Modern Armies that Tried to Win Wars with Magic

They say that to win a war, you must be willing to do whatever it takes. The use of threatening words and brute force are all necessary for winning battles, but you’re going to need to take the extra mile if you want an assured victory. If you take a good look at our history of modern warfare, you’ll see just how much science has had a hand in the victory of one military force and the defeat of another. From coming up with the most effective means for gathering intelligence in times of conflict and fragile peace to developing weapons of mass destruction that put an end to a devastating global war and thwarted a powerful and influential empire, it cannot be denied just how many military groups have benefited from the bright minds of scientific experts.

But even in our supposedly technologically-advanced and scientifically-enlightened world, you might be surprised to know just how far our modern armies have gone all in the name of victory. Some have approached magicians and illusionists for tips and tricks in the art of deception while others have attempted to expand the abilities of the human mind beyond the boundaries of conventional science. There are also those that dared to construct weapons of mass destruction that you probably only heard of in literary materials of the science fiction genre. Others, however, have sought out the rumored ancient items mentioned in myths and legends that promised unlimited powers to those who manage to find them and possess them.

And so, let us enumerate five (5) cases of when modern armies and governments have tried to resort to magic or the supernatural to win real wars and achieve supremacy over their enemies.

#1 – The United States Government and the CIA Manual of Trickery & Deception

You’ve watched the movies and the TV shows - from the Bourne Identity films to 24 to Alias and more – and you’ve probably wondered if any of what they have shown in these entertainment pieces are anything like how actual spies and CIA field agents operate in the real world. As it turns out, some of what many actors have done in these spy films are not so far from what real intelligence agents have done in reality. In fact, there’s even an official manual for it.

Back in 2010, the Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception was declassified and released for the perusal of the general public. The manual was written during the Cold War by an American magician named John Mulholland. The book was essentially used in training intelligence agents of the CIA on how to use misdirection and deception in completing their assigned missions. The manual also teaches these CIA operatives on the best ways to conceal weapons, how to use sleight of hand to discreetly pass information, take items or put drugs in people’s drinks, and how to assassinate their targets using only a poisoned pen.

#2 — The Allied Forces and the Disappearance of the Suez Canal

Perhaps the most popular real case of an army using a magician to win a war is that of British stage magician Jasper Maskelyne and his alleged large-scale concealment of the Suez Canal during the Second World War.

In 1949, Maskelyne published a ghostwritten memoir titled “Magic – Top Secret,” in which he detailed his exploits in aiding the Allies during World War Two. The British magician was allegedly a part of a special unit focused on the war effort along the Suez Canal. Using his extensive experience and knowledge in the art of illusion, he devised a large-scale illusion system to conceal the Suez Canal and to misdirect the German flying bombers in the sky. To do so, he built an equipment referred to as “dazzle lights,” which was made of a revolving cone of mirrors. It produced a spinning light that was around nine miles wide, and it dazzled and disoriented German pilots, which consequently, made them drop their bombs off-target.

#3 — The British Government and the Use of Astrology

World War II was not an easy time from either side of the war effort, and every military strategy was explored, even the most absurd ones. It would have been easy for the British government to defeat the Nazis had they known everything that was running in Adolf Hitler’s unpredictable mind. And so, they tried to do so by hiring an astrologer to write horoscopes for Hitler and several other Nazi leaders.

In 2008, declassified documents released to Britain’s National Archives catalogs revealed that the British forces assigned an astrologer named Louis de Wohl to create fake astrological reports about the Nazi leaders and distributed them throughout Nazi Germany to demoralize the public. However, Wohl took a step further by offering his services to predict Hitler’s advisers' advice. And so, Wohl typed out a report titled “A Survey of 1943,” which was a seven-page guesswork of when Hitler’s major attacks will take place, and the possible fortunes of important figures from both sides of the war.

Wohl was also sent off by Winston Churchill to convince the United States to join the war, but following the events of Pearl Harbor, his convincing powers and astrological abilities were no longer required. And as disclosed in the declassified documents of the MI5, the British government came to regret their decision to involve Wohl in their military efforts, as many of them eventually led to the conclusion that he was nothing more than a charlatan that liked to boast of his secret role in the war.   

#4 – The Soviets and Their Extensive Study on Psychokinesis

During the Cold War, the Americans and the Soviets tried to outdo the other in many things, the most popular of which is probably the space race that resulted in the first of many successful missions that landed mankind on the moon. For both sides, it became necessary to explore every avenue to win the Cold War, including the paranormal. And so, both the Americans and the Russians raced against each other to be the first one to figure out how to harness the unknown by expanding the human mind and exploring individuals’ potential abilities in telepathy and psychokinesis.

So far, there has been no widely-accepted evidence that confirms the possibility that humans can be trained to read other people’s minds or move objects without lifting a finger. But between the United States and the Soviets, it seems the latter’s research about the paranormal was more on point than those done by the Americans. Amid the Cold War, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency – also known as DARPA – wanted to evaluate and compare the milestones achieved by the United States and the Soviets in researching about the paranormal. And so, they granted RAND Corporation the authority to conduct a study about it, the results of which was published in the early 1970s. The organization reached the conclusion that the Soviets’ research on the supernatural was more specifically geared towards biology and physics in comparison to what the United States came up with, which was largely based on psychological theories.

The Soviets did not only consider using telepathy as a means of communicating with submarines without the aid of electronic equipment, but they also explored the possibility of training their cosmonauts to tap on their precognitive powers to foresee potential accidents in space. They were also interested in using mental imagery or psychokinesis to move objects, which would be helpful in disrupting the guiding system of intercontinental ballistic missiles. Given the specificity in how the Soviets handled their paranormal research, they were the ones more likely to harness what the paranormal world had to offer if it really existed.

#5 — The Nazi and The Search for the Holy Grail and the Spear of Destiny

You’ve probably watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in which the Nazis were on the hunt for the mythical and magical Holy Grail. And while we can’t say for certain if they did encounter an immortal knight or solicited the expertise of an archaeologist with a dashing appearance equal to that of Harrison Ford, the Nazis did look for the Holy Grail in real life, along with other religious ancient artifacts like the Spear of Destiny.

According to the book “The Desecrated Abbey” written by Montserrat Rico Góngora, Heinrich Himmler, the head of the Nazi SS, embarked on a top-secret mission during the Second World War to acquire the Holy Grail at an abbey in Spain. The book claims that the Reichsführer-SS believed that Jesus Christ was not the King of the Jews, and was in fact of Aryan blood. And so, Himmler allegedly thought that if the Nazis gained possession of the Aryan Holy Grail, the ancient artifact would grant him supernatural powers and help the Germans win the global war. Unfortunately for the Nazi leader, no such magical cup was found, and if he did find one, it was never disclosed to the public.

There are also stories and historical records claiming that Hitler himself acquired the Spear of Destiny – the lance that pierced the body of Jesus to confirm his death – back in 1938 following his annexation of Austria. According to legend, whoever gains possession of the Spear also gains the power to decide the fate of the world. However, once he ceases to be its owner, he meets his death and is refused entry to the gates of Heaven. While what he found may very well be a very expensive knock-off of the Holy Lance, Hitler brought this Spear to Nuremberg for safekeeping.

In 1945, U.S. soldiers under the leadership of General Patton got a hold of the spear Hitler thought was the real Spear of Destiny. Interestingly, Hitler died soon after he lost ownership of the lance, having committed suicide in his bunker. It seems to confirm the legend that losing possession of the spear results to the owner’s death, but we won’t be able to test this theory again unless we’re hoping to encounter another tyrannical global leader, so perhaps it is better that the spear Hitler discovered is being safely kept inside the Weltliches Schatzkammer Museum in Vienna instead.

People at war live in violent and uncertain times, which is why it is not that surprising that even in the modern world, opposing sides of a conflict are desperate to find ways to turn the tides of these bloody battles in their favor. To some of us, the idea of using magic, exploring psychic defense or searching for lost ancient artifacts all for the sake of winning a war seems an absurd waste of time. However, to the leaders of these modern armies, it is a factor that they could not discount so easily.

After all, they could not risk not giving magic and the supernatural the time of day when their enemies were spending resources to possibly utilize them as weapons. What if their enemies succeeded? How could they outsmart an enemy that has mastered the art of deception and misdirection? How could they fight against thousands of troops that can easily kill their opponents and predict the future using only their minds? How could they win against a colossal army in possession of a powerful ancient artifact that pretty much made them invincible?  

As commanders that lead thousands, if not millions, of soldiers, these military and intelligence leaders chose to exhaust all possibilities to end the conflict in their favor, even if it meant resorting to magic or the supernatural. Perhaps, from their perspective, they would rather have their pursuit for such things end up as a fruitless endeavor rather than neglect that option and allow their enemies to use it against them later on.

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SOURCES:

http://listverse.com/2013/03/05/10-attempts-to-use-magic-and-the-supernatural-to-win-wars/

http://www.cracked.com/article_24722_6-modern-armies-who-tried-to-win-wars-using-magic-sci-fi.html

https://www.thrillist.com/vice/10-secret-lessons-from-the-cia-manual-of-trickery-and-deception

https://archive.org/stream/cia-manual-trickery-deception-2009/cia-manual-trickery-deception-2009_djvu.txt

https://www.magictricks.com/war-magician.html

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/23456119/#.WWjSIIiGPb1

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/revealed-how-mi5-recruited-an-astrologer-in-plot-to-outwit-hitler-790876.html

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/news-blog/us-and-soviet-spooks-studied-parano-2008-10-29/

https://www.wired.com/2007/12/rand-russians-t/

http://io9.gizmodo.com/5889471/what-is-the-spear-of-destiny-and-where-can-you-get-it

http://www.salon.com/2016/03/04/relic_hunter_a_missing_christian_relic_the_fall_of_nazi_germany_and_a_mystery_that_flummoxed_historians_for_centuries/

The Mystery of Ancient Egypt’s Red-Haired Mummies

What we’re going to be talking about right now is what some people may consider being a controversial subject, but also one worthy of study. Do we really know, genetically speaking, where ancient Egyptians came from?

When we try to imagine what Ancient Egypt may have looked like, some of us immediately picture a civilization populated by citizens with dark skin and dark hair. But was that truly the case?

