll be counting down our picks for the top ten
00:50:46archaeological mysteries.
00:50:54For this list, we'll be going over some of the biggest mysteries related to archaeology,
00:50:58including lost locales, unexplained occurrences, and strange artifacts.
00:51:04Number 10. Moai Statues, Easter Island
00:51:07Arguably the most famous thing about Easter Island, the Moai statues are a symbol
00:51:11recognized worldwide.
00:51:12The Moai are considered to be no more than perhaps a thousand years old.
00:51:19However, it has been established that some of them penetrate down into the ground
00:51:25by a great amount of feet to reveal the rest of the body, not just the oversized head.
00:51:33However, while nearly everyone can tell you what these huge, large-headed statues look
00:51:45like, they retain some mysteries.
00:51:48Chief among them for a long time has been how they were transported from where they
00:51:51were carved, since they're all so massive.
00:52:02Although sledges were dismissed initially, both for their impracticality and attempts
00:52:11to recreate the movement, and for the lack of trees on Easter Island, these days the
00:52:15prevailing theory is that they walked there.
00:52:18Or rather, that they were walked, shuffled along upright very slowly using teams and
00:52:23ropes.
00:52:24Even so, a consensus hasn't been reached.
00:52:26Scientists are continually uncovering more of this history, but it is already clear that
00:52:32this was a remarkably complex society, of which the Moai were only one part.
00:52:39Number 9.
00:52:40Saqqara Bird
00:52:41Egypt is full of mysterious artifacts and ruins.
00:52:44While the pyramids and sarcophagi get a lot of attention, one of the strangest archaeological
00:52:49finds is only a few inches long.
00:52:51The Saqqara Bird is an object found in a tomb in the eponymous town in 1898.
00:52:57An apparent model bird, this artifact's exact purpose remains a subject of discussion
00:53:02over a century after its discovery.
00:53:04Was it a toy?
00:53:05Was it a ceremonial object?
00:53:07Some have even suggested it's an example that the Egyptians may have known about small-scale
00:53:12aviation, given its aerodynamic tail.
00:53:14The Saqqara Bird has provoked this fascinating discussion as to whether the ancient Egyptians
00:53:19did actually know how to fly.
00:53:20While it's too heavy to fly itself, the idea has been intriguing to many.
00:53:25Number 8.
00:53:26Voynich Manuscript
00:53:32Named for the man who purchased it in 1912, the Voynich Manuscript dates from the early
00:53:3715th century.
00:53:38This early codex has puzzled scholars for centuries.
00:53:50During historical codes to crack, written in a language and script found nowhere else,
00:53:56the Voynich Manuscript contains various drawings, which depict astrological symbols, people,
00:54:01creatures, and plants, not all of them real.
00:54:04Attempts to decode the manuscript suggest the language may be a constructed one, possibly
00:54:08a code written to protect its contents.
00:54:11Cryptologists say the writing has all the characteristics of a real language, just one
00:54:15that no one's ever seen before.
00:54:17What makes it seem real is that in actual languages, letters and groups of letters appear
00:54:22with consistent frequencies.
00:54:24And the language in the Voynich Manuscript has patterns you wouldn't find from a random
00:54:28letter generator.
00:54:29As for its purpose, it's generally believed to be a record of herbs and knowledge of the
00:54:34planets.
00:54:35However, the seemingly coded language, as well as the fictitious plants and animals,
00:54:39have many wondering if the Voynich Manuscript could have deeper or weirder origins.
00:54:44There are theories that the book might have been written in a kind of encoded Latin,
00:54:51or that an alien wrote it while being held captive in a monastery,
00:54:56or that Leonardo da Vinci wrote it as a child.
00:55:02Located in Bolivia, Pumapunku is an archaeological site in modern Bolivia
00:55:07constructed by Tiwanaku culture.
00:55:09The location's most distinctive and mysterious feature is its stone blocks.
00:55:13That is part of the great mystery of Pumapunku.
00:55:16It seems as though some kind of factory was set up there to make these almost exactly
00:55:23the same.
00:55:23It's almost like a Lego system of interconnecting blocks, and that is unique on this earth.
00:55:29Razor straight and featuring interlocking holes that fit them together like a Jenga
00:55:33tower.
00:55:34These stones seem remarkably advanced in their construction for being made in the 6th century
00:55:39AD.
00:55:39It's like some giant cataclysm just wiped out this entire area.
00:55:46Archaeologists are baffled by what Pumapunku was, how it looked, and what the purpose of
00:55:55this enormous structure would have been.
