There is nothing quite like making amazing and unique discoveries in the world, whether new or old. Archeologists find a wide variety of different things in the earth that give us insights into past civilizations, how people used to live, what creatures used to roam here, and more. However, there are some artifacts that are found that simply produce more questions than they answer. Some items are found that simply no one can explain where they came from, even what they are and more. Here are 18 items that have been found on earth that simply can’t be explained, and number 15 is particularly interesting.
#18 The Ata Skeleton
This little guy was found in the Chilean Desert back in 2003. The body was found to have significant DNA, which was testable. The body is very tiny, with fewer ribs than most humans and a long head. It is believed that Ata is a premature fetus with some form of dwarfism, though no gene for that was ever found.
#17 The Winnipesaukee Mystery Stone
Even though this stone was found next to a lake in 1872, people still have no idea what it is to this day. It is an egg-shaped, smooth item that is adorned with a number of strange and seemingly random symbols on it. Also, the small holes found in the bottom and top of this egg could only have been created with advanced power tools, which weren’t around when it was likely made.
#16 Dogu
Throughout recent years, 18,000 of these little Dogu sculpture were found all across Japan. They are between 2 and 10 thousand years old and all look just a little bit different than the next. As to what they meant or represented, no one knows. For a look at another set of sculptures that can be found in droves in various different places, check out number 10.
#15 The Quimbaya Airplanes
The Quimbaya artifacts are some of the most famous artifacts ever found in Colombia and are dozens of little gold items. These were left by the Quimbaya people but the most mysterious part of it all is that these are little mini airplanes. Many believe these little figurines are proof that the tribe had mastered flight or at least knew of how it could be done.
#14 Rat Kings
This is easily the grossest item on the list and looks like it belongs in a horror film. It is basically a clump of rodents that are tied together by their tails. These were associated with plagues and a bad omen, but it is rare to find one as big as this one, which featured 32 rats.
#13 Ulfberht Viking Swords
These swords date back to around the 9th or 10th century. These weapons were made with such a pure type of metal that they would have been very incredible in battle. But the strangest thing is, the technique needed to create this piece wasn’t even invented until 800 years once these were forged. Also, check out number 12 for another item that is years and years ahead of its time.
#12 The Rongorongo Tablets
While Easter Island is famous for its large heads, these are perhaps more mysterious than those. Explorers found these tablets, but cannot decipher them. It might be the last remnants of the Rongorongo language in history, but no one knows for sure. If you think this is crazy, check out number 5 for another unexplained set of tablets.
#11 The Tecaxic-Calixtlahuaca Head
This artifact was found simply lying in a grave in Mexico City, but it is not believed to be from there. The sculpture bears a resemblance to statues found in ancient Rome, and many believe it may be from there. Some think it is evidence of cross-continental trade much earlier than it was believed to have begun.
#10 The Codex Gigas
This is one of the biggest books of all time and is believed by some to be the work of the devil himself. The Devils’ Bible is 9 inches thick and weighs 165 lbs. And the page with the colored image of the devil is one of the eeriest pages of a book in history. Check out the 16th entry to see another item that seemingly came from the devil.
#9 The Ubaid Lizardmen
Few archeological finds in the Middle East are as mysterious as these are. These figurines seemingly depict various reptilian creatures and date back around 7000 years. Each of the figures has a different pose and have been found all across Iraq. Historians have absolutely no idea what these represent or mean, but they certainly look like strange alien creatures.
#8 The Peri Reis Map
In the late 1920s, a group of historians made a brilliant discovery. The discovery was that of a genuine map written by a famous admiral in the Turkish Navy, Peri Reis, in 1513. And while the discovery itself is cool, it is mysterious too. This self-drawn map depicts almost every continent in the world, even Antarctica, which wasn’t even believed to be discovered at the time.
#7 The Antikythera Mechanism
This is believed to be the remnants of the first ever mechanical computer. This item dates back to ancient Greece and was found under 45 meters of water. The level of sophistication of this item goes far beyond what many people believed was capable in ancient Greece at the time, and something like this shouldn’t exist.
#6 The London Hammer
In the mid-1930s, a man named Max Hahn and his wife Emma were out on a walk. They discovered some wood sticking out from rock, which turned out to be an ancient hammer. They took it to historians and dated the rock back over 400 Million years ago, much before these type of tools were believed to be around.
#5 Sumerian King List
In the 20th century, a stone tablet was found that included the information of every king of the Sumer empire, which was in present-day Iraq. The stone records their name, their length or reign and location. What is the strangest thing is that mixed in with the real leaders are some mythical ones, even some that reigned for thousands of years? Why are they included?