At the time when graves of mummies were discovered more than a hundred years ago, a general expectation was that the early Egyptians were of Negroid origin. But in our enlightened and technologically-advanced era, where we possess greatly-enhanced capabilities in forensic science, certain mind-blowing archaeological discoveries and evidence have emerged that are not exactly supportive of the seemingly universally known the fact that dynastic Egyptians were exclusive of black African origin.  

All shades of hair were found around the time of Ancient Egypt’s civilization – from brown to blonde, and even auburn and red. Today, these hair colors are found among the people of North Europe and North America and are indicative of Caucasian origins. Does this mean there were fair-skinned, blonde or red-haired ancient Egyptians prior and during Egypt’s dynastic periods?

Theory That Some Ancient Egyptians Were of Caucasoid Origin

There is a theory suggesting that before 2000 BC, Egyptians were of Caucasoid-European ethnicity. This is supported by the physical anthropology of the oldest mummies that have been found, the busts and statues of several pharaohs and their wives, the colored wall paintings discovered, and the descriptions provided in historical accounts.  As early as 5000 BC, the majority of the Caucasoid-European occupants of Egypt were believed to have begun abandoning the increasingly warm country and headed to the cooler climates of Europe. Then, after about 1500 BC, the population in the area became increasingly mixed with the Nubians from the South of Egypt, which explains the typical physical appearance and genetic makeup of modern-day Egyptians.

This theory strongly refutes the ideas of Afrocentrism with the presentation of several archaeological, anthropological and forensic evidence, three of which I am about to discuss with you now.

The “Ginger” from the Gebelein Pre-Dynastic Mummies

One of the most famous cases of mummies of Ancient Egypt that had red or blonde hair is one of the Gebelein pre-dynastic mummies which is housed in the British Museum.  Commonly referred to by curators and the public as “Ginger,” this ancestor from ancient Egypt died more than five thousand years ago, in the Late Pre-dynastic period, around 3400 BC or earlier. His mummified body was found in a cemetery at Gebelein, Egypt, with his toe and finger nails perfectly preserved. He was given the nickname of “Ginger” because of his golden curly hair, which interestingly, looks similar to the curly locks often seen on Greek and Roman sculptures. And although his body is stained from being buried in the sand for more than 5,000 years, this Egyptian ancestor looked like he once had yellowish-white skin.

Red-Haired Mummies from the Fag el-Gamous Cemetry

Another example of uncovered red-haired mummies from Ancient Egypt are the ones found among thousands of other mummies by a group of archeologists in the Fag el-Gamous graveyard in the south of Cairo.

Archaeologists from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah have been excavating the Fag el-Gamous cemetery for about 30 years, and they had established that many of the mummies they have found date back date back to 30 BC, which is around the time when the Roman or Byzantine Empire ruled Egypt. Researchers concluded that there were more than a million bodies within this cemetery, and it was also revealed that the Fag el-Gamous graveyard was not intended for royalty, but for the common people.

There were many interesting discoveries that were uncovered in the excavation of this ancient cemetery and the analysis of the mummies found buried in the area, and one of them is the observation that the mummies appear to be clustered together according to hair color. They found blonde-haired mummies in one area, while another area was filled with red-haired ones. This led to the overall impression that the clusters of mummies buried by hair color in the graveyard could be indicative that these people once belonged to the same family groups, and therefore, were related to each other. This also speaks volumes of the possibility that a small but significant part of ancient Egypt’s population was red-haired or blonde-haired individuals.

The Mummy of Ramesses II

The last case of red-haired Egyptian mummies we will be discussing is the preserved body of Ramesses II – who is arguably the most famous of all the Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. Ramesses II ruled as a Pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty between 1279 to 1213 BC and is believed to be the one who reigned when the Children of Israel were liberated through the prophet Moses.

In 1975, the Egyptian government tasked French scientists to attempt the preservation of Ramesses’s mummy. This opened an opportunity for researchers to determine his age, body condition, health, diet, and even his racial affinities. There were those who were of the opinion that Ramesses II was black. However, according to the study conducted by Professor P.F. Ceccaldi and his research team, microscopic examinations of the pharaoh’s hair roots showed that his hair had natural red pigments, which meant that in his younger years, Ramesses II was a red head. Moreover, it was also determined that Ramesses had wavy hair, and a combination of these features meant that the pharaoh was fair-skinned.

Research

While there has been enough evidence for some experts to conclude that some ancient Egyptians were blonde or red-haired – there are still many researchers who believe that there was no Ancient Egyptians whose natural hair wasn't dark brown or black. Some of these skeptics argue that mummies found with light-colored strands of hair can be explained by the effects of the mummification process itself.

And so, to find a definitive answer to this intriguing question about the effects of the mummification process on human hair, Dr. Janet Davey from the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine in Australia decided to conduct experiments on 16 hair samples from men and women aged between 4 and 92 years old. Most of the hair samples were dark-colored, but for comparison, one of the sample strands was gray, while another one was fair. There was also one strand with henna on it.

Davey and her colleague, retired industrial chemist Alan Elliot, also prepared some powder of synthetic natron for their experiment. Natron was a type of salt that was applied on the bodies during the process of mummification to dry them out. It has also been linked to the supposed change in the hair color of the human remains.  

Davey and Elliot covered the hair samples in synthetic natron for 40 days – the same amount of time believed to be required back in ancient times to dry out human bodies. When the 40-day period had passed, the samples were removed from the salty powder, and after undergoing microscopic analysis, it was determined that there was no change in the color of the hair samples at all.

For Dr. Davey, the result of her experiment is convincing enough to say that fair-haired Egyptians did exist in Ancient Egypt; it’s just that finding fair-haired Egyptian mummies has so far been a very rare occurrence. Some ancient Egyptians could have been blue-eyed blondes or red heads, and while the country during those times was not as multi-cultural as several parts of the world are today, there were certainly a variety of racial mixes that made the existence of fair-skinned Egyptians possible.   

Now, is this discovery particularly earth-shattering? Well, it depends on which vantage point you are analyzing the evidence from. It remains the fact that a majority of Egyptians today are dark-haired and dark-skinned. These archaeological, anthropological and forensic evidence merely attest to a not-so implausible reality that, at some point in its ancient history, there was a portion of the people in Egypt who were red or blonde-haired and fair-skinned. In our modern world, individuals of different race and ethnicities encounter and mingle with each other like a natural habit, if not an inescapable necessity. So, is it really that surprising that our ancestors did the same thing thousands of years ago?

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Sources:

http://fabweb.org/2016/11/29/the-myth-of-blonde-egyptians/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2877855/Cemetery-one-MILLION-mummies-unearthed-Egypt-1-500-year-old-desert-necropolis-largest-found.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gebelein_predynastic_mummies

http://www.egyptorigins.org/ginger.htm

http://www.celticnz.co.nz/Nazca/Ancient%20Caucasoid%20Egyptians.htm

https://hiddenincatours.com/the-mystery-of-ancient-egypts-red-haired-mummies/

http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/05/mystery-of-the-blonde-egyptian-mummies-has-been-solved/

http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/new-research-shows-some-ancient-egyptians-were-naturally-fair-haired-005812

http://www.livescience.com/49147-egyptian-cemetery-million-mummies.html

http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/intriguing-discoveries-million-mummy-necropolis-egypt-revealed-002459

Mysterious Ancient Caves that Could Rewrite History

Caves are more than just hollow places in our earthly ground; they play a very indispensable role in the story of mankind. Aside from serving as a shelter for our earliest ancestors, ancient caves also serve as a rich source of many extraordinary artifacts, mysterious undeciphered symbols, and traces of unknown human civilizations in different parts of the world. For some old cultures, several of which still endure to this day, these caves were seen in a mystical and a magical light, while some archaeologists have discovered evidence in these places that raise several compelling and unanswered questions about our distant past.

And so, in this list, let us talk about seven of the most mysterious ancient caves that could re-write history as we know it.

2. Theopetra Cave – Thessaly, Greece

Located at the foot of the Chasia mountain range, which serves as the natural boundary between Thessaly and Macedonia prefectures, the Theopetra Cave is a unique archaeological site that holds many ancient secrets. The site contains one of the longest archaeological sequences in Greece as it contained cultural remains from the Middle and Upper Paleolithic as well as Mesolithic and Neolithic periods, bridging the Pleistocene epoch with the Holocene. Earliest estimation of human inhabitants in the cave dates back to 130,000 years ago, and the site is also the home to the oldest known example of man-made structure – an ancient stone wall that is believed to have been constructed 23,000 years ago as a probable barrier against cold winds. Excavations of the Theopetra Cave started in 1987, and over the years, more and more groundbreaking discoveries have been uncovered by experts in this ancient place.

2. Ciur-Izbuc Cave – Transylvania, Romania

In 1965, Ciur-Izbuc Cave in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania was found to contain around 400 ancient human footprints. At the time of its discovery, researchers were of the opinion that the footprints were made by a man, woman and child who was in the cave approximately 10,000 to 15,000 years ago. However, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, the ancient human footprints found in the Romanian cave are actually more than 35,000 years old. Radiocarbon testing on the bear bones found buried just beneath some of the footprints revealed that they are tens of thousands of years older than the initial estimate. To scientists, the footprints found in the Ciur-Izbuc Cave are evidence of the earliest known humans in Europe, which was only previously determined through the discovery of animal bones and stone tools.

3. Royston Cave – Hertfordshire, England

The Royston Cave is an artificial cave that was discovered in August 1742. When it was found, the cave was half-filled with dirt and rock, but once the earth was removed, they found several sculptures and carvings, which date as far back as 1200 AD. The images of the artifacts found in the cave are mostly religious in nature, including a depiction of the Holy Family and the Crucifixion. It remains unknown who created the artificial cave or what its purpose was when it was made, but there has been much speculation in answering this mystery. Some believe that the Royston Cave was used by the Knights Templar, while others think it may have been an Augustinian store mine. However, none of these theories have been substantiated yet, leaving the origin of the cave to continue as an enigma even until now.

