Ancient Archaeology Discoveries in History You Might Not Have Known About

1. The unfinished obelisk

For how long and complex human history is, it’s no big surprise to me that it would miss a few major places and events, right? Well we’ll help you fill in the gaps a bit.

This obelisk was recently found in Aswan, Egypt, and was ordered to be constructed by Hatshepsut in the mid 1500s BC.

The obelisk was never finished, but if it had been, it would have been Egypt’s largest. - Continue reading

2. Yonaguni Monument

It’s debated among experts whether or not this underwater monument off the coast of Japan was created naturally or by man.

It features twin obelisks that appear to have been placed there, as well as a formation above it called “the turtle.” What do you think made it? - Continue reading

3. The Stone Spheres of Costa Rica

This is quite the mystery! Not much is known about this giant spheres other than the fact that they were likely made by the Diquis people who lived from 700 to 1530 AD.

Legend has it that these spheres were originally made in Atlantis, but it’s all speculation. - Continue reading

4. The Longyou Grottoes

These tunnels found in Zhejian, China are enormous and date back as far as 212 BCE.

They are covered from floor to ceiling in precise, 60 degree angled markings. - Continue reading

5. Göbekli Tepe

This was a major find because it made scientists rethink the origins of human society.

It was found near a mountaintop in turkey and predates agriculture, which indicates that primitive religion may have been what originally brought civilization together, not commerce. This monument dates back to 10,000 BCE. - Continue reading

6. Boheno-Daro

This interesting ancient city, built in 2600 BCE in what is now Pakistan, is one of the earliest examples of city planning. This town contains roads and a drainage system that worked like a sewer.

7. Saksaywaman

Saksaywaman is a fortress outside of Cusco, Peru – the former capital of the Incan nation.

These giant rocks are fitted tightly together. Hundreds of years later, you can’t even fit a piece of paper through them. Now that’s tight! - Continue reading

8. L’Anse aux Meadows

This settlement in North America is believed to have been built by the Vikings 500 years before Columbus discovered the continent for the European empire.

It’s incredible to think that vikings made it all the way to North America from their home in Northern Europe.


By Higher Perspective

http://humansarefree.com/2015/05/8-archaeological-finds-missing-from.html

National Guard Deployed as State of Emergency for Baltimore Places City Under Mandatory Curfew

The US city of Baltimore has declared a state of emergency amid violent protests linked to the death of a black man fatally injured in police custody.

""A week-long curfew has been announced and as many as 5,000 National Guard troops could be deployed.

After dark, a community building that was under construction was engulfed in flames.

Earlier, dozens of people were seen confronting police, and 15 officers were injured.

African American Freddie Gray, 25, died on 19 April after a week in a coma. The justice department is investigating exactly where and when his spinal injuries were sustained.

Officials have suspended six police officers who were involved in the case.

Monday's clashes began hours after Gray's funeral.

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said it was very clear there was a difference between the "peaceful protests of those who seek justice" and the "thugs who want to incite violence".

Authorities were "deploying every resource possible to regain control of the situation", she said.

Later, following violence, looting and fires in various spots across the city of more than 620,000 people, she said: "This destruction we've seen this evening is heart-breaking."

She has ordered a week-long curfew from 22:00 to 05:00 starting on Tuesday. Public schools are to be closed on Tuesday.

National Guard commander Linda Singh said that up to 5,000 troops could be put on the streets.

"We will be out in massive force," she said, adding that armoured vehicles would be used but the city would not be under martial law.

Extra police officers are also being drafted in from the Mid-Atlantic region.

Earlier, President Barack Obama said his administration would provide whatever assistance was needed.

Governor Larry Hogan issued an executive order to "protect the lives and property of citizens being impacted by this public emergency".

He said calling in the National Guard was a "last resort" and that he had "not made this decision lightly".

Capt Eric Kowalczyk of Baltimore Police said the 15 injured officers were wounded by thrown objects including bricks and bottles. Two remain in hospital.

Police made at least 27 arrests.

On Monday night fire broke out at a newly constructed community building near a church in the east of the city.

Kevin Harris, a spokesman for the mayor, said the fire was at the Mary Harvin Transformation Centre, described online as a community-based organization that supports young people and families.

Before nightfall, scenes included a blaze at a CVS pharmacy, stores being looted and police vehicles being burned and vandalised.

