Top 10 Greatest Archeological Mysteries

Arguably the most famous thing about Easter Island, the Moai Statues are a symbol recognized worldwide. However, while nearly everyone can tell you what these huge, large-headed statutes look like, they retain some mysteries. Chief among them for a long time has been how they were transported from where they were carved since they’re all so massive. Although sledges were dismissed initially, both for their impracticality in attempts to recreate the movement and for the lack of trees on Easter Island, these days the prevailing theory is that they walked there. Or rather, that they were walked – shuffled along upright very slowly using teams and ropes. Even so, a consensus hasn’t been reached.

Egypt is full of mysterious artifacts and ruins. While the pyramids and sarcophagi get a lot of attention, one of the strangest archaeological finds is only a few inches long. The Saqqara Bird is an object first found in a tomb in the eponymous town in 1898. An apparent model bird, this artifact’s exact purpose remains a subject of discussion over a century after its discovery. Was it a toy? Was it a ceremonial object? Some have even suggested it’s an example that Egyptians may have known about small-scale aviation, given its aerodynamic tail. While it’s too heavy to fly itself, the idea has been intriguing to many.

Named for the man who purchased it in 1912, the Voynich Manuscript dates from the early 15th century. This early codex has puzzled scholars for centuries. Written in a language and script found nowhere else, the Voynich Manuscript contains various drawings, which depict astrological symbols, people, creatures, and plants, not all of them real. Attempts to decode the manuscript suggest the language may be a constructed one, possibly a code written to protect its contents. As for its purpose, it’s generally believed to be a record of herbs and knowledge on the planets. However, the seemingly coded language, as well as the fictitious plants and animals have many wondering if the Voynich Manuscript could have deeper or weirder origins.

Located in Bolivia, Pumapunku is an archaeological site in modern Bolivia, constructed by the Tiwanaku culture. The location’s most distinctive and mysterious feature is its stone blocks. Razor straight and featuring interlocking holes that fit them together like a Jenga tower, these stones seem remarkably advanced in their construction for being made in the 6th century AD. The stones’ uniformity suggests mass production and highly accurate measurements, which flies in the face of what even the Tiwanaku’s successor state, the Incas, were capable of centuries later. Pumapunku has been a popular subject of fringe theories, such as ancient, advanced civilizations or alien intervention. However they were made, these stones are a remarkable feat of engineering.

Appropriately found in London… Texas, the London Hammer is a typical iron workman’s hammerhead and part of a wooden shaft. What makes it so contentious is its potential age. Many regard it as an anomalous or impossible artifact, due to being found encased in rock from the Cretaceous era. How could a man-made tool exist in rock from millions of years before humans existed? The most common explanation is that a natural concretion effect occurred around a more modern hammer. Unfortunately, definitive dating of the artifact is likely difficult, since it currently resides in a Creationist museum which does not allow tests on their “proof.”

One of the most famous archaeological sites in the world, Stonehenge is a ring of stone megaliths in southern England. Constructed sometime between 4 or 5 thousand years ago, Stonehenge’s exact purpose has never been confirmed, since its builders left no written records. The reasons vary from the astronomical to the supernatural. Still, the site has been a burial ground for millennia. In addition to why it was constructed, how has also been a matter of debate. Although some are incredulous that the huge stones could have been moved the many miles from where they were cut without modern tools, several explanations have been offered and even demonstrated. But however much we learn about it, Stonehenge will always maintain its mystique.

Also known as the Harappan Civilization, this ancient society lived in the Indus River Valley in what is now India and Pakistan some 5,000 years ago, making it one of the earliest civilizations on Earth. Despite its storied history, many things remain a mystery about it. Chief among these are its writing system and its fate. The Indus script lacks a proverbial Rosetta Stone, so it has yet to be deciphered. However, some theories exist as to why it disappeared. The prevailing reasons for its decline are outside invasion, possibly from Central Asia, as well as climate change and natural disasters; leading to drought and forcing its people to migrate.

The ancient Greeks told of a city that sank beneath the waves. No, not Atlantis – Helike! Unlike that legendary location, Helike is confirmed to have been a real place. Once part of the Achaean League, Helike sank underwater after an earthquake and tsunami devastated it in the 4th century BC. For decades in the 20th century, archaeologists and marine explorers searched for Helike’s location. It was finally discovered in 2001. However, while Helike has been rediscovered, there are still many secrets to uncover about the lost city, and its location underwater makes research a tough proposition.

Computers are a modern invention, right? Wrong! Recovered from a shipwreck off the coast of the Greek island of the same name, the Antikythera Mechanism is one of the oldest analogue computers ever discovered, dating from somewhere between the 3rd and 1st centuries BC. The mechanism was designed for predicting not only the positions of the five observable planets in the night sky, but also eclipses decades in advance. Clockwork mechanisms were previously thought to not have been invented until centuries later. And given its complexity, it seems certain the ancient Greeks had made other devices of similar construction and capability. We still don’t know how the mechanism was constructed with the tools available at the time, or what other mechanical wonders they made.

During the 12th century BC, the cultures of the Mediterranean Sea experienced violent upheavals that led to many of them either declining or falling outright. The suddenness of the collapse has intrigued archaeologists and historians for centuries. Records of the time indicate raids by so-called “Sea Peoples,” which may have contributed to political instability. The advent of iron weapons may have also led to more losses by existing civilizations who didn’t adapt quickly enough. There’s also evidence of a succession of disasters, including volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Pollen samples also suggest a period of higher heat, and climate change could have led to drought. The most common explanation involves some or all of these - a perfect storm that led to this massive societal collapse.