brought with him
The mystery of the Roman Lycurgus Cup: Nanotechnology in the ancient world?
The British Museum holds a very beautiful ancient exhibit – the Roman Lycurgus Cup. But he is more famous for his unusual optical properties. Under normal lighting, the goblet appears yellowish-green, and in transmitted light it acquires a deep wine-red hue. Only in 1990, scientists were able to reveal the secret of these unique properties, but how could such an effect be achieved in ancient times? After all, these are the real nanotechnologies …
The cup is a so-called diatret – a double-walled bell covered with a figured pattern. Its height is 16.5, and its diameter is 13.2 centimeters.
The earliest found diatrets belong to the 1st century BC. n e., and their heyday reached its production in the III and IV centuries. Diatrets in that era were considered very expensive items and were available only to the rich. Continue reading
Strange ancient artifacts, the origin of which no one can explain
The world is full of strange and mysterious artifacts. Some are almost certainly hoaxes, the others are connected with real stories. In our review of the 10-ka real artifacts, the origin of which scientists can not explain today.
1. The Sumerian Kings List
During excavations in Iraq on the territory of ancient Sumer, a manuscript was found, which lists all the kings of this state. The researchers initially thought that this was a common historical document, but later it turned out that many of the kings were mythological characters. Some rulers who should have been included in the list were missing from it. Others were attributed to incredibly long periods of rule or mythical events associated with them, such as, for example, the Sumerian version of the Great Flood and the exploits of Gilgamesh.
2. Gigas Codex (or Devil’s Bible) Continue reading
Secrets that historians cannot yet unravel
And today there are secrets that historians have not been able to unravel. Some of these mysteries are close to the legends, and yet scientists do not lose hope of finding answers. In this review, a story about the secrets that still excite the minds of scientists and intrigue the inhabitants.
1. The Lost City of Kalahari
In November 1885, Guillermo Farini (also known as William Leonard Hunt) wrote a report about a strange and mysterious city that he stumbled upon in the Kalahari Desert. He presented this data to the Berlin Geographical Society, and in 1886 to the Royal Geographical Society of Great Britain. Farini even published a book in the same year in which he described the discovery in detail. In the book, he described the mysterious rock formations, which, as he was convinced, were the ruins of an ancient city. Continue reading
