In the following video we will analyze some incredible and bizarre archaeological discoveries. Watch the video for more!
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In the video below we will analyze the 5 eeriest archaeological mysteries that are creepy. Enjoy!
The SAVAGE Life of Emperor Qianlong's Male Concubine
The Siku Quanshu, also known as the Complete Repository of the Four Branches of Literature, is the largest collection of books in Chinese history.
It was assembled by the Qianlong Emperor, who also started several other ambitious cultural initiatives. But Qianlong employed the Literary Inquisition to crush dissent.
Let's first start with the king himself with his dynasty.
The fourth Qing emperor to rule over actual China, the Qianlong Emperor, was born Hongli and served as the fifth emperor of the Qing dynasty from 1735 to 1796. His official reign ran from 11 October 1735 to 8 February 1796. He was the fourth son of the Yongzheng Emperor.
His lengthy leadership saw the Qing Empire reach its most glorious and affluent period, with a sizable population and economy, as a skilled and cultured emperor inherited a flourishing empire. He oversaw military campaigns that conquered and occasionally obliterated Central Asian kingdoms to increase the royal territory to the greatest degree.
The Qing dynasty reached its pinnacle of power in the 18th century due to a significant increase in fertile land, a fast-expanding population, and effective governance.
China's greatest boundaries were attained under Qianlong. Military expeditions conducted in succession from 1755 to 1760 in the northeast produced decisive outcomes.
But, even more problematic were the poor administration, extravagance, and corruption that characterized the latter two decades of Qianlong's rule and seriously damaged the empire for some time to come.
When Qianlong, then 65 years old, first saw Heshen, a youthful lieutenant, whom he decided to make the most powerful person in the empire.
Execution By Elephant Stomping: A VERY Gory Medieval Punishment...
Death by elephant. It sounds like a bizarre and horrific way to go. And it may sound absurd, but death by elephant, also known in India as Gunga Rao, was actually a popular method of execution in Africa and Asia during the Middle Ages.
Elephants are easily domesticated and extremely intelligent. Research has shown that they have extraordinary memories, can use objects as tools, and even recognise their own reflections. Human beings are also quite intelligent and at times extremely cruel, especially in finding new ways of killing other human beings when it comes to capital punishment. Then, it seems the one common theme is brutality, and the only differences are the methods used, because of location and cultural differences. Let’s travel back in time to take a look at this monstrous topic and the role that elephants played in both war and punishment during the Middle Ages.
15 Medieval Traditions Not Taught In History Class
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A Historical Tour of Rome's Pantheon
The best-preserved Roman temple. The most impressive product of Roman engineering. Arguably the most influential building of all time. As a monument, and as a relic of the classical world, Rome's Pantheon stands alone. This video explores some frequently overlooked aspects of this fascinating structure.
Neolithic Iberia - 5000 year old Idols and Megaliths! 🇵🇹 🇪🇸
Who built the Neolithic stone circles, cromlechs and tombs of Portugal and Spain? Why did these people make strange plaque shaped idols? Where did they come from and who are the Bell Beaker people who invaded Iberia and replaced the megalith culture? All such questions are answered in this documentary about Neolithic Iberia.
The History of Fairies | The Dark & Tragic Stories You Were Never Told
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Greek Mythology Stories: The Essential - The Origins, The War and Rise of the Gods of Olympus
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The Sad Stories of Zeus Lovers
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How Did Cain Die in the Bible? Who Was Cain Afraid of in Genesis 4?
Cain killed Abel, but who killed Cain in the Bible? What does tradition say about the death of Cain?
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First Muslim Incursion into India - Early Muslim Expansion DOCUMENTARY
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Cult of Mithras Explained
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The Plantagenets: The Full Story Behind England's Bloodiest Dynasty
The Plantagenets have gone down in history as England's greatest royal dynasty. But how did this family hold on to power for so long in medieval Europe's often brutal and dangerous world? Follow Dan Jones as he gives a full and comprehensive overview of one of history's most fascinating families.
