Category Archives: EUROPE

EUROPE, WORLD

What is the roman dodecahedron? the mystery is still unsolved

What is the roman dodecahedron? the mystery is still unsolved

Archaeologists are rarely stumped when it comes to figuring out the purpose of the Roman artefacts they unearth. However, the Roman dodecahedron has everyone baffled. Over 100 of these hollow, knobby, metallic polyhedrons with 12 sides have surfaced at excavation sites mostly around central Europe. At present, there is no definitive answer to their function or purpose.

This Roman dodecahedron derives from the 2nd or 3rd century in Stuttgart, Germany.

The enigmatic geometric forms consist of copper alloy. They range in size from 4 cm to 11 cm, and each of the 12 pentagonal faces contains a circular hole. Oddly, the diameters of the holes are not identical in a single dodecahedron. They also vary from one dodecahedron to another. All of the Roman dodecahedra have five globular knobs at the vertices of the pentagonal faces. The variations in dimensions and designs of the dodecahedra, in addition to their holes, are perplexing.

Discoveries of Roman Dodecahedra

Some dodecahedra surfaced in the antiquities market and, therefore, lacked archaeological context. Others emerged in controlled, scientific excavations.

Archaeologists unearthed the southernmost Roman dodecahedron at Arles in France. The northwesternmost example comes from a site on Hadrian’s Wall in Northern Britain. Yet another piece comes from Bordeaux. Additionally, they have also surfaced as far east as Vienna and Zagreb.

There is a distinct lack of consistency in the archaeological context of the cast dodecahedra. Roman military camps, public baths, and temples have contained samples. Dodecahedra surfaced in a Roman theatre, a tomb, and a well that contained numerous discarded items. Several also turned up in coin hoards, suggesting that they were valued objects.

Even an analysis of the layers of dirt around excavation sites from the second to the fourth century CE provides no clues. As a result, these variations in the discoveries have confounded those attempting to clarify their function. Additionally, a complete absence of any mention of them in Roman texts adds to their mystery.

Two dodecahedra and one icosahedron 3rd century CE.

What Was the Function of a Dodecahedron?

From the first report of a dodecahedron in 1739 until today, over two hundred archaeologists, historians, mathematicians, and hobbyists have put forth theories on the purpose of these bizarre objects.

Cosmic or Astrological

Dodecahedra, for the most part, originate in Gallo-Roman lands where Roman culture overlayed an indigenous ancient Celtic civilization. Therefore, several theories involve mysticism. Some propose that the dodecahedra had a religious function with the twelve holes symbolizing cosmic phenomena. Others suggest that they had a talismanic role. However, since they are too large to suspend form the neck, perhaps they dangled from a belt. Alternatively, they could have fit nicely into a leather purse.

A more likely supposition is that they served some function in astronomical calculations. Perhaps they sat on a flat surface or leaned on a stick.

According to this hypothesis, a dodecahedron could align with the sun, which would shine through two holes at a specific time of day in a particular season. The proponents of this theory used complicated mathematical calculations to show that a dodecahedron could predict astronomical events. In his article, The Hypothesis, G.M.C. Wagemans used a series of estimates showing that several dodecahedra could calculate the best time for planting winter grain in specific locations in Northern Europe.

Some skeptics refute mathematical/astronomical theories. They conclude that the differences in hole sizes and the overall size of Roman dodecahedra prove that they cannot have been used to calculate astronomical phenomena. The same goes for the theory that the metal dodecahedron served as a modern-day theodolite for measuring distances required in land surveying.

What is the roman dodecahedron? the mystery is still unsolved
Dodecahedron from Thermae.
Divinations

Other theorists have advanced more straightforward ideas concerning the function of the Roman dodecahedron. Some have said it was useful for soothsaying or divination where seers tossed the metal object and read it like a die. However, the fact that the sides bear no written inscriptions or symbols militates against this purpose. Rolling or tossing a Roman dodecahedron would have been almost impossible because of the protruding knobs. Therefore, it is unlikely to have been a divination tool or an object used in a game.

