Ancient China is a wonderful topic to learn about whether your passion lies in history, cleanliness, or both. The ancient Chinese have some fascinating ideas on how to keep yourself clean.
The culture of China is one of the oldest still practiced in the modern world. This culture started to evolve in the Yellow River Valley more than 6,000 years ago, and many of the old customs that were practiced back then are still practiced now.
Join bestselling author and researcher Graham Hancock as he reveals what could be the greatest discovery of his career: the Ark of the Covenant. For centuries, the whereabouts of this legendary biblical artifact have remained a mystery, but Hancock claims to have found it. In this groundbreaking video, he shares his journey to uncover the secrets of the Ark and provides evidence to support his remarkable claim.
In today’s video we will investigate whether the largest snake on Earth caught on camera could actually be a Titanoboa. Watch the video below to find out!
After all the crocodiles went through at the end of the Mesozoic, the world that they inherited didn't seem to be very well suited to them. Especially when the glaciers started to grow and the world started to get cooler. So how did crocodiles survive the Ice Age?
The famous mythical legend of King Arthur goes that he pulled his magical Excalibur sword from the stone it was forged in.
And now archaeologists have somewhat mirrored the fabled tale - after excavating a 700-year-old weapon found embedded in rock at the bottom of a lake.
The 14th century sword was discovered at in the Vrbas River, near the village of Rakovice in the north of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Driven into a solid bit of rock 36ft below the surface and becoming stuck for years in water - the sword has now been dubbed 'Excalibur' after the legendary tale of King Arthur.
Weapons experts are now hailing the medieval discovery as a significant archaeological find.
Ivana Pandzic, archaeologist and curator at the Museum of the Republika Srpska, said special care was needed to free the rusted weapon.
'The sword was stuck in a solid rock, so special care was needed when pulling it out.
'This is the first sword found near the medieval city of Zvečaj, so it has dual value - both scientifically and historically,' she said.
She added that only one other sword from this period has been found in the Balkans over the past 90 years.
Analysis of the blade shows that the sword dates back to the end of the 13th century and the beginning of the 15th century.
The sword was discovered near the ruins of medieval castle in the city of Zvecaj, which was once the seat of Bosnian rulers.
In its early days, the medieval village of Zvecaj had its own nobility and was built around a now-ruined castle located on the left bank of the Mreznica river in the modern county of Karlovac.
After a long and turbulent history, the castle was destroyed in 1777 and today a private house sits on the ruins of the castle walls with parts of the remaining tower.
Although most mythologists and historians agree that the legend of King Arthur's Excalibur is a metaphor for the extraction of iron ore from stone and the event of the Iron Age, in the real world other medieval swords have been found thrust into stones, as was the case in Tuscany's Montesiepi Chapel .
Historians are now trying to determine how it became embedded in the rock and why.
A stone bracelet believed to have been made by a Paleolithic man could revolutionise our understanding of early human development.
Scientific analysis suggests that the enchanting find is a 65,000 to 70,000 years old.
Experts already believe it is the oldest piece of jewellery of its kind in the world, crafted by an extinct branch of early humans known as Denisovans.
The species is a closely related but separate hominid species to Homo sapiens and Neanderthals.
If confirmed, it would push back the date of its creation by around 30,000 years and show that technology used in its creation was available much earlier than thought.
Scientists from the universities of Oxford and Wollongong in Australia are due to meet this month with Russian colleagues.
The academics will analyse and interpret data from tests on the age of the soil layer in which the bracelet and other artefacts, including a pre-historic needle, were found.
At an exhibition in France this year the green-hued chlorite bracelet, unearthed in a Siberian cave, was listed as 50,000 years old.
It was earlier reported as originating from 40,000 years ago and made for an ancient woman by a Paleolithic craftsman.
But Russian researchers have suggested the jewellery item comes from a time long before early man was believed to have the skills or know-how to make such objects.
Maksim Kozlikin, a researcher from the institute of archaeology and ethnography, in Novosibirsk, said: 'Preliminary results have been received to date stratum 11 where the bracelet was found to 65,000 to 70,000 years.
'So it all goes towards changing the dating of the finds to more ancient.'
Institute director Professor Mikhail Shunkov acknowledged that at 50,000 year old, the bracelet was already 'a world-level phenomenon' because its existence challenged the known 'level of technologies'.
For example, the bracelet has a hole made by drilling and rasping devices.
'Our colleagues from Australia and Oxford are coming here in August, we will be discussing the dating then,' he said, adding that some data was 'ambiguous' and required clarification.
'Until then, I will refrain from saying anything.'
A consensus on the age will be announced after the experts had discussed the dating, and a major scientific journal report was expected, The Siberian Times reported.
