("The Raiders March" by John Williams)
- Hi.
So, archaeology is one of the most
fascinating sciences that we have today.
Many of us have a deep desire
to know things about the past
such as where we came from
and what societies existed before us.
And, every time that archaeology
discovers an artifact from the past,
we learn more about our history.
But, sometimes the things that are discovered
raise just as many questions as they do answers.
Either because they boggle the minds
of modern day scientists,
or because they were thought
to be a myth entirely.
So, this week, I'm going to present you
with some of the most amazing finds ever made.
So, here they are,
the 10 Most Incredible Archaeological
Discoveries in History.
Number one are the Gates of Hell.
In 2013, a team of archaeologists discovered
an ancient cave called Pluto's Gate,
more commonly known as the gate to hell.
This legendary cave was described
in Greco-Roman mythology as
the portal to the underworld
and was thought to be a myth until now.
The cave was guarded by two marble statues,
each depicting a symbol from the underworld.
One being a snake and the other being Cerberus,
the three-headed watchdog of Hell.
The cave itself is filled with lethal vapors
that will kill anyone who inhales them,
exactly as described by the ancient Greek
geographer, Strabo, thousands of years ago.
But, don't worry, this isn't actually
the entrance to hell.
How do I know?
Because that's not where I put it.
(evil laughter) (dramatic music)
I'm just kidding, I'm not the devil.
Number two is the Tomb of the God King.
In 2013, archaelogists in Turkey discovered
an underground, pyramid shaped tomb
that belonged to King Antiochus
who is known as the God King.
King Antiochus was the ruler of
the ancient kingdom of Commagene
thousands of years ago,
and was known for being worshipped like a God.
The tomb was part of a magnificent
religious sanctuary at the peak of Mount Nemrut
where he was ultimately laid to rest.
With more time and exploration,
archaeologists may be able to tell us more
about the God King and hopefully that he was
a kind ruler because God King's
don't exactly have the best rep.
They usually try to dominate the world,
and then you have to kick their messenger into
a bottomless pit while screaming like a nut job.
It's just a big mess.
Number three is the Lycurgus Cup.
The Lycurgus Cup is a 1600 year old goblet
whose origins are unknown
and is jade green but appears
blood red when lit from behind.
Why this happens has baffled scientists
for decades until recently when broken fragments
of it were analyzed, revealing something amazing.
It was discovered that the glass in the goblet
was infused with particles of silver and gold
as small as 50 nanometers.
That's less than one-thousandth
the size of a grain of table salt.
The reason that this is so incredible
is because it means that the Romans
were pioneers of nanotechnology
far before we ever used it in today's world.
To this day, scientists still do not fully
understand the process used to create the goblet
which much be embarrassing because
the Romans didn't even have a fraction
of the technology that we have today.
Modern-day science, time to up yo game, playa.
Number four is the Birthplace of Buddha.
In 2013, archaeologists in Nepal discovered
the Birthplace of Buddha,
and therefore, the origins of Buddhism itself.
While excavating the sacred
Maya Devi Temple in Lumbini,
a research team discovered a timber structure
under a series of brick temples
dating all the way back to the sixth century B.C.
What's fascinating is that the structure has
an open space in the middle of it
as well as evidence of a tree shrine
which supports Buddhist mythology
that Buddha's birth took place under a tree.
See this is what I love about Buddhism.
There's evidence and everything just makes sense,
unlike some of those other theistic religions,
except the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
cause that's just awesome.
All hail, his noodly appendage.
Number five are the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Discovered in a cave on the shore of the Dead Sea
between 1946 and 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls
consists of 972 biblical manuscripts.
The text written mostly on parchment
are the earliest surviving copies
of biblical documents in existence,
dating over a 700 year period
around the birth of Jesus.
The scrolls are written in hebrew,
aramaic and greek, and are believed to have been
authored by the ancient Jewish sect,
the Essenes.
If you're a religious person,
especially Jewish, this is an astounding find.
And even if you're not, you have to
find it fascinating that these scrolls
survived for over 2,000 years.
