A nail that is millions of years old

The creations of human hands, walled up in rocks, whose age is estimated at millions of years, were ignored until recently. And not just anyone, but the scientists themselves. After all, the finds violated the generally accepted fact of human evolution and even the formation of life on Earth. We have already reported on some of the findings. What artifacts are found in rocks, in which, according to the existing theory of the origin and development of man, there should be absolutely nothing?

Let's not talk about the numerous discovered stone tools that were produced at a time when, according to scientists, man did not exist. Let's think about more exotic finds. For example, in 1845, in one of the quarries in Scotland, a nail was found embedded in a block of limestone, and in 1891, an article appeared in one of the American newspapers about a gold chain about 25 cm long, which turned out to be walled up in a block of coal, not older than less than 260 million years.

A message about an extremely unusual find was published in a scientific journal in 1852. It was about a mysterious vessel about 12 cm high, two halves of which were discovered after an explosion in one of the quarries. This vase, with clear images of flowers, was located inside a rock that is 600 million years old. In 1889, in the state of Idaho (USA), while drilling a well, from a depth of more than 90 m, a figure of a woman about 4 cm high was extracted. According to geologists, her age was at least 2 million years.

Vase found in rock 600 million years old

From anomalous finds in the 19th century, let's move on to reports of artifacts in times closer to us. In 1912, at one of the power plants in Oklahoma, when crushing a massive block of coal, the most ordinary iron mug fell out of it ... The fact that it was actually enclosed in coal was evidenced by the characteristic recesses remaining in the pieces of rock. It was possible to find out that the age of the coal delivered to the power plant was about 300 million years. A unique find, again in the state of Oklahoma, was made in one of the coal mines in 1928. After blasting, a real wall was found in the mine face, made of perfectly smooth cubic concrete blocks. It is curious that the management of the mine immediately stopped the development of coal and forbade the miners to tell anyone about what they saw.

Iron mug found in coal 300 million years old

In 1968, the workers of the quarry of Saint-Jean-de-Livet (France) were quite surprised when they found semi-oval metal pipes of various sizes, clearly made by intelligent beings, inside a Cretaceous layer about 65 million years old. Quite recently, already in Russia, the most ordinary bolt was found in ancient rock, which hit the stone about 300 million years ago ...

The last sensation among the anomalous finds can be considered the Chandar map, discovered in Bashkiria. The map is a stone slab with a relief image of the area from the Ufa Upland to the city of Meleuz. The map shows numerous channels, as well as dams and water intakes. It is curious that the slab with the map consists, as it were, of three layers: the first is the base and is a substance resembling cement, the other two layers of silicon and porcelain were clearly intended not only to better display the details of the relief, but also to preserve the entire image as a whole. There are no roads on the Chandar map, but there are unusual even geometrically regular areas resembling small airfields. The age of this unique find is striking: according to scientists, it is about 50 million years old. According to the Vice-Rector of the Bashkir University A.N. Chuvyrov, the map could have been made by aliens from outer space, who in ancient times were going to inhabit our planet.

Bolt found in rock 300 million years old

So, we moved on to the question of the authorship of numerous anomalous finds. Perhaps the easiest way, and even more profitable for scientists, is to blame everything on the unfortunate humanoids. Here they lost a bolt, then a mug, and in Bashkiria they dropped a map weighing one ton ... What we now find in the bowels of the Earth are all tricks of aliens ... Only the scale of these "tricks", and their geography, are impressive: it begins to seem that once upon a time, our Earth was simply inhabited by aliens ... Then, maybe we ourselves are also aliens? ..

A much more serious hypothesis explaining the anomalous finds in rocks is the assumption of the existence on Earth in the distant past of a proto-civilization that reached a high development and disappeared in a global catastrophe. This hypothesis irritates scientists most of all, because it breaks a more or less harmonious concept of not only the emergence and development of mankind, but also the formation of life on Earth in general.

'Spark plug' found in 500,000-year-old rock

"Spark plug" under x-ray

Well, let's say people existed millions of years ago and even ran a race with dinosaurs, then there should be some fossilized bones left from them? That's just the point, that remained! In 1850, in Italy, in rocks 4 million years old, a skeleton was discovered that, in its structure, is quite consistent with modern man. And in California, in gold-bearing gravel, at least 9 million years old, human remains were also found.

These finds were not isolated, but just like all those found in very ancient rocks, human remains knocked the ground out from under the feet of conservative scientists: anomalous bones were either hidden in storerooms or declared fake. Ultimately, it turns out that scientists have at their disposal not only anomalous artifacts, but also very ancient human remains that do not fit into any chronological framework of the alleged human evolution.

What to do with all this?

Engraved Spheres

Battery from Baghdad

Of course, somehow systematize and link them together. But this requires truly courageous people. The real revolutionaries will be those who dare to revise the history of the development of intelligent life on Earth. It is possible that, in addition to the scientific community, government officials and even special services will put pressure on them. We, on the other hand, do not like panic to the extreme, and evidence of a catastrophe in which a similar to us, or maybe a more powerful civilization perished, may seem superfluous to someone. As for the special services, remember the mine that was closed in the state of Oklohoma after a concrete wall was found among the coal. Who knows, maybe somewhere there is already a secret mine, where, under the heavy protection of the military in the bowels of the Earth, the real development of priceless artifacts of a lost civilization is going on ..

An iron hammer called "The Hammer of the Creator"

After the recent sensational report about the discovery of a 300-million-year-old bolt in the Karelian swamps, it is appropriate to recall that such finds have confused the minds of scientists before. The most interesting of them was made in 1961 in California (USA). The three friends—Mike Makesell, Wallace Lane, and Virginia Mexey—often made trips to the Mount Coso area to look for beautiful ornamental stones, which they then sold in their souvenir shop. Of particular interest to friends were geodes - mineral formations of a spherical shape, in the internal voids of which one came across intergrowths of rare beauty crystals of rock crystal or amethyst. Stone lovers are also looking for similar geodes in Rusavkin near Moscow, where sometimes they come across good brushes of amethyst crystals.

