Deserts are truly mysterious places. It’s easy to imagine them as huge wastelands where nothing ever happens, but you might be surprised to learn that there’s a lot more going on in deserts than that. In fact we are uncovering more and more secrets about these sandy places as time goes on! From the strange glass that is blowing everyone’s minds to the brand new dinosaur species, here’s the 20 Strangest Things Found In The Desert.
The Hidden World Beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet
Following more than a decade of international and national planning and an intense week of on-ice weather delays, Priscu led the field team successfully drilled through the overlying ice sheet and sampled directly the waters and sediments of a lake hidden beneath the Antarctic ice sheet. The groundbreaking exploration of Antarctica's subglacial environment marks the beginning of a new era in polar science, opening the window for future interdisciplinary scientific investigations of one of Earth's last unexplored frontiers.
The Mystery of the Last Roman Pagans
Greco-Roman polytheism persisted for centuries after the triumph of Christianity, often in surprising places. This video is an abridged version of a chapter in my book, "Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants." Enjoy!
Insane training to become a Templar Knight! Would you have made it mentally or physically?
Intense fighting, tactical, brave and devout Christian brother hood! We know the history but would you have what it takes to make it? There were many other challenges they had to undertake.
How fascinating are the Templar knights, not only what they did on the battlefield over the centuries. Or how they created the first banking system that seemed to stretch across Europe. Or was it the fact that their order was destroyed due to fear and corruption amongst nobles and royalty of that time ? All of these statements are impressive but not compared to what these men had to do in order to become a Templar Knight!
In today's video we look at What it took to become a TEMPLAR KNIGHT.
The Mysterious Story of a Missing Medieval Kingdom
In terms of Medieval mysteries, the lost kingdom of Rheinwg stands out. Referenced a dozen times throughout the surviving sources that we have, covering composition dates from the 11th to the 13th centuries, appearing in events all the way back in the 6th century to as late as the 16th, and yet, today we know almost nothing.
Hardly anything on the lost kingdom of Rheinwg has survived, and exactly no information on precisely where this missing medieval kingdom was located has survived either. This place left a mark on Welsh history, and the history of Wales, and indeed Britain, proceeded without it. Merely a century after one of it's last mentions, writers and historians were already beginning to forget the location of Rheinwg, and today I aim to reverse that.
In this video, we’re going to be examining all of the information we have on the lost kingdom of Rheinwg, we will seek to uncover its medieval records, examine what more contemporary historians believed, and finally look at what modern historians have theorised.
Irish Mythology: The Arrival of the Celtic Gods - Complete - The Tuatha Dé Danann
In the video below we will be analyzing the arrival of the Celtic Gods in Irish Mythology. Enjoy!
The Black Pharaohs: The Kingdoms of Kush - The Great Civilizations of the Past
In the video below we will be analyzing the black Pharaos and the kingdoms of Kush. Watch the video to find out more!
Dark Mysteries Of The Vatican
In today’s video we will be exploring dark mysteries of the Vatican. Watch for more and enjoy!
Archaeologists have uncovered 20 Stone-Age skeletons in and around a rock shelter in Libya's Sahara desert
Archaeologists have uncovered 20 Stone-Age skeletons in and around a rock shelter in Libya's Sahara desert, according to a new study.
The skeletons date between 8,000 and 4,200 years ago, meaning the burial place was used for millennia.
"It must have been a place of memory," said study co-author Mary Anne Tafuri, an archaeologist at the University of Cambridge. "People throughout time have kept it, and they have buried their people, over and over, generation after generation."
About 15 women and children were buried in the rock shelter, while five men and juveniles were buried under giant stone heaps called tumuli outside the shelter during a later period, when the region turned to desert.
The findings, which are detailed in the March issue of the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, suggest the culture changed with the climate.
Millennia of burials
From about 8,000 to 6,000 years ago, the Sahara desert region, called Wadi Takarkori, was filled with scrubby vegetation and seasonal green patches. Stunning rock art depicts ancient herding animals, such as cows, which require much more water to graze than the current environment could support, Tafuri said.
