Sometimes, during archaeological excavations, scientists find such unexpected and mysterious artifacts that not only baffle them, but force them to completely rethink the course of history. In our review, we are talking about 10 eerie finds that scientists have not yet been able to explain.
1. Swedish skulls on stakes
In 2009, archaeologists found an 8,000-year-old Stone Age settlement known as Canaljorden in southeastern Sweden. At the excavation site at the bottom of the former lake, fragments of the skulls of 11 people were found in a mass grave. Ironically, the bases of two of these skulls were pierced with wooden stakes. Nobody knows who these people were and why they were buried in such a strange way. Archaeologists also cannot explain why the temporal bone of another woman was found inside the skull of one woman. One of the theories says that it was some kind of ritual. Another theory is that the Swedes killed their enemies in battle and brought the heads home as trophies.
2. New facts about Tutankhamun
Since then, the tomb of Tutankhamun was first discovered in 1922, the cause of the premature death of the Egyptian pharaoh (he died at age 19 in 1323 BC) is the subject of endless controversy. One theory says that Tutankhamun crashed in a chariot accident, while other historians suggest that he was attacked by a hippo or kicked by a horse. These theories are based on the fact that a huge trauma was found on the boy's chest. However, some experts believe that the injury was post-mortem, and was caused by thieves in the 20th century, when no one guarded the pharaoh's tomb during World War II. According to recent analyzes, scientists have suggested that Tutankhamun died due to serious health problems caused by genetic disorders due to the inbreeding of his parents.
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3. Skeletons of the Sahara - evidence of the first known intercommunal conflict
On the outskirts of the Sahara Desert in northern Sudan, archaeologists and anthropologists have studied human remains found in the Jebel Sahaba cemetery east of the Nile River. The skeletons, which are 13,000 years old, are the oldest ever found in official cemeteries. But more importantly, they may be victims of the world's first known intercommunal conflict, which played out for months or even years. Most of the victims died from wounds inflicted by flint-tipped arrows. Scientists believe that these people were the ancestors of modern African-Americans, however, the identity of the attackers on this tribe or community has not yet been established. It is possible that their enemies were of a completely different race or ethnic group.
4. Mysterious poisoning of the Italian commander
The warlord and ruler of Renaissance Verona, Can Grande della Scala, died in 1329 of a stomach ailment. But upon opening his mummy in 2015, it turned out that the ruler had actually been poisoned with foxglove venom (which causes nausea, vomiting and diarrhea in small quantities and cardiac arrest in overdose). In July 1329, 38-year-old Can Grande came to the city of Treviso, which he recently conquered. A few days later, he developed a fever, vomiting and diarrhea. Symptoms progressed rapidly and Can Grande died four days later. At the time, it was believed that he died from drinking contaminated water. But during a modern autopsy, researchers found digitalis pollen in the rectum, liver, and stool samples from the ruler of Verona.
5. The brutal warriors of Mesa Verde
At the end of the 13th century, the population of Mesa Verde (central Colorado) declined in just three decades from 40,000 to zero. A 2014 study by Washington State University may shed some light on the unusual violence that has contributed to the disappearance of this culture. Archaeologist Tim Kohler found that nearly 90 percent of all skeletons in the area belonged to people who died in 1140-1180 with head or hand injuries. This means that many of them died a violent death. Kohler believes that this happened as a result of the Mesa Verde and Rio Grande war.
6. Mayan victims
In the old Mayan city of Uxul (Campeche, Mexico), archaeologists from the University of Bonn were excavating, unexpectedly making a gruesome find in a man-made cave that was once a reservoir. They found 24 human skeletons, each of which was decapitated and dismembered. The skulls were scattered randomly throughout the cave. A violent death was obvious, especially since traces of axes were preserved on many turtles, that is, their heads were chopped off. It remains a mystery who these people were and why they were killed in this way. Some of them had jade dental inserts, indicating a high social status.
7. Woman with stripped flesh from Devil's Valley
In the Philippines, 9000 years ago, there was a bizarre funeral rite. All the flesh was removed from the corpse of an adult woman and the internal organs were removed, the bones were suppressed, burned, after which they were placed in a small box, which was buried in a cave in the Devil's Valley. It was the first known cremation in Southeast Asia, and is particularly notable for its complex ritual. The large bones of the arms, legs and skull were smashed with a hammer. Where did the woman's flesh go is unknown.
8. Mass grave of sacrificial children with lamas
Archaeologists once believed that the people of the Chimu civilization in northern Peru performed their ritual sacrifices only in the capital Chan Chan, which was conquered by the Incas in 1470. However, a 600-year-old mass grave was found outside the former capital in 2011, containing the skeletons of 42 children and 76 lamas. Although the Chan Chan people built an elaborate irrigation system that helped their city flourish, this harsh desert region received only about 0.25 cm of rain per year. Therefore, water has always been a valuable resource for this community. In the summer of 2014, archaeologists discovered more victims at the Chimu habitat. It is believed that all these deaths occurred as part of a religious ritual.
9. Remains of Kasta Hill
In the northern Greek province of Macedonia, during the excavation of the Kasta hill, archaeologists have discovered another mystery. An approximately 60-year-old woman whose remains were found in the largest grave ever excavated in northern Greece has been identified as Olympias. Mother of Alexander the Great, was executed by Kassander, one of the Diadochi generals who took control of Alexander's empire after his death. In order to secure his place on the throne, Cassander destroyed all of Alexander's closest relatives, including his mother Olympias, wife Roxanne, and young son Alexander.
10. Kennewick man
Kennewick Man is a prehistoric skeleton dating back to 9300 years. This became the subject of a lawsuit by eight prominent anthropologists and archaeologists against Indian tribes and the US government, who wanted to prevent scientific research of the remains and bury them. It all began in the summer of 1996 when a couple of teenagers accidentally found a skull on the banks of the Columbia River in Kennewick, Washington. Almost a complete skeleton was soon found. The stumbling block for scientists was that the Kennewick man looked completely different from the American Indians. In 2004, a federal appeals court ruled that the Kennewick man was too old to be related to existing Native Americans. As a result, scientists were able to study the remains. They found that the Kennewick man was about 40 years old when he died. His height was 175 centimeters, and his weight was about 75 kilograms. He was incredibly strong, but suffered many injuries, the origin of which remains a mystery.
