- 6 months ago
From ancient aviation to biblical archaeology, history is filled with contentious finds! Join us as we count down the most hotly debated discoveries that have divided scientists, archaeologists, and historians for decades. Our list includes artifacts that challenge conventional timelines, suggest advanced ancient technology, and sometimes turn out to be elaborate hoaxes!
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00:00Some days I think this could very well be original,
00:03wake up other days and think there's no way this is original.
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks
00:10for the most contested and infamous finds made throughout history.
00:13Remarkably, researchers noticed tiny gear wheels in the machine.
00:19Number 20, the Saqqara bird.
00:21Flight is an entirely recent phenomenon, or so we think.
00:25A small wooden figurine of a falcon was all it took for researchers
00:29to reconsider the entire concept.
00:32The Saqqara bird was carved to show its full wingspan,
00:35making it look eerily similar to modern day planes.
00:38What is surprising about the Saqqara bird is its aerodynamic precision.
00:43Since its discovery in 1898, there has been mass speculation about its purpose.
00:48Some immediately jumped to the most extreme take,
00:51that it was proof of ancient civilizations having an understanding of aviation
00:55before the science behind it had even been known.
00:58The Saqqara bird has provoked this fascinating discussion as to whether the ancient Egyptians did actually know how to fly.
01:04This caused a debate to ensue, with detractors insisting that the figure itself is too heavy to remain airborne.
01:10Testing in 2023 was more conclusive, confirming that those in the former group had been severely mistaken.
01:17It can't be proved. It's still up in the air.
01:21Number 19. The Antikythera Mechanism.
01:25When this was found in 1901, no one thought much of it at all.
01:29That is, until they noticed its gears.
01:31Studying the Antikythera Mechanism revealed how intricate it is,
01:35and that it had the ability to predict events like eclipses several years before they occurred.
01:41This corroded bronze object is a machine that can look into the future.
01:45Considering it was constructed during the 2nd century BCE,
01:49it serves as proof that some ancient Greek citizens understood complex technology more than we thought.
01:56This altered everything known about technological development, leading to fringe theories being created.
02:02Much later, the Antikythera Mechanism, to the amazement of scientists, would be revealed as the world's first computer.
02:11Some experts claim it isn't real, while others are convinced it was created in the future and brought back in time.
02:18While that's clearly not the case, it shows where some people's minds jump to when presented with mind-blowing information.
02:25It's a bit frightening to know that just before the fall of their great civilization, the ancient Greeks had come so close to our own age.
02:35Number 18. Codex Gigas.
02:37A book as this wasn't created in a night.
02:40Even if that's what the legend wants you to believe, the Codex Gigas is unlike any other Bible, both in appearance and lore.
02:47Inside it, the Bible, ancient histories, medicinal cures, and magical spells.
02:54It's a 13th century manuscript, with a legend that has been at the center of debate for some time.
03:00It states that it was written by a monk named Herman the Recluse, who was under threat of execution and had to include all of human knowledge in the prose.
03:08Supposedly, he turned to Satan for help finishing, which is why a large illustration of him graces an entire page.
03:15And behind it all is a diabolical driving force. A single sinister figure. Satan.
03:24There have been several tests disproving this, with one revealing that it would have taken two decades of non-stop writing to achieve.
03:31Who was capable of such a feat? And what motivated him? The investigation isn't over yet.
03:38Number 17. Paracas Skulls.
03:40If there's one theory that will always pop up during a new discovery, it's that aliens are involved.
03:46The Paracas skulls are no exception.
03:48Due to the remains elongated skulls, several people are convinced that they are proof of extraterrestrial life.
03:54Others aren't so sure, and instead posit that the odd formation is caused by cultural head binding or a deformation of the bone.
04:02Even that is up for debate, with those on the pro-alien side pointing out aspects that don't match up to human skulls, such as a vastly different weight.
04:11Among the largest of them, we find skulls 60% heavier than normal human skulls.
04:17Even DNA testing couldn't reveal a definitive answer, although it showed they had mutations not found in primates.
04:24While that doesn't confirm their Martian bones, it doesn't rule it out either.
04:29There were certain segments of the DNA that didn't match anything known to be human.
04:33Number 16. The Palace of King David.
04:36In religious texts, the line between fact and story are sometimes blurred.
