What have archaeologists been doing lately? It's a straightforward question with a straightforward answer. They've been doing what they've been doing for centuries - excavating the past to unravel the mysteries of those who came before us. Their recent findings have been remarkable, and the finest among them are on display in this video!
12 Most Incredible Ancient Artifacts Finds
A lot of the things that our ancient ancestors left behind in the ground weren’t put there deliberately. They never expected that people would come along hundreds or even thousands of years later, root through their former belongings and speculate about the details of their lives. If they did, they might have left behind a few helpful notes! The past can be a mystery to us, but let’s see what we can make of these fantastic finds.
Circassian Genocide - How Russia Took Over the Caucasus Documentary
The sad truth about the Era of Colonization is that campaigns of conquest of lands and the so-called civilizing of indigenous peoples were very often accompanied by gruesome violence and genocidal actions. Imperialist powers would plunder, rape, pillage, and murder after dehumanizing native populations in the name of civility, progress, divine justice, and their own racial superiority. Western Empires are often the main targets of criticism in that respect, and rightly so. But they were not the only perpetrators. The Russian Empire has its own history of violence against indigenous populations in its quest for expansion and the Circassian Genocide is one of its bloodiest atrocities. In this video, we are going to describe the long history of violence by the Russian Empire against the Circassian people.
Thomas Wedders, The Man With The Longest Nose in History
The Man with the World's Longest Nose: The Story of Thomas Wedders
In the 18th century, a man by the name of Thomas Wedders, also known as Thomas Wadhouse, gained notoriety for an extraordinary feature that set him apart from anyone else in recorded history—his nose. Born in Yorkshire, England, around 1730, Wedders’ nose was said to measure an astonishing 7.8 inches (around 19 cm) in length, making it the longest nose ever documented.
Wedders spent much of his life as a performer, showcasing his unique appearance in various circus sideshows. During the mid-1700s, when curiosity and spectacle drew large crowds, Wedders’ nose made him an object of fascination. People would travel from far and wide to witness what seemed almost unbelievable: a man with a nose so long that it defied ordinary proportions. His presence in these traveling shows made him a minor celebrity, even though few personal details about his life have survived.
Thomas Wedders as seen in The Strand Magazine in 1896
Contemporary accounts of the time often portrayed Wedders in a less than favorable light. He was described by some writers as being intellectually disabled, with harsh terms like "idiot" used in reference to him, though the exact nature of his condition remains unknown. It is possible that his facial deformity was linked to an underlying medical issue that contributed to these perceptions. Despite the stigma, Thomas Wedders was undeterred. He carved out a role for himself as a sideshow performer, drawing in curious spectators and captivating audiences with his unusual appearance.
While no photographs exist of Wedders, as photography had yet to be invented, his likeness has been preserved in other ways. In recent years, wax figures of Thomas have appeared in exhibitions like Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditoriums, allowing modern audiences to get a sense of what he might have looked like. These wax reproductions keep his legacy alive, even centuries after his death.
One of the lingering questions about Wedders is whether he found practical uses for his unusually long nose, a topic that continues to spark curiosity among those who learn about him. However, no reliable accounts exist to suggest that he used his nose for anything beyond the spectacle it created.
Thomas Wedders passed away around 1780 in Yorkshire, at the age of either 50 or 52. Despite the limited information about his life, his impact on popular culture was significant enough for Guinness World Records to posthumously recognize him with the title of "World's Largest Nose."
Though his contemporaries may have portrayed him in a negative light due to his appearance and perceived limitations, Thomas Wedders’ life can be seen as a story of resilience. He took what might have been a source of hardship and turned it into something that brought joy and amazement to others. His legacy endures not just as a curiosity of history, but as a reminder of the ways in which individuals can embrace their uniqueness to inspire and entertain others.
Check out the video about story of a man with the longest nose in history!
What are the Rogue Granite Blocks inside the Great Pyramid?
