In the article about the most terrible finds, we posted such exhibits that at first shocked the members of the expeditions that found them, and after the publication of the facts, they shocked the world community.

Virgin of Llullaillaco

The mummy of a girl, who was 13-14 years old at the time of her death, was found in the Andes at an altitude of 6,700 meters by German archaeologist Johann Reinhard.

After research, it became clear that the Incas sacrificed the girl; before that, she was fed high-quality food for a year, and at the same time pumped with narcotic substances. Rather, the terrible death occurred as a result of an overabundance of drugs in the child’s body.

We judge this from the standpoint of the morality of today, but at that time, creepy morals, as it seems to us, were a common occurrence, fueled by religious ideas. By the way, on our website you can see an interesting article about the most unusual ones in the world.

Cemetery of Babies

What could be worse than infanticide? In 1988, work was carried out to study the aqueducts of the Roman Empire near the Israeli city of Ashkelon. As a result of their work, scientists stumbled upon a terrible burial ground in which only infants were buried.

Historians have found out that in the ancient period there was an institution where children were killed at this place. The fact is that according to Roman law, if the father did not recognize the child before the age of 2, he was killed.

Thus, they also got rid of illegitimate children. The boys were killed immediately, but the girls could be saved, and, having matured, they joined the ranks of the priestesses of the most ancient profession.

In 1886, while exploring the pyramids of Egypt, Egyptologist Gaston Maspero found an unusual mummy not of royal origin at all. The buried person was wrapped in sheep's clothing, and there was no accompanying equipment at all.

But something else surprised the researchers. Having unwound the mummy, they saw that the hands of the deceased were tied, and his face was frozen as if distorted by a scream. He was given the name “Unknown Man E”, and later several more similar burials were discovered.

Scientists' opinions are divided. Some talked about the terrible death that befell these people, and part of the scientific community now agrees that the open mouth is a consequence of natural causes.

Six month old baby

This find is scary simply because of the age of the buried Inuit boy. At the time of his death, which happened around 1475, he was only 6 months old.

It was discovered during archaeological research on the island of Greenland, and 7 other adults were buried next to it. Permafrost allowed not only the clothing, but also the skin of those buried to be well preserved.

This discovery allowed archaeologists and ethnographers to learn a lot about the way of life of the Greenland tribes, what they ate, what they were sick with, and what caused their death.

According to the site, the “most terrible finds” category also included the cemetery of headless Vikings, discovered in 2010 as a result of archaeological research in the English county of Dorset.

The worst thing was that the bodies of 54 warriors were beheaded, and their heads lay to the side of the bodies. In addition, several skulls were missing, and people were killed by a sword blow to the neck from the front.

Perhaps it was a mass demonstration execution, or a sacrifice to the Gods, and the missing skulls were taken as trophies, or put on display for the edification of their comrades.

Thanks to archeology, it was possible to solve a murder committed almost 3 thousand years ago. But it is possible that the man discovered in Denmark was strangled to death as a ritual sacrifice.

Living in the 3rd century BC, after being strangled, he was thrown into a swamp, so his body and face were well preserved, since peat is an excellent preservative. We even managed to take a fingerprint.

Local boys discovered the body in 1950, and at first they thought it was their friend who had drowned earlier in these marshy swamps. The terrible discovery provided rich material for understanding the history of the very beginning of the Iron Age.

This discovery, made in 1952, also in the marshes of Denmark, shocked archaeologists not only with the hair preserved on the skull, but also with the causes of death.

According to scientists, he was stabbed to death, most likely by fellow villagers, and thrown into a swamp. In addition, his leg was broken, but it is impossible to determine whether the injury was sustained during life or during a fall.

Still, in the 3rd century BC there were cruel morals, and an innocent man, about 30 years old, was accused of a crop failure, and perhaps of some other troubles, and was killed in cold blood.

That's not all...

We have collected so much interesting material related to this topic that we simply cannot complete it here.

We continue the topic of archeology with an article about. This is very interesting!

Every year, archaeologists and enthusiastic diggers discover many interesting things during excavations. There are discoveries that force you to rewrite the pages of history, some that open unknown pages, and some that are downright creepy and terrifying. It is the latter that will be discussed in this review.

