Empires rise and fall - and through the ancient sands of time, countless civilizations of
this fair planet have risen out of nothing, pulled up by the sheer grit and determination
of progress and conquest - be it through military might, the schemes of espionage, or the passion
of ingenuity - paving the way toward some of history’s most momentous occasions.
But some of those civilizations have disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving behind meer fragments
of their former empires - for us to only ponder at who they were as a people.
As the saying goes, those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it - and thankfully for
us, we have countless ages and instances to peer at through the mystical lens of time.
So, without further delay, let’s take a look, shall we?
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 Ancient Civilizations In History.
Roll the clip.
For the curious amongst you, that clip was from Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark
- of course it is, because this is a Top 5 Scary List about mysterious ancient civilizations,
and I definitely won’t be diving in deep without - *at least* a hypothetical whip and
a hat - but fear not, because we’re heading down much further into the sands of time than
just Ancient Egypt - because today we’re talking Neolithic Skull Cults.
My favourite subject, in fact.
Kicking off at Number 5 - The Sea Peoples
And these guys are such a historical enigma, that for centuries historians have only been
able to speculate on their mysterious origins, given the fact that the only documented mention
of them was way back when, during the Late Bronze Age collapse that occured between 1200
and 900 BCE.
In one of the most famous chapters of late Egyptian history - in what became known as
the Battle of the Delta - a conflict occurred between the Ancient Egyptians and an unknown
confederacy of people - referred to only as being from *northern countries* - but were
noted to have stark similarities in their hairstyles, accessories and military uniform.
What we *do* know, is that whoever these Sea Peoples were, although few in number - they
somehow managed to put up a pretty good fight against the almighty Egyptians.
Which isn’t exactly an easy task, given the fact that even during the Late Bronze
Age Collapse, the Ancient Egyptians were still the predominant force in the Delta region.
As one particular ancient inscription reads - They came from the sea in their warships
- and none could stand against them.
Now, only theories offer an explanation to the origins of the Sea Peoples - but it’s
murky, given the fact that the only mention of them denotes them being a maritime civilization.
One leading theory states that they could be a forgotten mediterranean military society,
perhaps from Sardinia, Sicily or Ancient Anatolia.
Others state that they could be a society of freed slaves turned maritime mercenaries
- living a nomadic life on the ocean.
Either explanation is pretty damn intriguing - and the fact that they gave the Ancient
Egyptians a run for their money is even more awesome.
Swinging in at Number 4 - The Land of Punt
Now - have you ever heard of the Ancient Kingdom of Punt?
No?
Well, did you also know that ancient Egyptian inscriptions regularly refer to the birthplace
of the Pharaohs as Punt - or in cases of ceremony, as Ta netjer - The Land of the God.
And guess what?
Turns out that there’s some pretty startling evidence that it was most definitely a very
real place - and there are even recorded instances of the Late Dynasty Pharaohs sending expeditions
to trade gold, ebony and ivory with the Mysterious Ancient Kingdom.
Now, although there is indeed a region of Somalia that is called Puntland - it is only
named in reference to the Land of Punt - and the exact location of this ancient kingdom
is still debated by historians to this day.
Evidence suggests that the Kingdom of Punt was most likely situated to the southeast
of Egypt, with scholars pointing toward modern Djibouti, Somalia, northeast Ethiopia, Eritrea
and Sudan as possible locations.
Insanely enough, it is also possible that the Land of Punt spread from across both the
Horn of Africa and Southern Arabia - indicating an absolutely massive ancient civilization
that has seemingly been lost to the sands of time.
The implications of the Land of Punt are absolutely astonishing, as if it does indeed fit within
Egyptian Mythology - then the entire culture of the Ancient Egyptians could be owed to
this mysterious civilization.
That’s awesome, right?
Next up at Number 3 - The Norte Chico Civilization
Alright guys, hold on to your hats - because what if I told you that there was an advanced,
complex civilization flourishing in the Americas - over 5000 years ago?
And maybe even over 9000 years ago, in its primitive form.
And no - not the Olmecs, or the Inca - because I’m talking, at the least, over two millennia
before those guys even showed up.
In the mountainous regions of Peru, it was long considered that the oldest ancient society
was the Chavin Culture - who existed around 900 BC - but then startling evidence of these
guys showed up, the Norte Chico Civilization - and everything got a little bit more interesting.
