In the depths of time, 2.5 million years away from us, such biological species as a person did not exist, and only animals dominated the planet. This theory is confirmed by archaeological research, but there are many amazing finds that do not fit into the time frame of human existence on the planet. These objects are called unidentified fossil objects, or NIO.

On November 1, 1885, on the territory of the Braun factory in the city of Schöndorf, Austria, the famous “Salzburg parallelepiped” was found in a piece of crushed brown coal. The metal object found was a parallelepiped measuring 67X62X47 mm and weighing 785 g. The opposite edges of the amazing object are rounded, which makes it look like a pillow, and there is a smooth depression along the perimeter. In 1886, the find was put on display at the Caroline Augusta Museum in Salzburg. These days, the amazing parallelepiped is kept in storage at the Brown factory as a souvenir.

In 1886, engineer Friedrich Gult made a presentation at a meeting of the natural history society of Rhineland and Westphalia. He stated that the object found in the coal has the properties of a metal, it contains a small percentage of nickel and has the strength of steel. He expressed the version that the discovered “Salzburg parallelepiped” was a meteorite. But the parallelepiped did not have on its surface the characteristic marks left on meteorites when passing through atmospheric layers, and, in addition, it had a clearly defined regular shape, which can only be achieved through artificial or manual processing. All these facts caused controversy in the scientific community, but at the same time, scientists were unable to determine exactly where the “Salzburg parallelepiped” came from in a piece of coal.

There were many versions of the origin of the strange find, but all of them could not explain the main mystery. The brown coal mined in the Wolfsegg mine, in which the "Salzburg parallelepiped" was found, belongs to tertiary period, approximately 24.5 - 67 million years ago, at that time there was no man on Earth yet. Obviously, this is why back in 1919, the popular American journalist and naturalist Charles Fort suggested: the found parallelepiped was processed by representatives of an extraterrestrial civilization.

And this is just one example of the discovery of mysterious artifacts. A prehistoric nail was previously discovered. It was found in 1844 during work in the Kingudsky quarry in Britain. About this amazing find scientific world noted the famous scientist David Brewster. The age of the fossil rock in which the rusty metal nail lay is estimated by archaeologists to be more than several million years old! Also in the indicated quarry, a perfectly preserved metal handle, presumably from a bucket, 23 centimeters long, was found. This pen is over 12 million years old...

The most amazing thing is that a similar handle, but made of gold, was found in ancient quartz rocks during the development of one of the Californian mines

In 1973, Soviet volcanologist Yu. Mamedov discovered stone pillow-shaped balls ringed with deep grooves on Bulla Island near Baku. The balls, as it was later found out, turned out to be a product of the activity of a volcano. An incredible hypothesis was put forward about a single mechanism for the origin of the parallelepiped from Austria and the balls from Baku. But scientists have refuted this hypothesis due to the fact that the formation of coal layers is impossible under conditions of volcanic activity. But most importantly, the balls from the Azerbaijani island of Bulla were made of stone, and the parallelepiped was metal. Thus, scientists still do not have a general opinion about the origin of the famous “Salzburg parallelepiped”.

Critics artificial origin such objects explain their origin as natural natural processes, namely due to the crystallization of numerous mineral solutions; due to the replacement of vegetation residues with pyrite or the creation of pyrite rods in the resulting voids between the crystals. But pyrite is iron sulfide, which, when broken, gives a specific straw-yellow color; because of this property, it is often mistaken for gold. At the same time, the descriptions of the finds clearly indicate iron nails, and even those susceptible to rust.

Very often, nail-shaped NIOs are mistaken for fulgurites - thunder arrows, which are formed from a lightning strike into rock, or for molten fragments of fallen meteorites. But detecting the presence of a trace from a lightning strike that occurred many millions of years ago is somewhat problematic, not to mention the discovery of a melted meteorite.

The remains of belemnite skeletons of marine invertebrate animals that lived in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods are often mistaken for rod-shaped NIOs. These are fossil formations of cylindrical, cigar-shaped or conical shape, reaching a length of up to 50 centimeters. People call the skeletal remains of belemnites “the fingers of the devil.” But belemnites are found only in sedimentary rocks and never in bedrock, such as quartz or feldspar.

The forms of NIO are not limited to purely nail-shaped objects. In December 1852, a strange-looking iron tool was found in a piece of coal mined in a quarry near Glasgow. A certain Buchanan showed this find to the Society of Scottish Antiquities and in the accompanying letter listed the testimony of five workers who confirmed the information under oath. The author of the amazing find was dismayed that in such ancient layers there was a tool that was undoubtedly made by man. Members of the society expressed the opinion that the NIO is a fragment of a drill that remained at a considerable depth after some research. But the NIO was not in the seam, but inside a piece of coal, and until it was broken, nothing showed its presence, that is, there were no traces of the well, and, as it was established later, no one was drilling in this area .

Another strange NIO was discovered in the summer of 1851 near the American city of Dorchester. During the blasting work, two parts of a metal object were found among the resulting rock fragments, which was torn apart by the explosion. After they were connected, the result was a regularly shaped bell-shaped vessel whose height was 11.5 centimeters and the width at the base was 16.5 centimeters. The metal was similar in color to zinc or metal alloy with the addition of some silver. On outer surface NIO clearly distinguished six images of an unknown flower or bouquet, covered with silver, and in the lower part of the bell, in a circle, there was an image of a vine or wreath, also covered with silver. The amazing NIO was extracted from the rock, which was at a depth of 4.5 meters before the explosion.

