If you believe the myths, then throughout ancient history, the world was tormented by evil ghouls and fastidious gods. But people were not going to give up without a fight and fought with the haters of the human race with improvised means, in particular magic. A wide variety of artifacts have survived to our time, the true purpose of which modern scientists can only guess.
1. Greek palindrome
A 1,500-year-old coin-sized clay amulet.
According to legends, Cyprus is the birthplace of the Greek goddess of love of fertility, and the city of Paphos was the "headquarters" of the cult of Aphrodite. Today, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is replete with ancient mosaics and remains of the great Mycenaean temples dedicated to the patroness of love. Recently, another miracle was found in Paphos - a 1500-year-old clay amulet the size of a coin. On one side, a Greek palindrome is depicted, and on the other, a scene from myths. The palindrome says: "Yahweh is the bearer of the secret name, and the lion of Ra keeps it in his temple."
2. Mysterious golden spirals
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Spirals adorned the sacred robes of the priests.
Gold has always been considered a valuable metal by people. Everything was decorated with gold - from tombs to ritual figurines. Archaeologists recently discovered about 2,000 small golden spirals in a field on the Danish island of Zeeland. Previously, less mysterious gold items such as bracelets, bowls and rings were found at the same site.
The spirals date back to 900 - 700 BC, but that's all there is to know about them. Why they were made is a mystery. Scientists suggest that in the culture of the Bronze Age, the Sun was revered and attached great importance to gold, considering it the form of the sun embodied on Earth. Thus, it is likely that the spirals adorned the sacred robes of the priests.
3. Bone armor
Omsk armor.
Archaeologists in Russia have found unusual armor, which was made from the bones of killed animals. Perhaps this is the work of the people of the Samus-Seima culture, whose representatives lived in the Altai mountains on the territory of modern Russia and Central Asia thousands of years ago. At some point, they migrated to the place where the Siberian city of Omsk is located today, where armor was discovered, the age of which ranges from 3500 to 3900 years.
Despite her age, she was found in "perfect condition." It probably belonged to some elite warrior, but archaeologists have no idea why someone buried such a unique item.
4. Mesoamerican mirrors
50 mirrors from Arizona.
Mesoamericans once thought of mirrors as portals to alien worlds. Although reflective surfaces are ubiquitous today, 1000 years ago humans worked up to 1,300 hours (160 days) to produce a conventional hand-held mirror. Researchers have found over 50 of these mirrors in Arizona, most of them at an excavation site called Snaketown. The abundance of mirrors suggests that Snaketown was a very wealthy city that was inhabited by privileged members of society.
Unfortunately, the mirrors were in poor condition. Like other sacred things, they were to be cremated and buried with their owners. The researchers found that the mirrors were made of pyrite and richly decorated. Since there are no pyrite deposits in the territory of modern Arizona, they suggested that the mirrors were imported from Mesoamerica.
5. The mysterious Sicilian monolith
The monolith is twice as old as Stonehenge.
Archaeologists recently discovered a giant monolith underwater off the coast of Sicily, resembling the stones of Stonehenge. It is at a depth of 40 meters, weighs almost 15 tons and measures 12 meters in length. The monolith is at least 9,300 years old, almost twice as old as Stonehenge.
The purpose of its construction is not clear, but it is obvious that its production required a titanic effort. Remarkably, the monolith is made of stone that is not mined anywhere else in the vicinity. Today, this artifact, hiding under water, is divided into three parts, and three holes of unknown purpose were found in it.
6. Magic signs of the Tower of London
Tower of London.
Standing on the north bank of the River Thames, the almost 1000-year-old Tower of London is a fortress that was once a palace, a repository of royal regalia and jewelry, an arsenal, a mint, etc. Interestingly, this fortress, since its construction in 1066 year William the First, constantly had magical protection.
Archaeologists and researchers at the Museum of London have discovered 54 magical signs throughout the Tower. Most of them are black vertical symbols 3-7 cm high, which were intended to ward off all forms of danger, including natural elements. Archaeologists have also discovered several demon traps, including mesh images.
7. Witch Island
Blo-Jungfrun Island.
The uninhabited island of Blo-Jungfrun has always enjoyed a bad reputation and was considered a paradise for witches, literally since the Mesolithic era. The island is located off the east coast of Sweden and is completely isolated from the rest of the world, so it is not surprising that for 9000 years the people of black magic have chosen it.
During archaeological research, caves were found bearing traces of man-made intervention, in which unknown frightening rituals were performed. All of them had altars. The servants supposedly sacrificed them to propitiate their gods.
8. The Silver Scroll of Jerash
Spells in an unknown language.
Thanks to the wonders of 3-D modeling, researchers were able to look inside the ancient scroll to read the inscriptions on it without damaging the fragile relic. This small silver scroll was found inside the amulet, where it lay for over 1000 years until it was found in a ruined house in 2014. The silver plates turned out to be very thin (only 0.01 cm), so it was not possible to unfold them without damaging them.
After they were able to recreate 17 lines from the scroll using 3-D modeling, scientists saw an intriguing story of witchcraft. About 1,300 years ago, an unnamed sorcerer arrived in the city of Jerash to deal with some local problems. The first line of the spell on the scroll was written in a language resembling Greek, and then the text was written in a completely unknown language reminiscent of Arabic.
9. Egyptian voodoo and ushabti dolls
Ancient Egyptian magic. Ushabti.
While voodoo dolls are generally regarded by the media as an African and Haitian invention, the first such figurines were found in ancient Egyptian magic. The fate that befell the specially made figurine, it is believed, also befell the person in whose likeness it was made. These little scarecrows were made to induce various states, from curses to charms of love.
The famous ushabti figurines were often created for this purpose, but they also had a different purpose. The Egyptians knew that Osiris, the god of the dead, often used the dead for work in the afterlife. The Ushabti allegedly did this work for their masters. Some extremely lazy but wealthy people were found buried with ushabti every day of the year.
10. Coptic book of spells
Coptic Handbook of Supernatural Ritual Power.
Despite the fact that the ancient Egyptians were friends with common sense, they did not hesitate to turn to magic to solve everyday inconveniences. Many of their curses have been lost in history, but some have survived to this day, including the 1,300-year-old Coptic Handbook of Supernatural Ritual Power. Fortunately, the 20-page parchment booklet was written in Coptic, so scientists at Macquarie University in Australia managed to decipher it.
The codex contains 27 spells of varying utility, ranging from "good," old-fashioned love spells to the induction of potentially deadly black jaundice. The Codex probably served as a pocketbook of spells. Among other things, he describes the summoning of Baktiota, a certain mystical figure with divine powers who presides over the meetings of the snakes. The codex also speaks of Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve, and Jesus. Researchers speculate that the handbook was written around the seventh century by the Sethians, a sect of Christian heretic mystics.