- 2 years ago
You don't want to stumble upon these cursed objects. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for ancient objects, discoveries, and locations that are thought to be cursed.
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00:00 We want to believe in curses. Everybody likes a good conspiracy or a mystery to unravel.
00:05 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for ancient objects, discoveries, and locations that are thought to be cursed.
00:12 This Neolithic axe was a diamond jewel of its day.
00:29 Situated in northern India is an abandoned village called Bangar.
00:32 Bangar was established in 1573 by a ruler named Bhagwant Das, who had it made as a residence for his son.
00:39 Unfortunately, the village lasted just a few decades of prosperity before falling into decline, and it was completely abandoned by 1783.
00:47 The ruins are widely believed to be haunted, and locals claim that you cannot enter after sunset for fear of malicious spirits.
00:54 The curse has two origins.
00:56 Some believe that a man named Baba Balnath cursed the town after it was built too high, and its shadows intruded into Balnath's property.
01:03 Another source claims that a wizard named Singia cursed the town after its princess denied his affections.
01:19 Known in Hebrew as the House of Gates, the Necropolis is a series of rock-cut tombs found in the ruined town of Beit Sharim.
01:26 The village dates back to the 1st century BCE and is considered the oldest Jewish cemetery in the world.
01:33 The area has only been partially excavated, and work continues to this day.
01:37 In 2022, archaeologists found a new cave inside the Necropolis system, and they also found something pretty darn spooky.
01:45 Written in blood-red letters was the phrase "Yakov Hager vows to curse anybody who would open this grave so nobody will open it."
01:52 Yakov Hager was the man's name, meaning Jacob the Proselyte.
01:56 Now that's a pretty direct curse. And warning.
02:08 Fun fact! It's very likely that the Ring of Sylvanas inspired J.R.R. Tolkien in his creation of the Cursed One Ring.
02:15 Let's back up. The gold ring dates back to the 4th century and bears the name Senechane or Senechanus, and it was randomly found on a farm in 1785.
02:28 Much later, an archaeologist named Mortimer Wheeler was working on a Roman temple in Lindy Park when he found a cursed tablet.
02:35 It read in part, "Sylvanas has a lost ring. Senechanus permits no good health until it is returned to the Temple of Nodens."
02:43 This inscription was linked to the ring found on the farm, and Wheeler consulted with Tolkien for help identifying Nodens.
02:49 The rest is literary history.
02:52 "The ring is mine."
02:54 "Did Otzi meet a similar end and become a human sacrifice on an icy glacier?"
03:07 Imagine taking a walk through the mountains and stumbling across a mummy.
03:11 That's exactly what happened to two German tourists on September 19th, 1991.
03:15 Helmut and Erika Szymon were walking in the Udstal Alps between Italy and Austria when they stumbled across Otzi the Iceman, who dates back to 3105 BCE.
03:25 "Experts searched for other clues to explain his death. The body was CT scanned and x-rayed."
03:33 But some believe that Otzi was not to be disturbed, as a curious number of people related to his study have since died.
03:39 Seven to be exact, including forensic specialist Reiner Henn, archaeologist Konrad Spindler, and DNA expert Tom Loy.
03:46 Scariest of all is the death of Helmut Szymon, one of the German tourists who found Otzi.
03:51 In 2004, Szymon was also found frozen in ice and in the same mountain range.
03:57 "It's such an interesting story. It's a crime story. And for sure we want to know about how he died and why he died, because it's also such a spectacular finding."
04:07 6. The Karun Treasure
04:09 Back in the mid-1960s, a number of Turkish bandits invaded the tomb of an ancient Lydian princess.
04:15 Lydia was an old kingdom from the Iron Age located in what is now Western Asia.
04:19 They blew away the roof with dynamite, unveiling the tomb and its varied treasures.
04:24 They proceeded to steal the treasure and sold it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for $1.2 million, the modern equivalent of about $10 million.
04:33 These artifacts are known as the Karun Treasure, and they are said to be cursed.
04:37 Legend has it that everyone involved in the illegal excavation suffered to some degree, whether it be a great personal mishap or even horrific death.
04:46 However, there is no proof of this having occurred.
04:50 "I've never seen anything like it."
04:51 5. Fairy Forts
04:53 "I believe in it. Of course I believe in it. It has helped me in farming a lot. I do a lot of land healings for people as well."
05:01 Ireland is littered with fairy forts. According to some estimates, there may be as many as 40,000 dotting the countryside.
05:08 And what exactly is a fairy fort? In reality, they are the circular stone remains of prehistoric dwellings.