Rise of the Vandals: How the Vandals Took Over Roman Africa
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What Are Dwarves? - A Quest For the Origins and Nature of Dwarves
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Century of Crisis - Why the 1300s Were the Worst
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From Battle to Beauty: The Tale of the Helepolis Siege Engine and Its Role in Building the Colossus of Rhodes
Turning Swords into Plowshares: The incredible journey from Helepolis to the Colossus of Rhodes. The siege engine that transformed into one of the seven wonders of the world.
In the annals of ancient warfare, few inventions capture the imagination quite like the Helepolis, an imposing, mammoth siege tower that brought new dimensions to the art of siegecraft. Weighing an enormous 160 tons and requiring the combined strength of 3,400 men to move, this tapered tower played an instrumental role in the evolution of warfare. Yet, its most lasting legacy was born not from its formidable military prowess but from its ironic contribution to the creation of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Colossus of Rhodes.
Design and Mechanism: The Making of a War Behemoth
The mobile siege tower's Greek name, Helepolis, translates to "Taker of Cities." The most well-known was that created by Polyidus of Thessaly during the Siege of Rhodes, and refined by Demetrius I of Macedon and Epimachus of Athens (305 BC). Diodorus Siculus, Vitruvius, Plutarch, and Athenaeus Mechanicus all provided descriptions of it.
Polyidus of Thessaly, who was often associated with the conception of the Helepolis, remains an enigmatic figure in the annals of military engineering. As a notable engineer and tactician in the service of Alexander the Great and Demetrius I of Macedon, Polyidus was credited with the invention of several prominent siege engines, including the Helepolis. His ingenious contributions to siege warfare laid the groundwork for later innovations and shaped the landscape of Hellenistic military strategy. Despite the ingenuity of his designs, it was through his unintended contribution to art and architecture through the repurposing of the abandoned Helepolis that Polyidus of Thessaly left a lasting, if ironic, legacy.
3D model and cross-section of Helepolis approximately as described in the wiki article Created in the TrueSpace 3 demo edition and GIMP.
Evan Mason own work
The Helepolis was not merely a large tower. It was an architectural marvel—an imposing iron-clad fortress on wheels, meticulously designed for both attack and defense. The outer surface of the tower was covered in iron plates, rendering three sides fireproof, a critical adaptation for surviving the flaming projectiles of the enemy. The interior was divided into multiple stories, housing soldiers equipped with light dart throwers designed to clear walls and heavy armaments providing the raw, destructive power necessary to break enemy defenses.
The Helepolis was essentially a massive, manually propelled tower that measured 65 feet (20 meters) in width and 130 feet (40 meters) in height on each side. It was supported by eight 15 feet (5 m) high, caster-equipped wheels that allowed for both lateral and straight movement. The interior was separated into floors that were joined by two wide flights of steps, one for climb and one for descent, and the three exposed sides were made fireproof with iron plates. The machine weighed 160 tons, and it took 3,400 men working in relays to move it. As 200 men turned a huge capstan that drove the wheels with a belt, the remaining 1,200 men pushed the machine forward. The casters allowed for lateral movement, allowing the entire apparatus to be maneuvered towards the intended attack location while maintaining the siege engines inside pointed towards the city walls and the machine's protective body in direct contact with the men advancing behind it.
Model of a Helepolis siege tower, Thessaloniki Science Center and Technology Museum
Gts-tg: Own work
Helepolis siege engine, 4th century BC, Greece (modeled after Demetrius Poliorcetes Helepolis siege tower). Thessaloniki Technology Museum. Design and construction by K. Kotsanas
The Helepolis was equipped with a terrifying array of heavy weapons, including two 180-lb (82 kg) catapults, one 60-lb (27 kg) catapult, three 60-lb catapults on the second floor, and two 30-lb (14 kg) catapults on each of the following five stories. The forward wall of the tower was perforated with openings for the missile launchers that were protected by automatically adjustable shutters and lined with skins that were filled with wool and seaweed to make them fireproof. Soldiers could easily clear the walls of defenders on each of the top two floors with the help of two lightweight dart throwers.