Candlestick Holder?

Because traces of wax exist in some dodecahedra, researchers have proposed that they were candleholders. However, many experts have dismissed this notion for two reasons. First, the wax residue is probably a remnant of the lost wax process used in casting. Second, if these items were candlestick holders, why haven’t archaeologists found a single example in Italy or regions of the Roman Empire around the Mediterranean? The distinct geographical area of dodecahedra discoveries makes the mysterious items unique within the vast world of Roman archaeology. In contrast, other types and models of bronze castings are ubiquitous throughout the Empire.

Knitter?

Among the theories that hobbyists have proposed, the most ingenious involves the use of a dodecahedron to crochet or knit a wool glove. A talented student recently made a Roman dodecahedron 3-D print of one and worked a glove on it. Subsequently, the student recorded the process in a YouTube video.

The idea of making a winter hand-covering on a Roman dodecahedron fits nicely with the wintry geographical discovery sites. Additionally, maybe the different sizes of the holes on the faces correspond to various fingers on a glove.

Decoration?

Perhaps the Roman dodecahedron served as nothing other than decoration. One could imagine that the odd piece suspended from a rope on a belt may have added a bit of swagger to a costume. Similar polyhedral decorative beads with globular protrusions surfaced in sites dating to the 3rd and 4th centuries BCE in Southeast Asia. However, the idea that Roman dodecahedra were merely decorative does not take into account the inconsistent sizes of the circular holes.

Will anyone ever solve the puzzle of the function of the Roman dodecahedron? Judging from the many theories over the last two hundred years, the solution to the enigma may prove to be elusive.

EUROPE, POLAND, WORLD

Archaeologists unearth remains of 17th-century female “vampire” in Poland

Archaeologists unearth remains of 17th-century female “vampire” in Poland

Vampire folklore across cultures is filled with various tips on how to keep a recently deceased person from rising from the grave as an undead fiend who preys on the living.

Archaeologists unearth remains of 17th-century female “vampire” in Poland
Archaeologists discovered what may be the skeleton of a 17th-century female “vampire” near Bydgoszcz, Poland.

Now archaeologists have uncovered an unusual example of people using these tips in a 17th-century Polish cemetery near Bydgoszcz: a female skeleton buried with a sickle placed across her neck, as well as a padlock on the big toe of her left foot.

Tales of vampire-like creatures date back at least 4,000 years to ancient Mesopotamia. For instance, the Assyrians feared a demon goddess called Lamastu (literally, “she who erases”), who they said killed babies in their cribs or while still in the womb. Other ancient texts mention a similar creature, Lilith—who also appears in Hebrew texts and folklore—who steals away infants and unborn children. Neither of these could be considered “vampires” in the modern sense, but they are the precursors to the Greek legend of Lamia, an immortal monster who sucked the blood from young children.

In Chinese folklore, another type of proto-vampire, called the k’uei, were reanimated corpses that rose from the grave and preyed on the living, as were the Russian upir, Indian vetala, Romanian strigoi, and Greek vrykolakas.

News reports specifically referencing vampires didn’t appear in English until 1732, as suspected “epidemics” of vampirism caused a mass hysteria that swept across Eastern Europe.

 By the 19th century, most of Europe was consumed by vampire hysteria, inspiring writers like John Polidori (“The Vampyre,” 1819), Sheridan LeFanu (Carmilla, 1872), and of course, Bram Stoker, whose Dracula (1897) pretty much spawned the modern vampire genre.

Archaeologists excavating a 17th-century cemetery near Bydgoszcz in Poland.

Naturally, the fear evoked by the presumed existence of such creatures inspired many different approaches to ensuring that the dead stayed dead. In the early Middle Ages, Russian villagers would exhume suspect corpses and destroy the body by cremation, decapitation, or by driving a wooden stake through the heart. Stakes were often secured above corpses upon burial, so the creature would impale itself if it tried to escape.