04:41While there are some historical figures and locations mentioned, some of the evidence surrounding them can be tenuous.
04:47So, when a team of archaeologists claim to have found the Palace of King David, whose existence is corroborated by the discovery of an inscribed stone in 2013, their findings were quickly contested.
04:59The site, Kerbert Caifa, is believed to date back to the monarch's alleged reign, but the hard proof ends there.
05:06Some dissenters have pointed out that the structure couldn't have belonged to any other leader of that period.
05:12While the team definitely found proof of an ancient city, whether or not it belonged to the biblical figure is still up for debate.
05:19Number 15. The Vinland Map.
05:22Not even cartography is safe from controversy.
05:25In 1957, a map claiming to have the oldest known drawing of North America was found.
05:31The document depicts both the New World and the rest of the continents, along with an unknown island named Vinland.
05:38The Vinland Map offers a version of history that's at odds with everything we know.
05:43It didn't take long after the photos were released that it was subject to forgery accusations.
05:48So many critics came forward that an entire conference was held to let the arguments play out in real time.
05:55Has the map maker slipped up? Dropping his guard and showing us that he knows too much?
06:01It was then examined several times over by scientists on either side, both of which made mistakes that impacted their findings.
06:10After decades of debate, it was finally declared fake in 2018, following an ink-line test that determined it had been created with modern-day tools.
06:20Number 14. The London Hammer.
06:23This being true would also change everything we know about the world.
06:27Found in Texas in 1936, the London artifact is simple, a hammer encased in rock.
06:33It seems like a normal find, until you learn that the artifact is allegedly at least 100 million years old?
06:40This object may be as old as 140 million years. And obviously, that's a crazy proposition.
06:50At that age, it'd predate every known human ancestor and most dinosaur periods.
06:55Naturally, this has led to endless disagreements. Creationists claim that it's proof of a world that existed before the flood featured in the story of Noah's Ark.
07:03Part of the handle, actually, is starting to go through a process called coalification.
07:08It's where you have inorganic material and organic material changing into coal.
07:12Dissenters argue that the limestone formed around it naturally, and that the hammer is suspiciously similar to American tools created during the 1800s.
07:22With no concrete answer having been found, it seems the debate will live on?
07:26This find would have to fundamentally reshape our understanding of human development on planet Earth.
07:33Number 13. The Pyramid of Gunning Padang.
07:36It's a shame when a gorgeous site is overshadowed by a hoax.
07:40Located in Indonesia, the Gunning Padang pyramid is truly a sight to behold.
07:45In 2023, an Indonesian geologist purported that the structure was 27,000 years old.
07:51For reference, that would make it more than five times older than the currently recognized oldest one, the Djoser Pyramid in Egypt.
07:59That estimation was met with immediate backlash from others in the archaeological field, who derided the poor evidence used as proof.
08:07The community was so incensed by the ridiculous estimation that the magazine that published it retracted the paper entirely.
08:15Number 12. The Dare Stones.
08:17The mystery behind the disappearance of the colony of Roanoke still haunts historians to this day.
08:22When it seemed like a message on a stone had been left from one of the colonists herself, Eleanor Dare, the puzzle was thought to finally be solved.
08:30This stone is signed with the initials EWD, Eleanor White Dare.
08:35After receiving widespread attention, another 47 stones found by Bill Eberhardt soon came to light.
08:42Despite the fact that they varied greatly from the original, they were all initially accepted as fact.
08:47Each message contributed to a widespread phenomenon in the United States.
08:52Together, this evidence has become known as the Dare Stones.
08:56In 1940, however, it all came crashing down, when it was revealed that Eberhardt's were all fake.
09:02It's still unknown if the initial stone is a forgery as well.
09:07If so, we'll be right back to square one.
09:13Number 11. Piltdown Man.
09:15While any historical hoax is detrimental, little has had as much of a negative impact as this.
09:20In 1912, Charles Dawson claimed to have found one of mankind's oldest predecessors.
09:26His discovery was named Piltdown Man, and was estimated to have lived 500,000 years beforehand.
09:32Under the prophetic eye of Charles Darwin, a group portrait was painted of the men associated with the discovery and scientific investigation of the Piltdown remains.
09:42Though his findings were immediately met with dissent from some, they were accepted by the public at large.
09:48Forty-one years later, in 1953, it was found that Dawson had taken the remains from three different species to form the skull.