4. Huashan Caves – Huangshan, China

Manually chiseled more than 1700 years ago, the Huashan caves are steeped in ancient and mysterious legends. Each cave ranges from 10 to 20 meters in height, with their variously-shaped stone columns supporting the ceilings. A total of 36 chambers have been found among the Huashan Hills, and their neatly chiseled walls and roofs, big pillars and stone stairs indicate that these caves were excavated by men. Because there are currently no historical records revealing why our ancestors in China dug the Huashan Caves, a variety of guesses have been presented in an attempt to resolve this mystery. Some believe the caves were dug to produce stone which probably had been used to build a nearby town. Another theory suggests that the caves were once used to station troops. There is also speculation that the caves were used as imperial tombs but were somehow abandoned later on. However, despite these interesting guesses, the true purpose of the Huashan Caves remains a mystery left unanswered by modern man.

5. Ellora Caves – Maharashtra, India

Situated not far from Aurangabad, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, the site is home to 34 monasteries and temples, extending over a distance of more than 2 kilometers. Unlike past examples in history, where the dominant religion of a particular time and place brought down the temples and structures of other groups, replacing them with their own, the Ellora Caves is proof that tolerance, acceptance, and co-existence of different religions are possible. The caves are a unique sanctuary that blends the art and culture of three religions – Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. It is unclear when these caves were built, but estimates range from between 200 B.C. and 600 A.D. to 600 A.D. and 1000 A.D.

6. Piyang Caves – Tibet

The Piyan Caves are among the most important caves of Tibet, situated in the western part of the Tibetan Plateau and close vicinity of the sacred Mount of Kailash. There are over 1,100 caves at the site of different shapes and sizes – some are habitation sites, while other locations are believed to be meditation or ritual caves governed by gods and spirits. Humans inhabited the Tibetan Plateau at least 21,000 years ago, so there are speculations that numerous ancient artifacts and relics are hidden in the caves, tunnels, dark subterranean passages and other mysterious areas at the site, many of which have yet to be localized. The Piyang region covers an area of 10,000 square meters, making it difficult to explore. In the many temples built in the vicinity, there are prehistoric castle walls, murals, sculptures, pagodas and Buddhist niches filled with priceless paintings. However, no one really knows for sure where all the ancient scriptures, historical paper scrolls and prehistoric books believed to be safeguarded in the caves are really hidden.

7. Denisova Cave – Siberia, Russia

Located in the northwestern Altai Mountains some 6 kilometers away from the village of Chernyi Anui, the Denisova Cave is a rock shelter where a series of scientific discoveries on man’s origins have been made in recent years. In 2008, a finger bone fragment of a juvenile female – referred to as the “X woman” – was found at the site. Experts have estimated that the female lived around 41,000 years ago, and analysis has indicated that this creature was genetically distinct from Neanderthals and modern humans. This previously unknown and long extinct hominin species or subspecies has been named Denisovan after the cave where the bone fragment was discovered. In 2010, analysis on an upper molar from a young adult which was found in the cave ten years earlier was also determined to be from a Denisova hominin. The cave is located in a region thought to have also been inhabited concurrently in the past by Neanderthals and modern humans, making the site the one place we know so far where all three human forms have lived at one time or another.

The ancient caves we have mentioned are just a few of many archaeological sites that have the potential to rewrite history as we know it. These ancient sites and their abundant resources of historical and archaeological evidences are still being extensively explored and studied until now, as many believe that these caves still hide an abundance of secrets and discoveries that could fill the missing pieces in the origins of humanity.

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Sources:

http://www.messagetoeagle.com/10-mysterious-ancient-caves-that-could-re-write-history/
http://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places/ten-amazing-caves-ancient-world-002957?nopaging=1
http://www.messagetoeagle.com/ancient-secrets-of-the-theopetra-cave-worlds-oldest-man-made-structure-and-home-to-humans-130000-years-ago/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theopetra_cave
http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-evolution-human-origins/oldest-european-human-footprints-romanian-cave-102003
http://www.messagetoeagle.com/unanswered-questions-related-to-the-mysterious-huashan-caves/
http://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-asia/magnificent-ellora-caves-india-001605
http://www.messagetoeagle.com/ancient-secrets-hidden-in-the-piyang-caves-mysterious-sacred-caves-of-tibet/
http://www.messagetoeagle.com/first-unique-view-inside-denisova-cave-ancient-history/#.V9Mi4_mLSM9
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denisova_Cave
https://www.thoughtco.com/denisova-cave-only-evidence-denisovan-people-170604

The Food Chinese Emperors Ate

What kinds of delicious food did the emperors eat in Imperial China? Since the time of emperors living in magnificent palaces, there were such things as imperial foods. Specially prepared meals exclusively for the emperors, their wives, concubines, and royal family members Imperial food represented the best cuisine that a dynasty had to offer. The emperors and those who cater to their health and nutrition used their resources and influence to discover the very best delicacies from across the nation and picked the top cooks to them.

While Imperial food is a reflection of each dynasty's diet, it's also an indispensable part of Chinese cultural heritage that endures even into our modern era.

What is Chinese Imperial Cuisine?

Chinese Imperial Cuisine's diverse cooking styles originated from different Chinese regions and are a collection of various dishes and delicacies that were originally invented by the common people. The royal chefs studied and refined the dishes until fit for an emperor.

The Imperial cuisines are characterized by:

1. intricate cooking methods,
2. meticulous selection of quality raw materials,
3. time-consuming and complicated preparation, and
4. elaborate visual presentation.

History of Chinese Imperial Cuisine

Styles and tastes of Imperial Chinese Cuisines differ from one dynasty to another, with each dynasty possessing its own distinctive features. China’s dietetic culture started from the Xia, Shang, and Zhou Dynasties. However, the nation’s imperial cuisine evolved rapidly during the Qin and Han Dynasties' ruling periods and thrived in the Tang, Song, and Yuan Dynasties. It reached considerable heights in the more recent Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Although China’s dietetic culture developed much earlier than the Zhou Dynasty, most agree Chinese imperial food can trace its roots there. Not only was the Zhou Dynasty's Imperial Cuisine an improvement from those prepared in the early Xia and Shang Dynasties, it was also during this period that a complete imperial food management system of the royals and noblemen began. From procurement, diets, and preparation, to staffing, supervision, and the development of meal grades for the members of the imperial family, these responsibilities were handled in accordance with the empire’s established “eating rites.”

As prescribed in the “Rites of the Zhou Dynasty,” “when the emperor took a meal, there were 12 deep bowls with legs and 12 plates. Music was played to urge him to eat.” The rites also indicated that the three daily meals that the emperor would consume included beef, pork, mutton, fish, cured meat, intestine, and stomach.

Even banquets and feasts held by the emperor and his officials had rules to follow. For example, according to the Rites of the Zhou Dynasty, “When the Emperor gives a banquet, there must be six cereals and six animals for food, the six clears for drink, 120 delicacies, eight dainties, and 120 urns of sauce.” The six cereals mentioned in the Rites were rice, broomcorn, wheat, sorghum, millet and wild rice stem, while the six animals the Rites referred to were cow, pig, chicken, sheep, horse, and dog.

Zhou Dynasty

In the Zhou Dynasty, 22 departments were tasked with handling and managing imperial foods prepared and served in the palace. More than 2,300 staff members had different responsibilities and positions in the department like chief cook, internal cook, external cook, assistants, nutritionists, and even wine officers. This complex organization of the royal kitchen assured a detailed and well-defined division of labor that maintained the premium quality of the meals served to the emperor.

Food in Chinese politics became very important during the Zhou, Qin and Han Dynasties, as holding banquets became standard practice whenever the emperor hosted meetings with princes, dukes, or royal family. The imperial food in the later Han and Wei dynasties largely followed this Zhou Dynasty system. However, China’s empowered economy and openness for cultural exchange allowed the palace to attain external sources of raw materials, superior cooking utensils, widespread use of ironware, and higher quality standards for imperial dishes and the skills to make them.

Sui, Tang, & Song Dynasties

The imperial food of the Sui, Tang, and Song Dynasties also picked up the established system and rules of the previous dynasties, but there were also a lot of changes implemented during these periods in what kinds of food were served to the emperor and members of his family and how they were prepared. There were also more variety in the dishes that were made during these dynasties, as the royal kitchen paid a lot of its attention in diversifying the flavor, tastes, color, and presentation of these dishes. They also took great lengths into naming these dishes. Some popular imperial dishes handed down to us today are quick-friend prawns, fried ringing bells, crab rolls, and steamed Mandarin fish with no soy sauce.

Song & Qing Dynasties

Foods during the Song and Qin dynasties were very similar. However, when the Ming Dynasty usurped Mongolian rule in China, the royal kitchen abandoned the Mongolian food style served to the Yuan emperors. Instead, imperial cuisine during the Ming Dynasty was mostly inspired by Southern Chinese flavors because the emperor preferred it. Protecting the emperor’s health also became an important factor in the preparation of imperial meals, and the rulers of the Ming Dynasty were particularly mindful of protecting their well-being by eating the right healthy foods.

Ming Dynasty

Imperial cuisine of the Ming dynasty was essentially grain-based. At the time, meat and beans were used less in the emperors’ meals compared to their significant use in the earlier dynasties of China. The meat and fish eaten by the emperors were limited to chicken, pheasant, goose, duck, carp, golden carp, Mandarin fish, bream, rabbit, and deer.

The menu in the Ming Palace also changed daily, and the royal kitchen did not repeat the meals and light refreshments they served to the emperors on a daily basis. Some dishes worth noting are shark’s fin soup and edible bird’s nest. Prawns and sea cucumbers were also served in the palace during the Ming Dynasty. Peking Duck, a dish which was first heard of during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, were also fully developed during this time and included in official menus of imperial dishes cooked in the Ming Palace.

There are very few differences between the imperial food served during the Ming Dynasty and the subsequent Qing Dynasty, and even today, the cuisines from these two dynasties remain important to those with Chinese ancestry in different parts of the world. In the Forbidden City, around the imperial rule of the Qing Dynasty, the Imperial Household Department was the division in the Chinese empire’s government that was given the mandate involving the management of the emperor’s meals. There was also a special organization known as the “Imperial Kitchen” in the Qing palace that was tasked with the preparation of imperial cuisine for the emperor.

During the rule of Emperor Qianlong, the kitchens for the imperial tea and meals were separated into two groups: the External Kitchen and the Internal Kitchen. The External Kitchen handled the Qing palace’s official food-related events such as feasts, banquets, and sacrificial rites. The Internal Kitchen, on the other hand, was divided further into departments assigned in the management and preparation of vegetables, meat dishes, roasting, rice cooking, and baking. The meat department, for one, was responsible for cooking delicacies from both land and sea. The bakery was assigned with making cakes and pastries, and the rice-cooking department was the team designated with the preparation of cooked rice and different porridges.  

