Ancient Mysteries As we find out more about our ancient past, I can’t help but wonder how our ancient relatives became so smart in so many different ways. We know about the incredible structures the ancient Egyptians built and later the Greeks and Romans, but they were not the only ones. There were incredible structures built all over the planet and some of the techniques are still unknown by us today. I am referring to the movement of huge stone slabs and rocks which are so heavy our best machines might not be able to move some of them today. As we find out more about South and Central America, we can’t help but notice they also contain incredible structures, so this construction certainly was not limited to just Africa and Europe. The Chinese and all Asians also had very capable builders and some of the structures found in these places are absolutely amazing. A scientist has said there is still a great deal we do not understand about ancient knowledge. We might have been able to understand more if the Romans had not burned down the ancient library at Alexandria. This library contained thousands of scrolls and was a treasure trove of at least some of that knowledge. Some of what we might have found there could have answered some of the mysteries we face today. One just never knows what they will find when they excavate and something has been found on Flores Island and it is the remains of humans who many say were not Homo sapiens. This has been confirmed by a new study. They are being called Hobbits. These people disappeared from the island about 12,000 years ago. Up until 2008 a debate raged about these people. Some thought they were a different race and others thought they were just small Homo sapiens. When the layers of bone of the skulls were examined there was no characteristics of Homo sapiens found. These people were not small Homo sapiens. It was thought by some humans had come to the island in the distant past and got stuck there and became malformed, but this was not the case. One thing about the Vikings, they knew how to throw a funeral. A tomb was unearthed which was 1,100 years old. It was of a Viking Chief and was very special. Although only two human bones were found which were carefully placed it was special, because what was left of the chief was buried in his boat. Finding a boat like this allows experts to examine the construction methods used. The Vikings were famous for their boat building technique and their ability. There were also other things in the boat, such as a key, nails and a spoon. One of the most prized possessions a Viking could have was his boat. Many times, if a Viking did not die at sea, he would be buried with his boat and weapons if he was important enough. Sometimes civilizations disappear and their disappearance remains a mystery. This is what happened to the Maya, Cahokia and many others. In the case of the Cahokia it is said there are many relics sitting under East St. Louis, Illinois. The area once had a population of over 40,000 who created about 100 dirt mounds. It is believed the mounds were constructed for astronomical purposes. It has been said these people had sophisticated architectural and agricultural methods which makes their disappearance even stranger. Archaeologists argue about why they left, some believe there was social unrest while others think it was because of a lack of water. The Maya have shown time and time again they were expert builders and knew how to move heavy stones even to the tops of mountains. Why did the Maya civilization just vanish? The Maya had large populations in their cities. Why were these magnificent cities abandoned? It has been said the Maya believed human sacrifice was necessary to guarantee the growth of crops and as water became scarcer, the more sacrifices were required until no one believed in the practice anymore and abandoned the cities. Archaeologists are always trying to solve ancient mysteries and recently they have been presented with a new one. While digging in Hazor, Israel they found the head of a statue which dates back 4,300 years. It is of an unknown pharaoh of Egypt and was smashed on purpose about 3,300 years ago. It is believe this might have been done by King Joshua who had destroyed the city. The things the archaeologists wonder about are how did the statue get to the city, how come it lasted for one thousand years before being destroyed and who is the pharaoh? If you like ancient mysteries you might like this one. Scientists have found teeth in Germany which are estimated to be 9.7 million years old. They seem to match the teeth of what scientists had believed was from a human relative. The problem is the second set of teeth are from millions of years later, 3.2 million years to be exact. Yes, something is wrong here. I could guess, but since I am not a scientist why waste everyone’s time. Let us just say the results have been double checked and more and they keep coming out the same so could this be another nail into the coffin of the theory of evolution? The bones of a dinosaur which lived about 174 million years ago in China has been found. The Chinese have named it a dragon. To be exact it is the Lingwu Amazing Dragon. It was a member of the sauropods which included dinosaurs such as the Brontosaurus which was the largest animal ever on the earth, or so they say. Not one was found but eight to ten examples were recovered. This proved the dinosaurs were about 15 million years older than first thought. An ancient burial site has been found and it is not on land, but off the coast of Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico. It is said to be native American and to be about 7,000 years old. It is located on the continental shelf near Venice. It had been a fresh water pond which had peat at the bottom. It has been said finding an ancient off shore burial site is very rare. Only people authorized by the state of Florida will have permission to examine the site. Ancient mysteries are everywhere and as more time goes by many get even harder to solve, but a few do get solved and there is always hope for some of the other mysteries.
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