Tafuri and her colleague Savino di Lernia began excavating the archaeological site between 2003 and 2006. At the same site, archaeologists also uncovered huts, animal bones and pots with traces of the earliest fermented dairy products in Africa. [ See Images of the Stone-Age Skeletons ]
To date the skeletons, Tafuri measured the remains for concentrations of isotopes, or molecules of the same element with different weights.
The team concluded that the skeletons were buried over four millennia, with most of the remains in the rock shelter buried between 7,300 and 5,600 years ago.
The males and juveniles under the stone heaps were buried starting 4,500 years ago, when the region became more arid. Rock art confirms the dry up, as the cave paintings began to depict goats, which need much less water to graze than cows, Tafuri said.
The ancient people also grew up not far from the area where they were buried, based on a comparison of isotopes in tooth enamel, which forms early in childhood, with elements in the nearby environment.
Shift in culture?
The findings suggest the burial place was used for millennia by the same group of people. It also revealed a divided society.
"The exclusive use of the rock shelter for female and sub-adult burials points to a persistent division based on gender," wrote Marina Gallinaro, a researcher in African studies at Sapienza University of Rome, who was not involved in the study, in an email to LiveScience.
One possibility is that during the earlier period, women had a more critical role in the society, and families may have even traced their descent through the female line. But once the Sahara began its inexorable expansion into the region about 5,000 years ago, the culture shifted and men's prominence may have risen as a result, Gallinaro wrote.
The region as a whole is full of hundreds of sites yet to be excavated, said Luigi Boitani, a biologist at Sapienza University of Rome, who has worked on archaeological sites in the region but was not involved in the study.
"The area is an untapped treasure," Boitani said.
The new discovery also highlights the need to protect the fragile region, which has been closed to archaeologists since the revolution that ousted dictator Moammar el Gadhafi.
Takarkori is very close to the main road that leads from Libya into neighboring Niger, so rebels and other notorious political figures, such as Gadhafi's sons, have frequently passed through the area to escape the country, he said.
Tiny bead found in Bulgaria may be the world's oldest artefact made from the metal
In 1976, archaeologists unearthed gold jewellery in the Bulgarian Black sea city of Varna, which they claimed was the world's oldest gold artefact ever found.
But a new gold bead has been discovered, which researchers say is even older.
The tiny bead was found in Pazardzhik in Bulgaria, and is believed to date back to 4,500-4,600 BC.
The bead measures four millimetres (0.16 inches) in diameter and weighs just 15 centigrams (0.005 ounces).
Yavor Boyadzhiev, associated professor at the Bulgarian Academy of Science, said: 'I have no doubt that it is older than the Varna gold.
'It's a really important discovery. It is a tiny piece of gold but big enough to find its place in history.'
The researchers believe the bead was made at a site just outside the modern town of Pazardzhik.
The site was the first 'urban' settlement in Europe, peopled by 'a highly-cultured society' which moved there from Anatolia, in today's Turkey, around 6,000 BC.
Mr Boyadzhiev, said: 'I would say it is a prototype of a modern town, though we can say what we have here is an ancient town.'
The gold bead was dug up two weeks ago in the remains of a small house that would have stood at a time when metals such as copper and gold were being used for a first time.
The settlement unearthed so far is between 100,000-120,000 square metres (25-30 acres) and would have had a 2.8 metre high (9 foot) fortress wall.
According to Mr Boyadzhiev, anything over 700,000 square metres is regarded as a town by researchers working in Mesopotamia.
More than 150 ceramic figures of birds have also been found at the site, indicating the animal was probably worshipped by the town's people.
The settlement was destroyed by hostile tribes who invaded from the north-east around 4,100 BC.
The bead will be exhibited in the historical museum in Pazardzhik once it has been thoroughly analysed and its age confirmed.
An Expert Lifted The Floor Of An Old Mansion – And Found A Rat’s Nest Glimmering With Gold
A lone archeologist is gingerly lifting the ancient floorboards in the dusty attic of a grand country house. And beneath, he finds centuries worth of dirt and debris – accumulated throughout a long and turbulent past. But amid the scraps and trash he discovers something incredible: a stash of historical treasure with the unmistakable glint of gold.