The Imperial cuisine was a significant part of the lives of the royal family members residing in the Qing Palace. The rites of preparing and serving imperial dishes during this time are arguably the greatest of all Chinese dynasties. They included the number of individuals required to make them, and the quality, variety, and cost of the courses served at every meal. Some of the notable dishes of this period were, for example, the Dezhou Braised Chicken – a which is a traditional cuisine that originated from Dezhou in Shangdong Province – and the Wensi Tofu – a soup dish that can be traced back to Jiangsu cuisine.

With how much of its legacy managed to endure until today, Chinese imperial cuisine cannot be dismissed as a minute and irrelevant element of the country’s history. In reality, besides reflecting the dedication, effort, and ingenuity of all the preparers, servers, and inventive common people, Chinese imperial cuisine is also an integral part of all Chinese people's cultural heritage.

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Sources:

http://www.cits.net/china-travel-guide/imperial-cuisine-museum-of-china.html
http://www.china.org.cn/english/imperial/25995.htm
http://www.china.org.cn/english/imperial/26109.htm
http://www.china.org.cn/english/imperial/26110.htm
http://www.china.org.cn/english/imperial/26112.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Imperial_cuisine
http://gbtimes.com/life/forbidden-city-how-did-emperor-eat
https://www.quora.com/What-dishes-best-represent-Chinas-history-and-culture

5 Great Ancient Mysteries of China

China is one of the world’s four ancient civilizations and considered the oldest civilization with an unbroken history up to today's modern era. Though Chinese history is unrivaled in its documentation, and its ancient origins have been extensively studied by various experts in science, history and archaeology, China – as a cradle of human civilization – remains a place full of secrets. 

Moreover, so, let us examine five of the greatest ancient mysteries that China has to offer. 

1. Ancient City Under Fuxian Lake

Spanning an area of 212 square kilometers, the Fuxian Lake stretches out through Chenjiang, Jianchuan and Huaning Counties in Yunnan Province. It is ranked as the third-largest lake in Yunnan, and also the deepest lake in the province. As it is 155 meters deep at its greatest depth, the Fuxian Lake is also the third-deepest freshwater lake in all of China. 

The Fuxian Lake is known for its unique fauna and many endemic species, but beyond this is a mystery that lies scattered on the lake’s unexplored bottom. According to an ancient local legend, a city-like silhouette under the lake can be seen on a beautiful calm day from the mountains nearby. To confirm if there is a hidden city in the deep waters of the lake, a Chinese submarine archaeology team stationed in the area conducted surveys in the Fuxian Lake. 

In 2001, they discovered earthenware and stonework beneath the lake, covering an area of approximately 2.4 to 2.7 square kilometers. Carbon dating of some shells attached to the blocks confirmed that the site was 1750 years old, which meant that it had existed around 257 CE and sunk during the Han period. It is believed that the ancient unidentified structure of the under-lake construction could represent the remains of the ancient Dian Kingdom. The Dian Kingdom is an ancient country with a high level of civilization which mysteriously disappeared after 86 BC.  

As for how the ancient civilization ended up at the bottom of the lake, some say that the ancient kingdom slid into the lake during an earthquake. Nevertheless, there are various legends involving the Fuxian Lake which has endured for more than 1,000 years that have yet to be verified. Since it is a huge body of water that remains largely unexplored, the credibility of these compelling mysteries may remain unconfirmed in the foreseeable future.

2. Mystery of the Huashan Caves

Located in the eastern suburbs of Tunxi district in the Anhui province city of Huangshan, the Huashan Caves are steeped in ancient, mysterious legends. Each ranging from 10 to 20 meters in height, the Huashan Caves, were manually chiseled more than 1,700 years ago. Stone columns, which vary in shapes support the caves’ ceilings. Altogether, 36 chambers were found among the Huashan Hills. Some of these chambers are filled with water, while some are two-story chambers. It's neatly chiseled walls and roofs, the big pillars and stone stairs, indicated that men excavated the caves.

Out of all the 36 caves, the biggest of them all is the Qingliang Cave, which is also referred to as the “Underground Palace” because of its scale and magnificent layout. This cave has a total length of 170 meters and an area of 12,600 square meters, and digging out the cave could have originally produced at least 50,000 cubic meters of stone. Inside the cave, a stone bridge above an underground river can be found, and stone paths lead to different halls. 

The Huashan Mountain has the biggest, most content-rich, and best-preserved ancient rock carvings ever discovered in China. They stretch 200 meters long and 40 meters high containing over 1,800 images. Carbon dating suggests the oldest ones are 16,000 years old with the youngest still 690 years old. 

Since no historical records reveal why the ancient people dug the Huashan Caves, some people believe the caves were mined for many stones needed to build a nearby town, to station troops, or maybe as Imperial tombs eventually abandoned. Despite all these guesses, the true reason creating this elaborate site remains an enduring mystery unanswered by today's man.

 
3. The Mystery of the Mystical Yellow Emperor

Ancient Chinese records speak of an extraordinary being, described as a god-like king and the “son of heaven.” This wise and powerful being was Huang-Di or Yellow Emperor. He was a legendary ruler who is said to have lived for over one hundred years around 3,000 B.C. Cited for being instrumental in developing the Chinese society and for being the founder of Chinese civilization, the Yellow Emperor created Chinese medicine, various religious practices, and mechanical inventions. 

However, aside from these achievements, there are several other reasons why the legendary Yellow Emperor was special and different. Huang-Di possessed advanced technology and extensive knowledge of the stars and the heavens. It was even believed that he descended on Earth in a “thunderclap on a clear day” when he began his reign. It has also been said that he had the ability to summon a metal-scaled dragon. He also kept in his possession a magical chariot known as Changhuan, which could take the Yellow Emperor to any part of his kingdom at fantastic speed. 

Given the nature of the Yellow Emperor’s backstory, there are those who have speculated that Huang-Di was actually an extra-terrestrial who landed in the land of ancient China five thousand years ago and ruled over the people who lived in the area at the time. Whether this is true or not, it cannot be denied that the Yellow Emperor is a very important figure in ancient China’s legends and history. 

4. Ancient World Buried Under the Taklamakan Desert

Ancient people believed that once you entered the Taklamakan desert, there was no getting out of it. The Taklamakan desert is the largest desert in China, and it is considered to be the world’s second largest shifting-sand desert, covering a massive area of over 33,700 square kilometers.

A long, long time ago, houses and temples were built amid the vast space of the “Sea of Death.” However, today, everything – including precious ancient relics – are hidden deep under the sand. Over the years, archaeologists have begun to discover some of the secrets that have been hidden in this mysterious region. 

Aside from its vital role in trade and commerce back when Silk Road connected various traders from the East and the West, some believe that an entire ancient world is hidden beneath the sand of the Taklamakan Desert. Remains of houses, temples, and the ancient city of Loulan were found buried under the sand, and corpses dating back nearly 4,000 years were also discovered in the area.

In the late 1980s, several well-preserved mummies estimated to be at least 3000 years old were also discovered in the Taklamakan desert. These well-preserved corpses revealed that these people once had long reddish-blond hair and European features. Neither did they appear to be the ancestors of the modern-day Chinese people. Moreover, so, some experts in archaeology now believe that these mummies were once citizens of an ancient civilization existing at the crossroads between Europe and China. 

While this seems to be a big leap in logic, more surprising discoveries are expected to as archaeologists continue to investigate the mysterious and dangerous desert, which could support or refute the hypothesis of a secret ancient world hidden beneath the sand. 

5. The Great Pyramid of China

The story behind the Great Pyramid of China is beyond interesting. For years, the Chinese government has allegedly hindered proper and extensive studies to be performed on the numerous pyramids located near the city of Xi-an. The pyramids are believed to be over 8,000 years old, and one of them is said to be much larger than the world-famous Great Pyramid of Giza.

The knowledge of the existence of several pyramids in China came to popular attention sometime after the Second World War. Many of the stories focused on the “Great White Pyramid” or the Maoling, which is the tomb of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (156-87 BCE) located in Xingping, Shaanxi Province. 

During World War II, U.S. Army Air Corps pilot James Gaussman is said to have seen a white jewel-topped pyramid during his flight between India and China. Fascinated by what he saw, he decided to take several photographs, which he later submitted along with a detailed report to his superiors as soon as he returned to base. Colonel Maurice Sheahan, the Far Eastern director of the Trans World Airline, told a similar eyewitness account, which was published in the March 28, 1947, edition of The New York Times. Over the years, numerous images of the alleged gigantic pyramids in China have been taken by pilots and satellites, providing further confirmation of the existence of these mysterious structures in Asia. 

Given the immense knowledge of geometry and mathematics required to build these pyramids, a glaring question has been raised: Who were the mysterious people that built these Chinese pyramids?

There are those who speculate that the Great Pyramid, as well as the other pyramids standing in the area, were actually built by extraterrestrial beings. According to reports, several European excursions took samples of the objects and metals around these pyramids. Analysis showed a fascinating detail about them: the metallic materials present at the Pyramids have yet to be accurately identified until now, since these metals are made out of materials that are currently unknown to modern science. 

Aside from the five things we have just discussed, there are several other puzzling and strange ancient places and objects in this Far East civilization that are still shrouded in mystery. Many of these places and artifacts are unknown to the Chinese themselves, but should the time come that their hidden mysteries are completely unraveled, they have the potential to rewrite history as we know it. 

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Sources:
http://www.messagetoeagle.com/10-great-ancient-mysteries-of-china/
http://www.ancientpages.com/2015/06/13/underwater-city-unveiling-the-secrets-at-the-bottom-of-fuxian-lake/
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/m/anhui/travel/2011-05/10/content_12483078.htm
http://www.messagetoeagle.com/unanswered-questions-related-to-the-mysterious-huashan-caves/
http://www.ancientpages.com/2015/09/21/unravelling-mystery-yellow-emperor-connection-regulus/
https://www.ufoinsight.com/worldly-mysteries-chinas-yellow-emperor/
http://www.ancientpages.com/2014/05/21/secret-ancient-world-buried-under-the-vast-takla-makan-desert/
http://www.ancient-code.com/the-great-pyramid-of-china-the-largest-and-oldest-pyramid-on-the-planet/
http://www.ancientpages.com/2015/10/10/mysterious-great-pyramid-of-china-almost-totally-unknown-even-to-most-chinese/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_pyramids#Sensational_claims

The Ourang Medan, The Mystery of the Deadliest Ghost Ship in History

In June 1947, the Dutch freighter S.S. Ourang Medan was traveling along the straits of Malacca, when the ship suddenly sent out a chilling distress signal.

