10. THRACIAN TREASURE
3 Brothers (Pavel, Petko, and Michail Deikov) were working together at a Bulgarian tile
factory in 1949 when they unearthed what they mistakenly thought were some brass instruments
from the so-called Romani “gypsy” culture. They were digging through clay together when
they stumbled upon the collection of nine objects, not knowing that they had found actual treasure.
Much to the brothers’ surprise, an expert identified the items as 24-karat gold
Thracian artifacts dating back to the 3rd or 4th century B.C. Scholars believe the objects are a
ceremonial set that belonged to King Seuthes III, an ancient leader of mysterious origins
who revolted against Macedonia shortly before Alexander the Great’s death.
The vessels are decorated with scenes from Thracian myths and culture.
Four of the pieces are rhytons, or ceremonial cups, shaped like the heads of animals and women,
while two resemble deer and one takes the form of a ram’s head. They represent some
of the best-preserved Thracian artifacts ever discovered, as well as some of the most valuable,
with a combined weight of 13.4 pounds (6.1 kg) in gold. The original treasure is the
centerpiece of the Thracian art collection of the National Museum of History in Sofia.
9. Secret Scottish Vaults The Edinburgh Vaults were
built from 1785 to 1788 under the South Bridge in Edinburgh, Scotland. The South Bridge area
was also sprinkled with numerous prosperous companies with their workspaces below,
and even further below were living quarters. The further you went down under the bridge,
the lower your community rank was. Life under the bridge was in continuous motion and change.
Criminals moved illegal resources through the tunnels using a black market, a red-light district
with gambling places popped up, bars and brothels were built, and crime and murder flourished.
Historians say that at one point, serial killers could slaughter over
ten victims and hide the bodies in the vaults without being spotted or stopped.
The surroundings in the vaults were so terrible that even the lowliest citizens were leaving the
underground shantytowns between 1835 and 1875. The cellars were ultimately shut down and forgotten.
In the 1980s, a bar owner and rugby player named Norrie Rowan tried to help his Romanian colleague
Cristian Raducanu escape from the Romanian secret police and found a tunnel below his
bar that led to the Edinburgh Vaults. The discovery led to Raducanu’s harrowing escape
and the renewal of the vault's popularity. The tunnels and cavities were dug up and
renovated. When crews discovered medicine, children’s toys, and other common household items,
they realized that the Edinburgh Vaults were places where many unfortunate people lived.
Today, the vaults are an important tourist attraction for visitors, looking for the thrill
of ghost town excursions. 8. ANCIENT ROMAN BUST
While shopping at a Goodwill thrift store in Austin, Texas in 2018,
art collector Laura Young spotted a sculpture sitting beneath a table that cost $34.99
She bought it and soon noticed that it looked genuinely old, prompting her to
wonder where it came from. She spent the next few years trying to trace its origins,
consulting with experts at the University of Texas and at auction houses across the country.
Sotheby’s consultant Jörg Deterling eventually identified the bust as an authentic
Roman sculpture dating back to sometime between the late first century B.C. and the early first
century A.D. Experts from the German museum where it was once housed believe that it depicts the
son of Pompey the Great, a high-ranking Roman general and statesman who was defeated by Julius
Caesar. Others have speculated that the bust represents Roman commander Drusus Germanicus.
Another theory is that the bust had belonged to King Ludwig I of Bavaria, who lived between
1786 and 1868, and was part of a full-scale model he built of a Pompeii house in Germany.
The model stood for nearly 200 years, but during World War II, it was severely damaged by bombings.
Either way, it’s been deemed authentic and has been identified as part of a sculpture
that allegedly sustained significant damage during an Allied bombing campaign against
Germany during World War II. How the bust made it from there to Austin is a mystery,
but it’s likely that an American soldier from Texas brought it home
after being stationed in the region. That would make the most sense.
It will be on display at the San Antonio Museum of Art until late May 2023
at which point it will be returned to Germany.
Young received an unspecified finder’s fee for her discovery but told USA Today
that the experience was bittersweet since she wasn’t able to keep or sell the bust.
7. ROMAN COIN HOARD
In September 2021, amateur archaeologist and metal detector enthusiast Daniel Lüdin
discovered a clay pot filled with nearly 1,300 Roman coins dating back to the 4th century A.D.
He unearthed the hoard near the 13th-century Wildenstein Castle in Switzerland, where he
began digging up coins and clay fragments. Once he realized he had found something of historic value,
Lüdin reburied the items and alerted local archaeologists, who praised the
man’s decision to take a hands-off approach and leave the investigating to the experts.
I don't know how he was able to resist! They excavated the stash in a large earthen block
and performed a CT scan, which revealed a strange layer of cowhide, dividing the coins into two
piles within the 9-inch-tall (23 cm) pot. In the words of the researchers who examined the trove,
it was filled with “a large amount of small change” totaling the approximate value of a
solidus coin, which was roughly the equivalent of a soldier’s two-month salary at the time.
