10: Lacus Curtius Lacus Curtius was once believed by the Romans
to be a gateway to hell, although it doesn't look much like a portal to the netherworld
today.
The once frightening supposed entrance to the underworld has been paved over.
There’s nothing left to mark the place except a circular slab of stone.
But in ancient times, there was a terrifying chasm here.
The origins of this place are mysterious.
As Rome was moving into their Republican period, Lacus Curtius was a place of great mystery
and intrigue.
Legend says that the hole opened by itself after the Oracle foretold of Rome's inevitable
fall.
It was meant to be a passage to the underworld, and a place for a sacrifice that could save
the empire.
A young soldier named Marcus Curtius offered himself in order to save Rome.
He dressed fully in battle armor, got onto his great steed, and rode his horse directly
into the pit of doom.
He died and was never seen again, but Rome was safe – at least, for the time being.
This is just one of the many legends surrounding the enormous pit.
The truth is that the whole area was once a wild swamp, and the pit was probably just
an ordinary sinkhole.
It took on a myth of its own thanks to the superstitions of the Romans.
9: Temple of Doom A mysterious and terrifying temple of doom
has been discovered at an ancient archaeological site in Turkey.
Researchers believe the temple likely belonged to a group of cultists who had decorated the
structure with human heads.
The discovery was made inside the world’s oldest temple, Gobekli Tepe, and it dates
back 11,500 years.
Three skull fragments were found at a dig site here, each one of them showing evidence
of mutilation after death.
According to anthropologist Julia Gresky, each skull was found with deep incisions left
by a knife.
One even had a hole in it that looked as though it had been drilled.
All these markings suggest a process called defleshing.
This was when the flesh from a skull was scraped off using a primitive stone tool.
There are a few different reasons the ancient people worshiping at this temple could have
had a fascination with skulls.
Rituals, ancestor worship, or the belief in some kind of mystical power associated with
them are all possible.
And though researchers have found only three of them, there were likely many more skulls
to be found at the site long ago.
8: The King’s Grave One of the biggest stone graves from the Nordic
Bronze Age can be found in Sweden.
It's in the southwestern part of the country, and is a massive burial cairn.
What makes the burial mound so impressive is its size, absolutely enormous at 75 m (246
feet) in diameter.
It was made around the year 1600 BC, and stands out from other tombs in Europe because it's
decorated with petroglyphs.
There are strange images of animals, people, symbols, musical instruments, and even curious
figures in robes dancing.
As for its discovery, the mysterious Kivik King’s Grave, as it’s known, was a quarry
for construction materials up until 1748.
That was when a pair of farmers stumbled upon the tomb by accident.
They explored it heavily in hopes of uncovering ancient treasure.
The site was excavated properly in the 1930s, but by then had likely been pillaged pretty
heavily and documented poorly.
Even though it's called the King's Grave, we don't know who was buried inside the tomb.
As it turned out, the remains of several teenagers were discovered inside.
In the time since, researchers have opened the space to tourists.
7: The Ghost City of Kuldhara The Ghost City of Kuldhara was a prosperous
village about 300 years ago in the deserts of India.
According to local legend, the ruler of the state, an evil and hated man by the name of
Salim Singh, wanted to marry the daughter of the village chief.
However, the daughter wasn't interested.
Angrily, Singh threatened that if the village didn't give the woman up, he would have them
destroyed.
Instead of giving in to his wishes, the people of the 85 surrounding villages disappeared,
cursing Kuldhara so that no one would settle there again as they left.
And to this day, the village remains completely barren.
No one has lived here in centuries.
The locals claim that strange paranormal phenomena allegedly happens within its boundaries.
However, the more historically accurate account of events would be that Salim Singh raised
the taxes to such an extreme extent that the local villagers could no longer afford to
stay there, and so the people migrated and left their city to become a ruin.
6: Tomb of the Winged Demons The Tomb of the Winged Demons in Tuscany is
a strange and spooky archaeological site.
The tomb gets its name from the sculptures of winged demons that watch over the niche
where an unknown person was laid to rest around 2300 years ago.
On the pediment at the entrance is a huge winged sea demon called a scilla, while inside
two female demons and a pair of lions once stood guard outside.
The tomb itself isn't that large, more like a cubic block carved straight out of the stone.
The tomb was created by the ancient Etruscans before the Romans rose to power.
These demons depicted here have nothing to do with Christianity, but were instead beings
created by the Etruscans.
If you ever go to Tuscany, remember to stop by and visit the tomb!
And of course tell me all about it!
And now for number 5, but first wanted to give a big shout out to
Neala Kuro and Ghosty 1969
Thanks so much for watching and supporting OE!
We wouldn’t be here without you guys!
If you are new here, welcome and be sure to subscribe for more videos like these!