00:55:58The stone's uniformity suggests mass production and highly accurate measurements, which flies
00:56:03in the face of what even the Tiwanaku's successor state, the Incas, were capable of
00:56:08centuries later.
00:56:09Pumapunku has been a popular subject of fringe theories, such as ancient advanced civilizations
00:56:15or alien intervention.
00:56:16There is now very little doubt in my mind that Pumapunku was built with some sort of
00:56:22extraterrestrial technology, and that its destruction was probably caused by a great
00:56:28flood.
00:56:28Perhaps the same flood that is described in the Old Testament.
00:56:33However they were made, these stones are a remarkable feat of engineering.
00:56:386.
00:56:39London Hammer
00:56:40Appropriately found in London, Texas, the London Hammer is a typical ironworkman's
00:56:46hammerhead and part of a wooden shaft.
00:56:48The hammer itself was found in the Travis Formation.
00:56:52It's a concretion of sandstone, and it usually takes about 140 million years for this to
00:56:58form.
00:56:58That would put it at 140 million years old.
00:57:01What makes it so contentious is its potential age.
00:57:04Many regard it as an anomalous or impossible artifact due to being found encased in rock
00:57:09from the Cretaceous era.
00:57:11How could a man-made tool exist in rock from millions of years before humans existed?
00:57:16The most common explanation is that a natural concretion effect occurred around a more modern
00:57:21hammer.
00:57:22When we were making steel for tools, part of the process is to use a blast furnace to
00:57:29remove carbon out of it completely.
00:57:32But we always have about 0.2% to 2% left over.
00:57:35There's always a carbon signature on our steel, but there wasn't any carbon whatsoever
00:57:39that was found in this particular material.
00:57:41Unfortunately, definitive dating of the artifact is likely difficult since it currently resides
00:57:46in a creationist museum, which does not allow tests on their proof.
00:57:515.
00:57:52Stonehenge
00:57:53One of the most famous archaeological sites in the world, Stonehenge is a ring of stone
00:57:58megaliths in southern England.
00:58:00Standing here in the shadow of these huge stones, these megaliths, you can't help but
00:58:08be in awe of those ancient builders.
00:58:11Constructed sometime between 4,000 or 5,000 years ago, Stonehenge's exact purpose has
00:58:16never been confirmed since its builders left no written records.
00:58:20The reasons vary from the astronomical to the supernatural.
00:58:24Still, the site has been a burial ground for millennia.
00:58:27In the 1920s, nearly 60 human burials were excavated here, many in that outer ring of
00:58:3456 pits known as the Aubrey Holes.
00:58:38But the discoveries were hardly acknowledged.
00:58:41In addition to why it was constructed, how has also been a matter of debate.
00:58:46Although some are incredulous that the huge stones could have been moved the many miles
00:58:50from where they were cut without modern tools, several explanations have been offered and
00:58:54even demonstrated.
00:58:56The predominant theory as to how the megalithic blocks were moved is that the builders fashioned
00:59:01sledges and rollers out of tree trunks to lug the blue stones from the pressly hills,
00:59:07then transferred them onto rafts and floated them first along the Welsh coast and then
00:59:13up the River Avon towards Salisbury Plain.
00:59:16But however much we learn about it, Stonehenge will always maintain its mystique.
00:59:20Why is it here?
00:59:21What's it for?
00:59:23How was it built?
00:59:25The answers are lost in the mists of time.
00:59:28Number 4.
00:59:30Indus River Valley Civilization
00:59:32Also known as the Harappan Civilization, this ancient society lived in the Indus River Valley
00:59:38in what is now India and Pakistan some 5,000 years ago, making it one of the earliest civilizations
00:59:43on Earth.
00:59:44No less than a thousand sites have been discovered in a region covering a million square kilometers.
00:59:51The Indus, born of the Himalayan snows and bounded by Pakistan and India, is 3,000 kilometers
00:59:58long.
00:59:59Its valley was home to a flourishing civilization.
01:00:02Despite its storied history, many things remain a mystery about it.
01:00:06Chief among these are its writing system and its fate.
01:00:10The Indus script lacks a proverbial Rosetta Stone, so it has yet to be deciphered.
01:00:14However, some theories exist as to why it disappeared.
01:00:17In 1977, British researcher David Davenport discovered that part of the archaeological
01:00:24site showed evidence of having been destroyed by an extremely powerful explosion.
01:00:30The prevailing reasons for its decline are outside invasion, possibly from Central Asia,
01:00:35as well as climate change and natural disasters, leading to drought and forcing its people
01:00:40to migrate.
01:00:41Number 3.