"All Officers, including the Captain, are dead. Lying in chartroom and bridge. Possibly whole crew dead."

This first message was followed by a series of indecipherable Morse code sequences until finally, a last ominous transmission:

"I die." 

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Ourang Medan's grim SOS was picked up by British and Dutch listening posts around Sumatra and Malaysia, who worked together to determined where the signal was coming from and alerted nearby ships.

American merchant ship Silver Star was first to reach Ourang Medan. They waived and shouted at the vessel to check for signs of life above deck. But there was no answer. Only eerie silence.

The US ship decided to send out a rescue team to board the ship to look for survivors. But what they found was a blood-curdling nightmare.

The entire Dutch crew was a ghastly pile of corpses – eyes wide open in horror, mouths are frozen in an eternal scream, arms stretched out as if saying stop as if saying no more.

Inside, they found the captain with the same twisted expression on his face as that of his men, dead on the bridge of the ship. Now nothing more than a dead captain, leading a dead ship.

His once strapping officers are now cold corpses straggled on the wheelhouse and chartroom floor. Even the ship’s dog wasn't spared a horrific death.

But the most harrowing is finding the radio operator, fingertips still on the telegraph where he sent his dying message.

After seeing the chilling devastation on board, the Silver Star decided to tow the Ourang Medan to port. But it wouldn't make it to shore, as thick clouds of smoke started rising from the lower decks and interrupted the rescue.

The crew barely had time to sever the line and move to safety, before the Ourang Medan exploded. The blast was apparently so big that the ship “lifted herself from the water and swiftly sank,” taking with it all the answers to its mysterious end to the bottom of the sea.

Or so the story of the Ourang Medan goes.

Some details may differ slightly in each version of the story. Like it happened in February 1948 instead of June 1947. Or that the waters that day were choppy instead of calm. And that the crew wasn't just dead, but they were decomposing at a faster rate. 

While in some versions, the details are, well, too detailed. Like one of the two American ships that heard the distress signal was named The City of Baltimore. That the smoke from the lower deck before the explosion came exactly from the Number 4 hold. Or that the poor canine aboard was a small terrier.

But whichever version of the story you've heard (or told), the basic plot points remain the same - Ourang Medan's entire crew met a gruesome and inexplicable death, and then very conveniently blew up and sank to the bottom of the ocean, leaving us all with an unsolved nautical macabre mystery.

So what happened to the Ourang Medan?

Theory #1: It was a cover up.

The most commonly pointed out loophole in the tale of the Ourang Medan is the vessel's lack of paper trail.

The Lloyd's Shipping registers don't have any mention of the ship. It's not in The Dictionary of Disasters at Sea that covers the years 1824-1962. It wasn't in the Registrar of Shipping and Seamen either.

There's no trace of it in the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. Nothing in the Dutch Shipping records in Amsterdam. The Maritime Authority of Singapore also doesn't have the ill-fated ship in any of their records. 

In other words, the Ourang Medan was a ghost ship, even before it gained notoriety as one. Because there's no tangible proof that it even existed.

But as espousers of this legend would explain, it's because the Ourang Medan is part of a transnational government cover-up involving the Netherlands, Japan, Germany, China, the United States, and possibly many others.

They believe that the ship was deliberately expunged from all maritime records because it was being used to smuggle a secret cargo of lethal nerve gas to Japan.

Saying the Ourang Medan's voyage is linked to Army Unit 731 founded by Japanese bacteriologist Shirō Ishii, whose main objective was to bring back a weapon of the chemical, gas, or biological variety, that could win the war in their favor.

But as the Geneva Protocol of 1925 prohibited the use of all chemical and biological weapons in war, the only way a large shipment of poisonous gas could make it across the other side of the world without raising any suspicion from authorities is by loading it as inconspicuous cargo, in an old, beat up Dutch freighter.  

This theory also provides a convenient and somewhat plausible explanation for the grisly death of the Ourang Medan's crew. With that much hazardous chemicals on board, a gas leak would've certainly led to the immediate death of everyone in the ship.

However, it wouldn't explain why the rescue crew from Silver Star wasn't affected by the poisonous gas when they boarded the ship.

Or why, like the Ourang Medan, there’s no mention of the Silver Star in Lloyd's register.

Theory #2: It was carbon monoxide poisoning.

American author and inventor of the term Bermuda Triangle, Vincent Gaddis, speculates that it was carbon monoxide poisoning is the answer to the mysterious deaths of the Ourang Medan crew.

According to his theory, burning fuel from a malfunctioning boiler system produced carbon monoxide fumes that poisoned the crew.

When breathed in carbon monoxide enters the bloodstream and prevents red blood cells from carrying oxygen around the body. At high levels, carbon monoxide can cause dizziness, vomiting, seizures, loss of consciousness, and even death. 

The trouble with this theory is that Ourang Medan is not an enclosed space. Fumes could've simply escaped into the atmosphere, and lives of the crew working the upper decks of the ship would've been spared.

Theory #3: It was pirates.

What's a story about a ghost ship without pirates, right?

There are theories claiming that pirates invaded the Ourang Medan and killed everyone on board, which although doesn't explain some accounts saying that there were no visible wounds on the victims' bodies, it does fit with the Strait of Malacca's long history with piracy as far back as the 14th century.

Because of its geography - narrow and dotted with many islets - it makes it ideal for a surprise attack towards ships using it as the trade route to China and Europe.

Theory #4: Ghosts

One of the most repeated, but arguably, also the most inconsequential detail in the story of the Ourang Medan is the extreme chill the rescue team felt as soon as they entered the hull of the ship, despite it being 110°F outside.

Inexplicable drop in temperature plus the frightened expressions on the crew's faces set in a vast, unforgiving sea, equals ghosts did it.

There aren't many supporters of this theory, but what's a ghost ship story without a ghosts-did-it theory?

Theory #5: Aliens

You might think that the alien theory is the most far-fetched, the most uncreative, the most cop out theory explaining the phenomena of the Ourang Medan, but it's a very popular theory, with entire books dedicated to it.

The story of the Ourang Medan has all the elements of a good mystery - inexplicable deaths, unknown assailants, world powers, war, pirates, ghosts, and multiple highly-plausible conspiracy theories. 

Which is probably why it still fascinates us to this day, even if it's already been dismissed by historians, researchers, and the casual internet fact-checker alike as a hoax.

But if it's good enough for the CIA to release a document in 1959 saying, that the Ourang Medan holds the key to many of the sea's mysteries, including that of sightings of huge fiery spheres that come from the sky and descend into the sea, then, it's certainly a hoax worth retelling.

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Sources:
1. Death Ship: The Ourang Medan Mystery, http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2011/11/death-ship-the-ourang-medan-mystery/
2. The Myth of the Ourang Medan Ghost Ship, 1940, http://skittishlibrary.co.uk/the-myth-of-the-ourang-medan-ghost-ship-1940/
3. S.S. Ourang Medan, http://www.crime-mystery.info/great-mysteries/ss_ourang_medan/the_hoax
4.S.S. Ourang Medan, https://www.historicmysteries.com/ourang-medan/
5. CARGO OF DEATH, https://web.archive.org/web/20070205223141/http://www.neswa.org.au/Library/Articles/A%20cargo%20of%20death.htm
6. LETTER TO<Sanitized> FROM C.H. MARCK, https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP80R01731R000300010043-5.pdf
7. Did the Ourang Medan “ghost ship” exist?, https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/20263/did-the-ourang-medan-ghost-ship-exist
8. The SS Ourang Medan: Death Ship (Updated), https://shortoncontent.wordpress.com/2015/01/15/the-ss-ourang-medan-death-ship-updated/
9. Mysterious Death at Sea: the Disturbing Discovery at the S.S. Ourang Medan, http://weekinweird.com/2011/07/17/mysterious-death-sea-disturbing-discovery-s-s-ourang-medan/
10. The Mammoth Book of Unexplained Phenomena: From bizarre biology to inexplicable astronomy, https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=YHCeBAAAQBAJ&lpg=PT263&dq=Vincent%20Gaddis%20ourang%20medan&pg=PT263#v=onepage&q=Vincent%20Gaddis%20ourang%20medan&f=false
11. Vincent Gaddis, http://self.gutenberg.org/articles/eng/Vincent_Gaddis
12. Crime on the high seas: The World's Most Dangerous Waters, http://www.cnbc.com/2014/09/15/worlds-most-pirated-waters.html
13. The World's Most Dangerous Waters, http://time.com/piracy-southeast-asia-malacca-strait/

Rama Setu: The Bridge Between Myth and History

source: hindutva.info

Roughly 1500 years old, narrated in 24,000 verses, and told in 480,000 words, the Sanskrit epic Ramayana forms part of the single most significant body of literature in ancient Indian lore—the Itihasa. Along with Ramayana, the Itihasa consists of another Sanskrit epic in Mahabharata and a collection of olden lore and legends in the Puranas.
 
Ramayana is an epic poem that chronicles the story of how Prince Rama rescued his wife Sita from the Demon King Ravana. Despite being considered as deeply meaningful literature, most experts agree that Ramayana is a product of mythology, rather than an artifact of actual history; in most recent years, however, this previously unshaken academic assumption has become the subject of much historical controversy.

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source: ThoughtCo

In Ramayana, the great Hindu poet and sage Valmiki makes a great mention of Rama Setu, a bridge across the ocean that connects India and Sri Lanka. Ramayana tells the story of how Prince Rama was forced into relinquishing his throne as the crowned prince of Ayodhya. Following his dethronement, the former prince, along with his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana, went into exile; the three spent fourteen years traveling across the deep forests of ancient India. As events unfolded, however, all hell broke loose when, in one of their forests journeys, Rama’s wife Sita was abducted by the Ten Headed Demon King Ravana.
 