1. Burial of babies

Israel
One of the most gruesome recent archaeological discoveries was made in southern Israel. More than a hundred infant skeletons have been discovered in the ancient seaport of Ashkelon. The skeletons were found to date back to the Roman era. Who these babies were and why they were killed remains a mystery.

2. Hobbit skeletons

Indonesia
Indonesia's Flores Island was the site of an extraordinary discovery in 2003 when scientists discovered the bones of a small ancient hominid, Homo Floresiensis, also known as "the hobbit." At first, researchers believed that the bones may have belonged to a person with microcephaly (a condition that results in a small head size and short stature), but later the discovery of other skeletons of a similarly small size led to speculation that "hobbits" were not just tiny people, but separate species.

3. Headless Vikings

England
In June 2009, archaeologists made a stunning discovery in the seaside town of Weymouth in Dorset, England. During the construction of the Weymouth Road, a Roman mass grave was discovered containing the remains of 54 beheaded warriors and 51 skulls. Experts believe the Vikings may have been executed for treason.

4. Skeleton puzzle

Scotland
Any discovery of a human skeleton is a little creepy, but what happened after the discovery of four prehistoric mummies in Scotland's Outer Hebrides in 2001 completely horrified scientists. Radiocarbon dating and stable isotope analysis revealed that each mummy was actually made from body parts from several different people, "stacked" to look like one person.

5. Cannibal Neanderthals

Spain
In 1994, deep in the darkness of El Sidron, a cave system in northwestern Spain, scientists discovered the bones of 12 Neanderthals. The 51,000-year-old skeletons belonged to a family of 3 children, 3 teenagers and 6 adults. Modern forensic techniques have shown that the family was killed and eaten by another group of Neanderthals. The bones and skulls were opened to remove the bone marrow and brain.

6. Severed legs

Canada
In the Canadian province of British Columbia, one of the most terrible and incomprehensible discoveries was made in the last few decades. Since 2007, at least 16 severed human legs covered in sneakers have been found on the shore here (from Jedediah Island to Botanical Beach). Although some of the legs have been identified, it is still unknown why they were cut off and how they ended up at sea.

7. The fruit inside the bishop's coffin

Sweden
Researchers from Lund University, Sweden, were surprised when they performed a CT scan on a mummified Scandinavian bishop. They found the remains of a tiny baby laid at the feet of the bishop. Researchers believe the fetus may be related to the bishop. Another theory is that it may have been an illegitimate stillborn child that someone wanted to give a proper burial.

8. Headless Gladiators

England
In 2005, a number of mysterious skeletons dating back to the Roman Empire were discovered in York, Northern England. All the skeletons belonged to people who had been beheaded. All the men died relatively young, all were above average height for people of the period, and all were buried with weapons in their hands. Therefore, experts believe that the mysterious people were gladiators.

9. Mummies of frozen children

Argentina
In 1999, archaeologists at the Llullaillaco volcano in Argentina made a shocking discovery when they discovered three mummified children who had been left to freeze on the side of the volcano during an old Incan sacrificial ritual. Such rituals were often performed by the ancient Incas to mark important events or prevent natural disasters.

10. Dead Skier

Italy
In 2015, the remains of Canadian skier Gregory Barnes were discovered in the Italian Alps. The creepy part of the story is the fact that the skier was actually buried under snow for 35 years before being found. The Italian authorities who made the discovery said a hotter-than-usual summer caused the glacier to melt, which revealed the remains. Barnes' body was found in a crevasse along with his passport, which was used to establish his identity.

11. Vampire Graves

Poland
Archaeologists excavating a medieval cemetery in the Polish town of Kaldus have discovered 14 so-called vampire graves. During the medieval ages, people believed in the existence of vampires, and they used several methods to “cure” vampirism. Some of the supposed vampires were beheaded, others were buried face down, and most of the coffins were covered with stones to prevent the undead from escaping their graves.

12. The “oldest” leper

India
In 2009, a 4,000-year-old skeleton with obvious signs of leprosy was discovered in the Indian state of Rajasthan. The gruesome discovery immediately became the oldest known archaeological evidence of the terrible disease. The fact that it was the skeleton that was buried suggests that the person was an exile (according to Hindu traditions, the dead are cremated).