In Germany and the western Slavic regions, suspected vampires were decapitated, and the head was buried between the feet or away from the body. Other strategies included burying corpses upside down, severing the tendons at the knees, or—in the case of Greek vrykolakas—placing crosses and inscribed pottery fragments on the chest of the deceased.

In places where vampires were believed to suffer from arithmomania, poppy seeds or millet seeds would be scattered at the site of a suspected vampire. (The X-Files episode “Bad Blood” humorously used this bit of folklore with Mulder’s favorite snack, sunflower seeds.)

The first early medieval graves in the region near Bydgoszcz were discovered between 2005 and 2009, when archaeologists recovered jewelry, semi-precious stones, a bronze bowl, and fragments of silk clothing.

Dariusz Poliński of the Nicholas Copernicus University led the archaeological team that returned to the site earlier this year in hopes of discovering more artifacts. That didn’t happen, so they turned their attention to a nearby 17th-century cemetery in the village of Pień instead.

The burial is unusual because a sickle was placed across the neck—presumably to decapitate the corpse if the woman tried to “rise” as a vampire.

That’s when the researchers identified the grave containing the female skeleton. Other examples of anti-vampire burials have been found in Poland, according to Poliński.

Several skeletons with severed heads were found in 2008, for example, and a body with a brick forced into the mouth and holes drilled through the legs was also found. “Ways to protect against the return of the dead include cutting off the head or legs, placing the deceased face down to bite into the ground, burning them, and smashing them with a stone,” said Poliński.

Nonetheless, this latest find is unique. While there have been reports of people placing scythes or sickles near a grave as an offering to prevent demons from entering the body, the placement of this sickle was different. “It was not laid flat but placed on the neck in such a way that if the deceased had tried to get up, most likely the head would have been cut off or injured,” said Poliński. As for the padlock on the big toe, “This symbolizes the closing of a stage and the impossibility of returning.”

Another unusual feature is that the skeleton appears to be that of a woman of high social status, given the care with which she was buried. There were also remnants of a silk cap on her head, which would not have been affordable for a member of a lower class. As for why she would have been buried in such a way, Poliński said that she had very noticeable protruding front teeth. This may have made her appearance different enough that she was deemed a witch or vampire by superstitious locals.

ENGLAND, EUROPE, WORLD

Neolithic culinary traditions of ancient Brits uncovered

Neolithic culinary traditions of ancient Brits uncovered

A team of scientists, led by the University of Bristol, has uncovered intriguing new insights into the diet of people living in Neolithic Britain and found evidence that cereals, including wheat, were cooked in pots.

Pottery Yields Molecular Traces of Neolithic Meals
One of the first pots to be discovered, an Unstan Bowl from Loch Arnish. Previously published in: Garrow, D., & Sturt, F. (2019). Neolithic crannogs: Rethinking settlement, monumentality and deposition in the Outer Hebrides and beyond. Antiquity, 93(369), 664-684. doi:10.15184/aqy.2019.41

Using chemical analysis of ancient, and incredibly well-preserved pottery found in the waters surrounding small artificial islands called crannogs in Scotland, the team were able to discern that cereals were cooked in pots and mixed with dairy products and occasionally meat, probably to create early forms of gruel and stew. They also discovered that the people visiting these crannogs used smaller pots to cook cereals with milk and larger pots for meat-based dishes.  

The findings are reported today in the journal Nature Communications.

Photo reconstruction of one of the pots from Loch Langabhat

Cereal cultivation in Britain dates back to around 4000 BCE and was probably introduced by migrant farmers from continental Europe. This is evidenced by some, often sparse and sporadic, recovery of preserved cereal grains and other debris found at Neolithic sites.

At this time pottery was also introduced into Britain and there is widespread evidence for domesticated products like milk products in molecular lipid fingerprints extracted from the fabric of these pots. However, with the exception of millet, it has not yet been possible to detect molecular traces of accompanying cereals in these lipid signatures, although these went on to become a major staple that dominates the global subsistence economy today.

