The 10 Most Puzzling Ancient Mysteries

Top 10 Ancient Unsolved Mysteries

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most intriguing unanswered questions and issues in the field of ancient history.

#10: The Copper Scroll Treasure

Despite being one of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Copper Scroll varies significantly from the others. It’s written on metal, not papyrus or parchment, and also uses a different writing system. But most importantly, it is not religious in nature. Rather, it reveals the supposed locations of hidden treasure. The scroll dates back to the first century, when the area it was found in was under the control of the Roman Empire. As such, many experts believe that the treasure was hidden to prevent it falling into the hands of the Romans. Unfortunately, the clues are quite abstract and none of the treasure has been recovered. Furthermore, some theorize that it doesn’t even exist, or that the Romans found it. We just don’t know.

#9: The Plain of Jars

In Laos lies the Plain of Jars. And it’s exactly what it sounds like - a plain of jars. The stone vessels dot the Xiangkhoang Plateau, but no one really knows what they’re for. Complicating matters is the lack of research into the jars, as undetonated bombs from the Vietnam War make access extremely difficult. The vessels vary in all manners, with different sizes, placements, decorations, and even lids. The leading theory is that the stone jars were used as burial urns, but there is some evidence that seems to contradict that assertion. Research is slowly but surely ongoing, so perhaps one day we’ll know conclusively what the jars were for, who made them, and how they got there.

#8: Cleopatra’s Tomb

Despite being one of the most important figures in human history, we have no idea where Cleopatra ended up. Cleopatra served as Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom for 21 years between 51 and 30 BCE. Her life came to an end at her own hands, as she poisoned herself after Octavian invaded Egypt and defeated her lover, Mark Antony. Octavian allowed them to be buried together, but their tomb has never been found. Experts assume that it’s somewhere around Alexandria, and recent searches have narrowed it to the ancient city of Taposiris Magna. But as of yet, Antony and Cleopatra remain lost to time together. As Shakespeare wrote, “No grave upon the earth shall clip in it a pair so famous.”

#7: King Arthur

There’s a lot to unpack about King Arthur - mainly, was he real? Arguably the most popular and influential character in the Western canon, King Arthur is the subject of his own field of study. The problem is that the first written record of Arthur appears three centuries after his reign, meaning there was tons of time to, shall we say, embellish the record. This legendary storytelling was not helped by Geoffrey of Monmouth’s mostly fictional account, from which much Arthurian material is taken. Many scholars agree that King Arthur never existed, but this is far from being a consensus. Furthermore, some argue that he is a completely fictional fabrication while others posit that he’s a composite character of war heroes.

#6: The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

And speaking of things that may never have existed, let’s talk about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon! A number of ancient writers have described the gardens and praised the engineering behind them, lending credence to the idea that they actually existed. However, none of these writers were the primary source of the descriptions, which makes them seem more like legend than historical fact. No contemporary account of the gardens exists, and no archaeological record has ever been found. However, some theorize that evidence lies under the unexcavated Euphrates river. Oxford scholar Stephanie Dalley also posits that historians confused Babylon for Nineveh, where evidence of a complex aqueduct system does exist.

#5: The Ark of the Covenant

Biblical artifacts are a source of fascination, especially when they relate to real history. The Ark of the Covenant plays a major role in the Book of Exodus, being the vessel of the Ten Commandments tablets. The Ark is also later mentioned as carrying Aaron’s walking stick and a pot of divine food called manna. Written records of the Ark disappear with the Babylonian Siege of Jerusalem, which occurred in 587 BCE. King Nebuchadnezzar II and his men sacked Solomon’s Temple, which is where the Ark was said to have been stored. It’s unclear what happened to the divine vessel, as there is no evidence that it was taken or destroyed.

#4: The Voynich Manuscript

It’s rare that a book invents its own language. Well, the Voynich Manuscript did. It’s called “Voynichese,” which is fancy talk for “What the hell is this thing saying?” It’s about 600 years old, having been penned during the early Italian Renaissance. While we know when and where it came from, that’s about the extent of our collective knowledge. The manuscript is 240 pages in length, but not one of them truly provides a clue as to who wrote it, or why. Furthermore, the contents are completely unintelligible, following no known languages or writing systems. Research into the book is ongoing, but even the best cryptographers of the 20th century couldn’t crack its elusive codes.

#3: The Nazca Lines

Head to southern Peru, get yourself in a helicopter, and you may see the legendary Nazca Lines. Created in the desert of the same name, the Nazca Lines are a series of complex geoglyphs made by removing the surface pebbles and exposing the lighter-colored subsoil underneath. These date back as early as 500 BCE, and were made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. However, no one knows why the ancient Nazca culture constructed these famous designs. Theories range from religious significance to astronomical interpretations to a fancy irrigation or aqueduct system. Or maybe they just wanted to draw big monkeys in the desert. Who knows.

#2: The Collapse of the Late Bronze Age

You’d think something as monumental as a complete societal collapse would be well- understood, but you’d be mistaken. Between 1200 and 1150 BCE, cultures of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Near East violently collapsed, bringing about the Greek Dark Ages. The palace economy of the time was upended and the entire Hittite Empire was disintegrated. So what exactly happened in those history-altering years? Well, explanations like volcanic eruptions, deadly pandemics, devastating droughts, and violent invasions have been put forth, but those are still just speculations. The truth is, our knowledge of the collapse is about as dark as the Dark Ages that followed.

#1: Stonehenge

We know Stonehenge is in England. We know the stones weigh about 25 tons each. We know it’s aligned with the summer and winter solstices. And we know it’s about 5,000 years old. And, well, that’s about it. Stonehenge predates the Egyptian pyramids, with the first phase of construction occurring about 3100 BCE. Unfortunately, the culture that built Stonehenge did not leave records, so modern researchers can only speculate about its nature. We don’t know why the monument was built, and we certainly don’t know how it was built. In fact, its construction is so baffling that many theories, including supernatural ones, have been put forth.

Do you have the answers to any ancient mysteries? Let us know in the comments below!