13. Place of mass death

USA
In 1971, paleontologists discovered a mass death site in an Idaho cornfield. On the site of the former lake there were about 200 different animal skeletons. The animals likely died by suffocation under deep layers of volcanic ash about 12 million years ago.

14. The Man from Sligo

Ireland
When a 215-year-old beech tree in Sligo, Ireland was uprooted by a severe storm in 2014, its exposed roots revealed a gruesome discovery. They found the skeleton of a young man, now known as the Sligo Man. Further analysis showed that man lived in the early Middle Ages, between 1030 and 1200 AD. He was between 17 and 20 years old at the time of his death. Given the damage to the bones, he was probably killed.

15. Surrey Ghost Car

England
Accidents are a fairly common occurrence on the A3 motorway in England, so police in Surrey were not at all surprised when the station received a call saying a car had driven off the road into a ditch with its headlights on. But when the officers went to the call, they did not find the slightest sign of an accident. During a further search, just 20 meters from the supposed scene of the accident, the remains of a broken car were found in the undergrowth, driven by the remains of the decomposing body of a young man. According to police estimates, he crashed 5 months ago.

BONUS

Scotland
For many years before the Protestant Reformation, St. Mary's Chapel in St. Nicholas Church in Aberdeen, Scotland was always a quiet, secluded place for Catholic women to come to pray. However, several decades after the Reformation, the chapel began to be used for much more macabre purposes. Historians have recently uncovered evidence that the chapel served as a prison for suspected witches, with would-be "witches" held there until trial and execution.

When it comes to the world around us, most, as a rule, believe that man has already known it completely: since the Enlightenment, science has been studying it. Nevertheless, even in the 21st century, many secrets of the Universe still remain under seven locks, and as evidence we present the top 10 interesting finds of archaeologists that science still cannot explain.

Stone balls of Costa Rica

Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, these stone balls have long continued to haunt the minds of scientists. The balls were made from igneous sedimentary rocks, but their purpose remains a mystery.

The pyramid of the first emperor of China and his terracotta army

The tomb of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang Di, discovered in 1974, has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Many believe that his body may be located in deeper underground chambers, but archaeologists have no plans to go there yet.
This is what Qin Shihuang's pyramid looks like now.

Amazing Puma Punku Stones
Although these ancient structures are not included in the list of wonders of the world, they are certainly some of the most ancient ruins on our planet.

Most of these structures consist of granite and diorite, which is interesting - on Earth only diamond surpasses them in strength. Thus, the people who created these monuments must have used tools made from diamonds.

Another interesting fact is that the weight of each such monolith is about 800 tons. This is surprising, since the nearest quarry from here is 10 kilometers away. Even with modern technology, it would be incredibly difficult to lift and move them such a distance.

Shroud of Turin
The Shroud of Turin is one of the most famous Christian relics in the world. It is believed that the body of Jesus Christ was wrapped in it during burial.

Great Pyramid of Giza
Considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Great Pyramid of Giza continues to attract the attention of many archaeologists, physicists and astrologers who, over the centuries, have tried to unravel the mystery it hides.

Stonehenge
Undoubtedly, Stonehenge is considered the most popular ancient monument located in Europe. It consists of stone blocks of incredible size, which amaze not so much with their appearance as with the mystery of their origin.

In the center is a stone altar surrounded by a horseshoe-shaped circle of stones. The true purpose of Stonehenge remains a mystery today. There are three main theories, one of which suggests that the site was used for ritual ceremonies and funerals.
Computer reconstruction

Nazca Lines
The Nazca Lines are ancient patterns drawn onto the surface of the earth in the Nazca Desert in Peru. They were discovered in 1927 and became the most unusual legacy of the past.
Nazca Lines, monkey

The lines and numbers traced on the plateau form a complex sequence of patterns reaching several kilometers in length, and they can only be seen from the air.
Nazca Lines, spider

Experts rule out the possibility that the Nazca people had the technology to allow them to fly, but this only raises more questions about how and why these lines were drawn?
Nazca Lines, parrot and astronaut

Traces of cocaine and tobacco found on mummies
In 1992, a team of German researchers found traces of cocaine and nicotine on parts of Egyptian mummies as part of a study called "Studying the Use of Hallucinogenic Substances in Ancient Societies."