Previously published an analysis of Roman pottery from Vindolanda [Hadrian’s Wall] demonstrated that specific lipid markers for cereals can survive absorbed in archaeological pottery preserved in waterlogged conditions and be detectable through a high-sensitivity approach but, importantly this was ‘only’ 2,000 years old and from contexts where cereals were well-known to have been present. The new findings reported now show that cereal biomarkers can be preserved for thousands of years longer under favourable conditions.

Another fascinating element of this research was the fact that many of the pots analysed were intact and decorated which could suggest they may have had some sort of ceremonial purpose. Since the actual function of the crannogs themselves is also not fully understood yet (with some being far too small for permanent occupation) the research provides new insights into possible ways these constructions were used.

Aerial view of the crannog at Loch Langabhat. Previously published in Garrow, D., & Sturt, F. (2019). Neolithic crannogs: Rethinking settlement, monumentality and deposition in the Outer Hebrides and beyond. Antiquity, 93(369), 664-684. doi:10.15184/aqy.2019.41

During analysis, cereal biomarkers were widely detected (one-third of pots), providing the earliest biomolecular evidence for cereals in absorbed pottery residues in this region.

The findings indicate that wheat was being cooked in pots, despite the fact that the limited evidence from charred plant parts in this region of Atlantic Scotland points mainly to barley. This could be because wheat is under-represented in charred plant remains as it can be prepared differently (e.g., boiled as part of stews), so not as regularly charred or because of more unusual cooking practices.

Cereal markers were strongly associated with lipid residues for dairy products in pots, suggesting they may have been cooked together as a milk-based gruel.

The research was led by Drs Simon Hammann* and Lucy Cramp at the University of Bristol’s Department of Anthropology and Archaeology.

Dr Hammann said: “It’s very exciting to see that cereal biomarkers in pots can actually survive under favourable conditions in samples from the time when cereals (and pottery) were introduced in Britain. Our lipid-based molecular method can complement archaeobotanical methods to investigate the introduction and spread of cereal agriculture.”

Dr Cramp added: “This research gives us a window into the culinary traditions of early farmers living at the northwestern edge of Europe, whose lifeways are little understood. It gives us the first glimpse of the sorts of practices that were associated with these enigmatic islet locations.”

Crannog sites in the Outer Hebrides are currently the focus of the four-year Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded ‘Islands of Stone’ project, directed by two of the paper’s authors (Duncan Garrow from the University of Reading and Fraser Sturt from the University of Southampton) along with Angela Gannon, Historic Environment Scotland.

Professor Garrow said: “This research, undertaken by our colleagues at the University of Bristol, has hugely improved our knowledge of these sites in many exciting ways. We very much look forward to developing this collaborative research going forwards.”

The next stage of the research at the University of Bristol is an exploration of the relationship between these islets and other Neolithic occupation sites in the Hebridean region and beyond as well as a more extensive comparative study of the use of different vessel forms through surviving lipid residues. These questions form part of an ongoing Arts and Humanities Research Council/South-West and Wales Doctoral Training Partnership-funded PhD studentship.

* Dr Hammann is now based at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg in Erlangen, Germany.

EUROPE, SLOVAKIA, WORLD

Palaeolithic Artifacts Discovered in a Cave in Slovakia

Palaeolithic Artifacts Discovered in a Cave in Slovakia

Traces of Alpine ibex hunters from several thousand years ago have been discovered in the Belianske Tatras in Slovakia.

Based on isotope analyses, the joint Slovak-Polish research expedition in Hučivá Cave (Hučivá diera), say the traces were found in what was a Palaeolithic settlement left by the Magdalenian people, best known from France and Spain in the 13th millennium BC. 

Professor Paweł Valde-Nowak from the Institute of Archeology of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków said: “It was a group of hunters specialising in hunting ibex, a species no longer found in the Tatras today. 

“We found several hundred blades of thrown weapons, bone needles, a fragment of a stone lamp and many bones of hunted animals. 

“They were resting in the remains of a large fire.”

Palaeolithic Artifacts Discovered in a Cave in Slovakia

During previous research seasons in Hučivá Cave, above the artefacts from the end of the Ice Age, the Slovak-Polish team also found fragments of 15th and 16th-century clay pots as well as coins from World War II.

