Archaeological finds with unsolvable mysteries have long captivated the public’s interest, yet not all receive sufficient recognition. The Interesting Info about Ancient Civilizations Secrets.
Here are 25 of the most noteworthy archaeological puzzles. Some are ignored, while others are suppressed or dismissed by scientific communities as hoaxes.
Michael A. Cremo objects to personal attacks against himself and his book but defends their severe presentation of evidence of human antiquity.
The London Hammer
In June 1936 (or 1934, by some accounts), members of the Hahn family in Red Creek near London, Texas, found a piece of wood protruding from a rock concretion they discovered near Red Creek. Chiseling opened the concretion and revealed a wooden-handled iron hammer. Carl Baugh purchased and displayed this curious artifact at his Creation Evidence Museum of Texas, where it became known as “London Hammer.” Creationist Carl Baugh believes this proves man was created earlier than science believes; Baugh believes it is to prove that man existed for 400 million years, while mainstream science holds only about 200.
The supposed dating issue with this hammer can easily be explained: its setting was an instance of limy concretion, which forms over decades or even years around objects left in specific spots and can eventually form nodules that geologists have determined are much younger than its object of study.
Yet Baugh maintains that his hammer predates fossils of animals from that period and refuses to have it carbon-dated due to conditions that would render this impossible for all but well-funded scientists (as detailed by Paleo).
The Genetic Disc
Ancient finds can often leave both scientists and the general public confounded. Germany’s famed Star Disc of Nebra is one such find that continues to baffle scholars. It depicts one of the oldest depictions of the sky ever found and offers insight into Bronze Age thought; however, one archaeologist from Regensburg University recently suggested it may actually be a modern forgery.
Researchers in Ashkelon, Israel, made a shocking discovery under an old bathhouse: hundreds of infant skeletons still wrapped in blankets had been left there by suspected sex workers from Ashkelon.
Forbidden Archeological Discoveries provides an insightful analysis of discrepancies between official and actual findings in archeology while also drawing attention to “the systematic process of knowledge filtration” that has plagued archeology since Charles Darwin’s 18th-century theory of evolution. Furthermore, Forbidden Archeological Discoveries serves as a damning indictment against how scientific research is falsified or suppressed. Science Behind The Paranormal
The book’s 900 pages of notes and observations on archaeological papers can be hard to read, but its results are worth reading. Even if one doesn’t fully agree with some of the conclusions drawn by its authors, they illuminate how science is often falsified or suppressed by self-serving academicians with agendas of their own—this merits two stars!
The Disk of Phaistos
The Disk of Phaistos remains one of the most mysterious artifacts in modern archeology, dating back to Minoan times and associated archaeologically with their writing system (Linear A). Unfortunately, however, its symbols remain undeciphered due to having no common language with any known ancient writing systems or deciphered writing systems.
The most prevalent theory suggests that the disk contains a syllabary – an alphabet of phonetic symbols representing phonetic syllable sounds – as some symbols on it correspond with popular Minoan artistic motifs such as dolphins, cattle, and crocuses. Other scholars have noted that some symbols may actually be older forms of Linear A or even Egyptian hieroglyphs.
Other theories suggest the Disc of Phaistos may contain an adventure narrative, prayer, political-administrative document, or board game; for more fantastical interpretations, it could include messages from extraterrestrial beings or be an entryway into hidden dimensions.
More recently, American scholar Jerome Eisenberg has proposed that the Disc of Phaistos may actually be an elaborate hoax. According to Eisenberg, its unusual medium—a clay tablet—suggests it was deliberately created as part of an elaborate scheme to perplex scholars while further building Luigi Pernier’s reputation.
The Quimbaya Artifacts
The Quimbaya artifacts are an assortment of primarily gold objects dating back to the pre-Columbian civilization known as Quimbaya, renowned for its sophisticated spiritual practices and artistically stunning ceramics and petroglyphs. This civilization flourished from 500 BC to 600 AD, becoming mainly known for its fine goldsmithing using “tumbaga,” an alloy capable of creating intricate and elaborate designs.
Qimbaya goldsmiths produced objects for personal adornment, practical use, and ritual ritual. Their objects ranged from nose ornaments, bra-shaped pectorals, crowns, and hollow anthropomorphic figurines to funerary urns with human-like lids. Furthermore, the Qimbaya were skilled artisans when it came to pottery production, crafting two or three types of ceramic pieces, including figurines with ritual deformations in their arms and legs, as well as clay seats and funerary urns that looked like human-like figures.
While most Quimbaya gold pieces are decorative, specific designs have caused controversy. Some nose ornaments may represent insects, while others could possibly represent airplanes.
These artifacts were often interred with the deceased as markers of spiritual significance and meant to bring prosperity to the afterlife. Qimbaya believed their souls would reincarnate into another body at some point, and these gold artifacts provided aid on that journey. Airplane-shaped objects may indicate knowledge of flight long before modern times.