Top 10 Unexplained Archaeological Discoveries

Go to Yale University and you will find the utterly mysterious Voynich Manuscript, which is - well, no one really knows what it is. Even the best codebreakers have shrugged their shoulders in exasperation. The manuscript is named after Wilfrid Voynich, a lover of old books who purchased it from The Roman College. While the book was later dated to the early 15th century, it didn’t appear in written records until the 1600s, leaving its first two hundred years of existence shrouded in mystery. No one knows who wrote it, what it means, or even where it came from. We think it’s Italian, but no one really knows for sure.

The mausoleum of Chinese ruler Qin Shi Huang is best known for being the site of the Terracotta Army– the massive assembly of stone soldiers constructed to symbolically guard the Emperor after his death. While much excavation has been done at this site after its discovery in 1974, strangely, the Emperor’s tomb itself remains untouched. There are ancient tales of the various traps installed to kill anyone who attempts to enter the tomb, as well as streams of mercury designed to imitate China’s water systems, which pose their own threat to modern researchers. While we can’t say for sure that all of these claims are accurate, what we do know is that whatever is contained in Qin Shi Huang’s tomb is a mystery.

Human ingenuity never ceases to amaze. Found in Costa Rica are the “bolas de piedra,” or quite simply, “stone balls.” These perfectly spherical stones are primarily made of a rock called gabbro and vary in size, with the biggest measuring over six feet in diameter and weighing fifteen tons. It’s also widely believed that the stones were made by a pre-Colombian culture called the Diquis, hence the name Diquís Spheres. Unfortunately, we still aren’t sure why these stones were made. They could be related to astronomy, or they could have been used to decorate processional walkways. Unfortunately, “could be’s” are all we have to go on, as the Diquis are no longer around.

We return to the Middle East for Göbekli Tepe, an enormous site found in southern Turkey. Turkish for “Potbelly Hill,” Göbekli Tepe is known for its circular pits and richly-decorated megaliths, which contain beautiful animal reliefs. And despite its enormous size, experts theorize that we have only seen 5% of its total area. Göbekli Tepe dates back to about 9500 BCE and is found at the top of a mountain, leading some to believe that it was a sanctuary used by nomadic tribes of hunter-gatherers. But evidence of houses and complex water systems also suggests that it was a permanent settlement. Maybe the answers lie in the 95% we haven’t seen.

Few archaeological finds are as important to religion as The Dead Sea Scrolls. These were found in the Qumran Caves in the Judaean Desert and are primarily ancient Biblical manuscripts. But one scroll stands out from the rest, and that is the Copper Scroll. Whereas the others were written on papyrus and parchment, this one was etched on…well, you can probably guess. It also employs a different style of language and writing and was etched much later than most of the other scrolls. Most importantly, it is not religious in nature. Rather, it explains the hidden locations of buried gold and silver. No one knows whose treasure this is, and unfortunately, none of it has ever been located. Someone call Indiana Jones.

While they’re found on a tiny island in the massive Pacific Ocean, the Moai have become one of the world’s most popular images. These are the enormous stone figures found on Easter Island, and they were built by the indigenous population between 1250 and 1500. The Rapa Nui people built these statues as repositories to hold the spirits of their dead, and they were physically fashioned after the deceased. But the biggest mystery surrounding the Moai is how they were moved. Some theorize that they were rolled on logs, while others believe that they were “walked” to their destinations using ropes and a rocking motion. The latter theory is the current favorite amongst archaeologists, but it is far from definite.

While they were recorded back in the 16th century, the Nazca Lines weren’t seriously studied until the 1940s, when an American historian named Paul Kosok spotted them in the Peruvian desert. These lines vary greatly in size and design, with some being simple geometric shapes while others present realistic drawings of animals, humans, and fauna. The designs are really only clear when viewed from a great height. These lines were made by making a five-inch divot in the topsoil, thereby revealing the different-colored subsoil underneath. But we don’t know why they were made. They could have astronomical significance, or they could be related to water collection or even be of a spiritual nature, to be viewed by the culture’s deities.

There are a lot of mysteries surrounding the Antikythera mechanism. Found in a shipwreck in 1901, it’s believed to be an astronomical calendar that predicted eclipses and the orbit of the moon. But there are many things we do not know. Its date of construction has not been definitively proven, with years ranging from 205 BCE to 87 BCE. We’re also not sure if it’s even complete, as some believe that pieces are missing. Furthermore, we don’t really know who made it. And therein leads to the most intriguing mystery. A computer of this complexity was not seen again until the 14th century, roughly 1,500 years after the device was made. So how did its makers have such vast know-how in regards to engineering?

It’s amazing that the Great Pyramids have been around for 5,000 years and we still know virtually nothing about them. The oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, they are the only ones still standing! We are exploring the pyramids to this day, and archaeologists are continuously discovering new tunnels, shafts, and rooms. Not only are the buildings’ interiors a mystery, but so is their construction. No consensus has been reached on who exactly built the pyramids, let alone how they built them. What we do know is that they were major feats of engineering - so much so that they have modern experts completely flabbergasted.

Ancient monuments don’t get much more famous than Stonehenge. Or more mysterious. Found in the middle of England’s Salisbury Plain, Stonehenge is instantly recognizable with its circle of standing stones and curious beams. And this collection of rocks continues to stump archaeologists. The date of construction is relatively unknown, with the 1,000 year leeway between 3000 and 2000 BCE proving quite expansive. Its true purpose is unknown. The ancient culture who built it is unknown. And the method of construction is, you guessed it, unknown. Basically, Stonehenge is met with a giant shrug and the nicely-worded academic equivalent of “I dunno.”


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