Professor Valde-Nowak previously told PAP that scientists had been looking for traces of the prehistoric man’s presence in the Tatra caves since the 19th century; unsuccessfully until now.

Magura Cave in the Polish Tatras was one of the selected sites, but excavations carried out in that cave before World War II did not bring the expected results.

Palaeontologists, geologists, sedimentologists, archaeobotanists and palaeogeneticists as well as members of the Science Club of Students of Archeology of the Jagiellonian University participated in the fieldwork in Hučivá Cave.

Later this season, the research will move to the Polish side of the Tatra Mountains, the researchers announced.

The project is carried out by the Institute of Archeology of the Jagiellonian University in collaboration with the Institute of Archaeology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences.

The work is financed by the Polish National Science Centre.

EUROPE, POLAND, WORLD

1930s Medicine Bottle Found in Poland’s Gwda River

1930s Medicine Bottle Found in Poland’s Gwda River

Archaeology enthusiasts have uncovered a perfectly preserved pharmaceutical bottle with herbal ‘heart’ drops from the 1930s, alongside the remains of a medieval clay pot from the bottom of a river.

1930s Medicine Bottle Found in Poland’s Gwda River
Archaeologists from the Stanisław Staszic Regional Museum in Piła stumbled upon the discovery while combing through the river Gwda in western Poland.

The team led by Dr Jarosław Rola from the Stanisław Staszic Regional Museum in Piła stumbled upon the discovery while combing through the river Gwda in western Poland.

The oldest discovery was a large fragment of a clay pot from the end of the early medieval period, dating back to between the 12th-13th century, which was found in the river near the town of Motylewo.

The oldest discovery was a large fragment of a clay pot from the end of the early medieval period, dating back to between the 12th-13th century.

The oldest discovery was a large fragment of a clay pot from the end of the early medieval period, dating back to between the 12th-13th century.Stanisław Staszic Regional Museum in Piła

News of the discoveries was announced by the museum on their Facebook page alongside a film of each of the objects found.

Introducing the second find, the museum wrote: “The Gwda conceals many secrets and surprises.

“Among this year’s discoveries, we find a curiosity: a pharmaceutical bottle, almost certainly from the 1930s, with perfectly preserved contents.

“They are herbal drops for the stomach or heart.

The latest archaeological search of the Gwda is part of studies of the river which have been ongoing for a number of years.

Up until now, the river has turned up a 2,000-year-old drinking mug and a fragment of a 17th-century bridge.

The latest objects found will be added to the collections of the Stanisław Staszic Regional Museum in Piła.

EUROPE, ROMANIA, WORLD

Trovants, the living stones of Romania: They grow, multiply and move!

Trovants, the living stones of Romania: They grow, multiply and move!

There are strange places across the world. But these places make our planet such a wonderful and unique place. Among its many oddities and beauties, Earth has living stones.

Trovants, the living stones of Romania: They grow, multiply and move!
Landscapes from the Buzau Mountains, Romania

Although not literally alive, there are geological features in Europe which have the ability to grow and move. It’s actually a natural phenomenon, and the most famous examples are located in Romania.

In the town of Costesti, there are odd rocks dubbed “living stones” that are locally known as Trovants. These strange, extraordinary, weird rocks seem almost out of a Hollywood movie; they can grow and multiply and essentially move.

Trovant the Living Stone

Trovants, the “living stones,” are made out of a stone core, but their outer layers are made out of a kind of sand, which forms around the inner core, acting as a shell. It’s their outer shell that causes the stones to essentially grow.

Their name derives from the German words Sandstein Konkretion, which means sandstone concretion, or cemented sand. These stones can grow in size to a few millimetres, but as large as ten meters in diameter. Because of their ability to “grow,” these geological weirdos are dubbed the “living stones,” although different people call them by different names.

In Romania, the stones are called Trovants, which is a term coined by naturalist Gh. M. Murgoci, in his work “The Tertiary in Oltenia,” where he makes reference to the odd geological features.