The bracelet was found in 2008 in a layer that contained Denisovan, homo altaiensis, rather than Homo sapien or Neanderthal remains, although all these groupings shared the cave at various times and interbred.
'The bracelet is stunning in bright sunlight it reflects the sun rays, at night by the fire it casts a deep shade of green,' said Professor Anatoly Derevyanko, the institute's former director.
'It is unlikely it was used as an everyday jewellery piece.
'I believe this beautiful and very fragile bracelet was worn only for some exceptional moments,' he said.
The manufacturing technology used in the bracelet is seen as being more typical of a later period, for example the Neolithic era, which began around 12,000 years ago.
Dr Derevyanko said: 'Two fragments of the bracelet of a width of 2.7cm and a thickness of 0.9 cm were found.
'The estimated diameter of the find was 7cm.
'Near one of the cracks was a drilled hole with a diameter of about 0.8 cm.
'Studying them, scientists found out that the speed of rotation of the drill was rather high, fluctuations minimal, and that was there was applied drilling with an implement, technology that is common for more recent times.
'The ancient master was skilled in techniques previously considered not characteristic for the Palaeolithic era, such as drilling with an implement, boring tool type rasp, grinding and polishing with a leather and skins of varying degrees of tanning.
'Next to the hole on the outer surface of the bracelet can be seen clearly a limited polished zone of intensive contact with some soft organic material,' said Dr Derevyanko.
'Scientists have suggested that it was a leather strap with some charm, and this charm was rather heavy.
The location of the polished section made it possible to identify the 'top' and 'bottom' of the bracelet and to establish that it was worn on the right hand.'
Among the remains of 66 different types of mammal found in the cave were those of extinct woolly mammoths.
In 2000 a tooth from a young adult was found in the cave and in 2008, archaeologists discovered the finger bone of a juvenile Denisovan hominin, dubbed 'X woman'.
Further examination of the site found other artefacts dating as far back as 125,000 years.
Dr Shunkov has suggested that the bracelet indicates the Denisovans were more advanced than Homo sapiens and Neanderthals.
'These finds were made using technological methods, boring stone, drilling with an implement, grinding, that are traditionally considered typical for a later time, and nowhere in the world they were used so early, in the paleolithic era.
'At first, we connected the finds with a progressive form of modern human, and now it turned out that this was fundamentally wrong.
'Obviously it was Denisovans, who left these things.'
The Russian scientists say they examined the idea that the bracelet could have been buried underground in the cave by a later generation, perhaps in Neolithic times.
But they say the soil around the bracelet was 'uncontaminated by human interference from a later period'.
The soil around the bracelet was also dated using oxygen isotopic analysis.
Redating of the bracelet would also mean a needle now held to be 50,000 years old is also even more ancient.
The needle is also seen as the work of Denisovans.
Three hundred years after a romantic drama unfolded in Teruel, Spain, workers begin to restore the city’s San Pedro Church. But as it happens, the job doesn’t just bring the building back to its former glory. You see, as diggers shovel the ground at the ancient structure, they hit what turns out to be two sets of human remains. And thanks to that discovery, a mysterious piece of Spanish folklore – the truth of which has long been debated – may have just become very real indeed.
For 100 years, Tutankhamun has been known to the world as the boy king — a young, inexperienced ruler, who was still a child when he came to the throne. And even with all of our knowledge today, Tutankhamun is presented as frail, sickly, and possibly deformed. But now new evidence has emerged that suggests the ancient Egyptian pharaoh may have been a fearsome warrior in his own right.
In central China, and a team of archaeologists are exploring a network of subterranean tombs. Then the experts locate something intriguing: an ancient, water-logged casket. Prizing the object open, the group find both a human skeleton and a sealed wooden box contained within. But that isn’t all. Inside that box is a sword – a beautifully crafted instrument that no one has set eyes on for around 2,400 years. And the weapon was once in the possession of one of the country’s important historical figures, as the archaeologists will ultimately find out.
Legendary archaeologist Zahi Hawass is in the ancient Egyptian necropolis of Saqqara, and he’s just about to make another stunning find. Helped by his team members, he carefully lifts the massive lid of a stone sarcophagus that dates back more than 4,000 years. What he discovers inside — along with other incredible finds from a year-long excavation — will finally be revealed at a press conference in January 2023. And it will thrill people around the world.
Sankofa, an ancient city, is unquestionably one of the world's wonders. There is evidence of the settlement's long history everywhere you look, as it dates back approximately 12,000 years. The city is a paradise for archaeologists, with mosques from the 15th century and roman artifacts from the 4th century.