To get his wife back, Rama gathered a large army that consists of a group of monkey soldiers called the Vanaras. In the story, Rama led his army from the mainland, which is modern day India, into the Island of Lanka, which is modern day Sri Lanka, where Sita has been held captive by the demon king. There, he waged war against the Demon King Ravana; a battle of epic proportions broke out. But in the end, Rama was able to destroy Ravana. The tale concludes with the return of Prince Rama and Sita to their home kingdom of Ayodhya, where the prince was finally crowned as the new king.

In Ramayana, Rama was initially unable to lead his forces of Vanaras across the ocean to the Island of Lanka. As such, the prince sought the help of the Sea God who gave him the precise instructions on how to build a bridge across the ocean; these included seeking the help of the Vanaras in constructing a floating bridge. The Vanara complied to Rama’s request by constructing a causeway made of rocks and boulders. The Vanaras did this by writing Rama’s name onto the stones, rocks, and boulders, and tossing them into the ocean.  It took the Vanaras five day to complete the bridge Rama Setu. Once in place, Rama used the Rama Setu to move his army across the ocean, and into the Island of Lanka.

source: Dr. Rita Louise

Because Ramayana has always been considered a work of fiction rather than an actual record of the past, the Rama Setu or Rama’s Bridge, in turn, was always believed to be a fictional bridge rather than an actual bridge. But in recent years, thanks to advanced satellite imaging technology, NASA has revealed photos of a land formation that appears to have been a causeway of sorts. These strips of land, although broken, appear to have, at some point in the past, extended across the ocean, thus bridging a part of modern day India into modern day Sri Lanka.
 
Today, this land formation is best known as Rama’s Bridge, in reference to the Rama Setu mentioned in the Ramayana. Rama’s Bridge is a long stretch of land connection that consists shoal and sandbank; it bridges the Rameswaram Island in India and the Mannar Island in Sri Lanka. 

Rama’s Bridge extends to 50 kilometers long; and although most of it is submerged underwater, it forms a solid, albeit intermittent, pathway that connects India to Sri Lanka. The records kept in Rameswaram temple indicate that the bridge remained above sea-level and was passable on foot until sometime in the 15th century when it was finally submerged in water by a great storm.

Both the peoples of India and Sri Lanka has long been aware of the existence of the bridge as made apparent by the prominence of the Sanskrit epic Ramayana. Since time immemorial, the sea that separates India and Sri Lanka has been referred to as Sethusamudram, which directly translates to sea of the bridge. 

People in the West, on the other hand, first heard of Rama’s Bridge through Ibn Khordadbeh, a Persian cartographer who lived in the 9th century. The cartographer made a mention of the bridge in his Book of Roads and Kingdoms; in the book; he called it Set Bandhai, which means Bridge of the Sea. 

In the early 19th century, a British cartographer prepared a map of the area and referred to the bridge as Adam’s Bridge; the name was derived from an Abrahamic-Islamic myth that speaks of Adam falling into a mountain in Sri Lanka and using the bridge to cross to mainland India. 

source: Writer's Block - WordPress.com

A good number of Orthodox Hindus believe that the existence of Rama Setu is in itself an unmistakable and undeniable proof of the Ramayana being a part of actual real-life history. To bolster its perceived historical value, believers have put out historical inscriptions, travel guides, dictionary references, and even old maps that validate the existence of Rama Setu as the same exact bridge featured in Ramayana.  

In 2002, NASA released photographs that show an almost unbroken chain of limestone shoals between the southeastern coast of India and the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka; these photos renewed the mythohistorical interests in Rama’s Bridge. Since then, many mainstream scientists, historians, and academics have repeatedly tried to debunk the pseudo-historical claims that surround the existence of Rama’s Bridge, making it clear that the structure in question wasn’t so much of a man-made bridge but a natural land formation of sorts. 

There remains much debate and conflicting claims on the origin and nature of the structure. Among the most prominent theories offered by mainstream science is that Rama’s Bridge is, in fact, a chain of barrier islands that resulted from the natural process of sand deposition and sedimentation that has occurred over long periods of time. Another explanation offered by mainstream scientists is the possibility that the landmasses of India and Sri Lanka may have been connected at some point in time in the old world, making Rama’s Bridge an ancient shoreline. 

In a rather confusing fashion, various scientific studies offer different definitions on what Rama’s Bridge is; it has been described as a chain of shoals, an extended stretch of coral reefs, a sequence of barrier islands, a sandbar, and a narrow strip of land, among other things. For all the speculations and explanations offered by the mainstream sciences, much of the scientific community has yet to arrive at an acceptable consensus on what Rama’s Bridge is exactly. 

Over the years, modern day scientists, historians, and academic researchers have repeatedly made clear what  Rama’s Bridge is not. Rama’s Bridge was not, at any point in time, a manmade structure; Rama’s Bridge, despite its name, is not the same mythohistorical bridge referenced in Ramayana; and perhaps most importantly, Rama’s Bridge was not constructed by the Vanana’s, nor was it built by any other ancient civilization of magical monkey soldiers 2,500,000 ago, as the Sanskrit epic suggests. But what if. What if we remain open to the possibility, however unlikely, that Rama’s Bridge was, in fact, all of these things? What effect then does it have on us, on sense history, and on our perceived understanding of the world? 

At present, it is widely regarded in the academe that civilized life on the planet began about 4,800 years ago. Scientists, historians, and academic researchers, among others, point to the fact that there is no substantial body of evidence whatsoever that supports the existence of a civilization predating ancient Sumerian and Egyptian societies, both of which are considered to be earliest civilizations in prehistory. 

Experts point out that the absence of evidence supporting the existence of a far older civilization plays directly in favor of the currently accepted timelines of civilizational and cultural development. This is where the growing interest in Rama’s Bridge and Ramayana comes in. 

source: HubPages

According to Hindu tradition, the events that unfolded in Ramayana took place during the Treta Yuga, which is presently considered a mythological period that began 2,165,000 years ago and lasted until 869,000 years ago. If we set aside, any mythical exaggeration alluded to in Ramayana, then assuming the possibility that Rama’s Bridge was, at some level, humanmade would place the structure well outside the accepted timeline; the existence of which would consequently imply the existence of a civilization that far predates ancient Sumerian and Egyptian societies. 

Although Rama is central to the unfolding of events in Ramayana, it is not exactly the crowned Prince of Ayodhya that makes for the most significant variable in the mythohistorical debate that surrounds Rama’s Bridge; It is, in fact, his army of monkey soldiers---The Vanaras. Around 2,500,000 years ago, at very doorstep of the Treta Yuga, human evolution was kick-started by the existence the genus Homo, with the Homo Habilis being the first primates that were able to wield tools. And by about 1,800,000 years ago, Homo Erectus started to walk the Earth. 

Archaeological sites that held the bones of Homo Erectus repeatedly reveal that these early humans coexisted in small communities; they lived in huts; they wore clothes, and they fashioned tools made of stone. Homo Erectus, in other words, showed early signs of a developing civilization---traits previously unheard of in predecessor primate groups. 

These ape men, so to speak, literally existed within the Tetra Yuga period.  As such, it might not be too far of a stretch to see the possible connection between today’s accepted history and the cherished mythology in the Ramayana. It’s not too far of a stretch to see the possible connection between these primitive human beings that we know, for a fact, existed in the past, and the Vanaras--builders of the ancient bridge that today rests in the waters of myth, magic, and history. 

The Mysterious World and History of the Knights Templar

The Knights Templar were a secret society whose true purpose remains hotly debated among scholars and historians even up to this day. Their story has been the subject of many legends and mysteries, capturing the fascination and curiosity of people throughout the ages.

Were the Templars sent to the Holy Land in Jerusalem to protect Christians on pilgrimages, or were they tasked to accomplish secret missions by higher authorities to search for lost artifacts and buried treasure in sacred temples and other holy sites?

The Templars left behind many clues of their existence which have since been passed down from one generation to another, with the memory of their legacy enduring until our modern era. Today in Europe, there are hundreds of sites and establishments scattered across the continent that used to belong to the Knights Templar – proof of the extent of their power and influence several centuries ago. At their peak, there were approximately 15,000 Templar houses with a vast network stretching from England to Europe, with its center of power located France – a country that was once the heart of the medieval world.

Looking back at their place in history, the legacy of the Knights Templar can be traced to their humble beginnings, their exceptional growth and rise to power, and the tragic decline of their significance.

Origins of the Knights Templar

After Christian fighters recovered Jerusalem during the First Crusade in 1099, groups of pilgrims from across Western Europe began to visit the Holy Land. Although the city of Jerusalem was relatively safe and secure under the Catholic Church’s control, the rest of the Outremer or the Crusader states were not. Bandits and marauding highwaymen preyed upon pilgrims, who were routinely robbed and slaughtered – sometimes by the hundreds – as they tried to reach the interior of the Holy Land.

And so, in 1119, Hugues de Payens and eight other knights offered their services to the patriarch of Jerusalem to protect these Christians on pilgrimages who are headed for the Holy Land. De Payens approached King Baldwin II of Jerusalem and Warmund, Patriarch of Jerusalem, and proposed the creation of a monastic order for the protection of these pilgrims. The King and the Patriarch Warmund agreed to this request, and the king granted the Templars a headquarters in a wing of the royal palace on the Temple Mount located in the captured Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is believed to be above the ruins of the Temple of Solomon.

The Crusaders referred to the Al-Aqsa Mosque as Solomon’s Temple, and from this location, the new monastic order took the name of “Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon,” or “Templar” knights, or “Knights of the Temple.”

Official Establishment of the Knights Templar

For the first decade since their establishment, the Knights Templar were few in number, and the order had few financial resources and could only rely on donations to survive. However, their impoverished status did not last long thanks to their powerful advocate Saint Bernard of Clairvaux – a leading Church figure who is primarily responsible for the founding of the Cistercian Order of monks. In 1129, Bernard led a group of influential churchmen to officially approve and endorse the order on behalf of the church. With the Templars’ formal recognition and official establishment, the order became a favored charity throughout Christendom, receiving plenty of land and money, and with many noble-born sons from powerful families joining the organization to help with the fight in and concerning the Holy Land.

It also helped the Templars’ cause when in 1139, Pope Innocent II’s papal bull ‘‘Omne Datum Optimum” exempted the order from obeying the local laws. This allowed the Templars to freely pass through all boarders; to avoid paying any taxes; and to be exempt from all authority except that of the pope. Now with a clear mission, abundant resources, and limited restrictions, the order grew rapidly and became very wealthy. And for two hundred years, the Knights Templar was the most powerful order in the medieval world.

