Ancient mysteries are some of the most fascinating, because we know so little about them, which leads to wild speculation. The ancients were primitive and didn’t have many tools, yet they built these gargantuan structures, and nobody reallly knows how they built them. From mysteries disks, and tunnels, to the Devil’s Bible, this is a list of 10 amazing historical and ancient mysteries.
Göbekli Tepe
Gobekli Tepe is an ancient structure dating back to approximately 10,000 BC. It’s situated in Southeastern Turkey. The mystery is how and why they built it. They built this 6,000 years before they had metal tools, writing, or the wheel in this area, yet they built this monolithic structure, which would have taken enormous manpower, and resources. Considering all this, it’s obvious they felt they had a very important reason to build this, but archaeologist haven’t pinned down the reason. The structure is decorated beautifully, with carvings of mythical beasts and creatures carved into the walls. Using only stone tools, they somehow managed to build the whole structure. It would take hundreds of people to move the sometimes 22 ton blocks to the destination. It’s truly one of the most intriguing ancient mysteries.
The Phaistos disk
These unusual disks were found in the Minoan Palace of Phaistos, on the Greek island, of Crete. So much about this disk is a mystery. We have no idea where it was made, what the symbols mean, or even what the purpose of the disk was. It’s 15 cm in diameter. It was discovered by an Italian archaeologist in 1908. The disk dates back to 1700 BC, when the Minoan civilisation was at its height. Researchers were only able to decipher three words, and that was after 6 long years of research. The first word, IQEKURJA, which means goddess or pregnant mother. The second word IQE, means mother or goddess, and IQEPAJE or IQE-PHAE, which means either shining mother or goddess. This is as close as we’ve gotten to discovering what the disk could possibly mean.
The Baiae Tunnels
The Baiae Tunnels in Rome, were believed by many to be an entrance to hell. Many people also believed that the minerals inside the tunnels had the power to grant immortality. As such, it became a popular place with visitors, perhaps trying to gain immortality, or get a glimpse into hell. The way the tunnel was built, reveals that rituals likely took place there. The most insane thing, and the thing that earns it its place on a list of ancient mysteries, is the stream of boiling hot water running through it. Nobody knows why they built these tunnels, or what they were used for. We only know of some of the mysterious legends surrounding it.
Where Did Lord Lucan Disappear To After Murdering His Nanny?
Lord Lucan led an exciting and extravagent life, and was once even considered to play James Bond. He married Veronica Lucan, but they fell apart in 1972, and began living in separate houses. Lucan began spying on her, and recording her phone calls. He was obsessed with getting back custody of the kids. Two years later, the children’s nanny, Sandra Rivett, was murdered in the basement of the Lucan Family home. The attacker then went after Lady Lucan but failed to kill her.
Veronica identified Lucan as the man who assaulted her. The police couldn’t find Lucan after the incident, in fact, he was never seen again. His car had been abandoned, inside it was covered with blood, and a lead pipe similar to the one used to kill the nanny. Hundreds of people have claimed to have seen him since then, but none of those sightings were ever proven. Lucan was prepared dead in 2016, and nobody ever really knew what had happened to him.
Roanoke
In 1590 governor White came back to the island of Roanoke after going on a supply trip, and found the island completely abandoned. Not a single one of the inhabitants remained, and the only clue was the word CROATOAN, carved into a tree. What happened to them? Where did they go? How can I find them? Are all questions the governor likely asked himself. Among the missing was his daughter Ellina Dare.
Three years ago, White had gone out on a supply trip, but was delayed because of England’s war with the Spanish. He finally got back in 1590, and from the fact that the buildings had been dismantled, he knew that they hadn’t left in a hurry, and didn’t intend to return. Hoping that he would be able to find his daughter, he searched the nearby island of Croatoan, assuming they must be there, but found no sign of them. Every single one of them had vanished, and no one would ever find out where they had gone.
The Wanggongchang Explosion
In 1626 a devastating explosion almost destroyed Beijing, and left modern historians mystified. An industrial accident at the Wanggongchang armoury wiped out half of Beijing, and the noise was so loud it was heard 150 kilometres away. There were reports of an unexplained mushroom cloud above Beijing after it happened. China was in arms race with their enemies to the north, and built amrs factories to try and create enough weapons to destroy them, but ended up destroying their own city. No one knows exactly what caused the explosion. Why the explosion was so big, and what the mushroom cloud means are also mystifying.
Who Killed Kaspar Hauser?
Police officers on duty in Nuremberg May 26th 1828 were shocked to encounter a teenage boy who claimed to have been raised a cell alone by a person he knew nothing about. He was given food, water, some toys and a blanket. Kaspar would often tell stories of people hurting him, and was often accused of lying when telling these stories. Kaspar appeared one day with a knife deep inside his chest. He claimed that a man had given him a bag, and then stabbed him. In the bag, was a note with a message written in mirror writing. The message displayed mysterious clues about who the killer was. To this day, nobody really knows who Kaspar Hauser was, where he came from, or who killed him.
What caused the Dancing Plague of 1518?
400 people in Alsace began to dance, some of them even danced until they died of exhaustion, a heart attack or a stroke. It took place in 1518, and started with one woman, Mrs Troffea, who would dance furiously in Strasburg. Over the next few days, and weeks more and more people started joining in. Eventually, there were 400 people dancing, many of which died. At one point it’s reported that 15 people were dying each day due to the dancing. Physicians at the time decided it was likely due to “hot blood”, and prescribed the perfect medicine. Dancing. Yes, the physicians encouraged them to keep doing the thing that was killing them.
They even set up stages, and hired musicians to keep them in the dancing spirit. People danced for days without sleeping. This crazy mass dance party lasted for around a month. It’s possible this was actually caused by chemicals in a local plant, ergot fungi. The main psychoactive product of this fungi happens to be what LSD was originally synthesised from, but this is only a theory.
Codex Gigas (Or ‘The Devil’s Bible’)
Codex Gigas is one of the most mysterious artefacts from history. It’s a 3 foot tall, 165 pound book. The pages are made out of animal skin, most likely donkey, or calf skin. It’s possible that it required 160 animal skins to make the book. Inside, the book is filled with magical incantations, medical texts, excerpts from the Vulgate Bible. The entire thing was written by only one person, who is said to be a monk that made a deal with the devil. Inside the book, is a full page image of the devil. The ink is made from crushed insect nests. No one knows for certain who made it, or why.
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The Pyramid Of Hellinikon
The Pyramid of Hellinikon is located in Argos, Greece. It’s one of the oldest pyramids in the world, and pre-dates the Egyptian pyramids by a century. It was built in 2720 BC, but the reason why it was constructed is still a mystery. Pausanias, an ancient Greek geographer describes a battle that took place at the pyramid, and claims that some of the bodies were put inside making the pyramid a tomb. But, modern historians debate the idea that it as built to be a tomb. Another mystery surrounding this pyramid is that, even though it’s such an interesting artefact, it’s no longer being excavated.