Science does not stand still. New opportunities for research keep appearing and, as a result, new findings and discoveries happen. For example, at the end of our article, we are going to show you what an ancient Peruvian queen looked like. Archaeology also uses the latest achievements of technology, thanks to which there have been a lot of interesting discoveries that humanity never even dreamed of.
We at Bright Side collected the most exciting discoveries and finds that humanity was able to see thanks to eternal progress. Let’s look and admire together.
8. The brain of a dinosaur
Few people would have guessed that a little “stone” found in Sussex in 2004 would turn out to be a dinosaur brain fossil. But it’s true! Its age is about 133 million years. With the help of a special microscope, scientists managed to find out what the brain of the most ancient inhabitant of the planet was like. This finding is still unique.
7. Handmade items made by frontline soldiers during the Prussian wars, Napoleon’s campaigns, and the British wars in South Africa and India
The unique blankets handmade by men, some of whom held a needle and thread in their hands for the first time, prove that there is a place for beautiful things in wars as well. It was originally thought that soldiers made these blankets while staying in hospitals. However, the latest research shows that they were created on battlefields during brief breaks between military operations.These amazing pieces of art were exhibited in 2017.
6. The remains of the most ancient man on Earth
The skeleton of Australopithecus was displayed to the public in 2017, and it’s unique not only in its age (which is about 3.6 million years) but in the fact that it’s almost unbroken. Its reconstruction showed scientists that Australopithecus is much closer to the skeleton of modern man than was considered previously. It was found in the Sterkfontein Caves in South Africa, and, according to experts, it was a girl who fell off a cliff.
5. Monet’s secret collection
Claude Monet, a famous French painter, had an extensive collection of works of art. However, very few people know about this because the artist hid this fact from his biography. Unfortunately, to keep this fact a secret, he didn’t make any remarks about where he got his paintings from, and that’s the reason why his collection could only be displayed to the public in 2017. Having the paintings of Pissarro, Manet, and Signac in his collection proves that Monet was not an opponent of the Neo-Impressionists.
4. Native Americans used to decorate their teeth 2,500 years ago.
As it turns out, decorating teeth with gems is not a new idea. On the skull of a man belonging to the group of people who inhabited the south of North America, the teeth were decorated with semiprecious stones. This was not something unique because it was practiced by ordinary people. Obsidian drills and resin-based and bone-based glue were used for such work.
3. A mummy inside a statue
Thanks to the modern scanning of a Buddha statue, it was possible to find the mummy of the Buddhist monk Lieu Quan. This monk lived around the 11th-12th centuries. This unusual find surprised scientists doubly with the discovery that instead of the monk’s innards, ancient scrolls with the text of prayers were hidden inside.
2. A 3-plug device — the Enigmalith
When hiking somewhere in the mountains in 1998, electrical engineer John. J. Williams found something that resembled an electrical connector sticking out from the ground. After digging the device out and studying it carefully, he discovered a 3-plug device intruded into a rock. After a more careful examination in a laboratory, scientists realized that the “plug” was not glued or welded into the stone, which means that the object was formed together with the rock and was simply a part of the stone. However, John. J. Williams truly believed that it was an artifact from ancient hi-tech civilizations and refused to show the place where he found it.
1. Unusual 3,100-year-old Chinese treasures
Interesting household items in the burial place of a nobleman were recently found in China (it is still unknown to whom the grave belongs). A large number of varied bronze ritual vessels made with incredible craftsmanship were found. Archaeologists believe that this is only the beginning because, according to their data, they have found an ancient cemetery, the main riddles of which are yet to be solved.
Bonus: The restored face of a Peruvian queen who lived 1,200 years ago
Scientists from Poland and Peru managed to restore the image of this noble woman with the help of modern methods of 3D printing. The tomb of El Castillo de Huarmey refers to the culture of the Wari who lived in the region centuries before the Incas. The body of the queen, which was given the name of Huarmey, was lying in a separate vault with an enormous amount of jewelry and ritual items.
Nobody knows how many more miracles are yet to be discovered. But you have probably already heard about newer archaeological finds that you could share with us. We are looking forward to seeing them in the comments!