Templar Organization

The Knights Templar were organized as a monastic order, and its organizational structure had a strong chain of authority. The Templars were led by a Grand Master, who is appointed for life and who oversaw both the order’s military efforts in the East and their financial holdings in the West.  His deputy was referred to as the Seneschal, which is followed in authority by the Marshal. The Marshal was responsible for individual commanders, horses, arms, equipment and ordering supplies.

The Commander of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, on the other hand, was the treasurer and he shared a certain authority with the Grand Master which served the purpose of balancing his power. Other cities also had their own Commanders, fulfilling specific regional responsibilities.

There was a threefold division of the ranks of the Templars: the noble knights, the non-noble sergeants, and the chaplains. The noble knights were equipped as the heavy cavalry and were the most visible branch of the Templars. The sergeants, on the other hand, brought many vital skills and trades to the order, serving as blacksmiths and builders, while also administering many of the order’s European properties. In the Crusader states, they fought alongside the noble knights as light cavalry. The chaplains constituted a third Templar class, and they were ordained priests who handled the spiritual needs of the order. All three classes wore the order’s signature red cross, with the knights wearing white mantles and the sergeants wearing black or brown clothing.

The Knights Templar as the First Western Multinational Corporation

Although the primary mission of the Knights Templar was military in nature, many of them acted in support positions which involve the management of the order’s financial infrastructure. While the members of the Templar Order were sworn to individual poverty, they were also given control over massive wealth that go beyond direct donations. Those who were interested in participating in the Crusades were given the option of placing all of their assets under Templar management while they were away. In this manner, the Knights Templar accumulated wealth throughout Christendom and the Outremer.

Then in 1150, the order devised a system which allowed pilgrims to travel without cash and valuables, generating letters of credit to those who are journeying to the Holy Land. Pilgrims deposited their possessions with a local Templar preceptory before departing for the Holy Land, and they received, in turn, a document indicating the value of their deposit. This letter of credit can then be used upon arrival in the Holy Land to retrieve their funds in an amount of treasure with the same value as their deposit. The Templar's innovative system was a model for today’s banking system with money transfers, pension plans, traveler’s checks, and more.

Because of many donations and their various business dealings, the order acquired large tracts of land in Europe and the Middle East; they bought and managed farms and vineyards; they built several stone cathedrals and castles; and at one point, they even owned the entire island of Cyprus. The immense wealth of the Knights Templar made them the prominent bankers of their age and arguably qualified them as the world’s first multinational corporation.

Decline

In the mid-12th century, the tide began to turn in the Crusades, with the Muslims becoming more united under effective leadership while dissent arose among the Christian factions. The occasional disputes among the Knights Templar, the Knights Hospitaller and the Teutonic Knights, and decades of internal feuds weakened the political and military positions of the Christians. With the failure of the Crusades and the subsequent closures of the passage to the Holy Land, the Templar order soon lost its founding purpose, becoming a standing army roaming Europe with no battle to fight and no one to answer to. This brought the Templars a lot of attention, and because of their wealth and political power, they became the target of other powerful forces that saw them as a threat to the power structure in the continent.

In 1302, King Philip IV of France came into conflict with the pope. To strike a crippling blow against the papacy and to gain wealth to fund war efforts, the king waged a vicious and skillful campaign aimed at suppressing the Templars for good. And so, on Friday, October 13, 1307 – which is notoriously referred to as “Friday the 13th” – all the Knights Templar in France were arrested by agents of King Philip. He also ordered that any member of the order still residing in the country to be thrown into prison where they were subjected to intense physical torture until they confessed to accusations of heresy, homosexuality and dishonest business activities. It is very likely that these confessions were completely untrue, but following these admissions and the scandal that smeared the Church’s reputation, Pope Clement V issued a Papal command to all Christians in 1312 ordering the disbandment of the Knights Templar.

With the last of the leaders of the order removed from power, the remaining Templars around Europe were either arrested and tried under the Papal investigation, absorbed into other military orders like the Knights Hospitaller or pensioned off and allowed to live the remainder of their days in peace. By papal decree, the properties managed by the Templars were transferred to the Knights Hospitaller since the military order absorbed many of the Templars’ members.

Given their fascinating military mission and their extensive financial resources and social significance during its period of existence, the Knights Templar have become associated with legends concerning secrets and mysteries that have allegedly been handed down to a select few from ancient times. For example, while most historians agree that the Knights Templar fully disbanded 700 years ago, there are those who argue that the order had been operating underground and remains in existence even to this day. This belief is further perpetuated by fictional embellishments that have been added in various materials in popular culture such as “The Da Vinci Code,” “Indiana Jones,” and “Assassin’s Creed.”

While the hypotheses about the Knights Templar presented in these fictional stories are undeniably intriguing, mainstream history still maintains that the order of the Knights Templar didn’t suddenly vanish or hide away their treasures to covertly continue their operations until today. What happened, in reality, was a gradual transition over several years of the Templar's decline and their member’s subsequent integration with the Knights Hospitaller or peaceful retirement away from the military operations of the Catholic Church.

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Sources:

http://www.ancient-origins.net/history/mystery-knights-templars-protectors-or-treasure-hunters-secret-mission-002971?nopaging=1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_Templar
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14493a.htm
http://www.history.com/news/ask-history/who-were-the-knights-templar
http://www.crystalinks.com/templars1.html
https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4508
https://www.thoughtco.com/the-knights-templar-warrior-monks-1789433

Bizarre Dark Day When The Sun Did Not Come Out

American Hauntings

On the day of May 19, 1780, people in New England woke up to find a shadowy smog drifting over the morning sun. Early twilight had fallen within the few hours that passed, and when noon came, the skies were already dark as midnight. Even the animals got confused by the unexpected darkness. The night birds sang while chickens in the area retired to their roosts. People had no other choice but to resort to lighting up candles so that they can see what was around them.

It would take a few centuries before scientists would eventually come up with the most probable cause of the out-of-this-world darkness in New England that day. However, during that time, many Americans were bewildered by the disappearance of sunlight, fearing that the biblical “end of days” was already at hand. That unusual day of confusion and awe has since been commemorated as the “Dark Day” of 1780.

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Background on New England’s Dark Day

Several days before the eventful “Dark Day” of May 19, 1780, people had noticed some unusual activities happening in the skies that loomed over New England. At the time, the region had only just recovered from one of its coldest winters on record, and though the still and breezy air in the town warmed up, the was also very dense. In the hours of dusk and dawn, the sun had a reddish hue while the moon glowed pink in the evening. Even General George Washington, who was based with some members of his Continental Army in neighboring New Jersey, mentioned in his diary entry that day that there were “heavy and uncommon kind of clouds” and that it was both dark as well as bright with a “reddish kind of light intermixed with them.”

Despite these unusual signs that appeared the day before, May 19 began as a typical, gloomy morning. The skies were both calm and gloomy while light rain drizzled over some places. People across New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut rose from their beds and headed out to their farms and their towns. It was not until sometime between 8 and 9 in that morning that people started to notice that something was now quite right with their surroundings. A heap of reddish-orange-tinted clouds rushed in from the west, blocking the rays of the early morning sun. And so, instead of glowing brighter, the skies had gone dimmer, with a veil colored like cider descending over the visible heavens.

The dark and cloudy mass of fog and shadows continued to accumulate as the morning passed by. By midday, the sun’s disc was already obscured as a whole and most if not all of the land of New England was shrouded by gloomy blackness. To work or to eat lunch, many people were forced to do so under the glow of faint candlelight. Others could only freeze and stare in amazement at what was unfolding all around them. Believing the sun had already set, cows wandered on the way back to their stalls in the cowshed, while crickets and frogs started to chirp and croak. Even the flowers folded their petals as if night had already fallen.

One famous scene during that day took place in the Governor’s Council of Connecticut. Surprised by the unnatural darkness, a number of the politicians at the council urged the others to adjourn their meeting early. However, a councilman named Abraham Davenport, who is a militia colonel from Connecticut, was vehemently against it. He went down in history for saying the following words:

“The day of judgment is either approaching, or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause of an adjournment; if it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. I wish therefore that candles may be brought.”

Moved by his words, the council agreed to proceed with the sessions for that day, working by candlelight. This action of Davenport went down in history as a very brave moment amidst great uncertainty and was as later immortalized by writer John Greenleaf in his poem written in 1866.

Aside from a few rays of sunlight slipping through the cloudy blackness, the dark shade almost completely covered the Northeastern area for what remains of the day. That evening was regarded as one of the darkest nights to have been recorded, and people had a hard time sleeping through the night, concerned that they may never get the chance to see the light of day again. However, to their relief, the severe darkness that covered New England had dissipated the morning after.

Judgement Day

With little scientific knowledge taught among the residents of New England in 1780, it is not surprising that people were terrified of the unexpected darkness that turned day to night. And so, lacking information and sufficient explanation for the phenomenon, the majority of the populace resorted to seeking comfort in their religious beliefs.

Back then, the citizens residing in New England were largely followers of the Protestant faith, and they regarded natural phenomena as signs as well as indications of what God’s true intentions are. Biblical phrases, particularly those written in the Book of Revelation describing the blackening of the sun, and the moon turning red as blood, led some residents of the area to conclude that Judgment Day had finally come. Witness accounts reported people roamed the streets of their towns making loud declarations that the End of Days was already happening.

The fear and the confusion of the residents in the region over this unusual phenomenon was worsened by the absence of accessible means that would have allowed people to communicate with each other at considerable distances. Thus, they had no way to know for certain and right away what was actually happening and what could be the cause or the meaning behind the unexpected darkness. People also lived quite far away from each other, and their nearest neighbors were not exactly nearby. At that time, they did not know much of what was transpiring beyond the lands of where they resided in. The one thing that these people knew they could always rely to occur on a regular basis was the sun coming up every morning and staying up the whole day until evening comes. However, the unexpected “dark day” phenomenon made them realize that even that supposed consistency in everyday life could not be relied on after all.

And so, the citizens of that area, who back then may have felt completely isolated from the outside world while they resided in the eastern rim of a massive continent that was still largely unexplored, cannot be blamed for fearing that the worst had already begun to happen.  