Genetic drive
The so-called genetic disk is one of the most incredible artifacts found in Colombia. The disk with a diameter of 27 cm is made of a durable stone called lydite. It is surprising that despite its exceptional strength, this stone has a layered structure, and it is both practically and theoretically impossible to make something similar to this ancient artifact.

Bas-reliefs in the Temple of Hathor
Almost every schoolchild knows the history of the creation of the modern light bulb, but historians say that the ancient Egyptians were most likely also familiar with this subject. On bas-reliefs discovered in 1969 in the temple of the goddess Hathor, scientists found images of objects, the structure and shape of which strikingly reminded them of electric lamps. They immediately remembered that no traces of soot were found in the tombs...

The bas-relief depicting ancient lamps is located in a difficult-to-reach place, accessible only through a narrow passage. According to scientists, this room was not intended for frequent visits; the presence of something mystical is truly felt in the Temple of Hathor. What is actually depicted on Egyptian bas-reliefs is still unknown.

reconstruction of an “ancient lamp”.

Lizard in a space suit
Not long ago, the world was shocked by an amazing discovery, which especially appealed to fans of theories about extraterrestrial civilizations and their presence on our planet. In addition to three skeletons and ritual amulets, a collection of figurines was discovered in the Egyptian tomb at Tel El-Tabila (Dakahlia), one of which particularly attracted the attention of archaeologists. It was a lizard in a space suit; this figurine did not look like anything else. What is this? Who is this? It is unknown yet.

Three-blade disc
An amazing three-lobed disk was discovered by Egyptologist Walter Bryan. Who and what this disk served for has not yet been established. This artifact is made of very fragile material, so, despite its shape, this object cannot be an ancient wheel. Someone suggested that this disk could be the leg of an oil lamp, but in its shape the disk is more similar to a functional device than a decorative item.

Metal spheres
The origin and purpose of the mysterious metal spheres discovered by miners in South America is still debated by the scientific world. These balls do not exceed three centimeters in diameter; on some of them one can discern parallel lines running along the circumference of the sphere.

And the discoveries never cease to amaze both the researchers themselves and people far from scientific research. Sometimes they are so fantastic that they become the subject of many years of debate among pundits from all over the world.

Swiss watch in an ancient burial

In 2008, while filming a documentary about the opening of an ancient tomb belonging to the Ming Dynasty in the Chinese province of Guangxi, unusual finds were discovered. However, the most amazing of them turned out to be... Swiss watches! The amazement of journalists and archaeologists themselves knew no bounds. According to Jian Yan, a former curator at a local museum who also participated in the excavations, a small piece of rock bounced off the surface of the coffin after the soil was removed. He fell to the floor, making a characteristic metallic sound.

When the item was picked up, it was discovered that it was a ring. After thoroughly cleaning it from the soil, it turned out that there was a miniature dial on it. On the inside of the ring there was an engraved inscription Swiss, i.e. “Switzerland”. And as you know, the Chinese ruled the country until 1644, so it was simply impossible to create such a small mechanism in those days, and Switzerland as such did not yet exist. But local experts assured everyone present that this tomb had never been opened in almost 400 years.

Crystal Skull

Sometimes archaeologists discover unusual finds even in the most impenetrable jungles. An example of this is a certain artifact discovered in Belize in 1927. It is a life-size human skull skillfully crafted from the purest rock crystal, weighing about 5 kg. The Indians living in the surrounding villages immediately learned about this find. They turned out to be descendants of that same Mayan tribe. The Indians said that, according to ancient legend, this is one of the thirteen crystal skulls in existence. If you find and collect them in one place, you can comprehend all the secrets of the universe.

The Crystal Skull was carefully examined in laboratory conditions. As a result, scientists concluded that the artifact was made using a technology unknown to them, which does not fit into any of the laws of physics or chemistry. In other words, this item cannot be created even with the most modern high-tech equipment, let alone by the ancient Mayans.