The Great Pyramid of Egypt still contains scattered fragments that are clues to how the monument once functioned. These precious remnants tell a story of destruction and preservation which has allowed them to endure the curiosity of humans for thousands of years.
Most of these granite remains are never seen by visitors, tucked away in the most obscure and hard to reach locations within the enormous structure.
This video traces the history of their whereabouts from every known written account and reconstructs what their original purpose was.
‘Game Changer’: Giant Mammoth Teeth Found Preserved in Permafrost in Siberia Over 1,000,000 Years Old
Teeth from mammoths buried in the Siberian permafrost for more than a million years have led to the world’s oldest known DNA being sequenced, according to a study that shines a genetic searchlight on the deep past.
Researchers said the three teeth specimens, one roughly 800,000 years old and two more than a million years old, provided important insights into the giant ice age mammals, including into the ancient heritage of, specifically, the woolly mammoth.
The genomes surpass the oldest previously sequenced DNA, that of a horse dating from 560,000 to 780,000 years ago.
Love Dalén, professor of evolutionary genetics at the Centre for Palaeogenetics in Stockholm, was the senior author of the study, published in Nature. He said: “This DNA is incredibly old. The samples are a thousand times older than Viking remains, and even pre-date the existence of humans and Neanderthals.”
The mammoths were originally discovered in the 1970s in Siberia and had been kept at the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow.
Researchers first dated the specimens geologically, using comparisons with other species, such as small rodents, known to be unique to particular time periods and found in the same sedimentary layers.
This suggested that two of the mammals were ancient steppe mammoths more than a million years old. The youngest of the trio is one of the earliest woolly mammoths yet found.
The team also extracted genetic data from tiny samples of powder from each mammoth tooth, “essentially like a pinch of salt you would put on your dinner plate”, Dalén told a press briefing.
While the material had degraded into very small fragments, the scientists were able to sequence tens of millions of chemical base pairs – which make up the strands of DNA – and conduct age estimates from the genetic information.
This suggested that the oldest mammoth, named Krestovka, was even older than thought, at approximately 1.65m years, while the second, Adycha, was about 1.34m years old, and the youngest, Chukochya, was 870,000 years old.
Dalén said that, regarding the oldest mammoth, the DNA dating process could indicate the creature was probably about 1.2m years old, as suggested by the geological evidence. But it was possible the specimen was older than that and had thawed out of the permafrost at one point and then become wedged in a more recent layer of sediment.
Tom van der Valk, of the Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, in Sweden, said the DNA fragments were like a puzzle with millions of tiny pieces “way, way, way, smaller than you would get from modern high-quality DNA”.
Using a genome from an African elephant, a modern relative of the mammoth, as a blueprint for their algorithm, the researchers were able to reconstruct parts of the mammoth genomes.
The study found that the mammoth named Krestovka represented a previously unrecognised genetic lineage, which researchers estimated diverged from other mammoths around two million years ago and was ancestral to those that colonised North America.
The study also traced the lineage from the million-year-old Adycha steppe mammoth to Chukochya and other more recent woolly mammoths.
Researchers also found gene variants associated with life in the Arctic, such as hairiness, thermoregulation, fat deposits and cold tolerance in the older specimen, suggesting mammoths were already hairy long before the woolly mammoth emerged.
Siberia has alternated between dry and cold ice age conditions and warm, wet periods. Now climate change is causing the permafrost to melt and reveal more specimens, Dalén said. There was a risk that amid more rainfall, remains could be washed away, however.
Dalén said new technologies could allow the sequencing of even older DNA from remains found in the permafrost, which dates back 2.6m years.
Researchers are keen to look at creatures such as the ancestors of moose, musk ox, wolves and lemmings, to shine a light on the evolution of modern species.
“Genomics has been pushed into deep time by the giants of the ice age – the wee mammals that surrounded them might soon also have their day,” said Alfred Roca, a professor at the department of animal sciences at the University of Illinois, US, in a comment piece published in Nature.