Antikytherian computer

Let's take a closer look at this find.

In early 1900, Elias Stadiatos and a group of other Greek divers were fishing for sea sponges off the coast of the small rocky island of Andikithira, located between the southern tip of the Peloponnese peninsula and the island of Crete. Rising from another dive, Stadiatos began to mumble something about "many dead naked women" lying on the seabed. Upon further examination of the bottom at a depth of almost 140 feet, the diver discovered the wreck of a sunken Roman freighter 164 feet long. Items from the 1st century BC were on the ship. BC e .: marble and bronze statues (dead naked women), coins, gold jewelry, pottery and, as it turned out later, pieces of oxidized bronze that fell apart immediately after rising from the bottom of the sea. The finds from the shipwreck were immediately studied, described and sent to the National Museum of Athens for exhibition and storage. On May 17, 1902, the Greek archaeologist Spyridon Stais, studying the unusual fragments from sunken ships covered with marine growths that had lain at sea for up to 2000 years, noticed in one piece a gear wheel with an inscription similar to Greek writing.

A wooden box was found next to the unusual object, but it, like the wooden boards from the ship itself, soon dried out and crumbled. Further research and careful cleaning of the oxidized bronze revealed several more fragments of the mysterious object. Soon a skilfully made gear mechanism made of bronze, measuring 33x17x9 cm, was found. BC e. - this is how the sunken ship was dated according to the pottery found on it. Many researchers believed that the mechanism was a medieval astrolabe - an astronomical instrument for observing the movement of the planets used in navigation (the oldest known example was an Iraqi astrolabe of the 9th century). However, it was not possible to come to a common opinion regarding the dating and purpose of creating the artifact, and soon the mysterious object was forgotten.

In 1951, British physicist Derek DeSolla Price, then professor of the history of science at Yale University, became interested in the ingenious mechanism from the sunken ship and began to study it in detail. In June 1959, after eight years of careful study of X-ray images of the subject, the results of the analysis were presented in an article entitled "The Ancient Greek Computer" and published in Scientific American. With the help of x-rays, at least 20 individual gears were examined, including a semi-axial one, which was previously considered an invention of the 16th century. The side gear allowed the two rods to rotate at different speeds, similar to the rear axle of automobiles. Summing up his research, Price came to the conclusion that the Antikythera find is the wreckage of the "greatest astronomical clock", the prototypes of "modern analog computers." His article was met with disapproval in the scientific world. Some professors refused to believe in the possibility of such a device and suggested that the object must have fallen into the sea in the Middle Ages and accidentally ended up among the wreckage of a shipwreck.

In 1974, Price published the results of a more complete study in a monograph entitled Greek Instruments: The Antikythera Mechanism - The Calendar Computer of 80 BC. e.". In his work, he analyzed X-rays made by the Greek radiographer Christos Karakalos and gamma radiography data obtained by him. Price's further research showed that the ancient scientific instrument actually consisted of more than 30 gears, but most of them are not fully represented. Nevertheless, even the surviving fragments allowed Price to conclude that when the crank was turned, the mechanism should have shown the movement of the Moon, the Sun, possibly the planets, as well as the rise of the main stars. According to the functions performed, the device resembled a complex astronomical computer. It was a working model of the solar system, once housed in a wooden box with hinged doors that protected the inside of the mechanism. The inscriptions and arrangement of the gears (as well as the annual circle of the object) led Price to the conclusion that the mechanism is associated with the name of Geminus of Rhodes, a Greek astronomer and mathematician who lived around 110-40 years. BC e. Price decided that the Antikythera mechanism was designed on the Greek island of Rhodes, off the coast of Turkey, possibly even by Geminus himself, around 87 BC. e. Among the remains of the cargo with which the wrecked ship sailed, jugs from the island of Rhodes were indeed found. Apparently, they were taken from Rhodes to Rome. The date when the ship went under water, with a certain degree of certainty, can be attributed to 80 BC. e. The object was already several years old at the time of the crash, so today the date of creation of the Antikythera mechanism is considered to be 87 BC. e.

In this case, it is possible that the device was created by Geminus on the island of Rhodes. This conclusion seems plausible also because Rhodes in those days was known as a center of astronomical and technological research. In the II century. BC e. the Greek writer and mechanic Philo of Byzantium described polybolos that he saw on Rhodes. These amazing catapults could fire without reloading: two gears were connected on them by a chain, which was set in motion with the help of a gate (a mechanical device consisting of a horizontal cylinder with a handle, thanks to which it could rotate). It was on Rhodes that the Greek Stoic philosopher, astronomer and geographer Posidonius (135-51 BC) managed to reveal the nature of the ebb and flow. In addition, Posidonius quite accurately (for that time) calculated the size of the Sun, as well as the size of the Moon and the distance to it. The name of the astronomer Hipparchus of Rhodes (190-125 BC) is associated with the discovery of trigonometry and the creation of the first star catalog. Moreover, he was one of the first Europeans who, using data from Babylonian astronomy and his own observations, explored the solar system. It is possible that part of the data obtained by Hipparchus and his ideas were used to create the Antikythera mechanism.

The Antikythera device is the oldest extant example of complex mechanical technology. The use of cogwheels more than 2000 years ago is of the greatest astonishment, and the skill with which they were made is comparable to the art of clockmaking in the 18th century. In recent years, several working copies of the ancient computer have been created. One of them was made by the Austrian computer specialist Allan George Bromley (1947-2002) from the University of Sydney and watchmaker Frank Percival. Bromley also took the clearest x-rays of the object, which formed the basis for a three-dimensional model of the mechanism by his student Bernard Garner. A few years later, the British inventor, author of the orrary (a desktop demonstration mechanical planetarium - a model of the solar system), John Gleave, designed a more accurate model: on the front panel of the working model there was a dial that displayed the movement of the Sun and Moon along the zodiac constellations of the Egyptian calendar.