05:15 But according to Irish folklore, they are mythical locations imbued with the magic of the Druids.
05:20 "Carcharodon calcareus."
05:23 "English, English."
05:24 "No, they're tooth fairies."
05:25 "Ah, no, no."
05:26 "Third century black forest. They mostly own calcium."
05:30 Some even believe they serve as entrances to the fairy world and that they are not to be disturbed under any circumstances.
05:37 It is widely believed that disturbing a fairy fort will result in bad luck, injury or even death.
05:43 In 2012, the richest person in Ireland, a man named Sean Quinn, went bankrupt.
05:48 His downfall was blamed on a relocated fairy fort.
05:51 "I built the cement factory on the left-hand side of all the quarries and we get products out of there."
05:58 Number 4. The Terracotta Army.
06:00 "The army faces east, towards states Chin conquered during his lifetime, as if he anticipated vengeful troops coming over the horizon."
06:10 There are few archaeological finds as substantial as the Terracotta Army.
06:14 The legendary discovery was made by a group of Chinese farmers in 1974 who were digging a well in the immediate vicinity.
06:21 Consisting of hundreds of horses and more than 8,000 soldiers, the Terracotta Army stands watch over the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang.
06:29 But once again, we have an example of the discoverers suffering great misfortune.
06:34 "When the elites died, like king or noble people, they died and they normally buried their servants with them, so the human sacrifice."
06:48 The farmers were forced out of their homes following the discovery and fell into poverty, as the Chinese government claimed the land for excavations.
06:55 One farmer even took his own life, a painful reward for finding an archaeological treasure.
07:01 "Each face is individual and unique."
07:05 Number 3. Mercury Temple.
07:07 "The remainder of the finds, the pottery, etc, etc, that will go back to our office. Again, that will be analyzed."
07:14 Britain is filled with a lot of great Roman history.
07:16 Excavations occurred in West Hill, Gloucestershire throughout the late 70s, uncovering an ancient religious site dating back to the Neolithic period.
07:23 At one point, this site was used as a Roman temple dedicated to Mercury.
07:28 Archaeologists have also unearthed hundreds of curse tablets at the site.
07:32 These are typically composed of a light metal and contain Greek or Latin writings.
07:36 As their name suggests, curse tablets bear a curse of some kind, usually targeting the place or the people who disturb it.
07:43 Judging by the numerous finds, it's obvious that someone held Mercury Temple in high regard and wanted it protected.
07:50 Number 2. The Hope Diamond.
07:52 "The Hope Diamond was about to embark on a 350-year journey. It would pose a set of riddles which encompass science, history, and a legendary curse."
08:04 Go to the National Museum of Natural History and you'll find the Hope Diamond, a massive 45-carat diamond with a deep blue color.
08:11 It was extracted from an Indian mine back in the 17th century and has gone through many notable hands, including King Louis XIV of France and Marie Antoinette.
08:20 But the Hope Diamond is said to curse anyone who wears or owns it.
08:24 "There's just something so attractive about the idea of a cursed item, and novelists know this and playwrights know this."
08:31 One article published in the Washington Post even carried the tantalizing headline, "Hope Diamond has brought trouble to all who have owned it."
08:38 However, this has since been regarded as a legend meant to perpetuate the diamond's allure, despite a few sensational bankruptcies or deaths. Or is it?
08:47 "There are a lot of other people that have had long associations with this diamond that have had nothing but great success."
08:55 "Look at you."
08:56 "Yeah, I'm looking good for a guy who's 40 years old, right?"
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09:13 King Tut's tomb stands as a defining symbol of ancient Egyptian culture.
09:28 The tomb was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922, but he supposedly unleashed an ancient curse in the process.
09:34 This curse is apparently blamed for claiming four lives in just seven years, including some from rather unpredictable causes.
09:42 For example, financial backer George Herbert died of an infected mosquito bite, and Carter's secretary Richard Bethel was supposedly smothered in bed.
09:50 The curse even apparently claimed a tourist, railroad executive George J. Gould, who died of a fever after visiting the tomb.
09:58 Other spooky things have been attributed to the curse as well.
10:01 For example, Henry Herbert claimed that the power went out in Cairo the moment his father died.
10:07 Do you believe in curses? Let us know in the comments below.
10:11 "Their primary objective was to ensure the safe passage of the pharaoh from this life into the next."
10:17 "This was a major concern to Egyptians. When a pharaoh died, can we be sure the pharaoh is going to have a safe journey into the afterlife?"
10:24 Did you enjoy this video? Check out these other clips from WatchMojo, and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
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