In 1871, while excavating a mine in Illinois, at a depth of 42 meters, several round bronze objects that looked like coins were discovered. By that time, this was not the first such find in Illinois. Archaeologists claimed that similar bronze mugs were found in 1851 at a depth of more than 30 meters.

All researchers who are inclined towards the artificial origin of NIO are today divided into two camps. The first claim that all these bucket handles, nails or rods are the product of extraterrestrial civilizations. Their opponents object in response - why would the aliens, with their high level knowledge and technology to scatter such primitive objects across an empty planet?

However, we don’t know true purpose these items. Perhaps only in appearance they look like nails, bells, pens or cigarette cases, but in reality they are not.

On the territory of the former USSR there are also traces of the distant past. In the Urals, geologists often stumble upon mysterious objects in the rock mass. The most surprising and inexplicable of them are the discovered spirals up to 3 centimeters in size. They consist of an alloy of molybdenum, copper and tungsten. The finds were carefully studied at the research institute, and it was found that they were made using high technology, which the inhabitants of the Earth do not yet possess. Meanwhile, the age of the found spirals is more than 300 thousand years...

In the summer of 1975, an interesting and mysterious ball was found on the territory of Ukraine, which was made of a material that resembled opaque black glass. It was found at a depth of 8 meters while digging a pit - it was found by an excavator operator, who brought the ball to the laboratory for research. The layer of clay in which the ball lay was more than 10 million years old. Based on characteristic deposits on the surface of the ball, scientists have determined that it is also more than 10 million years old. Using X-rays, scientists discovered a peculiarly shaped core inside the ball, which was filled with an unknown substance. An attempt to establish the density of the nucleus showed sensational results - it turned out to be negative. According to researchers, this can be explained by a non-real assumption - antimatter is contained inside the ball. Unfortunately, o future fate nothing is known about the ball.

Representatives of the second camp, who claim that scientific research is the creation of human hands, come into clear contradiction with all of today's science. They cannot logically explain how these objects ended up in the depths of rock layers, the age of which is determined by tens and hundreds of millions of years, at a time when humans did not exist on Earth.

But perhaps each of the camps is right in some way, and if we discard the version about extraterrestrial civilizations, then our main mistake lies in the fact that we do not know the exact age of the origin of humanity. Perhaps it is much older than what is commonly believed?

In Texas, in the bed of the Palace River, the “Valley of the Giants” is located. On its territory in 1930, archaeologist K. Strenberg discovered more than 400 fossilized dinosaur tracks. According to the scientist, these traces are more than 135 million years old, but what is surprising here is that clear prints of human feet were found next to the traces of the lizards. The way the tracks were located suggests that the man was chasing a herd of dinosaurs.

These facts may well indicate that the age of humanity is far from what we think today, but tens of times older. But recently, another version has appeared that looks nothing less than science fiction - people of the future invented a time machine and traces of hunting dinosaurs, these are accidentally left traces of time travelers who simply participated in a kind of safari. Of course, it doesn’t look real, but why not!

July 20, 1969 Report from Apollo 11 astronauts N. Armstrong and E. Aldrin from the Sea of ​​Tranquility on the Moon

July 20, 1969 at 8 p.m. 17 min. 42 sec. GMT made a soft landing on the lunar plain not far from the southwestern “shore” of the Sea of ​​Tranquility east of the Sabine crater, the lunar module “Eagle” spaceship Apollo 11 with astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin. What happened next is difficult to explain. At least if you believe ufologists, who seem to have obtained recordings of conversations between the NASA Manned Flight Center in Houston and N. Armstrong and E. Aldrin.
A fragment of their negotiations is given in Maxim Yablokov’s book “We Are All Aliens?!” based on the publication of the President of the International Scientific and Engineering Center “Contact KEC” Mark Milhiker.
“Armstrong (in an excited voice): “Houston, says Tranquility Base “Eagle” has landed on the moon!...
Houston - Sea of ​​Tranquility: "According to our control data, all your systems are working normally."
Armstrong: “I see a lot of small craters around (on the Moon).” Unexpectedly, apparently, under the influence of what he suddenly saw... he continues: “And... at a distance of about half a mile (804.5 meters) from us, traces are visible that look like those left by a tank.”
Listeners on Earth heard clear sounds on the radio, similar to the whistle of a locomotive, then the operation of an electric saw... The astronauts examined their transmitters and came to the conclusion that they were in order, and the strange sounds did not come from the command compartment, which was in orbit of the Moon ...
The following astronaut calls intended for Houston were intercepted by many radio amateurs around the world. They were later removed from the official broadcast of the moon landing.
Armstrong: “What is this? What the hell is the matter? I would like to know the truth, what is it?!”
There was confusion, then NASA Flight Center: Houston started saying, “What’s going on? ..."
Armstrong: “There are big objects here (on the Moon), sir! Huge! Oh God!..There are other spaceships here!They are standing on the other side of the crater! Are on the Moonand they are watching us!
Only 5 hours later Armstrong and Aldrin were allowed to open the hatch and step on the surface of the Moon. E. Aldrin filmed N. Armstrong's exit with a movie camera from the top hatch. But this film about the first walk on the surface of the Moon was never shown to the general public. Perhaps the same objects on the lunar surface that Armstrong spoke about were captured on film?

