A lot of the things that archaeologists dig up out of the ground are fairly straightforward—we know what people did with arrowheads and pots. But occasionally, we’ll turn up something that leaves experts scratching their chins and wondering “What’s that all about?”
10 Middle Eastern Circles
You may well be familiar with the Nazca Lines in Peru, ancient geoglyphs only properly visible from above. Their popularity with ancient alien proponents is second only to Egypt’s pyramids. Yet there’s an older, more [amazon asin=0892132949&template=*lrc ad (left)]mysterious, and even more common version in the Middle East that gets a lot less attention.
The “Wheels” are circular stone structures built in the desert from Syria to Saudi Arabia. Believed to be at least 2,000 years old, the structures weren’t rediscovered until the 1920s, after we’d invented planes. An archaeologist working on the structures said that you can make out a vague pattern from the ground, but you must ascend to at least 30 meters (100 ft) to view the structures clearly.
The purpose of the structures is unclear. Some are clustered together, and others stand alone. Some of the circles seem to have spokes aligned with astronomical phenomena, while others are apparently random. They could be the remains of buildings or cemeteries, though the most common belief is that they had some sort of religious significance to the people that made them.
9 Fort Mountain
A trail marker tells hikers in Georgia they are approaching a “mysterious and prehistoric wall.” The wall’s builders are unknown. Its purpose is just as big a mystery.
The loose rock wall measures around 270 meters (885 ft) long and up to 2 meters (7 ft) tall in some sections. About 30 pits are scattered along its length, and one section contains the ruins of a gateway. It was built around 1,600 years ago, though the pits may have been dug much later by European treasure hunters.[amazon asin=1591431719&template=*lrc ad (right)]
The obvious theory behind the wall says it was used to defend the mountain from attack, but this seems unlikely. There’s no water source, the wall is left very low in some places, and it completely ignores any strategic slopes. Other theories suggest the wall had some use in sun worship or even marked the boundary of a haven for newlyweds to honeymoon.
The wall zigzags in a way that matches patterns found on some Native American pottery. Its shape may follow the movement of celestial bodies, and the north end of the wall points to where the Sun rises during the summer solstice. Cherokee legends about the wall suggest its builders were subterranean, tall, light-skinned, bearded, nocturnal, and “moon-eyed.” This is possibly a reference to Hitchiti tribes that used to live in the area, as they wore beards and dwelled in earth lodges that resembled caves. If they were tall and enjoyed astronomy, then the explanation fits.
8 Derek Mahoney’s Glastonbury Cross
One of the many legends surrounding King Arthur is that monks from Glastonbury Abbey found his coffin in 1191. Alongside him was a lead cross, engraved with “HIC IACET SEPULTUS INCLITUS REX ARTHURIUS IN INSULA AVALONIA”—which translates to “Here lies entombed the renowned King Arthur in the island of Avalon.”
[amazon asin=1601632789&template=*lrc ad (left)]Many believe that, if it existed, the cross was a hoax by the monks to encourage pilgrims to visit. Even so, a hoax from the 12th century is historically very valuable. The last record of the cross was in the 17th century. That meant experts were very keen to investigate when a man turned up at the British Museum in December 1981 claiming to have found it.
Unfortunately, Derek Mahoney refused to hand the cross over after the museum staff first examined it. The museum called local authorities, who owned the land where Mahoney had supposedly found the item, and the council got a court order for the cross’s return. Mahoney still refused. In April 1982, a judge put Mahoney in prison for two years but said he’d be released immediately as soon as he revealed the cross’s location.
In January 1983, England’s Official Solicitor, tasked with looking out for people unable to represent themselves, went to court to argue for Mahoney’s release. Mahoney, oddly enough, argued that he should stay in prison and the Official Solicitor should mind his own business. The same scenario played out in the country’s second-highest court, which ruled that Mahoney should be released. Despite his continued protests, he was ejected from prison.
It later turned out Mahoney had previously made molds for lead toys and so had many of the skills needed to create such a cross. Even if he had faked it, he had done well enough to fool the experts who saw it—and well enough to convince authorities he should go to prison for it. Unfortunately, we may never know the truth, as the cross was never seen again.