01:00:43Lost City of Heliki
01:00:45The ancient Greeks told of a city that sank beneath the waves.
01:00:53No, not Atlantis.
01:00:54Heliki.
01:00:55Unlike that legendary location, Heliki is confirmed to have been a real place.
01:01:00Once part of the Achaean League, Heliki sank underwater after an earthquake and tsunami
01:01:05devastated it in the fourth century BC.
01:01:15We know from an earthquake in 1861 that this fault has one peculiar quality.
01:01:26It makes the ground sink.
01:01:28For decades in the 20th century, archaeologists and marine explorers searched for Heliki's
01:01:33location.
01:01:34It was finally discovered in 2001.
01:01:37However, while Heliki has been rediscovered, there are still many secrets to uncover about
01:01:42this lost city, and its location underwater makes research a tough proposition.
01:01:47Number 2.
01:01:48The Antikythera Mechanism
01:01:50Computers are a modern invention, right?
01:01:53Wrong!
01:01:54Recovered from a shipwreck off the coast of the Greek island of the same name, the Antikythera
01:01:59Mechanism is one of the oldest analogue computers ever discovered, dating from somewhere between
01:02:04the third and first centuries BC.
01:02:06If it hadn't been discovered when it was, in 1901, no one would possibly believe that
01:02:13it could exist because it's so sophisticated.
01:02:16The mechanism was designed for predicting not only the positions of the five observable
01:02:20planets in the night sky, but also eclipses decades in advance.
01:02:25Clockwork mechanisms were previously thought to not have been invented until centuries
01:02:29later, and given its complexity, it seems certain that the ancient Greeks had made other
01:02:34devices of similar construction and capability.
01:02:37It rewrites the history of technology.
01:02:40It tells us that things were going on in second century BC, Greece, which we had no idea about.
01:02:48We still don't know how the mechanism was constructed with the tools available at the
01:02:53time, or what other mechanical wonders they made.
01:02:56Some have argued that it's so complex, the Greeks couldn't have made it at all.
01:03:01There are even some who say it must have been created by aliens.
01:03:07Number 1.
01:03:08Bronze Age Collapse
01:03:10During the twelfth century BC, the cultures of the Mediterranean Sea experienced violent
01:03:15upheavals that led to many of them either declining or falling outright.
01:03:19The suddenness of the collapse has intrigued archaeologists and historians for centuries.
01:03:24Records of the time indicate raids by so-called Sea Peoples, which may have contributed to
01:03:29political instability.
01:03:30The advent of iron weapons may have also led to more losses by existing civilizations who
01:03:36didn't adapt quickly enough.
01:03:37There's also evidence of a succession of disasters, including volcanic eruptions and
01:03:42earthquakes.
01:03:43Pollen samples also suggest a period of higher heat, and climate change could have led to
01:03:48drought.
01:03:48The most common explanation involves some or all of these.
01:03:52A perfect storm that led to this massive societal collapse.
01:03:57It's only fair that for our last video, we provide some answers.
01:04:02Yep, here now are some ancient mysteries that have finally been solved.
01:04:07I was convinced this was the place.
01:04:09Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 ancient mysteries
01:04:14that were finally solved.
01:04:16Archaeologists are able to give clear answers to these questions.
01:04:20For this list, we're looking at baffling historical questions that have recently received
01:04:26likely and widely agreed upon explanations.
01:04:29What do you make of these answers?
01:04:32Number 10.
01:04:33The Impossible Egyptian Sculpture.
01:04:36Housed in the National Museums, Scotland, is this so-called Impossible Egyptian Sculpture.
01:04:41Just a tiny thing, it depicts a young pharaoh sitting in the lap of a mysterious person
01:04:46whose face has been unfortunately sheared off.
01:04:49For a long time, neither the kneeler nor the pharaoh could be identified, making the sculpture
01:04:54even more impossible to discern was the fact that pharaohs are never depicted with non-royal
01:04:59individuals in ancient sculptures.
01:05:01But thanks to recent work done by the museum's curator, Margaret Maitland,
01:05:05the mystery has finally been cracked.
01:05:07This statue was made by a cult at Deir el-Medina, which was given exclusive permission to depict
01:05:13kings with non-royals.
01:05:14It likely depicts a young Ramses II sitting on a cult leader named Ramose.
01:05:19Number 9.
01:05:20Atlantis of the Sands.
01:05:22Iram of the Pillars.
01:05:24Atlantis of the Sands.
01:05:25Call it what you will, but everyone has heard of the Arabian city that was swallowed by the ground.
01:05:30As with many legends, experts have found that there may be a kernel of truth behind the tale.