Prehistoric bird paw

Perhaps the most unusual finds are the remains of creatures that once lived on Earth, the appearance of which would greatly frighten modern people. In 1986, a scientific expedition examined a cave system located in Mount Owen (New Zealand). Suddenly, one of the researchers came across a rather large and well-preserved part of a paw with huge claws. It seemed as if its owner had recently died.

A little later, scientists determined that the remains belonged to the prehistoric She was truly huge and could not fly. Presumably, it became extinct between 1300 and 1450 AD. e. The reason for its disappearance may be the Maori hunters who lived on this island at the end of the 14th century.

Mass burial of infants in Ashkilon

Perhaps the most terrible and unusual finds of archeology are associated with mass graves of infants. In 1988, regular excavations were carried out on the territory of the ancient city of Ashkelon (Israel), located on the Mediterranean coast. In one of the ancient sewers located under the Roman baths, a large number of small bones were discovered, which were initially mistaken for chicken bones.
It later turned out that archaeologist Ross Voss had made a terrible discovery. It turned out that all these bones belonged to more than a hundred babies. This burial remains the largest children's cemetery in history.

Forensic anthropologist Patricia Smith examined the remains of the babies, after which she stated that she did not find any signs of illness, much less any disease. Using special forensic techniques, she determined that the deceased children were no more than a week old.

However, if we look at history, then during the Roman Empire, killing newborns was not considered a crime. This ritual was a form of birth control. It is possible that the burial site served as some kind of institution where unwanted babies were disposed of. According to the laws of that time, a child who was not recognized by his father was allowed to be killed, but only on the condition that the child was not yet two years old. The most striking example of this is the legend of Romulus and Rem, the founders of the Eternal City. These newborn sons of Mars (the god of war), left by people in the forest to die, were nursed and raised by a she-wolf.

Tomb of the Headless Vikings

In the summer of 2010, a mass grave of soldiers was found in Dorset (Britain). Workers who were laying the railway discovered unusual finds in the ground - piles of human skeletons without heads. Soon, skulls were also found, stacked a little further away. At first, archaeologists thought that the surviving inhabitants of the village, which was subjected to a brutal Viking raid, thus decided to take revenge on the offenders. But the further they analyzed this situation, the more doubts their version raised.

The fact is that the beheading itself was carried out too carefully and clearly, so a hypothesis arose that it was either some kind of ritual murder, or a public execution. But no matter what happened, one thing is clear: the morals of the 8th-9th centuries were extremely cruel, and the Anglo-Saxons had to suffer quite often from the predatory raids of the Scandinavians.

Ancient Greek mechanics: antique computer

Often archaeological unusual finds at the bottom of seas and oceans are so amazing that even scientists cannot explain their existence. In 1900, sponge catchers fishing in the sea off the coast of the island of Antikythera (Greece) discovered the wreckage of an ancient Roman trading ship. Scientists have suggested that the sunken ship was traveling from Rhodes to Rome and sank around the 1st century BC. e. It turned out that it lies at a depth of no more than 60 meters. From there, a large amount of gold and silver jewelry, amphorae and ceramics, bronze and marble figurines, as well as many other antique objects were brought to the surface. Among them were parts of some strange mechanism.

At first no one paid attention to them, until in 1902 archaeologist Valerios Stais noticed that some bronze objects looked like clock gears. The scientist immediately suggested that they could be parts of some astronomical instrument, but his colleagues only laughed at him. They recalled that these unusual finds dated back to the 1st century BC. e., while gears were invented only 14 centuries later.

Stais's theory was forgotten, but in the late 50s it was remembered by the British historian D. D. de Solla Price, who carefully studied ancient artifacts from Antikythera. He was able to prove that several bronze objects once made up one mechanism, placed in a wooden box, which fell apart over time. Soon he even drew up an approximate, and later a more detailed diagram of this amazing machine. In 1971, the British watchmaker D. Gleave assembled a working copy of it, which could simulate the movement of the Moon, the Sun, as well as the other planets known at that time: Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Mercury and Mars.

In 2005, using a special X-ray technique, artifact researchers were able to examine Greek symbols on the gears. In addition, the missing parts of this mysterious mechanism were also recreated. It turned out that this device can perform operations such as division, addition and subtraction. Therefore, it is not surprising that such a truly unusual find was called an antique computer.

