Historical Mysteries That Have Finally Been Solved This Year
A few mysteries from the past seemed unsolvable...until now. In some cases, experts required technology that hadn't yet been invented. In others, researchers had to locate hidden sites in the most remote parts of the world. But these revelations have been worth the wait. After being stumped for centuries, we finally have answers to these 30 enigmas, and they are forever changing how we understand humanity's origins.
1. The Bosham Head
A 350-pound stone head was found in a remote area of Southern England, puzzling locals and scientists for 200 years. The nearly featureless stone head that appeared in Bosham village, outside of Chinchester, was twice as large as a normal human head. Many scientists tried in vain to uncover the model’s identity.
Who's That Statue?
Two Bournemouth University professors — Miles Russell, a senior lecturer in prehistoric and Roman archaeology, and Harry Manley, from the School of Applied Sciences — scanned the head with a 3D laser. Their scan allowed the men to finally ID the head. It belonged to a larger statue of the Roman Emperor Trajan that guarded an ancient harbor.
2. Easter Island Heads
The stone heads on Easter Island have long been among the world's most famous archaeological landmarks. Carved by the Rapa Nui people, the figures originate between 1,100 and 1,500 CE. These famous monoliths have a surprising secret that was only recently unearthed.
Revealing Their Secret
A team of modern Easter Island researchers examined the heads and discovered they were on top of larger figures that also had bodies! Over time, dirt and rocks slowly buried the bodies, until only the heads were visible. Since being fully excavated, the monoliths now stand about 30 feet tall.
3. Chilean Whale Graveyard
In the Chilean Atacama Desert, there’s an enormous cache of dead whales. These prehistoric whale carcasses perplexed investigators for decades until, eventually, they found one cause for their gravesite: a mass algae growth event. About 20,000 years ago, these seemingly harmless organisms wreaked havoc.
Geologic Cause
The algae blooms sucked up too much of the oxygen, suffocating the whales. So how'd they end up in a dry desert? Their location, which was 130 feet above sea level, was caused by the Nazca, Antarctic, and South American plates grinding against each other. The whale remains went along for the geological ride.
4. Early Greek Computer
The Antikythera mechanism was discovered in a rotted Greek ship by sponge divers in the early 1900s. Historians were confused about the device. They thought it was some kind of navigational machine, but they were mystified by how complicated the mechanism was, with its dozens of gears and strange inscriptions.
Antikythera Mechanism
It turned out that the Greeks used this groundbreaking technology to measure and predict the paths of celestial bodies. In 2021, scientists created a full digital image of the Antikythera mechanism, helping them better understand the intricacies of the device. Among the machine’s moving parts, there were seven hands for seven celestial objects: the sun and moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
5. Lost Thebans
In 524 B.C.E., King Cambyses II of Persia sent an army of 50,000 Theban soldiers across the desert to fight with Ethiopia. The king was angry that priests at the Oasis of Siwa refused to acknowledge his royal claim to Egypt. His army, however, never made it to the oasis temple.
Cause of Death
The Thebans disappeared after camping at another oasis, El-Kharga. A recently recovered document showed that they set off for their final destination but were swallowed by an enormous sandstorm. "A wind arose from the south, strong and deadly, bringing with it vast columns of whirling sand, which entirely covered up the troops and caused them wholly to disappear," the ancient Greek historian Herodotus wrote.
6. Goodbye Grave
After King Richard III died in battle, his corpse was publicly displayed in Leicester, England, as proof that he was actually dead. He stayed up for three days, until he was unceremoniously buried in a dirt pit by a nearby church. As the years passed, various religious groups destroyed one another’s worship centers to prove their dominance.
The Disappearance of Richard III
In the confusion, Richard’s burial site was lost. There was a rumor that a mob threw the dead king in the river. Instead of accepting the common story, Leicester University searched for the lost king — and found him underneath a modern parking lot. A DNA test confirmed Richard III was laid to rest under the Leicester Cathedral.
7. Moving Rocks
If you’re visiting Death Valley, you may run across rocks slowly sliding across the sands. Don't worry: you’re not experiencing heat exhaustion. These geologic features are truly sliding over the desert by themselves, though the rocks aren’t light at all. How are these boulders slowly traveling on their own?
Non-Magical Solution
Though the rock phenomenon seems magical, especially since no one ever sees them move in person, there is a scientific reason for the rocks’ movements. The boulders, better known as the “sailing stones,” sometimes get covered in ice when temperatures plummet at night. Then, these ice-covered rocks are pushed by strong gusts of wind across the Racetrack Playa.
8. Florida’s Black Sinkhole
Within the Aucilla River, near Tallahassee, Florida, there’s a creepy black sinkhole that divers were too terrified to explore. Finally, Florida State University professor Jessi Halligan decided to mount an investigation into the natural feature — no matter how creepy it was. The expedition was a major success.
Deep Inside
Researchers uncovered enormous mastodon tusks hiding in the dark sinkhole. The tusks were marked with grooves from early human-constructed tools. This meant ancient peoples lived in the area for much longer than scientists realized. They’d lived near the river nearly 14,500 years ago.
9. Egyptian Helicopter
The Abydos “helicopter” frieze in the Temple of Seti had conspiracy theorists convinced that Egyptians carved an image of an ancient helicopter on the temple wall. There was an ominous phrase next to the carving as well: “He who repulses the nine enemies of Egypt.” What does it all mean?
Layered Image
The images resemble modern technology, but this wasn’t by the carvers’ design. When a new pharaoh took control of Egypt, they often ordered the imagery updated to reflect their reign. Over time, the images faded away, further distorting the carvings into new, unintended images.