LTP (Lunar Transient Phenomena) – 579 unexplained lunar phenomena.
The Sea of ​​Tranquility and Sabine Crater are one of the areas of greatest LTP activity on the Moon

According to M. Yablokov, the landing site lunar module Apollo 11 on the Moon was not chosen by chance. In 1968, NASA published Technical Data Sheet R-277, Chronological Catalog of Events on the Lunar Surface, stored at CIA headquarters in Langley. It described 579 phenomena observed on the Moon that had not yet received a scientific explanation and were given the name LTP (Lunar Transient Phenomena) - “random phenomena on the Moon” or lunar phenomena. These include: luminous objects moving at speeds from 32 to 80 km/h, colored trenches lengthening at a speed of 6 km/h, giant domes changing color, structures resembling arches and bridges, disappearing craters, flashes of glowing gas in the Eastern Sea and the Sea of ​​Tranquility on the Moon and other phenomena that have not found an explanation.

The Sabine crater on the Moon has long attracted the attention of researchers. At its edge in September 1967, a flash of yellow light of unprecedented brightness was recorded. From time to time, some strange giant rectangles moved across the Sea of ​​Tranquility; the edges of the craters became blurred, as if hot air was trembling above them.

Light flashes, luminous stripes and light spots on the Moon: a 300-year history of observations

US naval intelligence officer Milton Coupe, who participated in the lunar program, testified that not only Apollo 11, but also other expeditions to the Moon, while in lunar orbit, saw strange objects and phenomena on the far side of the Moon. Thus, Apollo 16 astronaut Ken Mattingly and Apollo 17 astronauts Harisson Schmit and Ronald Evans observed bright flashes of light at the northern edge of Grimaldi Crater and over the edge of the Eastern Lunar Mare. One of the leading specialists in the physics and geology of the Moon, Dr. Farouk El-Baz, who advised American astronauts, noted that these flares on the Moon are clearly “not of natural origin.”
Strange light phenomena - flashes, luminous stripes, moving spots of light on the lunar disk - have been repeatedly noted before.
On May 3, 1715, while observing a lunar eclipse in Paris, astronomer E. Louville noticed at the western edge of the Moon “some kind of flashes or instantaneous trembling of light rays, as if someone was setting fire to powder tracks, with the help of which time-delay mines explode...”. Simultaneously with E. Louville, flares in the same area of ​​the Moon were seen in the British Isles by E. Halley, after whom the famous comet is named.
In 1864 - 1865 for a long time in the Picard crater in the Sea of ​​Crisis of the Moon was observed "a bright sparkle like a star." Then it disappeared, and a cloud appeared in its place.
The library of the Royal Astronomical Society in London (UK) contains a lot of information about strange light spots and light fluctuations on the Moon. By April 1871, 1,600 such sightings had been recorded from Plato Crater alone. Numerous observers have reported seeing a flickering blue light or a cluster of "speckles of light" like bright, needle-like dots clustering together. In 1887, a luminous triangle was recorded at the bottom of the Plato crater on the Moon. That same year, several observers saw "flakes" of light moving from different sides towards this crater.

Glows on the Moon are associated with the lights of the underworld, the “light of money” (“la luz del dinero”) over underground cavities in South America and, finally, . It seems that such glows are an integral part of the technology of the underground-underwater-lunar civilization that exists in parallel with us.

September 11, 1967 for 8 - 9 seconds. Canadian researchers observed the movement of a strange object over the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bTranquility on the Moon. A dark rectangular spot with purple edges moved from west to east, and was clearly visible until it entered the night region. However, after 13 minutes. As the spot moved, near the Sabine crater, a flash of yellow light was recorded. Which probably became the reason that the first landing of American astronauts on the Moon took place in the area of ​​this crater.

The most characteristic glows on the surface of the Moon according to Technical Data Sheet R-277 “Chronological catalog of events on the lunar surface.”

Let's return to Technical Data Sheet R-277 “Chronological catalog of events on the lunar surface.” It lists the most characteristic glows observed on the surface of the Moon.

These are flickering, reddish colors, star-like points, sparkles, pulsations and blue light at the bottom of the Aristarchus crater and the tops of its peaks. It's a flicker on inside Eratosthenes crater, an accumulation of spots of light and the appearance of thick fog falling along the slope of this crater. It flickers for 28 minutes. two reddish spots in the Bijela crater. It's a thin cloud hovering over the yellowish-gold glowing western rim of the Moon's Posidonius crater and more.

A program for the study of lunar phenomena under the auspices of NASA, created in 1972. Strange phenomena on the moon continue

In June 1972, NASA announced the creation of a special program to study lunar phenomena. Dozens of experienced observers armed with telescopes were involved in the program. Each of them was allocated four lunar regions, where in the past they had repeatedly observed unusual phenomena. The results of these lunar studies remain unknown.
But this does not in the least prevent us from saying that strange phenomena on the Moon continue to this day. Thus, already on April 25, 1972, the Passau Observatory (Germany) recorded on photographic film in the area of ​​the Aristarchus and Herodotus craters on the Moon a grandiose “light fountain”, which at a speed of 1.35 km/s reached a height of 162 km, shifted to the side by 60 kilometers and dissolved.