Another attempt to investigate and recreate the artifact was made in 2002 by Michael Wright, Curator of the Mechanical Engineering Department of the Science Museum, together with Allan Bromley. Although some of Wright's findings differ from Derek DeSol Price's work, he concluded that the mechanism was an even more amazing invention than Price had imagined. Justifying his theory, Wright relied on x-rays of the subject and used the method of the so-called linear tomography. This technology allows you to see the object in detail, considering only one of its plane or edge, clearly focusing the image. Thus, Wright was able to carefully study the gears and establish that the device could accurately simulate not only the movement of the Sun and Moon, but also all the planets known to the ancient Greeks: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Apparently, thanks to the bronze marks arranged in a circle on the front panel of the artifact, which denoted the zodiac constellations, the mechanism could (and quite accurately) calculate the position of known planets in relation to any date. In September 2002, Wright completed the model and it became part of the "Ancient Technologies" exhibit at the Technopark of the Museum of Athens.

Many years of research, attempts to reconstruct and various assumptions have not given an exact answer to the question: how the Antikythera mechanism worked. There were theories that it performed astrological functions and was used to computerize horoscopes, was created as an educational model of the solar system, or even as an elaborate toy for the rich. Derek De Solla Price considered the mechanism to be evidence of the high-tech traditions of metalworking among the ancient Greeks. In his opinion, when Ancient Greece fell into decline, this knowledge was not lost - it became the property of the Arab world, where similar mechanisms later appeared, and later created the foundation for the development of watchmaking technology in medieval Europe. Price believed that at first the device was in the statue, on a special board. The mechanism may once have been located in a structure similar to the stunning octagonal marble tower of the winds with a water clock located on the Roman Agora in Athens.

Research and attempts to recreate the Antikythera mechanism forced scientists to look at the description of devices of this type in ancient texts from a different point of view. Previously, it was believed that references to mechanical astronomical models in the works of ancient authors should not be taken literally. It was assumed that the Greeks possessed a general theory, and not specific knowledge in the field of mechanics. However, after the discovery and study of the Antikythera mechanism, this opinion should change. Roman orator and writer Cicero, who lived and worked in the 1st century BC. BC e., that is, during the period when the shipwreck occurred at Antikythera, tells about the invention of his friend and teacher, the previously mentioned Posidonius. Cicero says that Posidonius recently created a device "which, with each revolution, reproduces the movement of the Sun, the Moon and the five planets, occupying a certain place in the sky every day and night." Cicero also mentions that the astronomer, engineer and mathematician Archimedes of Syracuse (287-212 BC) was "reputed to have made a small model of the solar system." The speaker's remark that the Roman consul Marcelius was very proud of having a model of the solar system designed by Archimedes himself may also be related to the device. He took it as a trophy in Syracuse, located on the east coast of Sicily. It was during the siege of the city, in 212 BC. e., Archimedes was killed by a Roman soldier. Some researchers believe that the astronomical instrument recovered from the shipwreck off Antikythera was designed and built by Archimedes. However, it is only certain that one of the most amazing artifacts of the ancient world, the real Antikythera mechanism, is today in the collection of the National Archaeological Museum in Athens and, together with the reconstructed sample, is part of its exposition. A copy of the ancient device is also exhibited at the American Computer Museum in Bozeman (Montana). The discovery of the Antikythera mechanism unambiguously called into question the conventional wisdom about the scientific and technological achievements of the ancient world.

Reconstructed models of the device proved that it served as an astronomical computer, and Greek and Roman scientists of the 1st century. BC e. rather skillfully designed and created complex mechanisms, which for a thousand years had no equal. Derek De Solla Price observed that civilizations with the technology and knowledge needed to build such machines "could build just about anything they wanted to". Unfortunately, most of what they created has not been preserved. The fact that the Antikythera mechanism is not mentioned in the ancient texts that have come down to our time proves how much has been lost from that important and amazing period of European history. And if it weren't for the sea sponge hunters 100 years ago, we wouldn't have this evidence of scientific advances in Greece 2000 years ago.

Iraqi artifact

Usually, professional mineral hunters do not break geodes at the find site (the crystals inside can be severely damaged), but open them with a diamond saw. So, near Owens Lake, near Mount Koso, Mike found a geode covered with bark from petrified turtles, and his friends took it with them to saw it at home. When Meixell began sawing his find, it became clear that this time he would have to forget about the crystals - there was no void inside the geode. Instead, there was some strange substance, something like ceramics. In the center of this ceramic mass, a cut of a metal bar with a diameter of 2 mm made of white metal was visible.

drop stone

“In the section, the geode had the following appearance: under the ball of turtles there was a small prism with a regular hexagonal base, 32 mm in diameter, made of soft and fragile material; it contains a copper spiral, which, most likely, ran along the entire length of the prism and was partially corroded; the spiral, in turn, covered an extremely hard ceramic rod with a diameter of 18 mm, through which a metal rod with a diameter of 2 mm passed, ”such a description of this find is given in the book“ Riddles of Antiquity ”by G.E. Burgansky and R.S. Furdui.

Of course, the unique find was X-rayed and found out that in its structure it most of all resembles ... an automobile spark plug, although, as experts have established, not a single plant in the entire history of mankind has produced such a spark plug. Geologists, in turn, based on fossilized turtles, determined the age of this unique find - at least 500 thousand years ...

How can you explain the existence of a bolt and a spark plug of incredibly ancient age?

Jug from Retra

In April 2002, the Itogi magazine published an article by Stepan Krivosheev and Dmitry Plenkin, which told about the amazing find of Bashkir scientists. In 1999, on July 21, Alexander Chuvyrov, a professor at the Bashkir State University, found the first fragment of an amazing, three-dimensional map applied to a base of durable stone - dolomite. But the main success was not so much in finding a stone map, but in the fact that the found fragment depicted an area well known to scientists. Only thanks to this happy coincidence, it was possible to identify the find as a map. Professor A. Chuvyrov explains the following:

“... The Ufa Upland is easily recognizable, and the Ufa Canyon is the most important point of our evidence, since we carried out geological surveys and found its trace where it should be, according to the ancient map ... the Ufa Canyon is clearly visible - a break in the earth's crust stretching from Ufa to Sterlitamak. At the moment, the Urshak River flows through the former canyon. Here she is…"

The stone map is clearly of artificial origin and made using a technology not known to modern science. Very durable dolomite is used as the base. It is coated with a layer of so-called. "Diopside glass", the processing technology of which is still unknown to science. It is on this layer that the three-dimensional terrain is reproduced. This means that the area seems to be molded from plasticine in the right proportions, i.e. on a certain scale, not only the lengths and widths, but also the depths of rivers, streams, canals, gorges, heights of hills, etc. are shown.

