The Mysterious Rongorongo script - Why is it still undeciphered?

The Rongorongo script is a system of glyphs that was used on Easter Island, also known as Rapa Nui, in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. It is considered one of the few undeciphered writing systems in the world, with no one being able to fully understand or read the script.

The glyphs are carved into wooden tablets that were used for various purposes, including religious practices, genealogy, and possibly even as a form of currency. The tablets feature complex designs and intricate patterns, with the glyphs arranged in lines that read from left to right and top to bottom.

Many theories have been proposed regarding the meaning and purpose of the Rongorongo script, but none have been widely accepted. Some experts believe that the script may have been a mnemonic device used to memorize oral traditions, while others suggest it was a form of proto-writing or even a failed attempt at creating a full writing system.

Despite its mystery, the Rongorongo script remains an important part of Easter Island's cultural heritage and a fascinating subject of study for archaeologists and linguists alike.

The Iron Pillar of Delhi - This is why it is so powerful

The Iron Pillar of Delhi is a 7-meter-tall iron column located in the Qutb complex in Delhi, India. It is believed to have been constructed during the Gupta period in the 4th or 5th century AD, and is known for its remarkable resistance to corrosion.

The pillar is made of a high-purity iron alloy, and features inscriptions in the Brahmi script that refer to a ruler named Chandra. Despite being exposed to the elements for over a millennium, the pillar has not rusted or deteriorated significantly, which is a testament to the advanced metallurgical techniques employed by ancient Indian blacksmiths.

Numerous theories have been proposed to explain the pillar's remarkable resistance to corrosion, including a protective layer of rust, a high phosphorus content in the iron, and the presence of trace elements such as nickel and chromium. However, the exact reason for the pillar's durability remains a subject of debate and investigation.

The Iron Pillar of Delhi is considered a remarkable feat of ancient engineering, and continues to be a popular tourist attraction and an object of scientific study.

12 Most Mysterious Archaeological Finds

There are some archaeological discoveries that support our understanding of history, but there are also some that challenge it. The challenging ones always make for more interesting stories. They're finds that don't fit and artefacts that don't acquiesce to the established narrative. Let's check some of them out in this video!

Joe Rogan Reacts to Levitation Used to Build Egyptian Pyramids

There are very few people who have visited the pyramids of Giza that haven't wondered how an ancient civilization without modern technology could build such enormous structures that can be seen even from space. The design of the pyramids of Giza remains a mystery to researchers all over the world, so everyone seeks to present studies on how this miracle was built. Did ancient societies have knowledge that has been lost to science since then? Were amazing technologies forgotten that were available to the Ancient Egyptians, allowing them to build the pyramids?

Spartacus and other Slave Rebellions in Rome

In today’s video we will talk about Slave Rebellions that shook the foundation of the Roman Republic. The video describes 2 Slave rebellions on Sicily, led by Eunus and Salvius and then focuses on the rebellion of the gladiator Spartacus, which forced Rome to use numerous legions and some of its best generals - Pompey and Crassus. Enjoy!

Activities That Can Be Traced Back to Pagan Culture

Links between holiday traditions and pagan culture are well established - and occasionally celebrated - but there are also a lot of misconceptions about paganism that make the word itself a bit taboo.

Paganism isn't something to be feared or shunned. In Latin, "pagan" was simply the word for villager or civilian. Religious connotations that developed during the Middle Ages made pagans into heathens rather than outsiders.

With all that in mind, there continues to be a pervasive presence of paganism in the modern world.

Sigiriya - Ancient Sky City Built With Advanced Technology

One of the most impressive places in Sri Lanka is Sigiriya, a site often named the 8th wonder of the world. Sigiriya was also home to an ancient city that sat atop the monolithic rock towering 650 feet over the town of Dambulla in the Matale District of Sri Lanka. The site attracts thousands of tourists daily and has been a UNESCO heritage site since 1982. Many believe that the giant monolithic rock looks unnatural because of its perfectly flat top, which almost looks like it's been cut at a precise angle. The locals believe this ancient site was built thousands of years ago by an ancient Hindu god, named Ravana, who was part of an advanced race of beings known as the Asura. These deities are said to have come down from the sky and ruled over portions of humanity. There are strange scoop marks and holes in the rock, and at the top, there are bricks, marble blocks, and an enormous granite water tank found in the middle of the site. How all of them were built and how ancient carried the materials to the top is still unexplained.