Artificial objects on the Moon

In addition to strange light phenomena, objects of clearly artificial origin have been repeatedly observed on the Moon. According to amateur astronomer George H. Leonard's book There's Someone Else on Our Moon (1976), during the Apollo 14 lunar orbit the astronauts took a very interesting photograph (NASA 71-H-781). This is an image of a giant mechanical device, later called the 1971 Super Device. Two light and delicate structures stand on a ledge inside one of the craters on the far side of the Moon. Long cords extend from their base. The device size ranges from 2 to 2.5 km.

Quite often there are mechanisms similar to a scoop for grabbing soil, which are called “T-scoop”.East of Smith's Sea, located on the far side of the Moon,near Sanger Crater can be seen results of these devices:The T-scoop has already removed a huge section of the central slide and is on the edge, continuing its work. Heaps of lunar rocks are piled nearby.
In addition to the listed mechanisms, high-rise objects are observed: towers, mile-high spiers on the most high points lunar landscape, tilted pillars and so-called “bridges”.Their existence on the Moon, explained J. Leonard, is one of the least controversial things. Only their origin is unclear.
There are other types of objects on the Moon whose functions cannot be explained. Some of them resemble grandiose gear parts. Others are connected in pairs with something similar to threads or fibers.In enlarged drawings from photographs of the lunar surface, you can also see dome-shaped structures, and objects measuring 45 - 60 m, resembling “flying saucers” in shape,and pipelines, and giant staircases going deep into the lunar craters, and incomprehensible mechanisms at the bottom of the craters, similar to dampers.
And if we add to all this the flights of UFOs in the form of dark or, conversely, luminous cylinders and disks repeatedly observed over the surface of the Moon, as well as huge caves with a volume of up to 100 km discovered under the lunar surface, as the American astronomer Carl Sagan and the director of the Main Observatory of the USSR in Pulkovo Alexander Deitch reported in the early sixties of the last century, thenThe question of what is on the Moon is practically removed. Today from a large share We can confidently say that there is some other technologically more advanced civilization on the Moon. Which lives under the surface of the Moon, has an artificial atmosphere there and releases exhaust gas through vents. This gas apparently forms manyobserved on oursatellite of the “game” of light, nebula and blur.

Read my work "Underground-underwater-lunar civilization. Falsification or reality? "

There is a hypothesis put forward in the late sixties of the last century by M. Vasin and A. Shcherbakov that the Moon is an artificial object. Inside it there is a huge habitable cavity about 50 km high with an atmosphere suitable for habitation, technical devices etc. The lunar crust acts as a many-kilometer protective shell.

Press conference former employees NASA Ken Johnston and Richard Hoagland in Washington on October 30, 2007. Photos of the Moon taken by astronauts in 1969.

This conclusion is confirmed by the results of a press conference held on October 30, 2007 in Washington, at
which former senior NASA employee Ken Johnston, who led the photo archive of the lunar laboratory, and former NASA consultant Richard C. Hoagland have officially announced that traces of a very ancient - and clearly extraterrestrial - civilization have been discovered on the Moon. To prove this, they presented photographs of the lunar surface taken by astronauts, which were taken back in 1969. NASA allegedly ordered Johnson to be destroyed. But he didn't. Almost forty years passed, and the astronomer decided to show the photographs to the whole world.
The quality of the pictures left much to be desired. Butthey still showed the ruins of cities, huge spherical objects made of glass, stone towers and castles that hung in the air!
According to Johnson, the Americans, having visited the Moon, discovered a previously unknown technology for controlling gravity. Johnston and Hoagland believe that this is precisely the reason for the interest that space powers are once again showing in the Moon. The lunar race has resumed, and now there are not two participants, as during the Cold War, but at least five. In addition to the USA and Russia, these are China, India and Japan.

The relationship between the observed activity on the Moon and its flight by spacecraft and the landing of descent modules on the lunar surface is noted. Thus, in the period from July 17, when the Luna spacecraft entered lunar orbit, to July 21, 1969, when it crashed into the Sea of ​​Crises, in this area of ​​the lunar surface the number of flares and movements of some objects, etc., sharply increased. d. And after the landing of the “Moon” in approximately the same place (the northeastern tip of the Sea of ​​Plenty) in February 1972, a sharp surge in all kinds of anomalous phenomena was noted here. For example, on March 18, at the southern edge of the “sea”, the appearance of two light points was noticed, crossing the “sea” and then disappearing at its western edge.

Built thousands of years ago and miraculously preserved to this day, constructed from materials of unknown origin and hiding their true functions in incomprehensible forms - there are many mysterious structures on the planet with unsolvable mysteries associated with them. Some of them are able to amaze with their impressive age, others with their impressive size, and still others with truly fantastic architectural characteristics. Looking at such structures, one can only guess what our world was like thousands of years ago. How people managed to extract unique building materials and process them skillfully, erect indestructible stone walls and carve monoliths from rocks for unknown purposes - scientists continue to ponder these questions for hundreds of years.

In the northeastern part of Georgia there is a unique monument, which is known to the general public under the name “Tablets of Georgia”. The impressive size of the structure is a complex of six granite slabs, each of which is 6.1 meters high and weighs 20 tons. Commemorative inscriptions in eight languages ​​of the world were applied to the granite slabs; they represent a kind of instruction for those who will survive the apocalypse and will be engaged in the restoration of civilization.