The current level of development of science and technology does not allow to accurately determine the profile of the bottom of rivers and other reservoirs filled with water. We don't know how to do it yet! And our ancestors, who created the stone map, knew how! Moreover, some American scientists (where without them), who studied the map, argue that the creation of such a map requires the processing of huge amounts of data that can only be obtained by aerospace photography!

“... As the plate was studied, mysteries only increased. The map clearly shows the region's gigantic irrigation system, a marvel of engineering. In addition to rivers, two systems of canals 500 meters wide, 12 dams 300 × 500 meters wide, up to 10 kilometers long and 3 kilometers deep each are depicted. Dams made it possible to turn water in one direction or another, and more than a quadrillion cubic meters of earth were moved to create them. Compared to them, the Volga-Don Canal on the modern terrain may seem like a scratch ... "

The conclusions of scientists about the age of the find are very interesting. At first, - says Professor A. Chuvyrov, - they assumed that the stone was about three thousand years old. Then this number was gradually increased until some fossilized shells embedded in the stone were identified, and it was decided that the product was tens of millions of years old. Here scientists are certainly right: the stone used as the basis for the map can be very many years old. Even billions! But that doesn't say anything. Today, monuments are also made from stone blocks of granite and marble, which can be millions of years old, but no one claims that the products from them also have an equally respectable age. This is obvious to almost everyone.

Why are scientists willing to support obvious fabrications about the age of a unique stone map?

Or maybe all this is "far-fetched" and there is nothing supernatural here?

Ancient civilizations have always excited the minds of scientists, treasure hunters and lovers of historical puzzles. The Sumerians, Egyptians or Romans left a lot of evidence of their existence, but they were not the first on the planet. In addition to the legends about their rise and fall, there are blank spots in history that have not yet been filled.

All these civilizations were outstanding in their time and in many ways surpassed not only their era, but also modern achievements. But, for various reasons, they disappeared from the face of the Earth, having lost their greatness and power. It's not just about the empires that have definitely flourished on the planet, but also about the cultures that may have existed. For example, the well-known Atlantis has not yet been found, but could it even exist?

The editors of InPlanet have compiled a list of the most ancient civilizations, the legacy of which still causes heated debate among historians. We present to your attention the 12 greatest empires that left behind a lot of mysteries!

1 Lemuria continent / 4 million years ago

The origins of all ancient civilizations originate from the myth of the mysterious continent of Lemuria, which went under water many millions of years ago. Its existence was repeatedly mentioned in the myths of different peoples and philosophical works. They spoke of a highly developed race of apes who had excellent education and advanced architecture. According to legend, he was in the Indian Ocean and the main proof of his existence is the island of Madagascar, inhabited by lemurs.

2 Hyperborea / before 11540 BC

The mysterious land of Hyperborea has been haunting the minds of scientists and researchers for many years who want to find at least some evidence of its existence. So, at the moment there is an opinion that Hyperborea was located in the Arctic and was inhabited by the ancestors of the Slavs. At that time, the continent was not yet covered with ice, but blossomed and fragrant. And this, by the way, is possible, because scientists have found that 30-15000 years BC. The climate in the Arctic was favorable.

It is worth noting that attempts to find Hyperborea have been practiced for a long time, for example, Germany and the USSR during the Second World War sent expeditions to search for the lost country. But it was never possible to establish whether there really was a country that became the progenitor of the Slavs.

3 Aroe civilization / 13000 BC

This civilization belongs to the category of mythical, despite the fact that there are a lot of buildings that prove the existence of peoples on the islands of Micronesia, Polynesia and Easter. Ancient cement statues dating back to 10950 BC have been discovered in New Caledonia.

According to legend, the civilization of Aroe, or the Kingdom of the Sun, was formed in the Pacific Ocean after the disappearance of the continent of Lemuria. Among the indigenous inhabitants of these islands, legends still circulate about ancestors capable of flying through the air.

4 Civilizations of the Gobi Desert / approximately 10,000 BC

Another mysterious civilization, the existence of which is disputed. Now the Gobi desert is the most sparsely populated place on the planet, arid and destructive. However, there is an opinion that many thousands of years ago a certain civilization of the White Island lived there, which stood on the same level with Atlantis. It was called the country of Agharti, the underground city, Shambhala and the land of Hsi Wang Mu.

In those years, the desert was the sea, and the White Island towered over it like a green oasis. Scientists have confirmed that this was indeed the case, but the date is confusing - the sea from the Gobi Desert disappeared 40 million years ago. Whether a settlement of sages could exist there at that time, or later, has not been scientifically proven.

5 Atlantis / 9500 BC

This mythical state is perhaps the most famous in the whole world. There is no exact evidence that there really was an island that went under water along with a highly developed civilization. But until now, sailors, historians and adventurers are looking for an underwater city filled with the treasures of ancient Atlantis.

The main proof of the existence of Atlantis is the works of Plato, who described the war of this island with Athens, as a result of which the Atlanteans simply went under water along with the island. There are many theories and myths about this civilization, and even entire scientific movements.

6 Ancient China / 8500 BC - our days

Chinese civilization is recognized as one of the oldest in the world. Scientists believe that its first beginnings appeared 8000 years ago BC. Written sources record the existence of a state called China as early as 3500 years ago. According to this, archaeologists discover pot shards in China dating back to 17-18,000 years BC. The ancient and rich history of China has shown that this state, ruled by dynasties for many millennia, was one of the most developed and strongest in the world.

