10. Ubaid Lizardmen
For people who love conspiracy theories, it’s a common belief that the world was shaped by ancient aliens. Or for people who watch Ancient Aliens on the History Channel which is all kinds of confusing for people who don’t know much about history!! Stories exist of lizards who secretly control our society and if the Ubaid Lizardmen are anything to go by, maybe they have a point!
9. Giant Balls of Costa Rica
The United Fruit Company is mainly associated with fruit of course. And exploitation, but that’s for another video. In the 1930’s they made a major archaeological discovery while going about their business in Costa Rica. They stumbled across some stone spheres thought to be hand-crafted by ancient civilizations… the giant balls of Costa Rica!
8. The Genetic Disc
This stone disc illustrates the development of a human fetus. There’s just one problem… it’s over 6000 years old and in theory no-one was supposed to know what the inside of a uterus looked like back then! This prehistoric oddity is called the Genetic Disc and was found in Colombia.
7. Aztec Death Whistle
These artifacts were found in an Aztec temple dedicated to the wind god. At first, the clay, skull shaped items were thought to be little ornaments but many years later, archaeologists figured out that not only did they look creepy, but they sounded creepy too!!! They were also found in the hands of a sacrificed male skeleton so that might give you a hint of what they were for…
6. Baghdad Battery
These days you can just go to a store and buy a pack of tiny batteries, even though everyone complains they get more and more expensive every year. You’d have trouble doing that with these guys! The Baghdad Batteries are a true mystery from ancient times and suggest that civilizations back then came up with many things, thousands of years before we thought it was invented.
5. Ancient Model Aircraft
Ancient relics from past civilizations often show things like flying carpets or winged chariots. So it makes sense some people think there were real flying machines whizzing about the sky thousands of years ago. Apparently these artifacts are real evidence of this. They’re called the Saqqara Bird and the Tolima or Quimbaya artifacts respectively.
4. Crystal Skulls
Indiana Jones made crystal skulls famous. But like the Arc of the Covenant or the Holy Grail there’s a real legend behind these fascinating artifacts! Question is, are they genuine pieces from ancient history or just a nice little ornament for your mantelpiece?
3. Voynich Manuscript
Perhaps no artifact is as strange as the Voynich Manuscript. Found by a rare book dealer in 1912, after who it was named, it stunned experts at first because it was full of strange images and descriptions that appeared to be deeply weird and alien.
2. Shroud of Turin
One of the most famous artifacts in history is Shroud of Turin. It’s believed to be the cloth Jesus Christ was wrapped in when he was brought down from the cross.
This sheet of linen seems to show the impression of a man and many consider it proof of the Son of God. But is it really him, and is the cloth really that old? This is a debate that’s been going on for centuries.
1. Antikythera Mechanism
We know that when computers were first invented they were huge. But somehow, the ancients were able to make a small computer thousands of years ago!! Believed to come from Ancient Greece, it’s an early - very early! - example of an analog computer like a slide rule and is made from bronze and wood
