We love mysteries over here at Top 5 Scary Videos.
Mainly because, well, our planet is filled to the brim with more legendary instances
of intrigue and baffling occurrences of long-forgotten history, that we need only take a look at
the Ancient Wonders of the World to feel inspired enough to charter a plane, assemble a rag-tag
team of researchers and adventurers--slap on a wide-brimmed leather hat--and begin our
own journey to the most mysterious locations of the ancient world.
The fact of the matter remains, the strange inconsistencies of our civilization frequently
spark many more questions than they do answers--and I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely
in the mood for some ancient history.
Hello horror fans, what’s going on--and once again, welcome back to the scariest channel
on YouTube--Top 5 Scary Videos.
As per usual, I’ll be your horror host Jack Finch--as today, we curiously take a look
at the Top 5 Most Mysterious Places In Ancient History.
Roll the clip.
For the curious amongst you, that scene was of course--from the incredible third installment--The
Last Crusade--which as we all know, is the second greatest movie in the whole Indiana
Jones franchise.
And if you don’t agree with me, then yes--Raiders of the Lost Ark wins that battle every damn
day.
Stil, it paints a vivid picture--right?
Because what would this list be without setting the scene for our Mysterious Places in Ancient
History, and that film in particular also happens to feature one of our entries.
I’ll let you take a guess.
Kicking off at Number 5 - The Longyou Caves
And this place in particular is absolutely mind-blowing, given the fact that if it was
indeed made by human civilization--then we’ve got to really take a look at how capable our
ancient ancestors actually were at building things.
Picture this--in 1992, in the small Chinese village of Longyou, the locals had lived for
centuries besides a small series of ponds that littered their landscape.
Local legend believed that these ponds were bottomless, infinite wells of water--but one
local in particular, named Wu Anai, set out to put that legend to the test.
After pooling his money together with another villager, he purchased a pump and completely
drained one of the ponds--and that’s when Wu Anai discovered that it wasn’t a pond
at all--but instead, the flooded entrance to an ancient series of man-made caves.
But when I say caves, I don’t just mean a few interesting holes in the Earth--I mean
hand-carved caves--each the size of roughly 1000 square metres, reaching to heights of
up to 100 feet.
Inside, the ceilings--the walls--the pillars that maintained their structural integrity--were
all finished in the exact same manner, hand-carved with a series of parallel bands and intricate
markings.
Now, no one has any clue how the hell these caves were created--or who created them, but
researchers have found that they date back to at least 220 BCE--a period that predates
the ancient Qin Dynasty, although no trace of their construction--or even their existence--has
ever been located in the historic record.
In fact, up until their discovery in 1992, the Longyou Caves were forgotten to the sands
of time.
It makes you think what else is lurking down there, right?
Coming in next at Number 4 - Petra
And yes, of course--this is the scene that I was alluding to in our opening clip, the
Ancient City of Petra--described by UNESCO as one of the most precious cultural properties
of mankind’s cultural heritage.
And perhaps one of the most amazing archaeological wonders on this fair planet.
This place is fascinating, and it’s a monument to the fact that we really have no idea how
capable humanity has been for thousands upon thousands of years.
Petra, originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu, is believed to have been settled
perhaps as early as 9000 BC--although earlier estimations have been suggested.
However, by the 5th century BC--it is believed that the City of Petra itself was settled
by the mysterious Nabataean Kingdom, an ancient conglomerate of Bedouin tribes that were incredibly
astute traders and economists--who for the most part were a nomadic people--but recognised
the significance of Petra’s geographical location.
And for the most part, that was fit exactly for Petra’s purpose--as it quickly became
a massive central hub for trading routes across the world, gaining the Nabatean kingdom incredible
wealth in the process.
But, I mean--you just need to look at Petra to start scratching your head at the incredible
intricacies of it’s design.
I don’t say this lightly--because The Rose City of Petra is an absolutely stunning feat
of engineering, at a time where nomadic societies weren’t exactly known for their capability
in raising wonders of the world.
So, how *was* it built?
Well, the leading theory so far is that the Nabatean People harnessed the locations susceptibility
to flash flooding--gradually carving the narrow passages into the city-like network that we
now know.
Either way, whatever the truth to it--Petra is an Ancient Wonder to behold.
Oh, and also, archaeologists have discovered that there’s a gigantic monumental structure
buried beneath the sands of Petra--so yeah.
Do with that information as you will.
Swinging in next at Number 3 - Derinkuyu Underground City
And if things weren’t already crazy enough--what if I told you that there is an ancient, highly
advanced underground complex carved beneath the Central Anatolian city of Derinkuyu in
Turkey, that is believed to have been large enough to have sheltered up to 20 thousand
people, and more than likely connects several other similar underground complexes across
the ancient historical site of Cappadocia?
Yeah.
My thoughts exactly.
Erm, I almost don’t even know where to begin with this one--because as the aeons of time
have slowly shifted by, countless people have taken shelter within Derinkuyu, using it as
their home across the ages--and because of that, it’s incredibly difficult to pinpoint
just exactly when it was built.