7 Civilization of Osiris / before 4000 AD

Since officially this civilization cannot be considered to have existed, one can only guess about the dates of its heyday. According to legend, the Osirians were the progenitors of the Egyptian civilization and, accordingly, lived in the Mediterranean basin before their appearance.

Of course, all guesses about this civilization are based on unreliable facts, for example, that the Osirian civilization died due to the fact that the death of Atlantis provoked the flooding of the Mediterranean basin. There is no exact evidence of these events, therefore, only a mass of flooded cities at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea can be considered as confirmation of a civilization that has gone under water.

8 Ancient Egypt / 4000 BC - VI-VII centuries. AD

The ancient Egyptian civilization existed for about 40 centuries and reached its peak in the middle of this time period. To study this culture, there is a separate science of Egyptology, which studies the diverse history of this empire.

Ancient Egypt had everything it needed for development and prosperity - fertile land in the Nile River valley, religion, state administration and an army. Despite the fact that Ancient Egypt fell and was absorbed by the Roman Empire, there are still traces of this powerful civilization on the planet - a huge Sphinx, ancient pyramids and a lot of historical artifacts.

9 Sumerians and Babylon / 3300 BC - 1000 BC

For a long time, the Sumerian civilization was credited with the title of the first in the world. The Sumerians were the first to engage in crafts, agriculture, pottery and construction. In 2300 BC, this territory was captured by the Babylonians, who, led by Babylon, became the cultural and political center of the Ancient World. Both of these civilizations are the strongest states of Ancient Mesopotamia.

10 Ancient Greece / 3000 BC - I century. BC.

This ancient state was called Hellas and was considered one of the most powerful in the ancient world. Greece, this territory was nicknamed by the Romans, who captured Hellas in the first century BC. For three thousand years of existence, the Greek Empire left behind a rich history, a lot of architectural monuments and many literary masterpieces that are still popular today. What are the myths of ancient Greece!

11 Maya / 2000 BC - 16th century AD

Legends about the power and greatness of this amazing civilization are still circulating and pushing people in search of ancient treasures. In addition to untold riches, the Maya Indians had unique knowledge in astronomy, which allowed them to develop an accurate calendar. They also had amazing knowledge in construction, thanks to which their devastated cities are still included in the UNESCO heritage list.

This highly developed civilization had developed medicine, agriculture, water supply systems and a rich culture. Unfortunately, in the Middle Ages, this empire began to fade, and with the advent of the conquistadors, it completely disappeared.

12 Ancient Rome / 753 BC - V c. AD

The Roman Empire was one of the most powerful in the history of the Ancient World. She left behind a bright mark in history, enslaved many small states and won a lot of bloody wars. Ancient Rome had its own mythology, a powerful army, a management system and was the center of civilization during its heyday.

The Roman Empire gave the world a rich cultural heritage and history that still excites the minds of scientists. Like all ancient empires, it died out due to exorbitant ambitions and plans to conquer the whole world.

All these ancient civilizations left behind a huge cultural heritage and a lot of mysteries that have yet to be solved. Time will tell whether humanity will be able to find out whether some empires existed or not. In the meantime, we can only be content with conjectures and already existing facts.

At the dawn of mankind, the southern part of Mesopotamia, which in the classical era was called Babylonia, was inhabited by the very first civilization on Earth. Now this is the territory of modern Iraq, stretching from Baghdad to the Persian Gulf, with a total area of ​​about 26 thousand square meters. km.

The place is distinguished by a very dry and hot climate with scorched and weathered, low-fertile soils. A river plain devoid of stones and minerals, swamps covered with reeds, a complete absence of wood - this is exactly what this land was more than three thousand years ago. But the people who inhabited this territory and known to the whole world as the Sumerians were endowed with a decisive and enterprising disposition, an outstanding mind. He turned the lifeless plain into a blooming garden and created what would later be called "the first civilization on Earth."

Origin of the Sumerians

There is no reliable information about the origin of the Sumerians. Until now, it is difficult for historians and archaeologists to say whether they were the indigenous inhabitants of Mesopotamia or came to these lands from outside. The second option is considered the most probable. Presumably the representatives came from the Zagros Mountains, or even Hindustan. The Sumerians themselves did not write anything about their origin. In 1964, for the first time, a proposal was made to consider this issue from various aspects: linguistic, racial, ethnic. After that, the search for truth finally delved into linguistics, into the elucidation of the genetic connections of the Sumerian language, which is currently considered isolated.

The Sumerians, who founded the first civilization on Earth, never called themselves that. In fact, this word denotes the territory, the south of Mesopotamia, while the Sumerians called themselves "black-headed".

Sumerian language

Linguists define Sumerian as an agglutinative language. This means that the formation of forms and derivatives goes by adding unambiguous affixes. The language of the Sumerians consisted mainly of monosyllabic words, so it is difficult to even imagine how many there were - the same sounding, but different in meaning. In ancient sources, according to scientists, there are about three thousand of them. At the same time, more than 100 words are used only 1-2 times, and the most frequently used are only 23.

As already mentioned, one of the main features of the language is the abundance of homonyms. Most likely, there was a rich system of tones and laryngeal sounds, which is difficult to read in the graphics of clay tablets. In addition, the first civilization on Earth had two dialects. The literary language (eme-gir) was used most widely, and the priests spoke a secret dialect (eme-sal), inherited from their ancestors and, most likely, not tone.

The Sumerian language was the intermediary and was used throughout southern Mesopotamia. Therefore, its bearer was not necessarily an ethnic representative of this ancient people.

Writing

The question of the creation of writing by the Sumerians remains controversial. However, the fact is that they improved it and transformed it into cuneiform. They greatly appreciated the art of writing and attribute its appearance to the very beginning of the creation of their civilization. It is likely that at the dawn of the history of writing, not clay was used, but another, more easily destroyed material. Therefore, a lot of information is lost.