For a long time, researchers have tried to demystify the “living stones” capable of autonomous movement. A lot of different versions have emerged and one even states that Trovants are “a silicon form of life.” It is also possible that they are conscious.

Some scientists even claim that Trovants are capable of breathing, of course, very slowly ― a single breath lasts from three days to two weeks. The “living stones” even have some kind of pulse, but it can be detected only with super-sensitive equipment. It turns out that these odd stones are able to move, even though only about 2.5 mm in two weeks.

The Romanian Village Of The Trovants

A whole “village” of the Trovants was found in Romania. They all have a circular, streamlined shape. Locals claim that the “living stones” are even capable of reproduction. In the beginning, a small outgrowth appears on the surface of the stone. It grows and grows until it falls off from the “mother” stone. The new stone is completely detached and starts to grow faster. The active growth is more visible right after rain.

Originally, scientists thought that this had something to do with the structure of the stones. But when they broke in half some specimens, they saw that the “living stones” consist of cemented sand and mineral salts.

Scientists have observed strange rings which resemble those of the trees. And just like it is with the trees, the stone rings reveal the age of trovants. That’s why some believe Trovants are an inorganic form of life.

Most Trovants are found in Romania, in the region of Costesti. There even exists a museum, in which the interesting stones are shown and sold as souvenirs. You can even “plant” a Trovant in your garden and wait for it to grow. The biggest Trovants grow to more than 10 meters in height.

The Andreevka Miracle

“Living stones” can be found also in Russia. Massive round stones periodically pop up from the ground and start to grow in the fields of Andreevka. While Romanians venerate their Trovants, people in Andreevka worship theirs. Their ancestors thought that the stones possess the power of Mother Earth and that if you touch them you could be gifted with strength and health.

Russian and Romanian Trovants consist of cemented stone. But they are unusually tough to break or smash. Usually, no one touches them, so they have the chance to grow from little pebbles to enormous megaliths.

Some Interesting Facts About Trovants

Trovants are always fascinating and mind-boggling natural wonders that attract people from all over the world. Here are some interesting facts you should know about Trovants, the living stones:

  1. The Living Stones are real. Although the most popular are located in Romania, similar geological features have been found around the world.
  2. Trovants can grow in size from a few millimetres to a few meters in size.
  3. Trovants are not uniform; they come in different shapes and sizes.
  4. Some weigh no more than a few grams, while there are other examples that weigh several tons.
  5. The “living stones” are made by “highly-porous” sand accumulations and sandstone deposits.
  6. Some have calculated that Trovants grow 4.5 centimetres a year; however, no scientific study has confirmed their exact growth rate.
  7. The Romanian Trovants need rainwater to grow.
  8. Every time it rains, the outer shell absorbs the minerals from the rain, causing the Trovant to “grow.”

Conclusion

For centuries the locals of Costesti were aware that some of the boulders in their region appeared to grow and might even be alive ― a thought that’s still a controversy. But if we are able to confirm that Trovants are able to breathe and reproduce, then we should really start considering them as living beings. Isn’t it?

EUROPE, TURKEY, WORLD

Is This Man-Made Underground Complex ONE MILLION Years Old?

Is This Man-Made Underground Complex ONE MILLION Years Old?

While most researchers and scholars around the globe agree that human civilization as we know it only has only existed for some 12,000 years on our planet, there are countless discoveries that point toward a much different past.

There are many findings ranging from temples, structures, and artefacts that are evidence of advanced civilizations that inhabited Earth much sooner than mainstream scholars suggest. However, many of these incredible findings have been considered as impossible due to the fact that they alter our written history in every possible way.

In recent years, many researchers have started looking at the history of the civilization on Earth with an open mind. One of those researchers is without a doubt, Dr. Alexander Koltypin, a geologist, and director of the Natural Science Research Center at Moscow’s International Independent University of Ecology and Politology.