01:05:34In 1992, archaeologist Nicholas Clapp found an old fortress buried under the sand in Oman.
01:05:40Over 2,000 years old, this fortress is thought to have collapsed into a sinkhole
01:05:45and became the source of legend.
01:05:47Further work postulates that this fortress was part of a trading city area known as Ubar
01:05:52that figuratively collapsed once the fortress fell and the demand for incense decreased.
01:05:57Number 8.
01:05:58The Honeycombed Skull of Otranto.
01:06:00On the very eastern tip of Italy lies the coastal town of Otranto,
01:06:04which was targeted in 1480 by Sultan Mehmed II during his invasion of Rome.
01:06:09This skirmish resulted in the martyrs of Otranto,
01:06:12some 800 local men who refused to convert to Islam.
01:06:16Their skulls are proudly displayed in the Cathedral of Otranto,
01:06:20and one is honeycombed with 16 perfectly round holes.
01:06:24So what exactly caused these perforations?
01:06:27The question baffled historians for centuries,
01:06:30until the University of Pisa provided an answer in 2015.
01:06:34They acknowledged that the holes were made by a surgical saw in the late Middle Ages,
01:06:38as bone powder made from religious martyrs was thought to aid in various health afflictions.
01:06:44Number 7.
01:06:45Pukios.
01:06:46Found in southern Peru are a number of spiral wells tunneling deep into the ground.
01:06:51These spiral openings are called pukios, meaning source or spring,
01:06:55and they're formed from a wall of stacked rocks.
01:06:58Not only is it an amazing sight, but it's an amazing feat of agriculture.
01:07:02These holes form part of an irrigation system
01:07:05meant to bring fresh water throughout the dry desert.
01:07:08But for a long time, we didn't know exactly how they worked.
01:07:11Well, that was answered by Rosa Laspanara
01:07:14and Italy's Institute of Methodologies for Environmental Analysis.
01:07:18They not only proved that pukios are pre-Hispanic,
01:07:21they also explained that the intricate system of pukios
01:07:24utilized wind to push water through a series of underground canals.
01:07:28Number 6.
01:07:29The Water of Palmyra.
01:07:31Found smack in the middle of Syria is an ancient city called Palmyra.
01:07:35This was an extremely prosperous city during the Roman Empire
01:07:38thanks to its prime location on ancient trade routes.
01:07:41The kings of Palmyra, notably the famous Queen Zenobia,
01:07:46confronted the Romans and in fact at times
01:07:48managed to conquer major parts of the Roman Empire.
01:07:51There was just one problem that baffled historians for years.
01:07:54How did such a massive city thrive in the middle of the desert?
01:07:58The University of Bergen worked with members of the Palmyra Museum
01:08:01to find answers.
01:08:02Using satellite photos, they studied the surrounding land
01:08:06and realized that buried grass roots kept rainwater on the surface.
01:08:10Rainwater would then form a shallow river called a wadi
01:08:13and it was collected using a series of dams and cisterns.
01:08:16Nature provided and humans did the rest.
01:08:19Number 5.
01:08:20Roman Concrete.
01:08:22Called Opus Caementicium by the Romans,
01:08:24their concrete was a special kind of sturdy.
01:08:33Concrete is notoriously unreliable and prone to cracks and breakage.
01:08:37Yet Roman concrete structures are still standing after thousands of years.
01:08:42So what gives?
01:08:43It's as easy as ash and lime.
01:08:45A volcanic substance known as pozzolanic ash
01:08:48was used in the production of Roman concrete,
01:08:50which prevented cracks from spreading.
01:08:59This was further backed by research done by Stanford's Tiziana Vannorio,
01:09:03who found a natural concrete-like material
01:09:06at the volcanic region of Campi Flegrei.
01:09:08But that's not all.
01:09:09Not only were cracks prevented from spreading,
01:09:12they completely self-repaired thanks to the presence of lime.
01:09:16Number 4.
01:09:17The Great Pyramids.
01:09:18The Great Pyramids have long been a mystery,
01:09:21their answers known only to those who built them.
01:09:23They could be considered the world's most startling architectural achievement.
01:09:28So much so that we still don't know for sure all the details of their construction.
01:09:36These stone giants continue to mystify and captivate archaeologists,
01:09:41seeking to understand their origins and purpose.
01:09:45But many answers have been revealed over time.
01:09:47We know they used the Nile to ferry limestone,
01:09:50and that they quarried the blocks from nearby central field.
01:09:53When the water level was at its height,
01:09:55the blocks were floated downstream on barges.