The very first civilization on earth before our era, to be fair, created its own writing system. The process was long and difficult. Is the gazelle depicted by an ancient artist an art or a message? If he did it on a stone, in those places where there are many animals, then this will be a full message for his comrades. It says: “There are a lot of gazelles here,” which means that there will be a good hunt. The message could well include several drawings. For example, it is worth adding a lion, and a warning already sounds: "There are a lot of gazelles here, but there is a danger." This historical stage is considered the first step on the way to the creation of writing. Gradually, the drawings were transformed, simplified and began to be schematic. In the picture you can see how this transformation took place. People have noticed that it is easier to make impressions with a reed stick on clay than to draw. All curves are gone.

The ancient Sumerians, the first civilization on earth that found its own, consisted of several hundred characters, with 300 being the most used. Most of them had somewhat similar meanings. Cuneiform was used in Mesopotamia for almost 3,000 years.

Religion of the people

The work of the pantheon of the Sumerian gods can be compared with the assembly, headed by the supreme "king". Such a meeting was further divided into groups. The main one is known as the "Great Gods" and consisted of 50 deities. It was she, according to the ideas of the Sumerians, who decided the fate of people.

According to mythology, it was created from clay mixed with the blood of the gods. The universe consisted of two worlds (upper and lower), separated by the earth. It is interesting that already in those days the Sumerians had a myth about the Flood. In addition, a poem has come down to us that tells about the creation of the world, some episodes of which very closely intersect with the main Christian shrine - the Bible. For example, the sequence of events, in particular, the creation on the sixth day of man. There is heated debate about such a connection between pagan religion and Christianity.

culture

The Sumerian culture is one of the most interesting and vibrant among the other peoples that inhabited Mesopotamia. By the third millennium, it had reached its peak. People lived during the period were actively engaged in cattle breeding and agriculture, fishing. Gradually, exclusively agriculture was replaced by handicrafts: pottery, foundry, weaving and stone-cutting production developed.

The characteristic features of architecture are: the erection of buildings on artificial embankments, the distribution of premises around the courtyard, the separation of walls by vertical niches and the introduction of color. The two most striking monuments of monumental construction of the 4th millennium BC. e. temples in Uruk.

Archaeologists have found quite a lot of art objects: sculptures, remains of images on stone walls, vessels, metal products. All of them are made with great skill. What is a magnificent helmet made of pure gold worth (pictured)! One of the most interesting inventions of the Sumerians is printing. They depicted people, animals, scenes from everyday life.

Early Dynastic Period: Stage 1

This is the time when the original cuneiform was already created - 2750-2600 BC. e. This period is characterized by the existence of a large number of city-states, the center of which was a large temple economy. Outside of them, large-family communities existed. The main productive labor lay with the so-called temple clients, who were dispossessed. The spiritual and political elite of society already existed - the military leader and priest and, accordingly, their inner circle.

The ancient people had an extraordinary mind and a certain inventive talent. In those distant times, people already came up with the idea of ​​​​irrigation, having studied the possibility of collecting and directing the muddy waters of the Euphrates and Tigris in the right direction. Enriching the soil in the fields and gardens with organic matter, they increased its productivity. But large-scale works, as you know, require a large workforce. The first civilization on earth was familiar with slavery, moreover, it was legalized.

It is authentically known about the existence of 14 Sumerian cities in this period. Moreover, the most developed, prosperous and cult was Nippur, where the temple of the main god Enlil was located.

Early Dynastic Period: Stage 2

This period (2600-2500 BC) is characterized by military conflicts. The century began with the defeat of the ruler of the city of Kish, which allegedly caused the invasion of the Elamites - the inhabitants of the ancient state on the territory of modern Iran. In the south, a number of nome cities united in a military alliance. There was a trend towards centralization of power.

Early Dynastic Period: Stage 3

At the third stage of the early dynastic period, 500 years after the moment when the first civilization appeared on Earth (according to the assumptions of archaeologists), city-states grow and develop, and stratification is observed in society, an increase in social contradictions. On this basis, the struggle of the rulers of the nomes for power intensifies. One military conflict was replaced by another in pursuit of the hegemony of one city over all. In one of the ancient Sumerian epics, dating back to 2600 BC. e., refers to the unification of Sumer under the rule of Gilgamesh - the king of Uruk. After another two hundred years, most of the state was conquered by the king of Akkad.

The growing Babylonian Empire swallowed up Sumer by the middle of the second millennium BC. e., and the Sumerian language lost its status as a spoken language even earlier. However, for several millennia it remained as a literary one. This is the approximate time when the Sumerian civilization ceased to exist as a political entity.

Very often you can find information that the mythical Atlantis is the first civilization on earth. The Atlanteans who inhabited it are the ancestors of modern people. However, most of the scientific world calls this fact nothing more than fiction, a beautiful story. Indeed, every year information about the mysterious mainland acquires new details, but at the same time it does not have any historical support with facts or archaeological excavations.

In this regard, the opinion is increasingly heard that the first civilization on earth arose in the fourth millennium BC, and these were the Sumerians.

The hypothesis of scientists that once - more than 4.5 billion years ago - existed on Earth, who died as a result of a disaster, has the right to life and discussion. This is confirmed by the fact that information is constantly coming in that gives hope to find traces of this civilization (or maybe civilizations?).

According to scientists, it is possible to distinguish the following types of civilizations.

Let's designate the first as underground type. This type is an unpretentious civilization and can exist on almost all planets. Their existence does not require the development of high technologies and the presence of moral standards. In the myths of some peoples of the Earth, there is information about the existence of an underground civilization on six floors (two of them were destroyed during the war). After the disaster, the remaining people came to the surface.

The second type is space civilizations that lived in space on huge ships. Inside these movable space giants were entire cities with everything necessary to sustain life. They are sort of "wanderers of the universe."

And the third type is civilizations living on the planetary surface (the type of our civilization). The life of this civilization is significantly dependent on natural disasters, but it is this civilization that is maternal in relation to the first two types. This civilization is considered to be short-lived. In order to increase the life span of this type of society, it is necessary to develop a very high morality and achieve a harmonious relationship between people and nature.