The general consensus by historians is that the Norte Chico Civilization constructed massive,
large-scale human settlements starting around 3500 BC - that lasted until a rapid period
of decline around 1800 BC.
And these guys weren’t just surviving in the area - they were flourishing, showing
startling evidence of highly organised social infrastructure, textile technology - the worship
of primitive god-symbols - and even utilitarian politics.
The craziest speculation around the reason for the Norte Chico Civilizations success
even puts into question everything we think we know about ancient society.
For the most part, we contribute the rise of any primitive civilization to agriculture,
promoting a need to build settlements and social structure.
But - the Norte Chico Civilization shows evidence of being a coastal, maritime urban center
- harvesting the ocean and rivers of Peru to fuel their civilization, instead of relying
on crops.
There’s one thing for certain - we need to know more.
Next up at Number 2 - The Nabta Playa
Now, I know I told you to hold onto your hats previously.
But seriously, this time - really.
Hold on to your hats.
Because what if I told you that there is startling evidence of an ancient society that existed
in the Nubian desert -- dating back to perhaps the 10th millennium BCE - if not definitely
the 8th millennium.
Now although the Nubian desert is a dry, arid landscape now - since the last glaciation
period, we know that it was a region of savanna that received heavy, consistent rainfall - and
because of that, it supported numerous animals and plantlife.
And of course, then the humans came.
By the 8th millennium BCE, evidence of massive, organized settlements have been found in the
Nabta Playa region, depicting a highly advanced society.
It seems that the people of the Nabta Playa designed their villages in pre-planned arrangements,
built in a circular fashion around deep communal wells that held water throughout the year.
The most insane implication of the Nabta Playa civilization though, is that archaeologists
have discovered the remnants of the worlds earliest known archaeoastronomical devices.
They weren’t just hunting and gathering at the time - they were building monuments
to the stars, figuring out in great detail the alignments of the planets and our solar
system.
Now, this is where it gets a little bit patchy - because we can trace the alignment of these
devices to the rotational position of our given galaxy now.
And in relation to the Orion constellation, some researchers believe that these devices
were designed in the year 17’500 BCE.
I’ll say no more, because my head’s about to explode.
And finally - at our Number 1 spot - Gobekli Tepe
Now listen, I could talk to you guys about Gobekli Tepe all day, and although we’ve
already covered it briefly in our Ancient Mysteries series - we really need to get into
the meat and bones of the one archaeological enigma that could perhaps change every single
thing we think we know about ancient human history, and even our origin as a species.
Gobekli Tepe, which is Turkish for Potbelly Hill - is an ancient site in Southeastern
Anatolia, of modern day Turkey - and the earliest radiocarbon evidence of it’s stonework dates
back to 11’000 BCE - if not earlier.
It is believed to be a temple, to what - no one is entirely sure, and I’ll leave the
speculation behind - because the facts are incredible enough in themselves.
Seriously guys, head down the rabbit hole - because we have much more to learn about
our ancient ancestors.
As it seems, Gobekli Tepe is evidence of a highly advanced ancient civilization that
flourished in Ancient Anatolia - in a time when history believes humanity to simply be
primitive hunter gatherers.
Well, as it turns out - there’s another site that flips that assumption on its head
- 600 KM away, at the ancient city of Catal Huyuk (cha-tal hay OOK) - an ancient city
that flourished around 7000 BC, which ties itself to the mysterious Anatolian civilization.
The city itself is evidence of a highly organised society, that constructed advanced communal
homesteads - with cooking hearths and ovens.
There is even evidence of proto-irrigation and sewage systems, millenia before historians
consider this technology to be available to ancient societies.
Honestly guys, I could go on for days about the implications of these two ancient sites
- but it seems that there is a huge gap somewhere in our ancient origins.
I guess we’ll just have to keep digging, right?
Well - there we have it horror fans - our list for the Top 5 Most Mysterious Ancient
Civilizations In History - what did you guys think?
Any ancient insights into the origin of our species?
Let us know your thoughts down in the comment section below.
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Well, that’s an utterly terrifying notion, isn’t it?
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.
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As per usual, I’ve been your horror host Jack Finch - you’ve been watching Top 5
Scary Videos - and until next time, you take it easy.