The Siege of Rhodes: The Helepolis Meets Its Match
Despite its formidable design, the Helepolis met its match during the Siege of Rhodes. According to Vitruvius, the people of Rhodes, under the ingenious guidance of Diognetus, managed to immobilize the colossal siege tower. Instead of countering iron with iron, they relied on the simple elements of water, mud, and sewage, channeling these onto the area of attack. The Helepolis, for all its ironclad majesty, became irretrievably stuck and was ultimately abandoned, marking a turning point in the siege.
The Rhodians were able to knock parts of the metal plates off the Helepolis as it was being moved toward the city, and Demetrius decided to remove it from the fight to prevent it from being set on fire.
The Birth of the Colossus: From War Machine to Iconic Monument
This event not only marked the lifting of the siege but also paved the way for the creation of one of the most iconic monuments in the ancient world.
The Helepolis and the other siege engines were abandoned after the siege failed, and the people of Rhodes used the materials and money to construct the Colossus of Rhodes, a statue of their patron god Helios that is now known as one of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World. They also melted down their metal plating and sold abandoned weapons. Thus, from the failed engine of war, a symbol of peace and triumph was born.
In a different story provided by Vitruvius, the Rhodians pleaded with Diognetus, who had previously served as the town architect of Rhodes, to devise a strategy for capturing the Helepolis. He ordered the Rhodians to breach the city wall under cover of night in order to direct copious volumes of water, mud, and sewage into the region where the Helepolis was anticipated to launch an assault the following day. The tower was moved forward to the planned attack point by Diognetus and became trapped in the muck forever. When the siege was over, the Rhodians utilized the proceeds from the sale of Demetrius's abandoned siege engines to build the massive Colossus of Rhodes.
The Legacy of the Helepolis: Influence and Adaptation in Subsequent Ages
The Helepolis's story did not end with the Siege of Rhodes, however. The concept of the moving tower endured, and its name was adopted for similar siege engines in subsequent eras. Notably, Demetrius utilized a comparable machine in the successful siege of Thebes the following year. The term was also later used by the Byzantines to describe a different form of siege engine, further attesting to the enduring influence of the Helepolis on siege warfare.
Later siege engineers continued to refer to movable towers that were equipped with battering rams as well as spear and heavy stone hurling equipment as helepolis.
Even later, the traction trebuchet, a quite different type of siege engine, was referred to as a helepolis by the Byzantines. Theophylact Simocatta used this language for the first time in his description of the siege of Tiflis during the Byzantine-Sassanid War in 602–628.
A Symbol of Human Ingenuity
In the tale of the Helepolis, we find a unique intersection of war, innovation, and beauty. The iron giant that was built to conquer cities instead ended up contributing to the construction of a monument that has mesmerized humanity for centuries. It is a fitting testament to the transformative power of human ingenuity, reminding us that even instruments of destruction can play a role in the creation of wonders.
Artificial Intelligence is Used to Reconstruct the Lighthouse in the Ancient City of Patara
The lighthouse in the ancient city of Patara, which was constructed by the Roman Emperor Nero and is thought to have collapsed in the tsunami of 1481, was rebuilt using artificial intelligence technology.
The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism approved the designation of 2020 as the Patara Year, and the 2020 Patara Year will take place at the ancient city of Patara, which is now known as Ovagelemiş Village, in the southern Turkish province of Fethiye. Patara is also of particular significance due to its archaeological and historical significance, as well as the fact that it is one of the few beaches where the Caretta-Caretta Mediterranean turtles lay their eggs and have bred for millions of years.
Beginning in 1988, excavations took place in Patara Ancient City, the seat of Lycia. The couple, Prof. Dr. Fahri Işık and Prof. Dr. Havva İşkan Işık In the excavations that started, hundreds of historical items, particularly from the Lycian culture, have been found.
The lighthouse Nero, the Roman Emperor, constructed in 64 AD is one of the most significant pieces of art discovered during the Patara excavations. It was discovered that the lighthouse discovered by Prof. Dr. Havva had 2,500 original stones, precisely 12 years after the excavations got underway.