09:57The jaw was indeed a heavily doctored piece.
10:00So was the eye tooth, stuffed with packing and painted with Van Dyck brown.
10:05The ruse affected evolutionary research heavily, including actual findings being ignored, incorrect facts being spread, and over 250 papers being nullified.
10:15It goes to show the importance of fact-checking, especially in a science-based field.
10:20Here it is, is it the face of a fanatic who would mislead his colleagues so cunningly for so long?
10:26Number 10. Acambaro Figures.
10:29The discovery of these clay figures in 1944 caused a debate on Earth's true age.
10:35Some of the dolls even depicted humans domesticating dinosaurs.
10:39It was argued that the only way this could be possible was if the two coexisted at some point.
10:44Some were convinced this was proof that the world wasn't as old as we thought.
10:48However, an examination revealed the truth. That they weren't ancient at all.
10:53Thousands of objects had been found in exactly the same area.
10:56Excavated and suspiciously restored by the same inexperienced person.
11:00Further testing estimated that they had been created only a few decades or so before they were found.
11:06And not in 2500 BCE, as originally posited.
11:11There was no patination, nor a coating of soluble salts that characterized all ancient ceramics.
11:17Despite the proof falling through, some are still asserting the validity of these to this day.
11:22They are absolutely easy to repeat, to copy.
11:28It's so that the companions, when they are studying archaeology,
11:33one to the other, they play trampes.
11:39Number 9. Father Crespi's heirlooms.
11:42Who knew that one man had access to years worth of history?
11:45Father Carlo Crespi Croci was a priest who had spent decades collecting heirlooms that he was given while on mission trips.
11:53Throughout his life, he collected over 50,000 pieces, including a set of mysterious metallic plates.
12:00They ended up causing controversy, due to some believers claiming they were made by aliens and found in a golden cave.
12:07However, researchers concluded that they were modern-day art pieces, coated in metal.
12:12The most likely case is that they were created by those helped by Father Crespi and given to him as a gift.
12:18A gift? A gift for me?
12:21While not as thrilling as aliens, it certainly makes more sense.
12:25Number 8. The Shroud of Turin.
12:28Since being unearthed in the 1300s, the legitimacy around this piece has been constantly questioned.
12:34Perhaps the most cherished ancient artifact in the Western world.
12:39The Shroud of Turin.
12:46The Shroud of Turin seemingly bears an imprint of a human form.
12:50The assumption by many religious believers is that it was depicting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
12:56But while some regarded it as a holy icon, others weren't so sure.
13:00Even some religious leaders have agreed that it is not what it is purported to be.
13:04There have been countless tests done to properly date the Shroud, analyzing everything from the material to the alleged bloodstains.
13:12Scientists still aren't sure about when it truly originated, as there are factors such as potential historical repairs that made dating it difficult.
13:20It goes to show that even with advanced technology, some answers remain just outside of our grasp.
13:27How about the Shroud of Turin?
13:29No, I'm afraid not.
13:31But we do have the bathrobe of St. Peter.
13:35Number 7. Ancient Artifacts of Quimbaya.
13:39The Quimbaya civilization existed in South America around 500 CE.
13:44And when some of its artifacts were discovered, small golden statues seemingly depicting a flying vessel, there was an initial wave of excitement.
13:53Some conspiratorial modern sources are adamant that this was proof of the culture's interest in aviation, while others have seen them rather as complex depictions of various animals.
14:03So, what is the truth?
14:04While no one is sure, serious historians and archaeologists believe that these figurines hold no major significance.
14:12That they were just art pieces common to that time, and that modern people have projected a larger story onto it.
14:19Pre-Columbian culture knew about aerodynamics.
14:23Number 6. The Jade Discs.
14:26If there's one thing we've gleaned about older civilizations, it's that they took their burial rituals seriously.
14:32One prime example is Chinese aristocrats being buried with intricate jade discs, presumably to help them on their path to the afterlife.
14:40They were clearly important to the society that created them.
14:44They're found in Chinese tombs, elite burials, often in large number.
14:50These discs have left historians confused, as they were incredibly detailed for the time period.
14:56Jade is notoriously hard to work with due to its hardness.
15:00The fact that they were able to carve into it without the help of modern tools is baffling.
15:05The closest guesses is that they were made via brazing, but we don't know for sure.
