Top 10 Archaeological Mysteries Finally Resolved

This archeological site is the largest cave system in the world! Located under the Turkish municipality of Midyat, Matiate was accidentally discovered in 2020 by a team of construction workers. Found within the tunnel system were human bones, coins, and water wells, indicating that people once lived inside. In fact, it was an entire underground city. The director of excavations, Gani Tarkan, believes that it served as a hiding place for persecuted Christians during the Ancient Roman era. It was in use between the 1st and 6th centuries before it was abandoned and used as a wine cellar!

Humans are ingenious at devising innovative solutions to common problems. Case in point: the beautiful Puquios in Peru and Chile. In the early 20th century, scholars began studying these fascinating objects in the Atacama Desert of South America. Looking like some type of alien symbol, the Puquios are large, corkscrew-like spirals that have been dug into the Earth. The spirals are lined with rocks, adding a further dimension of beauty and intrigue. Their purpose remained a mystery until the 21st century, when Italian researchers using satellite imaging revealed that they were part of an extensive system of subterranean aqueducts. These aqueducts were used to transport water for crops and drinking in the arid region.

Found smack dab in the middle of Syria is the ancient and now-ruined city of Palmyra. It was an important city during the Roman Empire, known for its trade caravans and key location along the Silk Road. There was just one problem - this city was in the Syrian Desert. So how the heck did its inhabitants survive? Well, scholars from the University of Bergen collaborated with the Palmyra Museum to provide answers in 2012. They discovered that the area isn’t a desert, exactly, but an arid steppe. Underground grass roots kept rainwater on the surface, and this rainwater was then collected using a series of dams and cisterns.

Enter Italy’s Otranto Cathedral and you’ll find a wall full of human skulls. These are the Martyrs of Otranto, 813 individuals who refused to convert to Islam following an Ottoman invasion. One of these skulls is called the ‘honeycombed skull’ owing to the presence of 16 round holes. The nature of these holes remained a mystery for quite some time. But in 2015, the University of Pisa deduced that a trepan was used in an effort to collect bone dust. In the Late Middle Ages, bone dust was believed to aid a number of ailments, including strokes and epilepsy. This skull would have been especially sought-after, as the bones of those who died a violent death were considered more valuable than those who died by age or illness.

The largest religious structure in the world, Angkor Wat is a temple complex in northwestern Cambodia. It was constructed as a Hindu temple in the early 12th century under the Khmer King Suryavarman II. The question is, how on Earth did they build it? The temple complex is composed of 5-10 million sandstone blocks, some of which weigh 1.5 tonnes! Researchers originally believed that the blocks were transported along a route over 50 miles long from Phnom Kulen. However, this route was long and impractical. Fortunately, in 2011, researchers from Japan’s Waseda University used satellite imagery to find an ancient canal linking Mount Kulen to Angkor Wat. And with that, the real route was likely found.

In 2017, an ivory comb was excavated in Israel, with ancient writing on it. So shallow were these engravings that they weren’t spotted until 2022. Experts immediately got to work deciphering it. The answer was, shall we say, a bit anticlimactic. Turns out, this comb was used to treat hair lice, and it reads, “May this tusk root out the lice of the hair and the beard.” This translation, while disappointingly mundane, is nevertheless important. According to Professor Yosef Garfinkel from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, this is “a landmark” discovery as it shows “direct evidence for the use of the alphabet in daily activities some 3,700 years ago.”

The construction of the Egyptian pyramids remains one of humanity’s most tantalizing mysteries. However, continued archaeological evidence has suggested the inclusion of ramps, or at least some type of ramp system that the Egyptians used to haul the massive bricks. For example, researchers in 2018 discovered an ancient ramp system dating to the reign of Pharaoh Khufu, who commissioned the Great Pyramid of Giza around 2570 BC. While it’s unclear if this specific ramp was connected to the pyramids, it suggests that the Ancient Egyptians utilized the technology in their construction.

Just how are those old Roman buildings and aqueducts still standing? It’s a question that has baffled historians for centuries, and the answer lies in - drumroll please - ash and lime. But wait, it’s not as boring as it sounds! It’s actually very cool. Roman concrete was made with pozzolana, a kind of volcanic ash, and lime. When a crack appears, and water seeps in, a chemical reaction produces calcium carbonate crystals, which would fill the gap. Essentially, the concrete has self-healing properties that prevent it from crumbling!

The Ancient Greeks made the world’s oldest known analogue computer. Dubbed the Antikythera Mechanism, the device was found in a shipwreck in 1901 and mystified historians. And it remained a giant question mark for over a century. It wasn’t until 2008 that a team from Cardiff University provided answers. Using cutting-edge imaging techniques, the team was able to read inscriptions that suggested that the mechanism was used to track the movements of the Moon and Sun and predict eclipses. It may also have been able to calculate the positions of Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury and Saturn. It’s amazing what the Ancient Greeks were able to accomplish.

If there’s one monument that rivals the pyramids in mystery, it’s Stonehenge. Virtually everything about this monument is unknown, but at least we know where they got the giant stones. And no, it’s not from aliens. The smaller bluestones originate from the Preseli Hills of Wales, located about 140 miles from the Stonehenge site. It’s speculated that these rocks were sought out for their acoustic property, as they make a unique clanging noise when struck, which may have been thought to possess healing powers. Luckily, they didn’t have to travel as far for the larger sarsen stones. In 2020, a study proved that they came from the nearby West Woods, only about 15 miles away.

What do you make of these answers? Let us know in the comments below!