During his long career, Dr. Koltypin has studied numerous ancient underground structures mainly in the Mediterranean and has identified numerous similarities which have led him to believe that many sites were interconnected. But most incredibly, the weathering of the structures together with their material composition and extreme geological features has led him to believe these megastructures were built by advanced civilizations that inhabited Earth millions of years ago.

Writing on his website Dr. Koltypin states:

“When we examined the constructions… none of us never for a moment had a doubt that they are much older than the ruins of the Canaanite, Philistine, Hebraic, Roman, Byzantine and other cities and settlements that are placed on it and around.” 

During his travel to the Mediterranean, Dr. Koltypin was able to accurately record the features present in different ancient sites, something that allowed him to compare, afterwards, their incredible similarities and details which tell an incredible alternative history; one that has been firmly rejected by mainstream scholars.

Is This Man-Made Underground Complex ONE MILLION Years Old?
One of the many ancient stone structures in Antalya, Turkey. (Courtesy of Dr. Alexander Koltypin).

Dr. Koltypin argues that mainstream archeologists who work in the region are used to dating sites by looking at the settlement of rock, debris and the strata of earth located on them or in their vicinity, however, some dates were applied when, in fact, the actual sites were much older prehistoric structures.

While traveling near the Hurvat Burgin ruins in Adullam Grove Nature Reserve, central Israel, Dr. Koltypin recalled a similar feeling when he climbed on the top of the rock city Cavusin in Turkey. Almost a Deja vu feeling, Dr. Koltypin said:

“I was personally convinced once again (in the first time the same feeling came to me after I climbed to the top of the rock city Cavusin in Turkey) that all these rectangular indentations, man-made underground structures and scattered debris of megaliths were one underground-terrestrial megalithic complex which was opened by erosion to a depth of several hundred meters” 

In his work (source), Dr. Koltypin argues that not all parts of the giant complex are located underground. There are some parts that have come above ground due to geological shifts that have occurred throughout the history of our planet where Dr. Koltypin includes the incredibly rocky towns of Cappadocia in modern-day Turkey.

“On the basis of this, we can conclude that the underground cities of Cappadocia (including Tatlarin rock city) intended for the accommodation of the ordinary population and the rock city of Cavusin (or its part) was the residence of the kings of the underground. Though almost nothing is known about subterranean, nevertheless we can assume that the people who built the underground cities (if they even were men) were sun-worshipers professed the religion of sun gods (harmony and life by the Divine principles – nature laws). After many thousand or millions of years, this religion had become a basis of the Christian religion.” — Dr. Alexander Koltypin 

Dr. Koltypin continues explaining that certain sites in central and Northern Israel and central Turkey were exposed after cutting into the ground some one hundred meters.

“According to my estimates, such depth of erosion … could hardly be formed in less time than 500,000 to 1 million years,” he wrote on his website.

Dr. Koltypin suggests that certain parts of the complex surfaced as a result of mountain formation processes.

According to his estimates, there is evidence to support that the composition of building material found on a site in Antalya Turkey, referred to by Dr. Koltypin as “Jernokleev site,” are up to One Million years old even though mainstream scholars refuse to accept that age proposing instead that the site dates back to the Middle Ages.

Dr. Koltypin further adds that as a result of Earth’s crust moving throughout the centuries, parts of the underground complex were plunged into the sea.

“Practically in all the studied underground constructions of Israel and in the majority of underground constructions of Turkey, sediments of lithified (hard) and calcareous clay deposits are widely developed on their floor,” Dr. Koltypin writes on his website. 

The ancient Cavusin village is located in the Cappadocia region of Turkey.

Returning to the subject, Dr. Koltypin suggests that the similarity seen in numerous megalithic ruins is evidence of a profound connection present in ancient sites which were connected as one giant prehistoric complex.

According to Dr. Koltypin, numerous megalithic blocks weighing tens of tons could have been directly attached to underground complexes in the distant past.

“This circumstance gave me a reason to call the underground structures and geographically related ruins of cyclopean walls and buildings as a single underground-terrestrial megalithic complex,” writes Dr. Koltypin in his website.

