Whether standing stones, nondescript mounds, or lines in the earth, ancient civilizations have left signs of their existence that must have held deep meaning for them that is now lost to time. Subsequent dwellers of this earth are left to wonder who, what, when, and why? The meanings of many of these significant geographic talisman have been teased out by archaeologists, but some are resistant to revealing their secrets. Here are just a few.
Will we ever understand Easter Island’s art and writing?
Easter Island—Rapa Nui in the language of its people—is one of the most isolated populated spots on Earth. More than a thousand years ago, its inhabitants raised hundreds of multiton monoliths, known as moai, that have fascinated archaeologists since their discovery some 300 years ago.
Carved primarily from volcanic tuff with hand tools, the statues were transported somehow to positions on stone platforms. What was their purpose? How did people move the monoliths? Easter Islanders said the statues walked. Some writers claimed the moai could only have been positioned by lost civilizations or extraterrestrials. More scholarly sources suggested they could have been hauled on frames.
Recently, archaeologists have shown that the Easter Islanders might have had it right: The statues walked. A couple of dozen people, using ropes, can rock a moai from side to side on its curved base and “walk” it forward. By the time European explorers arrived, many of the moai were toppled and their meaning lost to memory. They may have been symbols of power between warring groups. They may have had a peaceful religious purpose.
Wooden and stone tablets found here are also a mystery. They contain an undeciphered rongorongo script. The curious glyphs run left to right, then right to left when the tablet is upended. Like the statues, the script has so far defied explanation.
What is the meaning of the Carnac Stones?
More than 3,000 standing stones, scoured by the wind and rain into hunched shapes, form long avenues near the French village of Carnac. Made from both single stones, known as menhirs, and multistone groups, known as dolmens, they stretch for some two miles (3 km). Though the stones have stood for thousands of years, archaeologists have not traced their purpose or origins.
The megaliths have been recognized as sacred by successive waves of Breton culture. Ancient Romans carved their gods on the granite surfaces; Christians later added their own symbols. According to one legend, the menhirs are the rocky remains of an army of pagans who chased St. Cornely toward the sea; cornered, he turned his pursuers into stone.
In truth, the stones are far older than Christianity and most likely date to Brittany’s pre-Celtic Neolithic period, from about 4500 B.C. to 2000 B.C. Were they raised in tribute to ancient gods? Did they honor ancestors? Do they track alignments of the sun or stars? So far the gray armies have kept their secret.
What purpose does the Great Serpent Mound serve?
More than 1,300 feet (396 m) long, about 20 to 25 feet (6 to 8 m) wide and 4 to 5 feet (1 to 2 m) high, the Great Serpent Mound undulates across the hills of southern Ohio, the largest effigy mound in the world. Its tail ends in an elegant coil, and its head seems to be swallowing a giant egg.
Who built it and what it means are still unknown. First described in the 1840s, the sinuous mound was originally attributed to the ancient Adena people, who inhabited the area from about 500 B.C. to A.D. 200 and whose remains are found in nearby burials.
Radiocarbon dating has suggested that it is younger, perhaps about 900 years old, from the time of the Fort Ancient people. The Fort Ancient culture was influenced by the Mississippian culture, which featured rattlesnakes in much of its iconography; indeed, many Native American cultures imbued serpents with spiritual power.
Some archaeologists point out that the serpent mound’s head aligns with the summer solstice, so it may have had an astronomical or ceremonial purpose. In the absence of any artifacts or written records, however, the mound may remain a vast, serpentine enigma.
What were the Nasca lines used for?
Two thousand years ago, people etched more than a thousand outsize figures in the coastal desert of southwestern Peru. Quadrangles, trapezoids, spirals, narrow lines, and outlines suggesting the shapes of giant creatures stretch across hundreds of square miles of arid plateaus, concentrated between the towns of Nasca and Palpa. In the 1920s, trans-Andean pilots rediscovered the enormous geoglyphs, prompting decades of research to answer the question: What are they for?
Many answers have been suggested, and discarded, over the years. We know that the markings were created primarily by the Nasca culture, which flourished from about 200 B.C. to A.D. 600. Students of the figures have theorized that they represent irrigation lines, an astronomical calendar, Inca roads, icons to be viewed from archaic hot-air balloons, and—in the most persistent and improbable notion—spaceports for alien aircraft.
Today’s leading explanation is simpler: The glyphs may have formed ceremonial pathways in a holy landscape. Many of the figures are associated with rain or fertility, and traces of footprints can still be seen along the lines.
Will we ever find El Dorado?
The first El Dorado was a man, not a city. Spanish explorers to South America heard his legend early in the 1500s. Somewhere in the Andes, they were told, the Indigenous Muisca people would initiate a new chief by dusting him with gold from head to foot and tossing gold and emeralds into a sacred lake.
Besotted with greed, Spanish, German, Portuguese, and English adventurers ventured into the unforgiving wilds of Colombia, Guyana, and Brazil—and anywhere else that sounded promising—in search of this mythic treasure. Over time, El Dorado was transformed in the telling from a man into a valley paved with gold, just waiting for discovery.
Among the adventurers was Sir Walter Raleigh, whose son Watt died in the attempt in 1617 and who was himself executed upon his return to Europe for disobeying the king’s instructions. Many people, both Native Americans and Europeans, died in these brutal quests. No golden trove was ever found.
There may be some truth to the legend, however. The lake mentioned in the Muisca story may be Laguna Guatavita, high in the Andes near Bogotá, Colombia. Some golden objects and jewels have been dredged from that body of water and another nearby, but attempts to drain the lake and recover the reputed riches have all failed. Whatever treasure is drowned there remains undisturbed.
Portions of this work have previously appeared in 100 Greatest Mysteries Revealed by Pat Daniels. Copyright © 2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC.
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