500 stones are being merged to make 2,050
On the completed 6-meter podium, the lighthouse is being constructed by replacing the stones that can't be utilized statically due to dropping from a height.
The Antalya Governorship Investment Monitoring and Coordination Directorate (YIKOB) Cultural Heritage Directorate submitted the application, according to reports from the DHA agency.
A technical report was created in the 15th century in an effort to stop the lighthouse from collapsing in the event of another earthquake or tsunami in the years following its reconstruction. At the time, it was believed that the Rhodes earthquake and the ensuing tsunami had destroyed the lighthouse. According to the report written by Dr. Cenk Üstünda, the reconstruction would make use of components including steel spirals, steel pipes, steel rods, pure epoxy resin glue, carbon-fiber mesh reinforcement, and high-strength natural hydraulic lime-binder mortar.
2500 stones had their X-rays taken
2,500 stones were removed one by one throughout the course of the protracted excavations, and after being subjected to physical and chemical tests in the lab, their original locations were discovered using artificial intelligence technology and computer software.
Havva şkan worked on the construction site alongside the architectural team, and Ahabettin Ztürk, head of the department of architecture at Van Yüzüncü Yl University and the reconstruction project's scientific consultant, explained that about 2,050 stone excavations were laser studied in three dimensions, and all dimensions were scanned.
It spent over a thousand years underground
Doctor Ztürk noted that the stones were still present beneath the sand after the lantern collapsed, and their preservation for use in the current rebuilding is a significant benefit. Dr. Ztürk points out that each stone is examined in the lab for its physical and chemical characteristics. Although it is not direct proof, certain information about the general position of the lighthouse was utilized on several coins from the Nero era.
Only when they are set in their actual locations can stones with concave and convex surfaces built of polygonal and rectangular stones align with their positions. The lengthy duration of the study is due to the fact that each stone in the stone hospital was individually x-rayed and examined to determine whether there was tissue loss inside. He advised using the sturdy ones one by one rather than the bad ones.
technology using artificial intelligence
Dr. Ztürk stated, "All data were processed in the program. It is the building system software that is used to determine the original placement of the stones. A total of 2,500 stones were tested using a variety of trial-and-error techniques, and 80–90% of them were determined to be compliant.
According to my assessment of the early data we have gathered, it is estimated that 80% of the original stone and 20% of the new stone will be used. In this manner, the lighthouse will be repaired; however, this procedure is more like reconstruction than restoration, as the building is being rebuilt, he stated.
No example exists in the world
In terms of a lighthouse indicating that the first application in Turkey was 2 thousand, or about 80% of the annual refurbished using the original stones, Dr. Ztürk noted that there are no examples in the world where 80% original materials are employed. Doctor ztürk, It is a significant structure that serves as the initial application in this sense. It has an upward spiraling architectural texture and a cylindrical body that is around 26.5 meters high and 6 meters in diameter.
The Prestige Project of Nero
An inscription in gold lettering on the lighthouse provides information about who built it and when, and it is claimed to be the prestige project of the Roman Emperor Nero. The Patara Council and Sextus Marcius, the ruler of the Patara people at the time, are thanked in a statement found in stone inscriptions that was unearthed during the excavations: "We thank you for governing the people of Lycia rightfully, without taking bribes, and for adorning our city with beautiful monuments for eight years."
a valuable landmark for all people
Prof. Havva, who worked on the lighthouse excavation, said:
"Our nation will have another monument of worldwide importance when our works, which were started by the Antalya Governorship and Investment Monitoring and Coordination Directorate in Patara in 2020 and accepted with the request of our Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the permission of our President, are completed.
As a scientist, I want to show my gratitude to each of them. We continue to work on our lighthouse, which has the potential to become one of Antalya's emblems, using a multidisciplinary approach and cutting-edge technology. Nero claims that he built this lighthouse, one of the most important structures in the Roman Empire, "for the salvation of the mariners." We are striving toward the time when we may proudly display this lighthouse to our nation and to the valiant sailors of this nation.
