Ancient Mysteries
22 entries in the Ancient Mysteries compendium.
Ancient Mysteries — Era Chart
The Antikythera MechanismOldest known analogue computer, predicting astronomical events and Olympic cycles.The Voynich ManuscriptUndeciphered 15th-century illustrated codex of unknown origin.The Nazca LinesAncient geoglyphs in Peru, best seen from the air.The Phaistos DiscA Minoan clay disc bearing an undeciphered stamped inscription.The Saqqara BirdAncient Egyptian wooden bird model of unknown purpose.The Bog BodiesNaturally mummified remains preserved in peat bogs across millennia.The Mary CelesteThe *Mary Celeste*, often misspelled *Marie Celeste*, was a brigantine built in Nova ScotiThe Lost Ninth LegionLegio IX Hispana, also known as Legio VIIII Hispana, was a unit of the Imperial Roman armyThe Princes in the TowerThe vanished heirs to the English throne.The Amber RoomA lost chamber of amber, gold, and mirrors.The Franklin ExpeditionBritish Arctic expedition that vanished seeking the Northwest Passage.The Dancing Plague of 1518Beginning in July 1518, a woman later identified as Frau Troffea began dancing uncontrollaThe Dead Sea ScrollsAncient Jewish manuscripts from the Second Temple period.AtlantisFictional island in Plato's allegory on national hubris.The Epic of GilgameshWorld's oldest surviving narrative literature from ancient Mesopotamia.The Amarna LettersDiplomatic archive from 14th-century BC Egypt written in cuneiform.Greek FireA lost Byzantine incendiary weapon that burned on water.The Order of AssassinsNizari Isma'ili order known for strategic assassinations during the Crusades.The Knights TemplarMedieval Catholic military order and early bankers.StonehengePrehistoric megalithic monument on Salisbury Plain, England.The Rosetta StoneKey to deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic and Demotic scripts.The Terracotta ArmyTerracotta sculptures buried to protect the first emperor in the afterlife.
Browse Ancient Mysteries in the interactive codex →