10. The Disappearance of the Nazca
Around 1,500 years ago, the ancient Nazca people of South America mysteriously disappeared. They lived in the coastal valleys of southern Peru and left massive earthen illustrations, known as the Nazca Lines, as their only legacy. At first, scientists believed a change in weather patterns — because of El Niño climate shifts — was the cause of the civilization’s demise. But it wasn't so simple.
True Culprit
When Nazcan farmers cleared massive patches of vegetation for agricultural use, they unintentionally created an ecological imbalance. Natural plants, like the huarango tree, were keeping the soil healthy and fertilized. With these trees gone, El Niño caused a nearby river to flood the Nazcan fields, ruining the crops. The community collapsed. But what of the famed Nazca Lines?
11. Nazca Lines
These large geoglyphs in the Nazca Desert are still a mystery to this day. It's not inconceivable that the Nazca people were capable of creating them — rather, no one understands why they did. Alien conspiracy theories abound, as always! But they were probably intended as an offering to the gods.
12. The Fuente Magna Bowl
Found in Central America near Lake Titicaca, it is often referred to as "The Rosetta Stone of America." The Fuenta Magna is thought to be some kind of ritual bowl with Sumerian script written on the inside, which would challenge the accepted history of the region.
13. The London Hammer
The London Hammer was found in London, Texas, in 1936. It's clearly an iron hammerhead, but what's baffling is the fact that the limestone it's encased in is 400 million years old. This shatters accepted historical timelines of when man first began using tools.
14. Hidden Character Stone
This stone marking was found in Zhangbu, China, and is still a mystery. It seems to spell out "communist party of China perish," but archaeologists insist that humans did not create the etchings and they were made some 270 million years ago!
15. Lake Winnipesaukee Mystery Stone
Found in New Hampshire by fence pole diggers in 1872, there is currently no accepted explanation for its origin or meaning. Some think it to be a commemoration of a treaty between Indian tribes while others believe that it is simply an out-of-place artifact.
16. Dinosaur Eggs of Chechnya
In 2015, a Chechen university claimed to have found massive dinosaur eggs in Chechnya. A Moscow scientist discredited the claim, saying that dinosaurs laid small eggs and did not inhabit mountains. If real, however, the eggs would completely change our understanding of dinosaurs.
17. Reis Map
This world map created by a geographer of the Ottoman Empire challenges the widely held belief that the Americas were uncharted territory until Christopher Columbus explored the region. In fact, many believe Columbus himself used this map!
18. Stone Spheres of Costa Rica
These mysterious stone spheres are thought to be relics of the lost Diquís civilization. How they were created and what their significance was remains a mystery. They are the only stone spheres found in Central America!
19. Steam Engine of Alexandria
Hero Alexandria, a mathematician of ancient Greece, created the first-ever steam engine known as an Aeolipile, named for the god of wind Aiolus. This invention proved once again that the Greeks were centuries ahead of their time technologically.
20. Ancient Chinese Earthquake Detector
Chinese astronomer and mathematician Zhang Heng created a device he called a seismoscope that used bronze balls and gravity to detect earthquakes. Amazingly, Chinese historians used a replica of the device in 2005 and it was nearly as accurate as a modern seismometer!
21. Mayan Brutality
It's widely known that the Mayan Empire was quite brutal and often conducted human sacrifices to please their gods. However, in 2004, a sacrificial burial ground containing dozens of decapitated bodies was found, shedding new light on the level of sacrifices made.
22. Roman Baby Disposal
Archaeologists digging up parts of the ancient Roman Empire were quite troubled when they discovered a collection of baby skeletons buried beneath a bathhouse. Who knows what kinds of sketchy dealings happened there...
23. The Venetian "Vampire"
Unearthed in a massive plague burial ground outside of Venice, the skull of a "vampire" was discovered with its mouth wedged open by a giant shard of stone. After all, breaking his jaw would keep him from biting!
24. The Grauballe Man
The remains of a man were found in a peat bog in Denmark in 1952. His body was dated to the 3rd century B.C.E. during the Germanic Iron Age. Additionally, his throat was slit, leading some historians to believe that he was a sacrifice for bountiful crops.
25. Baghdad Battery
The Baghdad Battery is a strange object discovered in modern-day Iraq. Dated to the era of the Persian Empire, the device is believed by some to be the world's first battery. This would shatter our previous understanding of when batteries were first created.
26. The Voynich Manuscript
A mysterious artifact that has historians puzzled, this manuscript is written in an unidentified, possibly fictitious language. It is an extensive manuscript that includes diagrams and illustrations and has been a subject of fascination for all those who've tried to decipher its secrets.
27. Gobekli Tepe
A hot topic among alien conspiracy theorists, the monument at Gobekli Tepe predates any previously known civilization operating on this scale of architecture. Constructed 9,000 years before the Great Pyramids, many believe it to be the work of aliens.
28. Tomb of Sunken Skulls
While excavating a dry lake bed in Sweden, archaeologists discovered what was either a mass burial ground or a mass murder site. Dozens of human skulls were found with metal pikes struck through them. Whether this was a group killing or a religious ritual remains a mystery.
29. Native American Cave Petroglyphs
During the 19th century, a small cave in West Virginia was discovered. What was unusual, however, was that the walls inside were covered with petroglyphs of animals like fish and snakes...
30. Mount Owen Moa
Archaeologists digging on Mount Owen in New Zealand came across this terrifying claw. At first, they believed they'd found evidence of dinosaurs being alive much more recently than previously thought. Fortunately, they quickly realized it was just the talon of a Moa bird.
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