However, if the turkish government is to be believed, this magnificent location will never age. Although turkish authorities wanted to destroy this 11,000-year-old city, it is rich in history. It is in turkey's batman region, which is aptly named because it is on the tigris river. The picturesque location is home to nearly 2500 people, who live in nearly 200 different hamlets. It should come as no surprise that some families have lived in the town for 300 years due to its long history. Relics from the town's illustrious past make up a significant portion of its appeal, and there is no dearth of evidence of the centuries of human activity that took place there over the course of about 12 centuries.
Indeed, the region has seen more than 300 archaeological excavations to date. The subsequent discovers some of which date to the neolithic age demonstrate the meaning of the area, the among the significant regions or the 1000s of caverns dabbed around the precipices in his sank of altogether artificial, some have various stories and running water.
Deep within the Maya underworld, in a place of darkness known as Xibalba, the Hero Twins Hunahpu and Xbalanque face their most dangerous ordeal yet: the House of Bats. To protect themselves against its bloodthirsty inhabitants, they hide inside their blowguns. Their ploy seems to work. But then Hunahpu peeks outside, causing a terrifying bat god to swoop down and rip off his head…
Despite having made his own full suit of armor, Adam has never actually held a historical piece of armored gauntlet. That changes when he visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Arms and Armor conservation lab, where armorer Ted Hunter brings out five pieces of 16th Century gauntlets for Adam to handle and inspect. Varied in their construction, purpose, and ornate style, these beautiful pieces of real armor are each more stunning than the last!
In this video, we'll explore the top 5 unexplained artifacts that continue to stump scientists and researchers. Each of these artifacts is unique and fascinating, and their unexplained nature only adds to their intrigue. From ancient metallic objects to intricate stone carvings, each artifact has been the subject of numerous theories and hypotheses, but no definitive explanation has ever been found.
In this video we delve into the fascinating world of ancient Egyptian hospitality and explore one of the most scandalous banquets in history - Cleopatra's infamous feast to impress her lover, Mark Antony.
Cleopatra, the last active pharaoh of ancient Egypt, was known for her intelligence, beauty, and political savvy. Her reign was marked by political turmoil and upheaval, and she famously had relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, two of the most powerful men in the Roman world.
To impress her lover Mark Antony, Cleopatra hosted an extravagant banquet on a large barge in the city of Alexandria. The feast featured a staggering array of dishes made from the most exotic ingredients available, including rare and expensive spices, fruits, and meats. The highlight of the meal was said to be a dish of roasted boar, served with figs and honey, which was rumored to have cost a small fortune.
But the real scandal of the banquet came when Cleopatra presented Mark Antony with a gift that shocked and scandalized the guests. She had a single pearl earring, which was said to be worth an incredible sum of money, and she dissolved it in a cup of vinegar. She then drank the vinegar, in a gesture of incredible extravagance and decadence.
The scandalous nature of the banquet made it the talk of the city and added to Cleopatra's reputation for excess and indulgence. But it also demonstrates the role that feasting and dining played in ancient cultures, which were not just about food and drink but about social status, political power, and the creation of alliances and relationships.
The hidden North Face Corridor of the pyramid was found to contain a gabled ceiling, known as a saddle vault. This design redirects the weight of the pyramid from above, and thus it was widely assumed to be a so-called ‘weight-relieving chamber’ protecting the descending corridor below.
But many details about the North Face Corridor suggest that protecting structures below may not have been its primary purpose. This video compares the design to other saddle-vaults and puts the corridor in context to the other features within the Great Pyramid.
In the following video we will be exploring outstanding finds from all over the world and every period of history. Here’s the 12 most incredible archaeological finds. Enjoy!
Graham Hancock’s books have sold more than five million copies worldwide and have been translated into 27 languages. In the following video, he’ll be reading Thoth’s prophecy from the Hermetic texts. Enjoy!
In the video below we will analyze extinct animals that could still be around. Watch the video to find out more!
How many layers does the Earth have? Have you ever wondered what lies beneath Earth's crust? Well, our planet is like an onion - with loads of different layers. The Earth's crust is like a hard-boiled egg's shell - thin and tough. It takes up less than 1% of the planet's size. At a depth of 3,300 ft, the pressure reaches 330 atmospheres. That's like four elephants piled up on your head or two pandas balanced on your thumbnail.
About 6,500 ft below the surface, you still can meet some living creatures! Those are springtails - teeny eyeless insects that live in super-deep Krubera Cave. The deepest multicellular animal people know about lives at a depth of 11,800 ft in the TauTona mine in South Africa. This may sound strange, but a lot of interesting things happen underground. For example, 510 ft underground, you find the world's deepest hotel, and in 2020, the world's deepest concert took place at a depth of 6,200 ft!