Nikola Tesla Reveals Terrifying Truth About the Ancient Pyramids

The pyramids of Egypt have long been shrouded in mystery, with countless theories and legends surrounding their construction and purpose. But what if there was a scientific explanation for their design? In recently discovered documents, legendary inventor Nikola Tesla reportedly revealed a shocking truth about the pyramids - a truth so terrifying that it was hidden from the world for decades.

Could the pyramids be not simply tombs or monuments but advanced machines capable of harnessing and transmitting massive amounts of energy?

The Fascinatingly Mysterious Origins of the Ainu

In this video, we will discuss quite a bit about ancient and prehistoric human migration and evolution into East Asian, specifically Japan. We will examine the strange and somewhat mysterious case of the Ainu tribe and other members of Y-Haplogroup D, and in doing so break down what exactly happened in Asia during our prehistory. Enjoy!

Abandoned History: The Greek Buddhist King Who Conquered India

Demetrius I “The Unconquered”, King of Bactria took the Bactrian throne in 200 BC after the death of his father Euthydemus I. Bactria is a region that encompasses parts of modern-day Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. One fascinating aspect of the Greco-Bactrians was their eventual conversion to and development of “Greco-Buddhism”. Demetrius I “the Unconquered” Was himself a Buddhist. But he and many other Greco-Buddhists still venerated the greek pantheon as well. At the time of his death, his realm was said to span from the Aral sea in the north to the Kathiawar peninsula in the south to the mountains of Daylam in the west to the deserts of Xinjiang in the far east.

13,000 Years Ago: How Bad Was the Younger Dryas in the Fertile Crescent?

The Pleistocene-Holocene transition is a very significant period of time, because it marks what I believe is the true foundartions for the origins of civilisation, when we see the first permanent settlements in the Fertile Crescent followed by the onset of agriculture, and from then on humanity has developed exponentially.

From an archaeological point of view, it’s truly a fascinating time period, with so many incredible sites discovered in the past century, from Ancient Jericho in the West Bank, to Mureybet and Tell Qaramel in Syria, and Kortik Tepe, Gobekli Tepe and Karahan Tepe in Turkey.

The foundations of these sites were laid either just before, during or just after the Younger Dryas cold snap, which, according to platinum spike in the Greenland Ice Core data, began around 12,822 years ago and many parts of the world returned to glacial or near-glacial conditions, a change in climate that lasted around 1,000 or so years.

Not every part of the planet was affected in the same way. In Western Europe and Greenland, the Younger Dryas is a well-defined and synchronous cold period. South America had a less well-defined initiation but a sharp termination. Australia and New Zealand were seemingly unaffected but interestingly, around 100 years or so before the onset of the Younger Dryas as recorded in the Greenland data, Antarctica showed the opposite trend and started to rapidly warm up.

With this in mind, with my personal interest in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic, I really wanted to know what was happening in the Fertile Crescent. How did the Younger Dryas affect the climate from Anatolia down to the Levant, the area which really is the true cradle of civilisation? In this video we'll find out!

This 1000 Foot Long Secret Passage Was Built Below Israel And Forgotten About For 700 Years

It’s the time of the Crusades, and Christian forces in Acre are all too aware that an attack from Muslim armies may be just around the corner. There are certainly no guarantees that the Christians will hold onto the Israeli city, either, despite the fortifications they have built up. So, one of the Crusaders’ military orders, the Knights Templar, decide to build themselves a secret escape: a passage beneath the bowels of Acre that leads in turn to the ocean. And the tunnel itself is so well concealed that it ultimately remains undiscovered for 700 years…

A Mesmeric 2000 Year Old Mural Has Revealed The Hidden History Of An Ancient Italian City

An acropolis that has kept its secrets for thousands of years is being investigated by archaeologists in what was once the greek colony of que me in italy. The elite of the region are typically buried in long, sealed tombs here, according to these specialists. However, inside one of these vaults, the group finds a complex mural that brings to light a long-forgotten past. The hidden history of an ancient italian city has been revealed by the mesmerizing 2000-year-old mural. Ever since the phoenicians first arrived on the shores of what is now italy in the 10th century bc, this mediterranean country has been a melting pot of different cultures. But even though the romans arguably take up most of the pages in school history books today, the truth is that many different civilizations have left their marks on this part of the world. Back in the eighth century bc, for example, the homeland of the ancient greeks was under threat. So spurred on by crises such as climate change and famine, the greek spread out to colonize and trade with other lands, and soon enough, greek settlements had sprung up in sicily and on the italian peninsula.