Baltimore's Major League Baseball team the Orioles cancelled Monday night's game against Chicago's White Sox as a result of the violence.""

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-32490250

Pompeii World of Wonders Exhibited to Recreated Life of a Roman City

""An ominous soundtrack of bass drums and woodwinds thumps throughout the dimly lit exhibit.

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“POMPEII: The Exhibition” is dark in lighting and mood.

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It is also a hauntingly beautiful glimpse into daily life in Pompeii, an ancient Roman city destroyed by a volcanic eruption in 79 AD. The featured exhibit at Pacific Science Center lives up to its tagline that what nature destroyed, it also preserved.

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The massive eruption of Mount Vesuvius, a volcano six miles from the city, killed an estimated 20,000 of Pompeii's citizens. The city sat quietly beneath the ash for centuries, before being unearthed by a Spanish archaeological team in the 18th century.

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The 150 artifacts are impressive in range and thought-provoking in subject matter.

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A vast collection of paintings, ceramics, mosaics, jewelry, gladiator armor, coins, kitchen utensils and elegant marble sculptures seem untouched by time. The artifacts  preserved by the layers of ash are a testament to the impressive skills of their craftsmen.

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The Romans had an eye for design. Even the smallest details remain visible in their work, from the tiny etches on jewelry, coins and candle-holders to perfectly symmetrical patterns adorning massive porcelain sculptures, tableaus and fountain bowls.

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The Pompeiians created masterful art and architecture. They entertained guests in lavishly decorated open-air rooms. They ate well, drank too much, made jokes about drinking too much, went to the gym and enjoyed shows at the amphitheater.

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The artists of Pompeii were candid about their vices. Artwork from the period reveals the society's alcoholism and unabashed promiscuity. From the bathhouses to the brothels, the exhibit doesn't exclude any corner of the city.

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Most of the displays are suitable for kids. There is a posted warning for parents before the erotic artifacts.

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The exhibit never loses sight of the human tragedy caused by the eruption. Most of the 20,000 victims were asphyxiated by extreme heat and noxious gases.

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Preserved by volcanic ash and filled with plaster when first unearthed, their bodies replicate the same poses held when killed by the eruption.

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Throughout the exhibit, visitors can be heard whispering to each other about “the bodies,” though they are not actual bodies. Displayed behind glass, they are plaster models of the original casts made of the victims.

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The bodies are memorialized by their will to live: Figures of men, scrambling up a flight of stairs together. A pregnant woman. A young child.

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The exhibit comes to a close with a five-minute time-lapse film of Pompeii's destruction, complete with computer-generated imagery, strobe lights, fog machine and surround-sound of buildings crumbling.""

Ash and Brimstone:

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20150327/LIVING/150329028/1172/Destroyed-yet-preserved

Lost City of the Monkey God Located in Honduran Jungle

""For almost a century, explorers have searched the jungles of Honduras for a legendary lost city known as the White City, or the City of the Monkey God.

A team of explorers — including archaeologists and a documentary filmmaker — have just returned from an expedition in person, after using a new technology to search for evidence of ruins by plane.

They believe they have discovered an important ancient city, though the archeologists, including Chris Fisher from Colorado State University, do not think it is the White City of legend (despite some news coverage suggesting otherwise).

"The White City myth is fascinating, but it is just that — it's a myth," he said. "I don't think Ciudad Blanca actually exists."

He does, however, believe that what they found was something special.

He joined Morning Edition's Renee Montagne to discuss what he saw deep in the Mosquitia jungle.

On what they found:

We found some pretty fantastic artifacts, I think. There was a cache that consisted of 52 objects. So, a group of objects that had been left in place — probably as an offering, although that needs to be determined. They were ground-stone objects.

In Mesoamerica — the adjacent region — and in Latin America in general, one way that you showed your "elite-ness" was by not touching the ground. And so elites would sit on these kind of small thrones or seats. And some of the objects are those kinds of seats. And some of them have figures on them — anthropomorphic figures. One of those is the were-jaguar figure that's shown in National Geographic. There are also giant stone bowls that have carvings ... in relief on the sides. And those were placed in an area that it seems like has not been touched since they were originally left there several centuries ago.""

http://www.npr.org/2015/03/10/391875592/explorers-discover-ancient-lost-city-in-honduran-jungle