Now, let's all move on before the
fighting starts in the comments.
(sighs) I'm already too late, aren't I?
Number six is Pompeii.
Pompeii was an ancient Roman city
that was completely buried by
a massive volcanic eruption in 79 A.D.
where it was lost for nearly 1700 years
until it was unearthed again in 1599.
In 1863, major excavations began on the city
by Italian archaeologist, Giuseppe Fiorelli
where it was discovered that
the volcano not only destroyed much of the city
but also perfectly preserved much of it as well.
In fact, large bubbles were discovered
in the volcanic mud that turned out to be
perfectly formed molds of the men, women,
and children that died there.
The process in which they were buried
is called a pyroclastic flow,
meaning that they were instantly encapsulated
in a speeding current of
smoldering, hot gas and rock.
Yeah, not exactly a pleasant way to go.
Number seven is the Cave of Altamira.
Discovered in Cantabria, Spain in 1879,
the discovery of this cave forever
changed the world's perception
of prehistoric human beings.
On the inside walls of this cave
were several drawings of wild mammals
dating all the way back to the Paleolithic Age
around 2.6 million years ago.
The reason that this was so astounding
was because up until that point,
it was believed that prehistoric man
lacked intellectual capacity to produce
any kind of artistic expression.
Interestingly, this cave was accidentally
discovered by amateur archaeologist,
Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola,
led by his 12 year old daughter.
Wow, that is one smart kid.
Discovering prehistoric drawings?
When I was her age, I was playing
Legend of Zelda, Link to the Past.
I regret nothing.
Number eight is the Terracota Army.
In 1974, a group of farmers in China
discovered a chamber containing the
final resting place of Qin Shi Huang,
the very first emperor of China.
But what was most impressive
is not that they found his burial chamber
but what was inside the burial chamber.
Inside the burial chamber were
8,000 life-sized clay soldiers,
130 chariots and 150 separate horses,
all dating back to over 2200 years ago.
It's believed that the soldiers were buried
with the emperor with the purpose
of protecting him in the afterlife,
and to this day remains one of the most
spectacular man-made sites in the world.
That being said, am I the only one
that wants to play the world's most expensive
game of dominoes with these things?
Think about it.
Number nine is the Mount Owen Moa.
In 1896, a group of archaeologists
discovered the claw of a bird
while digging down into a cave in New Zealand.
After some analysis, it was determined
that the claw, which still had muscles
and flesh attached to it, belonged to a
wingless bird called the upland moa
that went extinct hundreds of years ago.
The upland moa was a tiny bird
unlike the much larger cousin, the moa,
which could reach a height of 3.6 meters
and weighed up to 230 kilograms.
Could you imagine discovering a moa foot
with flesh still attached to it?
I would not stick around
because that bird had some bad ass claws
and something killed it.
And, that something could still be
in the cave, so yeah, you best be leaving.
And number 10 is the Rosetta Stone.
The Rosetta Stone was discovered in 1799
in Egypt by a soldier of Napoleon
and to this day remains one of the most
important artifacts ever found in human history.
But the importance of the stone
relies not on what was written,
but how it was written.
The stone contains a decree from a king
written in three separate languages,
ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics,
ancient Greek, and demotic.
Until its discovery, the art of reading
or writing hieroglyphics had been
lost for almost a millennium.
But using the Greek text,
scholars were not only able to
decipher the hieroglyphics
but also greatly improve our
understanding of demotic as well.
One of the most important artifacts in history,
and you probably thought the Rosetta Stone
was just a computer program to
help you learn spanish better.
Estoy decepcionado.
Por favor subscribite.
And that's all for this video, guys.
Keep in mind, as always,
these were just the top 10 archaeological
discoveries I personally found most intriguing,
but there are many, many more out there.
So, I encourage to google and educate yourself.
If you enjoyed this video,
and learned yourself a little something,
share this video on Facebook and Twitter
and give that like button a click.
And I will see all of you back here next Saturday
with a brand new video.
Peace.
Throw me the whip.
Throw me the idol.
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Bye.