The opening of an unusual monument in Georgia took place in 1980; its construction was carried out by employees construction organization Elberton Granite Finishing Company. The author of the idea for the unusual monument is not known for certain; according to one version, he is a certain Robert Christian, who ordered the construction of the monument privately. The monument is also notable for its astronomical orientation; it is oriented in such a way that it allows you to track the movement of the sun. In the central part of the monument there is a hole through which you can see the North Star at any time of the year.

Despite the fact that the age of the monument is relatively small, it never ceases to attract public attention. Of greatest interest to visitors is the mysterious message, which contains very fair and well-founded commandments. You can read the mysterious message in English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese and Russian, as well as in Hindi and Hebrew.

A unique structure is the ancient temple of the god Jupiter, located in the ancient Lebanese city of Baalbek. Even though today ancient building remains in ruins, it never ceases to amaze with its scale and design features. The main mystery of the temple is the huge platform slabs at its base, as well as carved marble columns, the height of which, according to rough estimates, reached 20 meters.

In Turkey, not far from the border with Syria, there is the Gobekli Tepe region, the megalithic circles discovered here brought worldwide fame. Each of them is slightly reminiscent of the Stonehenge circle, but the circles at Gobekli Tepe were built about a thousand years earlier. The purpose of the stone circles is also unclear, as is the method of constructing such large-scale and regular structures.

Among the most incredible and amazing structures on the planet, the city of Machu Picchu occupies a very special place. This ancient Incan city has been the best preserved for thousands of years. Today, visitors to the unique archaeological complex have a unique opportunity to walk along the ancient streets and touch history in its true embodiment. The discoverer of the unique archaeological complex is Hiram Bingham; his group began excavations in 1911.

Located in Southern Africa unique complex ruins under the general name “Great Zimbabwe”, not everyone knows that the African country of the same name got its name in honor of this archaeological site. According to historical data, more than a thousand years ago the Shona tribes lived in these places, and it was they who erected numerous buildings, the ruins of which today are of such interest to tourists and researchers.

Peru also has amazing structures that deserve the attention of the most sophisticated tourists, including the ruins of the ancient city of Chavín de Huantar. They are located in the area of ​​the same name, which local residents have considered special and filled with magical powers since prehistoric times. The ancient city of Chavin de Huantar was founded in 327 BC, its main part was occupied by temples and places of worship.

In the state of Florida in the city of Homestead there is a unique Coral Castle, the so-called rock garden, which can safely be considered a real wonder of the world. The impressive complex of statues, whose total weight is 1,100 tons, was built by hand; the fact of its existence has surprised millions of people from all over the world for many years. The author of the unique rock garden is Ed Lidskalnin, an immigrant from Latvia, who was inspired to do this feat by unhappy love.

In Laos, near the city of Phonsavan, there is the amazing Valley of Jars - an undeveloped area where hundreds of amazing stone structures are presented. With their outlines, these structures resemble real jugs; the only difference is their impressive size. The height of stone jugs ranges from 1 to 3.5 meters, and the average diameter is about 1 meter. The weight of the largest “jug” is approximately 6 tons; who and for what purpose many years ago created such a number of incomprehensible stone structures is one of the main mysteries of Laos.

Several amazing structures can be seen in the Japanese Asuka Park. Huge megaliths have been buried here for many hundreds of years, the real purpose of which modern science One can only guess. According to the main version of researchers, huge megaliths with patterns carved on the surface are nothing more than ancient altars. One of the most interesting megaliths is called Sakafune Ishi; strange marks from wedges were discovered on its surface, which led researchers to think about the cult purpose of the stones.

Travelers who want to see incredible structures in India should definitely visit the city of Shravanabelagola. There are several amazing temples, the main decoration of which are beautiful carved columns. The shape of the columns is unique; they were created more than a thousand years ago, in a century when lathes and chisels did not yet exist.

In Italy, among the most amazing buildings, it is worth noting the so-called “Fairy Houses” - Domus de Janus. They are unique stone buildings whose outlines truly resemble fairy-tale houses with a doorway and small windows. The largest number of such structures were discovered in Sardinia; currently there are about 2,800 structures in the region.

Modern man has not yet been able to solve the mysteries of builders and thinkers who lived thousands of years ago. Flying into space, driving out skyscrapers, cloning living organisms and doing a lot of things that just recently seemed impossible - yes, we can understand that. But how an ancient cobblestone weighing a hundred tons was installed on a pyramid is something we have not yet been able to understand. And this is what surprises us more than a computer half the size of a palm.

We continue to introduce readers to the most mysterious objects peace.

1. Arkaim, Russia, Chelyabinsk region

The Bronze Age settlement (III–II millennium BC) is located at the same latitude as Stonehenge. Coincidence? Scientists don't know. Two rows of circular walls (the diameter of the farthest one is 170 m), a drainage system and sewerage system, a well in each house are evidence of a highly developed culture. The monument was discovered by students and schoolchildren from an archaeological expedition in 1987. (The photo shows a reconstruction model.)

2. Pyramid of Kukulkan, Mexico, Chichen Itza

Every year, on the days of the spring and autumn equinox, thousands of tourists gather at the foot of the sanctuary of the supreme Mayan deity - the Feathered Serpent. They witness the miracle of Kukulkan's "appearance": the Serpent moves down along the balustrade of the main staircase. The illusion is created by the play of triangular shadows cast by the nine platforms of the pyramid at the moment when the setting sun illuminates its northwestern corner for 10 minutes. If the sanctuary had been shifted even a degree, nothing like this would have happened.