Egyptian Mythology: The Essential - Ra, Horus, Osiris, Seth, Anubis, Bastet
In today’s video we will be explaining the essentials of Egyptian Mythology. Watch the vide below to find out more about the gods Ra, Horus, Osiris, Seth, Anubis and Bastet. Enjoy!
The Mystery Of Israel's Lost Ancient Tribes
The mystery of the lost tribes of Israel reverberates through three millennia of human experience. Of the twelve tribes mentioned in the Bible, only those of Judah and Benjamin survived the Assyrian capture of Israel. This is the story of the search for those remaining few.
Tutankhamun's Treasures (Full Episode) | Lost Treasures of Egypt
New technology reveals why Tutankhamun’s tomb remained hidden in the Valley of the Kings, Tut’s treasures take a once-in-a-lifetime journey and archaeologists open a 4,000-year-old tomb.
An immersive, action-packed and discovery-led series following International teams of Egyptologists as they unearth the world's richest seam of ancient archaeology - Egypt's Valley of the Kings. For a full season of excavations and with unprecedented access to the teams on the front line of archaeology, we follow these modern-day explorers as they battle searing heat and inhospitable terrain to make the discoveries of a lifetime. Using innovative technology and age-old intuition in their quest to uncover the secrets of these ancient sites, can the team's discoveries re-write ancient history?
The Real History Of The Americas Before Columbus
In today’s video we will be talking about indigenous peoples of the Americas before the Spanish explorer Columbus arrived. Enjoy!
Fascinating Artifacts from the Battle of the Egadi Islands are Pulled from the Depths
Underwater archaeologists have recovered a treasure trove of artifacts off the coast of Sicily from the site of the first ancient naval battle ever discovered , including warship rams, helmets, armor, and weapons dating back 2,000 years.
What was the Battle of the Egadi Islands?
The artifacts are the remnants of the Battle of the Egadi Islands (Battle of the Aegates) - the last clash from the first Punic War which took place in 241 BC. The Romans fought the Carthaginians in a battle that culminated from more than 20 years of warring as the Romans struggled to gain a foothold in the Mediterranean sea.
While the Carthaginians were much more powerful on the water, the Romans lay in wait trapping the Carthaginians and blocking off their sea route in a sudden attack. Up to 50 Carthaginian ships were sunk, killing up to 10,000 men. The Roman victory set them on the road for Europe-wide domination.
The Search Begins
The priceless hoard of artifacts had lain undisturbed on the seabed at a depth of 100 meters (328.08 ft.) for more than two millennia. In 2013, British archaeologists began the process of retrieving all the remnants which had been scattered over some five kilometers (3.11 miles).
More recently, the RPM Nautical Foundation , the Superintendence of the Sea of the Sicilian Region, and Global Underwater Explorers have joined in on the search. They have been using cutting edge technology aboard a ship to survey the entire nautical battlefield in detail, with the expectation that many more relics will be uncovered. This year they searched the depths while based on the oceanographic ship, Hercules.
Jon Henderson, an underwater archaeologist at the University of Nottingham, explained the significance of the work :
“There has never been an ancient whole battle site discovered before, which is quite surprising when you consider how important sea power is in the Mediterranean. The historical significance is huge, but what is so important is that we are finding battle sites because of changes in underwater technology. We are at the cusp of an exciting range of new discoveries.”
Recent Discoveries of Impressive Artifacts
In the last three weeks of exploration, researchers have pulled many artifacts from the depths. They’ve found warship rams, 68 Greco-Roman amphorae, four Punic amphorae, and four plates.
They also discovered three bronze Montefortino style helmets (a Celtic and later Roman style of headgear). Two of the helmets are amazingly well-preserved and have decorative animals on top – which Archaeology News Network says were defining features showing they “certainly belonged to the Roman army.” Altogether, there have been 25 helmets found on the seabed since excavations began.
But the most unique find is arguably the iron sword , which was found just last week. It measures 70 cm (27.56 inches) long and is five cm (1.97 inches) wide.
The artifacts will be analyzed and restored then added to the exhibition at the Museum of the "Battle of the Egadi" in Favignana.