Mummy of a monk inside a Buddha statue

It happens that the most unusual finds on the planet are literally right before our eyes. This is what happened with the 1000-year-old statue put on public display in the museum of the province of Drenthe (China). The fact is that just a few years ago, Dutch scientists made another shocking discovery. They discovered a human mummy inside a Chinese Buddha statue. From this, scientists concluded that it was created not just as a sculpture, but as a sarcophagus. Presumably, the ancient remains belong to Li Kwan, a Chinese meditation master.

Typically, such finds always cause not only surprise, but also a lot of questions. Some modern practicing Buddhists believe that the monk could deliberately enter some stage of meditation known only to him, during which his body seemed to self-mummify.

Ancient city of Heraklion

Unusual finds on the ocean floor are not uncommon for archaeologists. But the fact that an ancient city was discovered under the water column, which disappeared as a result of a powerful earthquake for more than 1200 years, surprised even scientists who were ready for anything. Its history is akin to the legendary Atlantis. Heraklion was once located at the mouth of the Nile and, as it turned out, was a small prosperous town.

A strong earthquake occurred around the 1st century BC. e. It destroyed houses, sank a large number of ships, and also killed many people. Those who were lucky enough to survive fled, leaving all their property behind. Archaeologist Frank Godiot, who discovered the ruins of the city, realized that this was ancient Heraklion when they found a black granite slab on which this name was carved.

Terracotta Army

In 1974, Chinese farmer Yan Ji Wang was digging a well on his plot of land and at a depth of about 5 meters he discovered an ancient statue of a warrior, made in full height. When archaeologists continued excavations, it turned out that there was not just one, but thousands of similar figures. It turned out that these unusual finds have been deep underground for more than two thousand years. It is believed that this clay “army” belonged to the legendary emperor Qin Shi Huang, the unifier of Chinese lands.

Now, on the site where excavations are still underway, a whole city has appeared. The work has not stopped for several decades in a row, but no one knows when it will end. Art historians have suggested that it took about 700 thousand craftsmen who worked for at least thirty years to create such a number of clay figures.

Roman dodecahedron

Sometimes you come across such unusual archaeological finds that it is difficult to understand why these objects were originally created. In the territory of Northern and Central Europe, the lands of which were once considered the outskirts of the majestic Roman Empire, unusual-looking artifacts are often found.

These are the so-called Roman dodecahedrons - bronze products with 12 faces, each of which has a round hole, and 20 small “knobs” are located in the corners. All of them date back to the 2nd-4th centuries AD. e. Scientists have put forward more than two dozen versions regarding their scope of application, but none of them have been proven.

During archaeological excavations, you can find not only the golden helmet of Alexander the Great, as in the movie “Gentlemen of Fortune,” but also come across some rather creepy and shocking finds from ancient times.

Human burials, places of sacrifice and massacres, preserved fragments of the skeletons of ancient animals of not the most pleasant appearance have already been discovered and studied, but will even more terrible exhibits be found in the future?

Therefore, faint-hearted applicants at the doors of archaeological universities can be advised to think about choosing a profession.

The mummified remains of pharaohs and high priests are quite rare, and scientists in their research often have to work with mummies of less noble Egyptians. At the end of the 19th century, a famous French Egyptologist, who was working at that time in one of the museums in Cairo, opened a simple coffin, completely different from the famous gilded sarcophagi. Inside was a mummy with its mouth open in a silent scream, as if the person was experiencing terrible torment before death.

In scientific circles, the mummy with the creepy death mask began to be called “unknown man E.” A variety of versions of the terrible discovery were put forward; the most reliable was then considered to be the idea of ​​torture before death. But everything turned out to be much more prosaic. Already in the 20th century, scientific research and work on translations of ancient texts explained the reason why such a terrible effect occurred.

During the ritual of mummification, the jaw of the deceased was tied with a thin belt or small rope, because it could open when the tissues disintegrated. And no matter how trite it sounds, in this case either they forgot to tie it up, or the rope turned out to be rotten and broke. Similar “screaming” mummies were subsequently found several more times.