01:09:59They were then unloaded onto a specially constructed landing wall.
01:10:03A massive ramp was also built,
01:10:06via which the great blocks could be hauled to their destination
01:10:10as the pyramid took shape.
01:10:12We know they took hundreds of thousands of laborers roughly 20 years to build,
01:10:16and we know they used ramps to build the pyramids in horizontal layers.
01:10:20Perhaps most exciting was an abandoned quarry found in 2017,
01:10:24which helped answer how the blocks were made,
01:10:26and confirmed that 250 could have been produced in a single day.
01:10:31Such an awesome feat would never be attempted again.
01:10:37It's frankly amazing what ancient civilizations knew about the universe.
01:10:41Constructed in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica,
01:10:43the Maya calendar baffled scholars with its use of 819 days.
01:10:48They correctly posited that it had something to do with the planets and their orbits,
01:10:52but the timeline simply didn't match with the calendar.
01:11:02The problem was that we were thinking too small.
01:11:04It wasn't just 819 days that we had to look at,
01:11:07that was just one of 20 different periods that encompassed a total of 16,380 days,
01:11:14or approximately 45 years.
01:11:17It's amazing the almost organic understanding that the Mayans have of mathematics,
01:11:22a mastery which also led them to conceive of the number and the concept of zero.
01:11:29When viewed through this 45-year window,
01:11:32the orbits of the observable planets line up perfectly.
01:11:35The Mayas used a very complicated system of calendars.
01:11:39They used some 20 calendars altogether.
01:11:41There were three primary calendars that were critically important to them.
01:11:46The mystery was finally cracked by scholars working at Tulane University,
01:11:50who published their findings in the journal Ancient Mesoamerica.
01:11:56For a long time, the existence of Homer's Troy was under question.
01:12:05The ancient Greeks believed the city was real,
01:12:07but this opinion eventually fell out of favor.
01:12:10For many years, most people regarded Troy as a fanciful place of legend.
01:12:19That is, until 1871, when Heinrich Schliemann and Frank Calvert
01:12:24began their excavations in modern-day Hisarlik, Turkey.
01:12:27The discovery of the ancient city of Troy led to the discovery of the ancient city of Troy.
01:12:32Found on the west coast of the country,
01:12:34the city of Troy contains nine distinct layers,
01:12:37as new settlements would be built on the ruins of others.
01:12:40Schliemann, with his interest in Homer, was not the first in this area.
01:12:45Frank Calvert, a British expatriate, had been living in the area from 1845 onward.
01:12:51He grew up in this area and gradually amassed a tremendous amount of textual evidence.
01:13:00Many experts believe that Troy VI was the city upon which the mythical Troy was based.
01:13:05While the truth of the Iliad remains cloudy,
01:13:08there is no doubt that Troy itself existed in some form.
01:13:12History can never confirm if Homer's heroes ever lived,
01:13:16nor whether the legendary Trojan horse ever existed.
01:13:20But thanks to modern archaeology, the city in which Homer placed his heroes
01:13:25the lost city of Troy is lost no more.
01:13:29Number 1. The Vanished Army of Cambyses II.
01:13:32Ruling the Achaemenid Empire between 530 and 522 BC was Cambyses II.
01:13:38Shortly before his death, Cambyses II sent an army of 50,000 men
01:13:42to intimidate the Oracle of Amun in the Siwa Oasis of Egypt.
01:13:46However, the entire army fell victim to a massive sandstorm
01:13:51It sounds like a fanciful tale, and for many years, that's exactly how it was regarded.
01:13:56The primary source is Greek historian Herodotus,
01:13:59who has been known to spin a tall tale and no physical evidence was ever found.
01:14:11The story of the Vanished Army of Cambyses II is a very interesting one.
01:14:16For the Persians, this must have been a huge burden.
01:14:20The logistics make it virtually certain that Cambyses' army
01:14:23could not have been as vast as Herodotus said.
01:14:26That is, until 2009, when brothers Angelo and Alfredo Castiglione
01:14:30found Persian tools and human remains near the oasis.
01:14:34According to the University of Lecce,
01:14:36it was quote,
01:14:36the first archaeological evidence of the story's veracity.
01:14:40Many have searched for this army, but all have searched along the oasis route,
01:14:44the oasis of Dakhla, Farafra, Aindala, then across the desert up to Siwa.
01:14:50We worked on a different hypothesis, since these oasis were under the Egyptian rule.
01:14:56All right, well that's going to do it for this special mysterious look through history.
01:15:00I've been Matt from WatchMojo, and I'll see you next time.
01:15:14you