He further adds that the megalithic construction which is seen in all corners of the world, seem to surpass, by far, the technological capabilities of ancient civilizations who, according to mainstream scholars, built them.

Making reference to the technological capabilities of the ancients, Dr. Koltypin states the stones fit together perfectly in some parts without cement and the ceilings, columns, arches, gates and other elements seem beyond the work of men with chisels. Adding to the mystery of these incredible sites, Dr. Koltypin notes that structures built on top of, or near sites by the Romans or other civilizations are completely primitive.

Mystery Tracks Left Behind Advanced Technology Millions Of Years Ago

Many researchers believe that there are several pieces of evidence pointing towards the existence of highly advanced ancient civilizations that existed on Earth millions of years ago.

Dr. Alexander Koltypin believes that the mysterious markings that extend along the Phrygian Valley, in central Turkey, were made by an intelligent race between 12 and 14 million years ago.

“We can assume that ancient vehicles with “wheels” were driven into the soft ground, perhaps a wet surface,” said the geologist. “Because of the great weight of these vehicles, they left behind very deep grooves which eventually petrified and turned into evidence.”

Geologists are familiar with such phenomena as they have found petrified footprints of dinosaurs that were preserved in the same way.

Together with three colleagues, Dr. Koltypin, director of the Natural Science Scientific Research Centre at Moscow’s International Independent Ecological-Political University, traveled to the site in Anatolia, Turkey where these markings can be found. Upon returning from his trip, he described the observed as ‘petrified tracking ruts in rocky tuffaceous [made from compacted volcanic ash] deposits’.

EUROPE, GREECE, WORLD

Archaeologists find Bronze Age tombs containing a trove of gold artefacts

Archaeologists find Bronze Age tombs containing a trove of gold artefacts

Archaeologists have discovered a trove of engraved jewellery and gold artefacts in two Bronze Age tombs that could shine a new light on life in ancient Greece.

The discovery was announced on Tuesday in Greece. The team had spent more than 18 months excavating and documenting their findings — including a multitude of cultural artefacts and beautiful jewellery — that could add to our understanding of early Greek civilization.

The University of Cincinnati (UC) archaeologists found a gold ring depicting two bulls flanked by sheaves of grain, which was identified as barley by a paleobotanist who consulted on the project.

Archaeologists find Bronze Age tombs containing a trove of gold artefacts
A gold ring depicts bulls and barley, the first known representation of domesticated animals and agriculture in ancient Greece.

“It’s an interesting scene of animal husbandry — cattle mixed with grain production. It’s the foundation of agriculture,” UC archaeologist Jack Davis said in a statement.

“As far as we know, it’s the only representation of grain in the art of Crete or Minoan civilization.”

Some of the artwork featured mythological creatures, as well. An agate sealstone featured two lion-like creatures called genii standing upright on clawed feet. According to UC archaeologist Sharon Stocker, they carry a serving vase and incense burner — a tribute to the altar before them, featuring a sprouting sapling between horns of consecration.

A 16-pointed star is seen above the genii. That same star appears on a bronze and gold artefact in the grave, researchers said.

“It’s rare. There aren’t many 16-pointed stars in Mycenaean iconography. The fact that we have two objects with 16 points in two different media (agate and gold) is noteworthy,” Stocker explained in a statement.

UC archaeologists found a seal stone made from semiprecious carnelian in the family tombs at Pylos, Greece. The seal stone was engraved with two lionlike mythological figures called genii carrying serving vessels and incense burners facing each other over an altar and below a 16-pointed star. The other image is a putty cast of the seal stone. (University of Cincinnati Classics Department)

The scientists believe the two tombs paint a picture of princely wealth and status.

“I think these are probably people who were very sophisticated for their time,” Stocker said. “They have come out of a place in history where there were few luxury items and imported goods. And all of a sudden at the time of the first tholos tombs, luxury items appear in Greece.”

“You have this explosion of wealth and people are vying for power,” she added. “It’s the formative years that will give rise to the Classical Age of Greece.”