5: Mysterious Dog Burials Archaeologists in England discovered a settlement
from the Iron Age in a farmer’s field in Poulton.
The settlement once consisted of a group of roundhouses made of earth and timber, with
thatched roofs.
Over 5000 artifacts have been uncovered here, including burials both human and animal.
The strangest part by far have been the sacrificial dog burials.
Inside one of the roundhouses was the home of the tribal chief, the person who presided
over the entire settlement.
Within his home, archaeologists came across all sorts of ritual deposits, including decorations
made of antlers and the remains of two dogs.
One was placed near the entrance, and the other was buried in the center of the house.
Each animal had been intentionally sacrificed, probably in exchange for prosperity.
Iron Age communities often believed that by sacrificing creatures and burying them inside
their homes, they would be gifted great fortune.
Sacrificing two important animals like dogs was typical of chiefs, who undoubtedly felt
like they deserved to have the best luck of them all.
4: City of the Dead French archaeologists have uncovered a mysterious
city of the dead over 1000 years old.
They found it on Corsica, a large island off the coast of France.
It's a huge necropolis containing at least 40 tombs, with the bodies stored in giant
jars that are normally found in North Africa.
But because of the sheer number of civilizations that have ruled Corsica over the years, experts
have no clue when these people were buried.
They don't know when the city of the dead first came about, though they believe it may
have been 2000 years ago with the rise of the Roman Empire.
The necropolis was excavated in a sleepy fishing village on the coast.
The town standing today was founded in the 18th century, but people have been living
in the area for at least 6000 years.
The truly unique part of this great city of the dead is that the deceased were put into
these huge jars.
The remains of children, men, women – people of all sorts were found in these clay vessels.
The archaeologists also found the remains of 40 villagers that had been buried behind
a church about 1400 years ago in the same area.
Other archaeological evidence suggests these curious burials came from the days of the
Romans.
However, it also could have been the more mysterious Visigoths who built the necropolis
– especially since they were considered more barbaric and would have had more unusual
burial customs.
3: The Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave In Belize, the Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave
is a dark, damp, and extremely spooky place.
For the ancient Maya who lived here thousands of years ago, this cave was thought to be
a physical entrance to their underworld, a place called Xibalba.
When translated to English, Xibalba means “place of fear.”
Xibalba was considered the otherworldly realm where spirits went when they died.
Like many other ancient people, the Maya believed this world of the dead could be accessed through
underground passages.
The cave was first discovered in 1989, with archaeological research starting soon after
in 1993.
It's about 3 miles (4.82 km) deep and has yielded over 1400 artifacts.
The Maya left behind pieces of pottery, tools, and one particularly fascinating relic called
a monkey pot.
A monkey pot is a simple pot, but with a monkey depicted on its rim.
It's one of only four such artifacts that have ever been found in Central America, making
it very rare.
Archaeologists have also found human remains here that showed evidence of being bound and
tortured.
Inside one of the chambers, researchers also exhumed remains of people who had been killed
using obsidian blades.
Archaeologists believe this was some kind of extremely violent ritual.
This was a cave of great and terrible power, and the Maya here conducted these violent
rituals to honor the gods of death.
2: Hot Springs from Hell Chinoike Jigoku is a hot spring in Japan,
unique among the 9 hot springs here in Beppu City.
Each one of the hot springs has an unusual color and composition, with each one different
from most of the natural springs you find around the country.
But Chinoike Jigoku is by far the strangest, a small pool that’s name translates to English
as Bloody Hell Pond.
The temperature of the pond, as the Japanese call it, is so hot it can be used for cooking.
It reaches up to 174 degrees Fahrenheit (78.8 degrees Celsius).
Despite its spooky name, the truth is that it's just red boiling mud.
But that didn't mean the Japanese couldn't use it for some pretty terrible practices.
During the Imperial period of Japan, Chinoike Jigoku was used as both a punishment and torture.
People were reportedly thrown into the pool and boiled to death.
1: The Valley of No Return The Valley of No Return in Brittany, France,
maybe isn't as creepy as it is mystical.
The place is also known as the domain of Morgan le Fay, the half-sister of the legendary King
Arthur, and student in magic of Merlin.
It was here where Morgan turned the knight Guiomar and his lover to stone in a jealous
fit of rage.
She was so angry that the knight she loved had been found with another woman that she
punished all men by casting a spell over the valley.
Whenever someone walked through the valley, their soul became trapped for eternity and
they would have no notion of time or space.
It was only when the brave knight Lancelot du Lac made good on his promise of love to
the queen Guinevere that the spell was broken and Morgan was forced to release her prisoners.
These days, the valley isn't quite so evil.
There are a few notable places, like the Fairies’ Mirror.
It's right at the entrance of the valley and is said to be the border between the dream
world and reality.
Thanks for watching!
And I’ll see you again soon!