Perhaps there are mixed types of civilization in which underground inhabitants have the opportunity to use entire planets for flights. It is possible that Pluto is inhabited by just such a civilization, since its movement does not follow any regularity.

Myths and legends, which are carefully kept by many peoples of the earth, claim that a powerful civilization existed on the planet - a race of titans, equal in power to the gods. The legends also contain information about some gigantic catastrophe that almost destroyed our planet.

Summing up the available knowledge about the ancient terrestrial civilization, experts came to the conclusion that there is a unity of earth and sky, and if a person violates moral laws, uses the knowledge gained for evil, then he will inevitably become a victim of a grandiose disaster. And the fact that some people survive this catastrophe is proof of the existence of some higher intelligence that preserves life on the planet in order to give it another chance to exist.

Legends say that the titans possessed great knowledge and skills. For example, they created people and mechanical assistants, could replace any part of their body (biorobots?!), resurrect the dead, had the highest level of technology, knew how to travel around the planets of the solar system, and much more.

Scientists believe that the reasons for the death of a supercivilization could be either an instant unexpected explosion of an energy store, or a conscious human action, or a sudden attack by another alien civilization (star war?!). One can imagine this catastrophe: a huge wave of ash and dust, the presence of gases and colossal evaporation block the flow of sunlight to the surface of the planet, fires that completely engulfed the entire surface of the earth. The surviving part of the people hides in underground structures. In the legends of the American Indians and New Zealanders, they talk about 9 underground worlds. For a long time (several millennia), the atmosphere was cleared, the ice was melted, the sun's rays got access to the surface, a flood began, as a result of which groups of people dispersed throughout the planet, losing all ties with each other. Some of the knowledge of the lost civilization survived, turning into myths. Noteworthy is the hypothesis that the super-civilization took measures to preserve the memory of itself, but only hid this information so that it would not be used by the ignorant, who would lead humanity to a new catastrophe.

One of the mysteries that can be associated with the existence of the most ancient hypercivilization is the hypothesis of the artificial origin of the Moon and many satellites located in the solar system.

Scientists allowed several versions of the origin of the Earth's satellite:

The Moon is a fragment of the Earth (but why such cardinal differences between the two parts of the former one whole?);

The Moon and the Earth formed from the same cosmic cloud of gas (then why is the structure of the two celestial objects different);

The Earth “captured” the Moon into its sphere of attraction, which happened to pass next to it (in this case, the Moon would have an ellipsoidal orbit, but in fact it is really perfectly round);

The moon is an artificial object created by a higher civilization.

The fourth version is very interesting. But additional questions arise: what was this space object created for? Perhaps it was a project of ancient mankind, who owns amazing technologies, to create an object that provides people with light at night, or the moon was used as a scientific laboratory, or as a technical platform for space transport, or as a military base.

Some studies that have been carried out with the help of modern space technology have not refuted this hypothesis, but there is still not enough information to confirm it. In any case, interest in the Earth's satellite does not fade away, so the experiments will be continued.

Of particular interest, in connection with the alleged space activities of an ancient civilization, are the satellites of Mars - Phobos and Deimos. Modern humanity of the Earth is wary of these objects. It was believed that Phobos, as an artificial object, is a combat space station flying over a dead planet. It revolves around Mars as a reminder of a military disaster millions of years ago. The pictures taken by American research vehicles on the surface of Phobos clearly show chains of craters elongated in straight lines. According to well-known scientific laws, if the craters are not of artificial origin, then they are located parallel to the orbit of the celestial body, and on Phobos the chain is located perpendicular to the orbit. The assumption of American experts who, looking at these photographs, said that Phobos was bombed, is not so unbelievable.

The Soviet astrophysicist S. Shklovsky dealt with the issue of calculating the speed of Phobos in its orbit. He came to the conclusion that this speed exceeds the rotational speed of Mars, and for this, Phobos must contain a huge cavity inside itself. Maybe this is the space station of the Martian civilization of unusually large size?

Another interesting information: in 1988, the Phobos-1 and Phobos-2 devices were launched from the territory of the USSR. The first of them failed directly next to Mars. The second, when approaching the Phobos satellite, stopped communicating with the Earth. But just before the blackout, he transmitted some amazing photos. One of them clearly shows the "elliptical" shadow on Mars. Since this shadow was visible through infrared equipment, therefore, a thermal object is visible in the photo, and not a shadow.

Another image clearly showed a cylindrical object directly above the surface of Phobos. The object had a length of 20 km and a width of 1.5 km. According to experts, it was this cigar-shaped spacecraft that destroyed the earth's research apparatus before it was about to drop scientific equipment on the surface of Phobos.

The American spacecraft "Mars Observer" suffered the same failure, stopping the transmission of information while in orbit of Mars. However, at present, two low-budget American devices are working near the Red Planet, which are mapping the planet.

Researchers in the field of searching for patterns that exist in the solar system note the following interesting facts:

All the planets of the system are exactly in the same plane (the plane of the ecliptic);

The ratio of the radii of the orbits of all planets in the system is a Fibonacci series.

Thanks to this knowledge, it was possible to determine that two are missing in the system of planets. Between Mars and Jupiter was located, according to legend, the planet Phaethon. Between Saturn and Uranus was the destroyed planet Chiron (Saturan).

In addition, the following celestial bodies are subject to the laws of the Fibonacci series:
- five satellites of Jupiter, and the rest are fragments of the dead planet Phaeton;

Satellites of Saturn, half of which arose after the death of Chiron.

Scientists are seriously considering the following hypothesis of the destruction of the planets. They believe that in the distant past, all five planets of the terrestrial group (+ Phaethon) were inhabited by intelligent civilizations that quite successfully mastered the planets and satellites of the solar system. Having a high level of development, these civilizations have reached immortality. This led to overpopulation of the planets and, as a result, to armed conflicts. In this case, obviously, weapons of incredibly destructive power were used.

