World archeology puzzle over the mysteries of human civilization
October 25, 2017 | 15:09 |1675
Some discoveries in the archaeological world, impressive in themselves, sometimes allude to something more sensational and intriguing. LiveScience magazine recently published a selection of 16 mysteries of special concern for the archaeological community around the world today. The researchers are trying to figure out what can say the artifacts found in the depths of the Mediterranean Sea or Egyptian valley of the pharaohs and who is the builder of massive stone geometric structures in Jordan and Syria.
Mystery # 1: The Sea People – who they are?
More than three millennia ago, the so-called sea people attacked the cities and civilizations throughout the eastern Mediterranean. Scientists suggest that they were residents of the Aegean coast (on the ornamentation on ceramic ware) and later they settled in the Middle East.
Excavations of cities associated with the sea people, and the studies of ancient texts mentioning them continue. In the current month, archaeologists have discovered a massive stone inscription on the territory of Turkey, which tells the story of an unusual warlike people.
Mystery # 2: Works of the Old Men
The Works of the Old Men, as the Bedouins them in the early 20th century, are various stone structures found in Jordan, Syria and Saudi Arabia. The structure can be viewed betters from the altitude and satellite images. Their shape resemble a kite, wheels and gates. The relevant studies are now ongoing in Saudi Arabia.
Mystery # 3: Are there any hidden rooms in the Great Pyramid?
The results of the surveys conducted under the Scan Pyramids project show that in the structure of the Great Pyramid, the largest pyramid built by ancient Egyptians, there can be two unknown cavities. The sepulcher was built in Gizaabout 4500 years ago for Pharaoh Khufu.
One chamber is located in the northeast corner of the pyramid, and the other - in the northern part of the pyramid behind four building blocks with a zigzag designs.
Mystery # 4: Are there any hidden tombs in the Egyptian Valley of the Kings?
The valley of the kings is a rocky gorge in Egypt, where from the 16th century BCE. till XI century BCE. were built tombs for the pharaohs, as well as a number of their high-ranking officials and relatives. Most of the tombs were robbed in ancient times, although Tutankhamun's burial was discovered in 1922.
According to archaeologist Zahi Hawass, there are supposedly still undiscovered tombs in the Valley of the Kings. One of these places is indicated by scanning. As scientists have suggested, the spouse of pharaoh Tuta is buried there. Excavations are planned for the near future.
Mystery #5: Who is the author of the Dead Sea Scrolls?
The Dead Sea Scrolls consist of thousands of text fragments, their dates range from the third century BCE (mid–Second Temple period) to the first century of the Common Era. They were found near the town of Qumran in Israel. Who wrote the "Dead Sea Scrolls"? - discussions on this topic continue. However, according to the main version, the authors of the writings are one of the Jewish sects - the Essenes, who left the manuscripts in 12 caves before fleeing from the Roman army around A.D. 70s. In content, the Qumran manuscripts are divided into three groups: texts from the Hebrew Scriptures, texts from the Second Temple Period, sectarian manuscripts.
However, it is now suggested that a most part of manuscripts were not written in Qumran, but fell into the hands of the Essenes from other parts of the territory of modern Israel and Palestine. The archaeologists survey the vicinity of Qumran, looking for undetected caves, which can shed light on this mystery.
Mystery # 6: Oldest Christian artifact
Mystery # 7: How did the Vikings travel to North America?
The Vikings reached the shores of North America long before Columbus about 1000, where they created settlement on the island of L'Anse aux Meadows on the northern tip of Newfoundland. They sailed into the Canadian Arctic, sometimes stopped in Labrador, traveled along the northern coast of Newfoundland. Seeds of gray hazel, found in L'Anse aux Meadows show that the Scandinavians sailed to the south, and then their track is lost.
But, on the territory of North America three other places of possible settlements of ancestors of the Danes, Swedes and Norwegians were recently discovered. Scientists continue to analyze the artifacts found at these sites. Satellite studies are also being held.
Mystery # 8: Who are the Philistines?