It’s purpose--however, is relatively clear.
It’s a multi level city, built underground--carved from the soft volcanic rock of the region.
It consists of 18 stories that descend deep into the Earth, comprised of sophisticated
carved shafts, that house the complexes multitude of amenities--communal rooms, wine cellars,
oil presses--stables--even entire chapels.
Each floor of the city can be closed off by a series of large stone doors, which in theory--makes
it some kind of ancient underground bunker, given the other facilities gathered over time.
Historically speaking, the Phrygians of the 8th century BCE were the first alleged inhabitants
of the vast underground city, although the fact of the matter remains--we may never truly
know who built this place.
Scholars have given many suggestions--primarily being a sect of the Ancient Persians or the
Hittites--but, I’m not entirely sure.
Put a pin in this one--because there are many more secrets to be learned.
Next up at Number 2 - Nan Madol
And what if I told you that this place in particular, was the source of inspiration--for
none other, than H.P Lovecraft’s Sunken City of R’lyeh.
As in, yes--in his house at R’lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.
That one.
But if that’s not impressive enough, the ancient megalithic architecture of Nan Madol,
just off the coast of the island of Pohnpei, which is part of the remote islands of Micronesia--are
something else entirely.
And really, I don’t know what to think when it comes to trying to decipher the eternal
enigma that is Nan Madol--often referred to as the eighth wonder of the world.
There’s a reason it has left archaeologists scratching their heads ever since it’s re-discovery
in the early 19th century.
Now, carbon dating has indicated that the construction of the massive basalt stones
of Nan Madol, began sometime in 1180 AD -- although many scholars find umbridge with this, given
the fact that to move these giant hunks of rock from tiny island to tiny island, and
then carve them into a series of intricate channels and platforms, is a feat in and of
itself.
It’s purpose is somewhat clear though, Nan Madol appeared to have housed the ruling elite
caste of the ancient Saudeleur Dynasty of Pohnpei, where it was used as a political
and ceremonial seat of power, essentially housing a vast network of small floating platforms
and islands that formed into a rich, majestic capital city, carved from black stone.
Yeah, I don’t want to make any assumptions, but there are many more answers to be revealed
by Nan Madol--and it’s no wonder that Lovecraft found an ancient kind of inspiration from
it.
And finally -- coming in at our Number 1 spot -- The Sajama Lines
And whilst you more than definitely have probably already heard of the Nazca Lines of Peru--I’m
going to go one further, and highlight the equally perplexing mystery that is the Sajama
Lines of Western Bolivia--because boy oh boy, are these things a head scratcher.
The Sajama Lines are a network of thousands, possibly tens of thousands, of perfectly straight
paths that were etched into the ground by the indigenous peoples of the Americas for
more than 3000 years, that were situated near the volcano of Sajama.
Unlike the Nazca Lines though, this particular network covers an area of over 22 and a half
thousand square kilometres, which is approximately fifteen times larger than their counterparts
in Peru.
And, what are they?
Well--no one knows, and we may never know--but--what *is* clear, is the startling precision in
which they were made.
These thousands of individual lines--each three to ten feet in width, are almost perfectly
straight mile after mile--despite the ever changing rugged terrain of the highlands,
which would have been quite a feat for modern humanity, never mind an ancient indigenous
people without the means to advanced construction techniques.
These geoglyphs were most likely created through the process of scraping away the dark, oxidized
rock of the volcanic surface--to reveal a lighter sediment beneath.
You see, despite all of these enigmas of ancient history--the real question is *WHY* did these
people go to such lengths of time and effort to create them?
What were their intentions of preservation?
Who would have seen them or used them?
Now, there are many leading theories--the most prominent of which is that the Sajama
Lines were used as a pilgrimage route to a series of sacred sites, but yeah.
I have no idea.
I really have no idea.
I mean--I *want* to know, but… will we ever?
Well, on that ancient, existential note--there we have it--our list for the Top 5 Most Mysterious
Places In Ancient History.
What did you guys think?
Do you agree?
Have any more to add to this series in particular?
Then please, let us know your thoughts down in the comment section below, as well as any
choice picks of your own.
Before we depart from today’s video, let’s first take a quick look at some of your more
resounding remarks from over the past few days.
First up, Irish Lass says --
Awesomeness Jack!
You are a mystery man.
Who's your favourite author of all time?
-- Well, thank you very much, but first off, is that-- you are a mystery, comma, man.
Or you are a mystery man?
As in like, a fan of mysteries -- OR a mystery themed superhero?
That’d be dope.
Anyway, I’m just trying to avoid the question, because it’s perhaps the hardest question
to answer.
Purely as a writer?
Stephen King.
As a world builder?
George Martin.
As a complete and utter madman genius?
Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
Phew.
That was a tough one.
Well, on that note--unfortunately that’s all we’ve got time for in today’s video--cheers
for sticking around all the way until the end.