3. Carnac stones, France, Brittany, Carnac

In total, about 4,000 megaliths up to four meters high are arranged in slender alleys near the city of Karnak. The rows run parallel to each other or fan out, forming circles here and there. The complex dates back to the 5th–4th millennium BC. There were legends in Brittany that it was the wizard Merlin who turned the ranks of Roman legionnaires to stone.

4. Stone balls, Costa Rica

Pre-Columbian artifacts scattered near the Pacific coast of Costa Rica were discovered in the 1930s by banana plantation workers. Hoping to find gold inside, vandals destroyed many of the balls. Now most of the remaining ones are kept in museums. The diameter of some stones reaches 2.5 meters, weight - 15 tons. Their purpose is unknown.

5. Tablets of Georgia, USA, Georgia, Elbert

In 1979, someone under the pseudonym R.C. Christian ordered construction company production and installation of the monument - a structure of six granite monoliths with a total weight of more than 100 tons. The ten commandments to descendants are engraved on the four side plates in eight languages, including Russian. The last point says: “Don’t be a cancer for the Earth, leave room for nature too!”

6. Nuraghi of Sardinia, Italy, Sardinia

Semiconical structures resembling huge beehives (up to 20 m high) appeared in Sardinia at the end of the 2nd millennium BC, before the arrival of the Romans. The towers were built without a foundation, from stone blocks superimposed on each other, not fastened with any mortar and supported only by their own gravity. The purpose of the nuraghes is unclear. It is characteristic that archaeologists have more than once discovered miniature bronze models of these towers during excavations.

7. Sacsahuaman, Peru, Cusco

The archaeological park at an altitude of 3,700 meters and an area of ​​3,000 hectares is located north of the capital of the Inca Empire. The defensive and at the same time temple complex was built at the turn of the 15th–16th centuries. The zigzag battlements, reaching 400 meters in length and six in height, are made of 200-ton stone blocks. How the Incas installed these blocks, how they adjusted them one after another is unknown. From above, Sacahuaman looks like the toothy head of a Cusco puma (the city was founded in the shape of the sacred animal of the Incas).

8. Stonehenge, UK, Salisbury

Altar, observatory, tomb, calendar? Scientists have not come to a consensus. Five thousand years ago, a ring ditch and ramparts around it with a diameter of 115 m appeared. A few centuries later, ancient builders brought here 80 four-ton stones, and a couple of centuries later - 30 megaliths weighing 25 tons. The stones were installed in a circle and in the shape of a horseshoe. The form in which Stonehenge has survived to this day is largely the result of human activity in recent centuries. People continued to work on the stones: peasants chipped away pieces of amulets from them, tourists marked the territory with inscriptions, and restorers figured out for the ancients how things stood correctly here.

9. Newgrange, Ireland, Dublin

The Celts called it the fairy mound and considered it the home of one of their main gods. The circular structure made of stone, earth and rubble with a diameter of 85 meters was erected more than 5,000 years ago. A corridor leads inside the mound, ending in a ritual chamber. On the days of the winter solstice, this chamber is brightly illuminated for 15–20 minutes by a ray of sun falling through the window above the entrance to the tunnel.

10. Coral Castle, USA, Florida, Homestead

The bizarre structure was built single-handedly over 28 years (1923–1951) by Latvian emigrant Edward Lindskalnin in honor of a lost love. How a man of modest stature and build moved huge blocks in space remains a mystery.

11. Statues of “reptilians”, French Polynesia, Nuku Hiva island

The statues in a place called Temehea Tohua in the Marquesas Islands depict strange creatures whose appearance in the popular consciousness is associated with aliens. They are different: there are large large-mouthed “reptilians”, and there are others: with small bodies and disproportionately large elongated helmet heads with with huge eyes. They have one thing in common - an angry expression on their faces. Whether these were aliens from other worlds or just masked priests is unknown. The statues date back to around the beginning of the 2nd millennium.

12. Pyramids of Yonaguni, Japan, Ryukyu Archipelago

Monuments of huge stone platforms and pillars located underwater at a depth of 5 to 40 meters were discovered in 1986. The main one of these structures has the shape of a pyramid. Not far from it there is a large platform with steps, similar to a stadium with spectator stands. One of the objects resembles a huge head, like the Moai statues on Easter Island. There is debate in the scientific community: many believe that the formations lying on the ocean floor are exclusively of natural origin. But loners like Masaaki Kimura, a professor at the University of the Ryukyu, who has repeatedly dived to the ruins, insist that there was a human presence here.

13. Goseck Circle, Germany, Goseck

The ring system of concentric ditches and wooden enclosures was created between 5000 and 4800 BC. The complex has now been reconstructed. Presumably it was used as a solar calendar.

14. Great Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe, Masvingo

One of the largest and oldest stone structures South Africa It was built in the 11th century, and was abandoned in the 15th century for an unknown reason. All structures (up to 11 meters in height and 250 in length) were erected using the dry masonry method. Presumably, up to 18,000 people lived in the settlement.