Love-making, Marriage, and Punishment in Shogun-Japan
For almost 700 years between the 12th and 19th centuries, Japan was ruled by a Shogun. This was the age of samurai and the formation of the modern nation of Japan. This period also saw the emergence of new ideas about love-making and marriage. In today’s video we’ll be looking at love, marriage, divorce, and sexual culture in Shogun-era Japan.
The Most Bizarre Prehistoric Creatures
In the following video we will analyze the strangest ancient creatures. Watch the video below to find out more!
The Stomach-Churning Events Of Female Serial Killer Elizabeth Bathory
With a modern obsession with the macabre becoming more and more popular by the day, you’ve likely heard of this youth and beauty-obsessed countess of Čachtice Castle. The inspiration for modern renditions of vampirism, a murderess, one of the first female serial killers in documented history, Elizabeth Bathory, is constantly discussed in many circles.
With such a bloody history of torture and brutality, it’s almost difficult to believe anyone could be so cruel as the countess. Some historians today doubt the truth in the history we know of this horror story of European lineage, but we’ll let you be the judge of that. Let’s dive first into Bathory’s background, to understand where her penchant for violence started.
Scientists Discover a 3 Million Year Old Cave and Find Something Incredible Inside
People, in general, prefer to be above the ground. That’s where we’ve evolved to survive and thrive, off of the plants and animals that make up the surface world. Some people, however, have learned to enjoy the pitch black nothingness that caves can present, and are filled with a sense of adventure by exploring them. Some of the things found during these expenditures, however, are stranger than most realize. There are some truly unexplained things that have been dragged up from beneath the Earth’s crust. From baby dragons to marks warding off Ancient witches, you’d be hard-pressed to find something stranger anywhere else. Make sure to stick around until the end; you wouldn’t want to miss a cave turned into a massive instrument! Here are 15 of the strangest things found in caves.
10 Priceless Artifacts Destroyed by Accident
In the following video we will analyze 10 of the most priceless artifacts that have been destroyed by accident. Enjoy!
15 Most Incredible Artifacts Unearthed By Accident
Explorers, adventurers, architects and conspiracy theorists dedicate their lives to trying to un-earth the secrets of our increasingly crazy world whichis why it must be so irritating for them when the unexpecting folk of the world stumbling upon incredible things without any plan or determination. Imagine your life’s work being bested by someone who simply happened to be in the right place at the right time? These are the 15 most incredibleartefacts unearthed by accident!
Huge Jug of Ancient Coins Found by Archaeologists
In this video, you will solve the riddle of the Oseberg ship and the Nimrud lens, see the head of the Mayan deity and we will try to figure out what is the mass grave in Croatia. And I will also tell you about the "grand" plans of scientists to resurrect the most ancient microbe, which is almost 1 billion years old. Where this may lead, we can only guess!
The Most Controversial Archaeological Discovery - The Lost Tomb Of Jesus - Archaeology Documentary
In 1980, a bulldozer accidentally uncovered a first-century tomb in Jerusalem. Of the ten ossuaries (stone coffins) found inside, six bore inscriptions: Jesus son of Joseph, Maria, Mariamene (the name by which Mary Magdalene was known), Joseph, Matthew, and Judah son of Jesus. Dismissed by archaeologists as coincidence, the ossuaries were warehoused and forgotten. Twenty-five years later, filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici and his team went in search of the ossuaries…and the lost tomb. What they found may well be the most controversial archaeological discovery of all time.
This 800 Year Old Mysterious Artifact Was Accidentally Discovered and Shocked Scientists
Many historical artifacts have been lost over time. This applies even if their existence is proven by written documents. Where are they? What happened to them? Are they in an attic somewhere, forgotten and lost for generations? In many cases it’s pure chance that brings these artifacts back to the surface. It rarely takes more than an excavator and a planned construction site to bring ancient ruins, mysterious artifacts, or chilling discoveries back to the world's consciousness.