15:10And we are quite sure they were largely worked with mineral abrasives, so through the abrasive process of rubbing the surface of the jade one way or another.
15:20How they came to be may always be a mystery, as they were created during a period that preceded recorded history.
15:27And one more thing. You must find the jade monkey before the next full moon.
15:33Actually, sir, we found the jade monkey. It was in your glove compartment.
15:36Number five. America's Stonehenge.
15:39The actual Stonehenge in England is mysterious enough.
15:42The so-called privately controlled America's Stonehenge is not quite the same.
15:46It's been claimed that the structures and stone formations are proof of an ancient pre-Columbian European colony or settlement.
15:53When viewed from the center of the site, each standing stone lines up with the sun on important days of the year. The solstices.
16:02But this site in its entirety, while of some archaeological and geological significance, has been meddled with numerous ways over the years for commercial gain, among other motives.
16:12This, of course, has made it even more contentious.
16:15But, again, serious historians and archaeologists maintain, this is not what its mystery hypes it up to be.
16:23Number four. Talpyat Tomb.
16:26Finding the final resting place of Jesus of Nazareth would be the finding of a lifetime, for both religious and historical reasons.
16:33While some stated to have found it, they certainly haven't been able to prove it's the real deal.
16:38The Talpyat Tomb was revealed in 1980, and since then, the arguments have been ceaseless.
16:43Some are adamant that names and details match up perfectly to those in the New Testament, with opposing voices proclamating that the names were popular for the time period, and therefore not substantive evidence.
16:54It's unlikely that the person or the family that came to carve out the tomb just carved these things at random. They had to symbolize something.
17:05Devout scholars have postulated that there isn't enough proof to verify any assertions.
17:10It's a fierce dispute that has been ongoing for decades, and we may never know the truth.
17:16Number three. Jehoash Inscription.
17:19The existence of falsification in archival findings is unfortunately common.
17:24One well-known case of this was the Jehoash Inscription, which claimed to have been renovation details for a temple mentioned in the Bible.
17:32If the inscription were found to be true, then it would have been verification of not only that temple, but other historical aspects of the Holy Book as well.
17:40He said it's a bone box, and on it it says, James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.
17:48Front page news around the world, the first concrete, carved in stone, proof that Jesus even existed.
17:56However, only one study later, experts found it to be suspect.
18:01This was evidenced by the sheer amount of spelling errors, and the usage of different forms of the alphabet.
18:07It's done beautifully. If it's forged, it's by a genius.
18:11While multiple courts have ruled that there isn't enough officially legal proof to write off the supposed relic,
18:17the scientific community begs to differ.
18:20Number two. The Kensington Runestone.
18:23There was a period of time when Americans became enamored with the idea of Scandinavians coming to the New World,
18:29due to Leif Erikson's journey being widely popularized.
18:32So, when a Minnesotan found a stone supposedly engraved with a message from 14th century Europeans, people were curious, to say the least.
18:40Most of the ruined stones we have are from the Viking Age, and that would be a thousand years ago.
18:45And they're memorials for dead people.
18:47However, a study done at a local college disputed this, and brushed it aside as a more modern creation.
18:53Supporters of the stone refused to believe this, and so it was continuously tested throughout the 1900s.
18:59There is still a dedicated group who are insistent about the stone's authenticity.
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19:18Number 1.
19:22Piri Reis's Map.
19:23They didn't go to Antarctica and explore it, but yet they were able to draw these maps of it.
19:29We often depend on artifacts to give us correct information about a specific time period.
19:34But they're not always trustworthy.
19:36In 1513, famed cartographer Piri Reis created his world map, and it caused a sensation after it was discovered in the 20th century.
19:45Unlike other works from his period, he depicted continents like Africa with some precision.
19:51He also drew the coast of Antarctica.
19:53Centuries later, the realization of this led to further investigation.
19:58Discrepancies were found, however, such as the continents being drawn much further north than it should have been.
20:04There were also notes on the map describing the location as warm, which is the antithesis of Antarctica's climate.
20:11It shows the coast of Antarctica as it exists under the current ice cover.
20:20Now that's really pretty amazing.
20:22This casts major doubt as to the first-hand knowledge and accuracy of this important historical document.
20:28Are you skeptical of any historical discoveries? Let us know in the comments below.
20:34There's an 80% chance it's a fake and a 20% chance that it's real.
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