Probable Causes

Decades and centuries after the mystifying event, some theories were brought up to explain the darkness which had fallen over the region of New England that unusual day. Some of the hypotheses that attempted to explain the phenomenon included a thick cloud, a solar eclipse, a volcanic eruption, and a meteor strike. However, most of these hypotheses have since been ruled out to explain what really caused the “Dark Day” event in 1780.

For example, while a thick cloud can drop low enough to darken the surroundings, it is unlikely that this alone would be enough to cause a “Dark Day.” A solar eclipse has also been ruled out from consideration because there was no record of it occurring that day, and even then, previous cases of solar eclipses were recorded to have lasted no more than a few minutes. Volcanic activity and a meteor strike are also unlikely because there is also no record of either taking place in 1780.

Most Likely Scientific Cause – Forest Fire

For more than two hundred years, it seemed that New England’s "Dark Day” would remain forever unsolved. However, science found the answer that finally put an end to this enduring mystery.

Back in 2008, the University of Missouri released their discovery of the most plausible cause of the sudden darkness in New England on the fateful day of May 19. The evidence they found from tree rings in Ontario revealed that the great wildfires which took place in the year 1780 could have been the main culprit of it all. In a paper titled “Fire Scars Reveal Source of New England’s 1780 Dark Day,” which was published in and circulated through the International Journal of Wildland Fire, scientists elucidated that the fires that occurred during that time in Canada were responsible for producing columns of heavy smoke which reached as high as the upper atmosphere. This smoke along with the natural fog of the region drastically affected the atmospheric conditions of areas which are supposedly several hundreds of miles away.

The results of this research are further reinforced by various witness accounts that claimed to have smelled the scent of ash lingering in the area. For example, geographer Jeremy Belknap of Boston had written in his letter back in 1780 to Ebenezer Hazard that the surrounding air of where he was had the “smell of a malt-house or a coal-kiln.” The people also described how bodies of water looked like they were dirty and dark.

This scientific study by the University of Missouri provided a remarkable opportunity to combine historical accounts with advanced technology, along with physical, historical evidence which was gathered from the study of tree rings. Consequently, this led to the successful solve of a long-time mystery with the help of science.

The plausible explanation provided by this study would have no doubt been appreciated news in 1780. However, due to the lack of sufficient evidence to sway them otherwise, a large number of people in that area during that period continued to hold New England’s Dark Day with both fear and amazement. For centuries, stories of that darkened day cemented themselves in the region’s popular lore. And the event has since been eternalized and is still being remembered even modern times through a wide assortment of creative pieces in art and poetry.

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Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England%27s_Dark_Day
http://www.messagetoeagle.com/the-day-when-the-sun-did-not-come-out-bizarre-event-in-1870-new-england/
http://www.ancient-origins.net/unexplained-phenomena/unravelling-mystery-new-england-s-day-darkness-003853
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1077342-unravelling-the-mystery-of-new-englands-day-of-darkness/
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-18097177
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/19/opinion/greene-day-of-darkness/
http://www.history.com/news/remembering-new-englands-dark-day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkobiEGqxY8&feature=youtu.be

Mysterious Ancient Manuscripts with Hidden Secrets

Ancient Origins

Over the years, many mysterious ancient manuscripts have been uncovered, and researchers who have examined these documents have found hidden secrets from the past. Most of these secret texts are concealed in other archaeological records, and the traces of these manuscripts are usually invisible to the naked eye. The utilization of modern technology like X-rays, CT scans and multispectral imaging are often necessary for bringing the secrets of these mysterious and long-lost works to light.

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Hidden Text of Euripides

Mysterious Facts

Number 1 – The Hidden Text of Euripides. A group of researchers from the Universities of Bologna and Gottingen discovered a hidden text of a fifth-century-BC Greek drama beneath a 13th-centuary-AD prophetic book of the Old Testament. This early work is attributed to one of Athens’s foremost dramatists, Euripides, whose work became the cornerstone of education in the Hellenistic age and has significantly influenced modern drama. This hidden text was uncovered through multispectral imaging in 2013, and not only does the document contain Euripides’s work, but it is also full of ancient annotations.

Treatise of the Vessels

Altered Dimensions Paranormal

Number 2 – Treatise of the Vessels. Archaeologists and fortune hunters have been hard at work to find the alleged hidden treasures stashed away by Israel’s third king, Solomon, and among them is the legendary Ark of the Covenant. At present, a newly-translated ancient Hebrew text known as the Treatise of the Vessels seems to have new information about the location of the elusive Ark, along with the rest of King Solomon’s treasures. According to a translation by James Davila, a professor at the University of St. Andrews, the treasures were hidden by some Levites and prophets, and that they are stocked away in various locations in the Land of Israel and Babylonia, while others were delivered into the hands of the angels.

Codex Selden

Breaking Science News

Number 3 – Codex Selden. For decades, researchers were certain that hidden messages can be found beneath the surface of Codex Selden, which was previously lost for almost 500 years. It was only in 2016, that hyperspectral imaging finally allowed researchers to take a closer look at the surface of the precolonial Mexican manuscript, revealing hidden texts and images beneath. So far, the researchers have yet to complete scanning all the pages, and the text has not been translated, but researchers are convinced that more discoveries are to be made once the hidden messages of the Codex Selden are interpreted.

Novgorod Codex

Listverse

Number 4 – Novgorod Codex. In 2000, archaeologists excavating Novgorod in Russia discovered the Novgorod Codex, the earliest known book made by the Rus’ people. This hyper-palimpsest, dated to the 11th century, preserved two Psalms. However, when the wax was removed for conservation, the restorers found retained traces of an earlier text, including several previously unknown Slavonic compositions of native origin. It is believed that the Novgorod Codex may contain several dozens of hidden text layers.

Codex Zacynthius

University of Cambridge

Number 5 – Codex Zacynthius. In the 13th century, the Codex Zacynthius were an Evangeliarium, an old manuscript that contained a collection of Gospel passages. However, in 1861, researchers detected that there is actually a hidden text in the Codex Zacynthius. The text is a sixth or seventh-century script which turned out to contain an account of the Gospel of Luke. This Codex has 176 vellum leaves, and experts believe that there are a lot more secrets to be discovered in the ancient document, and they plan to analyze the hidden text through multispectral analysis.

The Lost Gospel

Annoyz View - WordPress.com

Number 6 – The “Lost Gospel.” Many theologians have long speculated about Jesus’ alleged romantic relationship with Mary Magdalene. However, if the translation of the so-called “Lost Gospel” – a 1500-year-old ancient manuscript found at the British Library – is any indication, then what we believe to know about the life of Jesus Christ at present is not completely true. Translated from Aramaic, the text reveals that Jesus had indeed married Mary Magdalene and even had children with her. This makes the Christian messiah a husband and a father to a family of his own if the “Lost Gospel” is proven true.

Voynich Manuscript

Ancient Origins

Number 7 – The Voynich Manuscript. This ancient medieval manuscript was named after Wilfrid M. Voynich, a Polish-American book dealer who discovered the text in a chest in the Jesuit College at the Villa Mondragone in Frascati in 1912. The cryptic document is written on medieval parchment using an unknown script system showing basic statistical patterns which resemble a real language. However, there are also those that believe that the manuscript was a forgery intended as a hoax. Until now, the nature and origin of the manuscript have remained a mystery and have led to a lot of controversy and debate.

Sibiu Manuscript

Twitter

Number 8 – The Sibiu Manuscript. In 1961, Doru Todericiu, a professor of Science and Technology at the University of Bucharest, found an ancient document, now known as the Sibiu Manuscript. The 450-page manuscript dates back to 1570, with its history even going further back by several centuries. The old text contains technical data about multi-stage rockets, artillery, and ballistics. It also reported about a “javelin” which flew with considerable effective range, and the launching of a multi-tiered rocket in the city of Sibiu, where thousands of people supposedly witnessed the event in 1555 and turned out to be a complete success.

Black Book of Carmarthen

Abide In Me Blog

Number 9 – Black Book of Carmarthen. The Black Book of Carmarthen was written by a single monk around 1250, and it is the oldest surviving manuscript which is written solely in Welsh. In 2015, Raul Russell and Myriah Williams of the University of Cambridge reported that hidden contents had been found in the book which had been invisible under normal viewing conditions. Using a variety of imaging techniques like ultraviolet lamps and photo-editing software, some of the unknown material was detected, including extensive marginal annotations such as inscriptions, poems, and even drawings.

Codex Washingtonianus

Watchman on the Web

Number 10 – Codex Washingtonianus. Housed at the Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery of Art, the Codex Washingtonianus is the world’s third oldest Bible. The priceless ancient book is made up of almost 200 parchment pages and is believed to be more than 1,500 years old. The Codex Washingtonianus has been the subject of controversy because of the unique insertion in the ending of the biblical gospel of Mark. Referred to as the “Freer Logion,” a part of the passage makes mention of the end of Satan’s power, seemingly addressing the question of whether God or Satan was the one in charge of mankind’s fate. The text is not found in any other manuscript, and when it was published in 1912, the passage caused much consternation as it raised another challenge to the Bible people knew.

The ancient documents we have mentioned, even without their unlocked secrets, are important archaeological artifacts that serve as an enduring testament to mankind’s complex and impressive history. And as more mysterious ancient manuscripts continue to get discovered, the potential secrets they hide could now be much easier to uncover - thanks to modern technology – allowing us to learn more about our past and possibly gain a better understanding of who we are through the works of our ancestors.

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Sources:

• http://www.messagetoeagle.com/10-mysterious-ancient-manuscripts-hidden-secrets/
• http://listverse.com/2017/01/08/10-mysterious-hidden-texts/
• http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/ancient-philosophical-writings-found-hidden-beneath-medieval-text-001024
• http://www.history.com/news/fate-of-the-lost-ark-revealed
• http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/does-newly-translated-hebrew-text-reveal-insights-king-solomon-s-treasures
• http://www.businessinsider.com/new-technology-confirms-a-hidden-text-in-a-mixtec-book-2016-8?r=UK&IR=T
• http://www.csad.ox.ac.uk/csad/Newsletters/Newsletter10/Newsletter10d.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Book_of_Carmarthen
• http://www.ancientpages.com/2015/08/04/codex-washingtonianus-contains-passage-not-seen-biblical-manuscript/