Archaeologist Reto Marti told Live Science that there were two different kinds of coins in the
pot. They were all minted during the reign of Constantine, which lasted from 306 to 337 A.D.
Unlike many other Roman coin hoards, which were often buried during a time of crisis,
someone buried the money during a relatively peaceful period.
It leaves archaeologists with two burning questions, including why
someone hid it during a stable time within the empire and what the cowhide divider’s purpose was.
And now for number 6! But first wanted to give a big shout out to:
Marie Winterburn and Clay Jones
Thanks so much for watching! If you are new here be sure to subscribe for more videos like these!
6. NORWAY’S FIRST DINOSAUR
While digging for oil in the North Sea in 2006, workers unearthed Norway’s first-ever
dinosaur fossil. They discovered it 7,400 feet (2,256 meters) below the seabed,
also making it the deepest dinosaur fossil ever found.
The creature was identified as a large herbivorous dinosaur called the Plateosaurus,
which grew up to 30 feet (9 meters) long and weighed as much as four tons (3.6 metric tons).
It lived between 210 and 195 million years ago at the end of the Triassic period,
in what is now Europe and Greenland.
At the time, the North Sea didn’t exist. The region was instead occupied by an alluvial
plain formed by sediment from ancient bodies of water that no longer exist.
Based on the fossil, the long-necked Plateosaurus is believed to be the
first dinosaur that evolved to eat plants that grew high off the ground.
Researchers remarked that the odds of oil drillers discovering a dinosaur fossil are less than the
chances of winning the lottery. But with the good comes the bad, namely that the fossil fragment was
crushed by the drill, complicating the identification and analysis process for experts.
Although it’s the only dinosaur fossil ever found in Norway, scientists don’t
necessarily believe that dinosaurs were rare in the region. They believe that the area was
a hotbed of dinosaur life and that there could be more fossil discoveries waiting to be made.
If you found a dinosaur fossil, what would you do with it? Let me know in the comments.
5. REVOLUTIONARY WAR CANNONS
While dredging the Savannah River last year as part of a $973 million project to deepen
the city’s busiest shipping canal, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers discovered an anchor,
some old ship timber, and three five-foot-long (1.5 meters) cannons
that they suspected of dating back to the Revolutionary War era.
Researchers were quick to weigh in on the finds, suggesting that the cannons may have been used
as ballast or tossed overboard. Based on their appearance and measurements, archaeologists and
the British Royal Navy initially speculated that they may have come from a warship called the HMS
Rose. The vessel was intentionally scuttled 250 years ago to block French ships from passing
through the canal and aiding the colonists fighting against Britain. But records later
disproved this theory after revealing that the HMS Rose was sunk further upriver.
The Army Corps of Engineers found over a dozen more cannons in the Savannah River,
bringing the total number to 19. Like the ones discovered last year,
they’re thought to be from the Revolutionary War era, but their exact origins are still
in question. The first three cannons were all found in a deep part of the river near
an early 19th-century fortification called Old Fort Jackson. The discovery prompted
a search in other parts of the river for more cannons, which led to the latest find.
They’re in remarkably good condition and are believed to come from the British warships,
HMS Savannah and HMS Venus. The cannons are being kept in water to prevent them from deteriorating,
while experts continue to search the area for evidence definitively linking
them to the Revolutionary War. Over the years, the Savannah River has amassed
treasures of other artifacts, such as Native American pottery shards,
a Civil War battleship sunk in 1864, and items from other shipwrecks.
4. ANCIENT SARCOPHAGI
Early last year, workers at the Ramat Gan Safari Park in Israel discovered
two 1,800-year-old limestone sarcophagi that had been unearthed 25 years earlier
and then forgotten about. The original contractor who found them didn’t understand what they were,
according to Israel Antiquities Authority.
After initially being discovered during the construction of a parking lot, the sarcophagi
were moved to another part of the property, where they became reburied in sand and vegetation. When
experts examined them last year, they found the caskets were made from locally sourced limestone
and that they resembled the designs of marble sarcophagi that were found in Marmara, Turkey.
They’re adorned with flower garlands and discs, which were commonly used
during Greek and Roman times as a symbol to protect the deceased in the afterlife.
Based on the presence of these symbols, archaeologists have determined that the
burials were not Jewish despite being found near the ancient Jewish city of Bnei Brak.
It’s unclear whether the sarcophagi are connected with the city.
The precious finds have now been transferred to Israel's National Treasury repository.
Bnei Brak was the site of a seder mentioned in the Passover Haggadah and is said to be
related to the Third Jewish Revolt against the Romans, led by Simon Bar Kokhba around 132.