15. Delhi Column, India, New Delhi

The iron column, more than 7 meters high and weighing more than 6 tons, is part of the Qutub Minar architectural complex. It was cast in honor of King Chandragupta II in 415. By for unclear reasons The column, almost 100% made of iron, is practically resistant to corrosion. Scientists are trying to explain this fact for various reasons: the special skill and technology of ancient Indian blacksmiths, dry air and specific climatic conditions in the Delhi region, the formation of a protective shell - in particular, as a result of the fact that the Hindus anointed the sacred monument with oils and incense. Ufologists, as usual, see in the column yet another evidence of the intervention of extraterrestrial intelligence. But the secret of “stainless steel” has not yet been solved.

16. Nazca Lines, Peru, Nazca Plateau

A 47-meter spider, a 93-meter hummingbird, a 134-meter eagle, a lizard, an alligator, a snake, other zoomorphic and humanoid creatures... Giant images from a bird's eye view seem to be scratched on devoid of vegetation rock, and as if with one hand, in the same style. In fact, these are furrows up to 50 cm deep and up to 135 cm wide, made in different times in the V-VII centuries.

17. Nabta Observatory, Nubia, Sahara

In the sands next to a dry lake lies the oldest archaeoastronomical monument on the planet, 1000 years older than Stonehenge. The location of the megaliths makes it possible to determine the day of the summer solstice. Archaeologists believe that people lived here seasonally, when there was water in the lake, and therefore needed a calendar.

18. Antikythera mechanism, Greece, Antikythera

A mechanical device with dials, hands and gears was found at the beginning of the 20th century on a sunken ship sailing from Rhodes (100 BC). After lengthy research and reconstruction, scientists found that the device served astronomical purposes - it made it possible to monitor the movement of celestial bodies and make very complex calculations.

19. Plates of Baalbek, Lebanon

The ruins of the Roman temple complex date back to the 1st-2nd centuries AD. But the Romans did not build sanctuaries out of nowhere. At the base of the Temple of Jupiter lie more ancient slabs weighing 300 tons. The western retaining wall is made up of a series of "trilithons" - three limestone blocks, each over 19 m long, 4 m high and weighing about 800 tons. Roman technology was not able to lift such weight. By the way, not far from the complex, another block has been lying for more than one thousand years - under 1000 tons.

20. Gobekli Tepe, Türkiye

The complex on the Armenian Highlands is considered the oldest of the largest megalithic structures (approximately X-IX millennium BC). At that time, people were still hunting and gathering, but someone was able to erect circles of huge steles with images of animals.

We fly into space, race to build skyscrapers, clone living organisms and do many things that only recently seemed impossible. And at the same time, they are still unable to solve the mysteries of the builders and thinkers who lived thousands of years ago. An ancient cobblestone weighing a hundred tons surprises us more than a computer half the size of a palm.

1. Stonehenge, UK, Salisbury

Altar, observatory, tomb, calendar? Scientists have not come to a consensus. Five thousand years ago, a ring ditch and ramparts around it with a diameter of 115 m appeared. A few centuries later, ancient builders brought here 80 four-ton stones, and a couple of centuries later - 30 megaliths weighing 25 tons. The stones were installed in a circle and in the shape of a horseshoe. The form in which Stonehenge has survived to this day is largely the result of human activity in recent centuries. People continued to work on the stones: peasants chipped away pieces of amulets from them, tourists marked the territory with inscriptions, and restorers figured out for the ancients how things stood correctly here.

2. Pyramid of Kukulkan, Mexico, Chichen Itza

Every year, on the days of the spring and autumn equinox, thousands of tourists gather at the foot of the sanctuary of the supreme Mayan deity - the Feathered Serpent. They witness the miracle of Kukulkan's "appearance": the Serpent moves down along the balustrade of the main staircase. The illusion is created by the play of triangular shadows cast by the nine platforms of the pyramid at the moment when the setting sun illuminates its northwestern corner for 10 minutes. If the sanctuary had been shifted even a degree, nothing like this would have happened.

3. Carnac stones, France, Brittany, Carnac

In total, about 4,000 megaliths up to four meters high are arranged in slender alleys near the city of Karnak. The rows run parallel to each other or fan out, forming circles here and there. The complex dates back to the 5th–4th millennium BC. There were legends in Brittany that it was the wizard Merlin who turned the ranks of Roman legionnaires to stone.

4. Stone balls, Costa Rica

Pre-Columbian artifacts scattered near the Pacific coast of Costa Rica were discovered in the 1930s by banana plantation workers. Hoping to find gold inside, vandals destroyed many of the balls. Now most of the remaining ones are kept in museums. The diameter of some stones reaches 2.5 meters, weight - 15 tons. Their purpose is unknown.

5. Georgia Tablets, USA, Georgia, Elbert

In 1979, someone under the pseudonym R.C. Christian ordered the construction company to manufacture and install the monument - a structure of six granite monoliths weighing more than 100 tons. The ten commandments to descendants are engraved on the four side plates in eight languages, including Russian. The last point says: “Don’t be a cancer for the Earth, leave room for nature too!”

6. Nuraghi of Sardinia, Italy, Sardinia

Semiconical structures resembling huge beehives (up to 20 m high) appeared in Sardinia at the end of the 2nd millennium BC, before the arrival of the Romans. The towers were built without a foundation, from stone blocks superimposed on each other, not fastened with any mortar and supported only by their own gravity. The purpose of the nuraghes is unclear. It is characteristic that archaeologists have more than once discovered miniature bronze models of these towers during excavations.