The BIZARRE Lifestyle of Wu, China's Emperor
Pride comes before a fall. If you don't believe me, Emperor Wu of Han is a good example. He was a great emperor who made China great and defeated the indestructible Xiongnu people. But he was proud and had a major fall when he indulged in immortality and magicians. Stay tuned, and don't touch that dial as we go back to bring you the BIZARRE lifestyle of Wu.
Scientists Dug Beneath Jerusalem Holy Western Wall, They Discovered These Eerie Underground Chambers
Pre-army kids are excavating beneath the Israel Antiquities Authority. Jerusalem's iconic Western Wall and the adjoining Plaza they're delving under a mosaic floor that was once part of a Byzantine building dating back 14 centuries and what they find underground astonishes both the men and the experts running the excavation when experts dug beneath Jerusalem's holy Western Wall they found these Erie underground Chambers.
Scientists In Egypt JUST Found An UNTOUCHED Miracle While Looking For Cleopatra!
Archaeologists have met with shocking sites to find answers, like where the Tomb of ancient Cleopatra vii lies. So many staggering discoveries have been recently made, but they still seem to be somewhere around the tip of the iceberg. Consequently, in an attempt to find Cleopatra's Tomb, archaeologists found several other shocking things that will blow your mind. But what are they? Stick around to find out!
Egyptians from ancient times to the present have been full of surprises. Following the standards of old, modern Egyptians are undertaking breathtaking projects. Digging up their first man-made river in the desert is one big break. This is the second of its kind following the first artificial river dug in Libya. The reason for this undertaking is to recover desert lands of about 2.8 million hectares for agriculture, worth about $58 billion. What a way to maintain the set standards of an ancient civilization!
But while all this is ongoing, there are still many secrets to be uncovered from the past. One of these secrets is the location of the Tomb of Cleopatra vii. Currently, historians, archeologists, and the general public are curious, and as the investigation continues, archeologists draw closer to finding answers. But, in the process of finding solutions, here are some shocking discoveries that scientists and archeologists have made, leaving so many mouths agape.
The Epic Story of Perseus Explained
The story of Perseus is one of the most famous in Greek Mythology, with his adventures across Ancient Greece making him one of the original Heroes, a time long before the Trojan War and the birth of Hercules. The son of Zeus and Danaë, Perseus would defeat the Gorgon Medusa, with her head able to turn any man to stone, a weapon that aided him on his travels. On his way back home from Medusa’s cave, Perseus would rescue the beautiful Andromeda from the sea monster Cetus with the two soon becoming husband and wife. As the years went on and the pair looked to start their own family, they would head out of Argos and found their own kingdom called Mycenae, which would become the most powerful city in Greece.
Ruling over the city, Perseus and Andromeda would have many children together, with their family's reign lasting for generations to come. But unknown to them, one of their descendants would become the most famous Hero of them all. For the son of Zeus and Alcmene, would be the great hero Hercules, whose famous 12 labours would echo throughout every corner of the world.
Shocking Truth Exposed! Antarctica's Dark Secrets Unveiled by Scientists!
Antarctica is one of the most extreme and inhospitable places on earth. While the frigid lands and seas of the South Pole still seem like surreal worlds we know only from documentaries, for some researchers they serve as permanent homes for months. But how do the daring men and women actually manage to defy the freezing cold and the harsh conditions? Or to put it briefly: How do you manage to survive in Antarctica? How are supplies and everyday life organized in the isolated ice world - and what are we doing in Antarctica anyway? Stick around until the end to find out!
12 Most Incredible Recent Archaeological Finds
The profession of archaeology has been around for thousands of years. Cleopatra even had archaeologists studying the pyramids of Egypt during her lifetime, as they were as big a mystery to the people of her era as they are to us today! Some of the most remarkable archaeological finds in history have happened in the past few years, though, and we’ll prove it in this video.
Evolution of Live birth (Why mammals do not lay eggs?)
Mammals, like almost all other types of animal today, used to lay eggs, but then they adapted to give birth to live young. Why did some mammals make this change and if it has been so beneficial why haven't more animals evolved to do it?
Animism: The First Religion?
Anthropologists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries hypothesized that animism was the earliest religion. But later scholars have called this theory into question. What is animism? And how should we categorize it?
Mysterious Lost Ancient Places
In today’s video we will be exploring mysterious lost ancient places. Enjoy!
