Admit it — you’ve always wanted to be like Indiana Jones, traveling to mysterious
sites and discovering amazing stuff in ancient tombs and temples.
Yeah, we’ve all been there!
So how about some recent archaeological findings that stupefied scientists all over the world?
1,500-year-old jewelry trove in Denmark In the spring of 2017, Terese Refsgaard, an
amateur archaeologist from Denmark, made an astonishing discovery on an island in Horsens
Fjord.
She was searching for evidence of Viking settlements on the island when she stumbled upon a real
treasure cache: over 32 items of exquisite jewelry dating back to 500 CE.
There were beads, pendants, a needle, pearls, and gold pieces used as currency back in the
day.
Scientists say this is amazing because it speaks to connections between the pre-Viking
settlers and the Roman Empire.
Moreover, some of the patterns are absolutely unique and have never been seen before.
Hey, what could be better than finding ancient gold?
Well, apparently, finding ancient gold that could surprise the all-knowing scientists!
Lonely stone hut in Greenland You might ask what’s so special about a
stone hut, but this one is really something!
According to Danish archaeologist Christian Koch Madsen, the hut he and his team found
near the Sermeq Kangilleq Glacier in southern Greenland shouldn’t even be there.
He said they’d been in the area before and not found anything of interest.
However, when they dug it up a little bit, they uncovered a single dwelling.
It’s very small (about 5 ft × 6.5 ft), and it’s open to the wind from every side.
Scientists can’t explain why it’s even there — the hut stands alone, literally
in the middle of nowhere, and people couldn’t possibly have lived there all year around
because it was simply too cold.
Have any ideas to help the archaeologists?
Share them in the comments — I’m sure together we’ll find out the truth!
Ancient Chinese sword used as a kitchen knife Now that’s some story!
A farmer from China was digging up his garden when he found a really old, rusty sword.
What would you do if you were him?
I’d probably give it to experts for evaluation.
Well, our friend wasn’t interested in such stuff, so he took the blade for himself, cleaned
and sharpened it, and used it as a kitchen knife.
It took him 5 years to realize something was off about his utensil.
I don’t know…perhaps the dragon engraving on it?
He finally gave it to scientists, and they were amazed to see that it was actually a
Qing Dynasty sword.
They’ll have some trouble dating it more accurately because of all the sharpening,
but it surely has a lot of historical value.
Ever wanted to use an ancient artifact to cut some cucumbers?
Gimme a like if you have, you mischiefs!
Ancient tools found in Texas To understand the significance of this discovery,
consider this: In school, they teach us that humans first arrived in the Americas about
13,000 years ago.
Well, the tools found by a team of Texas State archaeologists date back 16,000 years, which
is 3,000 years older.
Yeah, I know you can count.
It just stupefies me completely.
Dr. Thomas Williams from Gault School of Archaeological Research says that humans were thought to
have come to North America when enough ice melted there to allow them to walk across
the Bering Strait.
Yeah, it was kinda dry back then.
3,000 years before that, though, this passage just didn’t exist.
There were only glaciers all around — sheer ice walls up to 3 miles tall, with no food
or water for humans to live on.
How did they end up in central Texas then?
That remains a mystery.
Roman sarcophagus used as a flowerpot This one is even crazier than the kitchen
sword story!
A flowerpot in Oxfordshire, England, turned out to be an ancient Roman sarcophagus worth
more than $364,000.
Well, at least it stood in a place of significance: Blenheim Palace, where the sarcophagus was
eventually identified, was Sir Winston Churchill’s birthplace.
Before that, it was a residence of the fifth Duke of Marlborough, who bought the object
in the 19th century as a garden ornament!
Ironically, it was only noticed when an antiques expert came to the property to evaluate something
else entirely and his gaze accidentally fell on the object.
Now, of course, the sarcophagus has been relocated to much more suitable conditions where it
will hopefully be preserved for centuries to come.
14,000-year-old bread found in Jordan Yeah, you heard that right.
This bread is over 14,000 years old!
In fact, the archaeologists who found it claim it’s actually 14,400.
Must be some tough crust on that one!
Anyway, there’s an even more curious detail about this ancient treat: Scientists say it
predates the age of agriculture by 4,000 years.
So people were hunters back then, but they didn’t sow.
How come they baked bread?
Tobias Richter, head of the excavation party in Jordan, explains that these guys lived
in a transitional period between hunting and agriculture.
They gathered wild cereals like barley, einkorn, and oats, processed them, and made food out
of them.
Later, this led to the practice of cultivating the land.
Small steps make a big deal.
8-year-old girl finds an ancient sword in a lake
It sounds almost like the story about the Lady of the Lake.
A little girl by the name of Saga Vanecek was playing in a lake in Sweden when she stepped
on something hard.
She felt curious and pulled the object out of the water…only to find it wasn’t a
stick, like she’d initially thought, but a very real sword.
Swedish scientists estimate that the weapon is at least 1,000 years old, so it was forged
several centuries before the Viking era.
Mikael Nordström from the Jönköpings Läns Museum says they were able to collect a brooch
in the same area that was from around the same time.
He says the place had been thought to be a burial site, but this finding turned the theory
upside down.
Researchers now think it was some kind of sacrificial ground because there were no signs
of burial mounds around the place whatsoever.
Looks like the truth is yet to be uncovered.
Ceremonial dagger used as a doorstop Here’s another unlikely story of an ancient
relic treated like it was made for the mass market.
A landowner from Norfolk, England, dug up a rather large piece of metal in his yard.
Once again, not realizing it could be of some importance (“some,” huh?), he found a
use for it in his house: He needed a doorstop, and now he had one.
The object was used like this for more than a decade until the man finally had doubts
as to its origins and contacted scientists.
The results of the analysis amazed the researchers: It was a ceremonial dagger, or dirk, from
the Bronze Age — that is, from about 3,500 years ago.
The blade was deliberately bent at the time of its making, showing that it was never intended
to be used as a weapon.
It was the third Bronze Age dirk found in Europe.
Some doorstop!
Thor’s Hammer in Germany No, not that Thor’s hammer.
What I’m talking about here is an amulet in the form of a war hammer wielded by the
Norse thunder god.
Many amulets like this were found in different parts of Scandinavia, but this one is different.
Like I would tell you it wasn’t!
This hammer was part of a greater treasure found by amateur archaeologist Rene Schön
and his 13-year-old apprentice.
The duo was scouting Rügen, a German island in the Baltic Sea, when they came upon some
silver pieces.
With the help of professional archaeologists, they uncovered many more objects of value,
including that Thor’s Hammer I told you about.
So what’s unusual about it?
Well, the scientists discovered that the treasure actually belonged to the most famous Viking
lord: King Harald Bluetooth.
He was known for his wealth and power among the Vikings.
Bluetooth united all the Danish tribes, and it was under his sigil that the Danes gained
victory over the Germans and Norwegians.
And if you’re now wondering whether a similarly famous wireless technology was named after
him, the answer is a definite yes!
Now imagine the emotions the lucky archaeologists had when they unearthed such a significant
treasure!
Ah, I wish I’d found some too!
Well, Bright Siders, tell me: Have you ever found anything unusual in your backyard?
Or maybe in your attic?
Share your surprising discoveries with everyone down in the comments!
But before you run off to search for ancient relics around your house, make sure you give
this video a like, share it with your adventurous friends, and don’t forget to hit the subscribe
button!
Stay on the Bright Side!