7. Sacsahuaman, Peru, Cusco

The archaeological park at an altitude of 3,700 meters and an area of ​​3,000 hectares is located north of the capital of the Inca Empire. The defensive and at the same time temple complex was built at the turn of the 15th–16th centuries. The zigzag battlements, reaching 400 meters in length and six in height, are made of 200-ton stone blocks. How the Incas installed these blocks, how they adjusted them one after another is unknown. From above, Sacahuaman looks like the toothy head of a Cusco puma (the city was founded in the shape of the sacred animal of the Incas).

8. Arkaim, Russia, Chelyabinsk region

The Bronze Age settlement (III–II millennium BC) is located at the same latitude as Stonehenge. Coincidence? Scientists don't know. Two rows of circular walls (the diameter of the farthest one is 170 m), a drainage system and sewerage system, a well in each house are evidence of a highly developed culture. The monument was discovered by students and schoolchildren from an archaeological expedition in 1987. (The photo shows a reconstruction model.)

9. Newgrange, Ireland, Dublin

The Celts called it the fairy mound and considered it the home of one of their main gods. The circular structure made of stone, earth and rubble with a diameter of 85 meters was erected more than 5,000 years ago. A corridor leads inside the mound, ending in a ritual chamber. On the days of the winter solstice, this chamber is brightly illuminated for 15–20 minutes by a ray of sun falling through the window above the entrance to the tunnel.

10. Coral Castle, USA, Florida, Homestead

The bizarre structure was built single-handedly over 28 years (1923–1951) by Latvian emigrant Edward Lindskalnin in honor of a lost love. How a man of modest stature and build moved huge blocks in space remains a mystery.

11. Statues of “reptilians”, French Polynesia, Nuku Hiva island

The statues in a place called Temehea Tohua in the Marquesas Islands depict strange creatures whose appearance in the popular consciousness is associated with aliens. They are different: there are large large-mouthed “reptilians”, and there are others: with small bodies and disproportionately large elongated helmet heads with huge eyes. They have one thing in common - an angry expression on their faces. Whether these were aliens from other worlds or just masked priests is unknown. The statues date back to around the beginning of the 2nd millennium.

12. Pyramids of Yonaguni, Japan, Ryukyu Archipelago

Monuments of huge stone platforms and pillars located underwater at a depth of 5 to 40 meters were discovered in 1986. The main one of these structures has the shape of a pyramid. Not far from it there is a large platform with steps, similar to a stadium with spectator stands. One of the objects resembles a huge head, like the Moai statues on Easter Island. There is debate in the scientific community: many believe that the formations lying on the ocean floor are exclusively of natural origin. But loners like Masaaki Kimura, a professor at the University of the Ryukyu, who has repeatedly dived to the ruins, insist that there was a human presence here.

13. Goseck Circle, Germany, Goseck

The ring system of concentric ditches and wooden enclosures was created between 5000 and 4800 BC. The complex has now been reconstructed. Presumably it was used as a solar calendar.

14. Great Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe, Masvingo

One of the largest and oldest stone structures in South Africa was built in the 11th century, and was abandoned in the 15th century for an unknown reason. All structures (up to 11 meters in height and 250 in length) were erected using the dry masonry method. Presumably, up to 18,000 people lived in the settlement.

15. Delhi Column, India, New Delhi

The iron column, more than 7 meters high and weighing more than 6 tons, is part of the Qutub Minar architectural complex. It was cast in honor of King Chandragupta II in 415. For reasons that are unclear, the column, which is almost 100% iron, is virtually resistant to corrosion. Scientists are trying to explain this fact with various reasons: the special skill and technology of ancient Indian blacksmiths, dry air and specific climatic conditions in the Delhi region, the formation of a protective shell - in particular, as a result of the fact that the Hindus anointed the sacred monument with oils and incense. Ufologists, as usual, see in the column yet another evidence of the intervention of extraterrestrial intelligence. But the secret of “stainless steel” has not yet been solved.

17. Nabta Observatory, Nubia, Sahara

In the sands next to a dry lake lies the oldest archaeoastronomical monument on the planet, 1000 years older than Stonehenge. The location of the megaliths makes it possible to determine the day of the summer solstice. Archaeologists believe that people lived here seasonally, when there was water in the lake, and therefore needed a calendar.

18. Antikythera mechanism, Greece, Antikythera

A mechanical device with dials, hands and gears was found at the beginning of the 20th century on a sunken ship sailing from Rhodes (100 BC). After lengthy research and reconstruction, scientists found that the device served astronomical purposes - it made it possible to monitor the movement of celestial bodies and make very complex calculations.

19. Plates of Baalbek, Lebanon

The ruins of the Roman temple complex date back to the 1st-2nd centuries AD. But the Romans did not build sanctuaries out of nowhere. At the base of the Temple of Jupiter lie more ancient slabs weighing 300 tons. The western retaining wall is made up of a series of "trilithons" - three limestone blocks, each over 19 m long, 4 m high and weighing about 800 tons. Roman technology was not able to lift such weight. By the way, not far from the complex, another block has been lying for more than one thousand years - under 1000 tons.

20. Gobekli Tepe, Türkiye

The complex on the Armenian Highlands is considered the oldest of the largest megalithic structures (approximately X-IX millennium BC). At that time, people were still hunting and gathering, but someone was able to erect circles of huge steles with images of animals.