It is believed that the meaning of the life of any civilization, as well as of each of its members, appears if the civilization has reached immortality. Therefore, if we assume that more than a million civilizations arose on Earth, it is necessary to comprehend the reasons for their disappearance in order to preserve the existing civilization. Of course, many of the stated hypotheses require more convincing evidence. Time will tell how true these assumptions are.

Looking into history many millions of years ago is not only interesting, but also instructive.

"Elder race" - this is the name of the mythical predecessors of the current people who existed on Earth long before the dinosaurs and apes, as well as with them and even after them. Representatives of this race could find "our" people, to whom they could partially transfer knowledge and skills. About this incredibly developed and technologically advanced race, the legends of almost all the peoples of the world tell.

Mysterious find - direct evidence of the existence of the "older race"

About 10 years ago, in the Alps, in the permafrost, the corpse of a man was discovered, which was relatively well preserved. Scientists have determined that the deceased was no more than forty years old. They were especially surprised by the age of the remains. An unknown man froze to death several thousand years ago.

The clothes and shoes of the deceased could not be identified. He did not belong to any known people who theoretically could exist in that area once. The appearance of the man was unnaturally perfect: clear and harmonious proportions, surprisingly regular facial features (later determined using computer modeling), no flaws. When scientists examined his bones, the version regarding his age was confirmed. The man really was 40 years old, but the most surprising thing is that his body at this age corresponded to the body of a teenage boy. His bones were in the process of formation, like the current teenager at 16 years old. Thus, a 40-year-old man had to “grow up” only at 100 years old. After the news about the find spread in the scientific community, scientists became interested in the ancient legends about the "older race".

People with stunning, perfect looks

Legends and myths of various peoples of the world describe the "older race" almost identically, which is alarming. The "senior" differed from us, first of all, in height: they were much taller, or shorter than modern people. Some legends describe them as dwarfs - elves and so on. Others are like statuesque giants, fair-haired and very strong. In any case, they are credited with an ideal appearance: harmonious proportions, unearthly beauty, harmony, and so on.

Some legends claim that the "elders" lived up to 500 years. Others say that they never died a natural death at all. By the way, representatives of the "older race" were born extremely rarely, and most often after a certain "miracle", which could well be artificial insemination.

The "older race" caught people. The first people idolized her, treated her representatives with respect and accuracy. The "elder" settled in places inaccessible to the average person - in the mountains, caves, inside hollow hills, in forests and on secluded islands. Representatives of the super race were able to produce various things of excellent quality. For example, legends about elves say that they were skilled weavers. In absolutely all myths, the "older race" has magical powers.

Contacts with our race - "Slavic divas"

The Slavs also talked about the "senior". They were called "divas", "samodivs" and "samovils". This name comes from the word "divo", which means "miracle". Unfortunately, before the advent of Christianity, the Slavs did not write down their legends, but transmitted them orally, so very little information about the "divas" has survived to this day.

It is known that the "divas" were incredibly beautiful. The fair sex of this race always had long hair to the toes, which they never tied. "Divas" built their houses in the trees, or high in the mountains. They mastered levitation, but for some reason sometimes lost this ability. For example, in the "Tale of Igor's Campaign" there is an excerpt "the divas will crash into the ground." This probably means that during the flight a certain "div" lost his balance and fell.

"Divas" treated people, predicted events, found water underground with the help of their magical talents, and were excellent artisans. They were not immortal, but they never died by their own death.

One of the real last mentions of "divas" refers to the twenties of the last century. At that time, the famous traveler Mikhail Belov explored the most inaccessible regions of the Urals. After talking with the locals, he learned that they deeply believe in the "divas", who allegedly still live in mountain caves that are inaccessible to the average person. Sometimes "divas" come to villages and talk about what is happening in the world. The traveler at first laughed at the "grandmother's tales", but then abruptly changed his mind when he found out that the locals, being completely isolated from civilization, know completely everything about Russia: the main news, recent events, and so on. By the way, in that village there was no radio, no televisions, no electricity.

Material evidence

A very ancient bowl is kept in one of the museums in England. Its reliable age could not be determined, but it is known that in those days people did not have the technologies that would allow it to be produced. The thicket was made around the 12th century. An interesting legend is associated with it:

A certain peasant, returning home, heard beautiful singing and saw an open door. Approaching her, he looked into the house in which the singers were. They were very nice and friendly. The peasant was invited to his table, serving him an intoxicating drink in the same bowl. After the bowl was presented to the peasant. It was taken from him by the lord he served. For several decades, it was inherited, and then ended up in a museum.

Another amazing find was found on the territory of Ukraine. Bones for divination were found there, the age of which is 17 thousand years. Someone put a lunar calendar on them with jewelry accuracy. The tribes of nomads living at that time on the territory of Ukraine did not have the slightest idea about space.

Who are they - the "older race" and why did they leave our planet

Specialists studying the above findings are building a variety of theories as to who the representatives of the "older race" were. There is a theory that these were ordinary people who at one time began to develop separately from the bulk of the planet's population. They retired with nature, thanks to which they received their superpowers.

However, there is another theory. As you know, Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons turned out to be completely different types of living creatures. Perhaps the "older race" consisted of other "people" - more developed, devoid of diseases and various genetic abnormalities. Because of this, their appearance seemed ideal to our people.

Scientist E. Deniken, who created the film "Memories of the Future", believes that the "older race" are aliens, which may be creatures who lived before us and left our planet at one time, and then returned again, but partially. He also admits that these creatures could appear from the marriages of ancient people with aliens.

Starting from the 17th and 18th centuries, the "older race" was no longer mentioned at all. Thus, it can be assumed that this people disappeared somewhere from our planet. Some legends tell about the mythical country "Avalon", to which all the "elders" supposedly went. Scientists, in turn, explain everything much more simply: the “elders” could merge with our people, since they were not able to maintain their originality due to the extremely low birth rate. In addition, it is generally accepted that the "senior" came to us from parallel worlds. They continue to exist there, but for some reason they no longer want to contact us.