The prehistoric origins of the Silk Road

In an expedition through the Central Asian steppe, a group of Kazakh and European archaeologists search for clues left by early Humans and Neanderthals - they are investigating the prehistoric origins of the legendary Silk Road.

Far before its emergence in the 2nd Century BC, and well before the silk trade, this expansive network of routes had already been 50,000 years in the making. Traversing over 2,500 km from the Uzbek to the Russian border, scientists search for traces that may hold the missing key to how extreme climatic events spurred prehistoric mass migrations, bringing an unprecedented encounter between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens.

These discoveries will help explain how climate change and geography fueled key genetic exchanges in human evolution, helped shape the structure of modern Asian populations, and later enabled the explosion of culture and trade along these routes. Their findings show how humans coped with inhospitable environments and cemented the nomadic cultures still present in modern-day Kazakhstan.

What If Vesuvius Volcano Erupted in 2020?

How massive will the destruction be if the most famous volcano erupts again? What cities will suffer, how many people will die and what will it cost all of humanity? Watch the video to find out more!

Around 200 medieval skeletons unearthed at Pembrokeshire beach

Around 200 well-preserved medieval skeletons have now been recovered from one of Britain's best beaches, archaeologists say, including 90 in the last three weeks alone.

The bodies, believed to belong to an early Christian community, are thought to date back as far as the 6th century and were laid to rest in the cemetery of a former chapel at Whitesands Bay in Pembrokeshire, Wales.

They are well preserved because they have been buried in sand at what was once a medieval trading post with Ireland.

Excavation work is ongoing at Whitesands Bay, a Blue Flag beach near the city of St David's, which used to be the location of the chapel, called St Patrick's.

The skeletons were found just below the surface of the dunes where the chapel's cemetery used to be, exposed by natural erosion and storms.

They are now being preserved by experts at the University of Sheffield.

Preservation of the bones is 'absolutely incredible' because the skeletons have been immersed in sand, according to Jenna Smith at Dyfed Archaeological Trust, which is leading the dig.

'We've lifted over 90 burials in the last three weeks,' Smith told the BBC.

'It's really important that we do so because it gives that snapshot in time which we don't normally get in Wales. The bone doesn't normally exist.

'And the main reason that we're here is because we are here to stop the bones and the burials from eroding into the sea.'

Analysis by the University of Sheffield revealed the burials were of all ages and a mix of men, women and children and are likely to date between the 6th and 11th centuries.

All the graves were aligned with the head pointing west and with no possessions, in keeping with early Christian burial traditions.

Some of the skeletons were found to be in cists – graves lined and capped with stone slabs, a burial tradition common across western Britain in the early medieval period.

Some of the child burials were also found with white quartz pebbles placed on the top of the cists.

Whitesands Bay has been the focus for archaeologists since the early 1920s, because of St Patrick's Chapel and its associated cemetery.

It reads: 'Capel Patrick [is] full west of St Davids and placed as near his country, namely Ireland, as it could well be. It is now wholly decayed.'

Although the cemetery is thought to have been in use from the 6th century, the chapel is believed to have been built in the 11th century and was reportedly decayed by the 16th century.

Remains of the building were first excavated in 1924 when a cross-incised stone was found.

As for the burial ground, erosion continued to affect the site so badly that human remains periodically became exposed from the sand, before finally the graves were excavated in 1970.

There was an attempt by Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority to protect the burial site in 2004 when large boulders were placed on the dunes to try to slow erosion.

However, in 2014 stormy weather ripped the boulders away and exposed further burials, leading to a large-scale rescue excavation by Dyfed Archaeological Trust, followed by two further seasons of excavation in 2015 and 2016.

By 2016, efforts had revealed over 100 burials, but more found remains over the six-week excavation has brought the total to about 200.

The Dyfed Archaeological Trust said there is 'still a significant amount of evidence left to excavate', including an 'intriguing stone structure which pre-dates the burials'.

The excavations from Whitesands Beach are set to be stored at the National Museum of Wales.

Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ar...