Several years ago, archaeologists carried out excavations in the southwest of England, not counting on any grandiose discoveries; the most that scientists hoped for was well-preserved household items of our ancestors. But the result of the excavations turned out to be impressive and eerie in nature. The open mass grave contained the remains of several dozen people, and all the skulls were located a short distance from the rest of the skeleton fragments.

Research conducted by scientists later added a few more strokes to the eerie picture of what happened in the distant past. The age of the burial was attributed to the 9th or 10th centuries, the remains were identified as Vikings of that time, and the number of skulls turned out to be slightly less than the number of skeletons. And most importantly, it was established that the victims’ heads were cut off, most likely with a sword, with identical blows to the front of the neck.

Among several versions of what happened (up to the mass sacrifice), the following opinion seems the most realistic. During that historical period of time, the Anglo-Saxons were often subject to raids by their warlike neighbors. And one day, having captured several dozen Viking prisoners in battle, they staged a public demonstration execution, and took away the missing heads as a sign of intimidation of enemies.

Work in the peat bogs of northern Europe in itself is completely devoid of any romanticism, but the eerie finds that sometimes come across during the peat extraction process do not add to its attractiveness.

If buried in a swampy area, due to natural conditions such as high acidity of the soil, lack of oxygen and low temperatures, human remains can turn into a well-preserved mummy. Then archaeologists have to work with swamp gifts.

So, in the middle of the 20th century, in one of the swamps of Denmark, a man was found hanging from a leather belt before our era. The mummy was perfectly preserved, which allowed scientists to even determine what the executed man ate on the last day of his life. Possibly a criminal sentenced to the gallows, he later became known as the Tollund Man. Around the same time, another similar discovery was made - a well-preserved mummy with a broken leg and a slit throat.

Archaeologists discovered another creepy discovery during excavations of an ancient sewer from the times of the Holy Roman Empire in the small Israeli city of Ashkelon, on the Mediterranean coast. In one of the collectors, through which water from Roman baths and sewage was drained in those days, thousands of small bones were found, most likely belonging to babies.

According to Roman law, a child was considered the property of the father, who, at his discretion, could order the death of an unwanted baby before reaching the age of two. Probably, to fulfill such whims, there was a certain institution where children were deprived of their lives. Only with the advent of Christianity to these lands did infanticide begin to be considered a grave sin.

According to another version, prostitutes lived in this area, who, due to the costs of their profession, had to give birth frequently. And if the born girl could still be useful in the future, following in the footsteps of her mother, then unnecessary sons were simply killed.

In one of the National Parks of New Zealand, amateur researchers came across the entrance to a karst cave, in which they were shocked to find a pile of bones with small fragments of skin. The appearance of the monster's remains evoked associations with evil horror movie characters.

In fact, the huge beak and mountain of giant bones were the well-preserved skeleton of a moa bird. A long time ago, the islands of New Zealand were truly a bird's paradise. There were practically no mammals here and these huge birds, due to the lack of natural enemies, lost the ability to fly in the process of evolution.

These numerous mountains of meat weighing up to 250 kilograms became desirable and easy prey for immigrants from the Polynesian islands. These birds have no longer existed for more than two centuries, but enthusiasts believe that one day surviving specimens will be discovered in one of the secluded corners of the island. Why not believe it, since expeditions are still being assembled to search for Bigfoot.

The English archaeologist Albert Mitchell-Hedges is well known to specialists. One of his findings caused a great public outcry. In the 20s of the 20th century, as a result of excavations in the jungles of South America, an abandoned Mayan settlement, he discovered a crystal imitation of a human skull.

According to legends, there are only thirteen such skulls and, by collecting them all together, one can comprehend all the secrets of the universe. Considering the reputation of an adventurer and adventurer, who later became one of the prototypes of the brilliant Indiana Jones, this discovery can be considered a hoax.

Firstly, modern research has shown that the existing skulls made from solid pieces of quartz are the work of modern man, and not the Mayans. Secondly, all the skulls have already been found (most of them are the property of private collectors), but the secrets of the universe have not yet been revealed.

But suddenly the whole point is that the last of the found objects, discovered in Bavaria, turned out to be broken.