The Philistines arrived in the Levant (territory of modern Israel, Palestine and Lebanon) about 3200 years ago. Most of the facts about this people are known from Egyptian and Assyrian texts and, most notably, from the Hebrew Bible. The Philistines enjoyed a negative reputation, and nowadays a common noun "Philistine" sometimes is labeled to those who are hostile to the culture or art. However, modern archaeological excavations in Gath (Libya) and Ashkelon (Israel) will reveal their origins. In particular, the burial of 145 people was found in Ashkelon. Their remains will be exposed to DNA analysis.
Mystery # 9: The message of the Indus Valley Script?
The civilization of the Indus Valley (sometimes called Harappan, after the name of one of its largest cities) flourished more than 4,000 years ago in present-day Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and Iran. Climatic changes played a decisive role in the fall of this third-time ancient Eastern civilization after the Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations. Its peoples have left several thousand short inscriptions, which still remain unrecoded.
However, some of the people from the Indus Valley lived in Mesopotamia (Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Iran); they were called Melukhans in ancient Mesopotamian texts. Archaeologists are currently excavating sites in the countries of the Persian Gulf and Iraq, hoping to find a bilingual text - in Mesopotamian and Indian languages. If such an artifact would be found, it will be possible to decipher the language of the Indus Valley civilization.
Mystery # 10: The purpose of Stonehenge
Constant analysis and study of Stonehenge and its environs revealed a huge amount of new information. Archaeologists have determined that Stonehenge was only part of a vast sacred complex, which included burial, religious buildings and other wood and stone monuments located along the ring line. It is proved that Stonehenge and all its structures have an astronomical orientation, the meaning of which the scientists are trying to understand. The reasons of its construction are still unclear.
English pirate Blackbeard, known as one of the most famous personalities of history, renowned for maritime banditry and looting along the Atlantic coast and in the waters of the Caribbean in the XVII-XVIII centuries. He had his own ship called "Queen Anne's Revenge", on which African slaves were transported.
Over the past decade, archaeologists have discovered many items in the remains of a destroyed pirate frigate. It is clear now that the practice of providing medical services was well established on the ship. The analysis of these artifacts continues. Scientists are trying to solve the mystery of found numerous glass beads and learn more about the team pirate and slaves who were aboard when Blackbeard captured the "Queen Anne's Revenge".
The Voynich manuscript, a small manuscript stored in the library of rare books of Yale University, is one of the most mysterious books in the world. It is believed that a precious document containing a calligraphically elegant text and images of unidentified plants and female figures was written six centuries ago by an unknown author in secret language. The best cryptographers of the world have not been able to unravel the meaning of the scripts.
The manuscript’s name originates from antiquarian Wilfrid Voynich, who bought it in 1912.
Smallpox was eliminated in the 1970s, and only in the US and Russian laboratories still store a sample of this virus. However, the archaeological findings of the remarkably preserved human mummies raise fears that the discoveries will revive the terrible disease of past eras.
In 2011, builders in New York discovered an iron coffin with a well-preserved mummy of a woman allegedly deceased from smallpox. The specialists of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention determined that in this particular case the mummy poses no danger, but they started working with archaeologists to study the history of smallpox and to assess the risk of a return of the disease from the grave.
More than 4,000 years ago, when the Middle East experienced a difficult dry period, communities were fleeing in cities built in places with large reserves of groundwater. Similarly, ancient human settlements survived in the American southwest.
It would seem that a person does not survive after such a trauma without the help of modern medicine and an immediate lethal outcome is inevitable. However, archaeologists in the excavation of burials throughout the planet are discovering sophisticated medical tools that distend the scope of ideas about the development of ancient surgery.
The remains of the warrior, found in central Kazakhstan and dated back at least 2 000 years, indicate that the deceased had an arrow in the spine, while the vertebra in the wound site have all the signs of recovery and death resulted from other reasons.
Hominids are an ancient family of the most progressive primates, including humans and large anthropoid apes.
Homo sapiens is the only kind of hominid that is still alive and exists at least 300,000 years. Other hominids - Neanderthals, Homo floresiensis (hobbits) and Denisovans are extinct.
Archaeologists and anthropologists are trying to solve the puzzle - why these species disappeared and who helped them in this process? As it turned out, the hobbits died extensively after seizure of territories by Homo sapiens.
DNA analysis suggests that the Wise Man has significantly strengthened immune system and survival ability through mutations with Neanderthals and Denisovans. So, there were periods of peaceful coexistence of all three human species, which ensured the fusion of genetic material.