Researchers believe they belong to high-ranking members of society, maybe a husband and wife.
At the time of the discovery, it was unclear whether the sarcophagi contained human
remains as they awaited further study. Meanwhile, construction will continue on
the new section of the animal hospital, which will provide veterinary services. That's nice!
3. THE WORLD’S NORTHERNMOST ISLAND
During a research expedition in the arctic last year, a team of researchers arrived at
what they initially believed was Oodaaq, an island that was discovered in 1978.
But they soon realized that they were further north than they originally thought
and that they had discovered an entirely new island that nobody knew about.
Many self-proclaimed “island hunters” were allegedly in disbelief when expedition
leader Morten Rasch posted photos of the newly discovered island on social media. Until then,
Oodaaq was officially considered the world’s northernmost island. But that all changed when
the researchers discovered the new island, which sits approximately 2,600 feet (780 meters) north
of Oodaaq. It wasn’t discovered sooner because it was concealed by shifting pack ice.
Ice or no ice, it’s easy to understand why nobody previously noticed this teeny-tiny landmass,
which measures just 100 by 200 feet (30 x 60 meters) and is largely devoid of life,
consisting mainly of silt and gravel mounds. Experts don’t expect it to last for very long,
just one severe storm could wipe it off the map, according to Rasch.
The team doesn’t think that climate change is responsible for revealing the island,
which comes as good news in a world where the effects of global warming are
becoming more and more noticeable. They’ve proposed naming it Qeqertaq Avannarleq,
which is Greenlandic for “the northernmost island.”
2. HIDDEN TUDOR PAINTINGS
While preparing to renovate the historic Calverley Old Hall in Yorkshire, England last year,
inspectors discovered a collection of 15th-century Tudor wall paintings dating
back to the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. The artwork, which spans three walls,
was uncovered in a “very undistinguished little bedroom,” in the words of Landmark
Trust historian Caroline Stanford, who spoke with The Guardian. Workers
were peeling back some Victorian-era plaster behind a 1930s-era fireplace
when they spotted the paintings, which were in a part of the house that had been
overlooked back in the 1970s when they were painted over and labeled as “unremarkable.”
At first, the inspectors noticed a mere smattering of color, but it was intriguing enough for them to
take a closer look. Soon enough, they realized they were looking at swirls, birds with teeth,
tiny men in hats, and other artistic depictions painted in a style known as “grotesque work.”
It consisted of strange imagery that would be considered ugly by today’s standards. But
back then, it was all the rage, and it was even considered a sign of being educated and wealthy.
It’s rare to find Elizabethan artwork in such remarkably preserved condition, according to
Stanford. The paintings were inspired by artwork that was found in the Roman Emperor Nero’s Golden
Villa, which was built around 64 A.D. in the heart of ancient Rome. A young man discovered the
ancient residence in 1480 when he slipped and fell through a hole and into the building. The designs
inside soon became famous throughout Italy, England, Germany, and other parts of Europe.
According to the last update, the Landmark Trust,
a British nonprofit dedicated to saving historic buildings, was scrambling to
secure the funding to preserve the fascinating artwork. Time is of the essence, especially
since the Calverley Old Hall is considered to be one of England’s most at-risk buildings.
1. MASSIVE SHARK DIE-OFF
Last year, a groundbreaking study revealed that there was a massive die-off of sharks around 19
million years ago. At the time, the world’s oceans contained 10 times more sharks than they do today.
Lead study author Elizabeth Sibert told SciTech Daily that she and her colleagues made the
discovery “almost by accident” while putting together an 85-million-year record of shark
and fish populations. They were aiming to simply “get an idea” of what the long-term variations
in numbers looked like when they noticed that something drastic happened 19 million years ago.
This was when about 70 percent of the world’s shark population died. The death toll measured
twice as high as the number of shark deaths during the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction
event that wiped out the dinosaurs and 75 percent of life on Earth 66 million years ago.
There are no known climate disasters or ecosystem disruptions that point toward
a logical explanation for the die-off, according to Sibert. Yet while life seemed to carry on as
usual for the rest of the world’s creatures, its marine predators faced a steep and sudden decline.
Study co-author Leah Rubin said that the findings could prove useful for understanding any dramatic
declines in modern shark populations that may come. For example, it would be helpful
to know if the catastrophic die-off caused surviving sharks to migrate elsewhere or to
change their habitat entirely, perhaps by avoiding the open ocean. Experts can also
potentially benefit from finding out why shark populations didn’t rebound after the incident.
The study has also prompted researchers to investigate whether there
may have been a previously undetected global disturbance that caused the massive die-off.
According to Yale researcher Pincelli Hull, who did not take part in the study, the findings
represent a major change in ocean ecosystems that experts previously regarded as unremarkable.
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