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From a supposedly poisoned mummy to a 43,000-year-old Neanderthal fingerprint and Peru’s puzzling hillside pits, science takes on six ancient mysteries. Discover how clever science uncovered the truth—and why one mystery still has researchers scratching their heads. #Science #History #Archaeology
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0:00 - Six Recently Solved Mysteries
1:42 - The Austrian Mummy’s Mystery
5:10 - A Neanderthal Fingerprint
8:30 - Peru’s Mysterious Hillside Pits
12:15 - Tracing an Ancient Danish Boat
15:48 - A Bronze Age Reed Artifact
19:08 - The Unsolved Caucasus Stone Sphere
21:49 - What Scientific Tools Reveal
Subscribe to our channel for more fascinating discoveries.
Comment and tell us what you liked most from the video!
👉 This channel was created in collaboration with https://www.youtube.com/@noelpolotv
0:00 - Six Recently Solved Mysteries
1:42 - The Austrian Mummy’s Mystery
5:10 - A Neanderthal Fingerprint
8:30 - Peru’s Mysterious Hillside Pits
12:15 - Tracing an Ancient Danish Boat
15:48 - A Bronze Age Reed Artifact
19:08 - The Unsolved Caucasus Stone Sphere
21:49 - What Scientific Tools Reveal
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TechTranscript
00:00In the year 2000, an Austrian pharmacologist x-rayed a mummy that had been lying in a tomb
00:07chamber inside a church for almost two centuries. He saw a dense round object inside its body.
00:14The experts immediately suspected something very alarming, a dangerous capsule hidden inside the
00:22body. It took a quarter of a century before they solved the mystery, and when it was finally solved
00:29last year, the answer turned out to be so simple that it became part of another story on this list.
00:36This is a story about how sometimes science struggles to solve a mystery for many weeks
00:41because they are searching for the answer. In the wrong place. Now we will learn about six things,
00:49each of which puzzled scientists for many decades or even centuries. And all six mysteries have only
00:56recently been solved. Most of them were solved within just the past 12 months. And the most
01:03recent one was solved just a few days ago. We will discuss them in the order in which science solved
01:10each mystery, one by one, from Austria to Peru, from Denmark to Azerbaijan. No mysticism, no curses or
01:19sacrifices, but the very method of a true scientific investigation. There is a theory, a mistake,
01:26a new way of analysis, and in the end, an answer. But before we start, if you are new to
01:33our channel,
01:34please click the subscribe button and also turn on the notification bell so you will always be updated
01:39with our new videos. Let's start with that very x-ray in a village in Austria, in the small village
01:46of
01:46Senggutsut. Thomas Am Blassenstein, a mummy locally known as an air-dried chaplain, has been hidden for
01:53centuries in the burial chamber of a church. The body is extremely well preserved. The skin and flesh are
02:02still intact. So for many centuries, stories about its supposed extraordinary qualities have spread
02:08among the locals. The official version is this. This is the body of a priest who lived in the 16th
02:15century, but there is no written evidence about his true identity. Only stories passed down from
02:23generation to generation. The same x-ray in 2001 showed a dense, round object in the lower part of
02:32the body. Because of this, researchers theorized that the man may have been poisoned and this theory
02:39persisted in scientific research for the next 20 years. Only a few, a global group of pathologists
02:48led by the Munich specialist Andres Nerlich, conducted a more complete examination using CT scan,
02:56tissue analysis, and radiocarbon dating. The result turned out to be more interesting than simply
03:03identifying who died. A method of embalming was discovered that had not been properly documented
03:10by science before. In the usual method, the body is opened and the internal organs are removed. But in this
03:18case, pieces of wood, branches, and cloth were inserted into the body through natural openings.
03:28Zinc chloride was also used, a strong substance that helps in drying and serves as an antiseptic.
03:36This combination paved the way for the extraordinary preservation of the body for an extraordinarily long
03:42time. Researchers themselves noticed that this method might have been used more widely in the past,
03:50but it just wasn't recognized because when the body is damaged after death,
03:55the traces of this process can easily be mistaken for ordinary decomposition.
04:01And the frightening thing seen in the X-ray was actually a small glass ball with holes on both
04:09ends. Most likely, it was a bead that accidentally ended up inside the body and was left behind during
04:16the embalming process. There's nothing dangerous about it. It's just an ordinary religious item that
04:23ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. And for almost a quarter of a century, scientists were
04:29forced to look for a frightening explanation for something that turned out to be just a result of
04:35coincidence. Further analysis also confirmed the identification. He was identified as a parish
04:42vicar named Franz Dever Siedel von Roseneck, who died in 1746 at the age of 37. Researchers believe that
04:52his body was being prepared to be taken to a monastery about 15 kilometers away. But for reasons we no
04:59longer know today, it did not happen. And the chaplain remained in the church's burial chamber in the
05:05village for two centuries until science finally told his story. Just three weeks after the study of the
05:14mummy was published in Austria, scientists solved another mystery. This time, they used technology
05:22commonly associated not with archaeologists but with forensic investigation. At the San
05:29Lazar Rock Shelter near Segovia, Spain, archaeologists in 2022 recovered a small granite stone from an
05:37excavation site. It's slightly larger than a palm. At first glance, there's nothing unusual about it.
05:44It's just an ordinary stone. But it has three natural grooves arranged in such a way that when viewed from
05:51a
05:51particular angle, it looks like a face with two grooves where the eyes should be and one where the mouth
05:58should be. And right in the center where the nose should be, researchers noticed an almost invisible
06:06red dot. Because of this, the group sought help from forensic experts and used multi-spectral imaging.
06:14This is the same technology used at crime scenes to see traces that are invisible to the naked eye.
06:20And on the stone, hidden within the red pigment, they discovered a fingerprint. Its skin ridges are
06:28clear enough for forensic analysis. After 43,000 years since that mark was left, the spacing of the
06:37fingerprint ridges led researchers to suspect that it came from an adult male. But more important than the
06:45gender of the one who made it is the discovery itself. The small stone was found in a layer clearly
06:52associated with the Neanderthals. A type of ancient human long considered incapable of symbolic thinking
07:00and abstract art. So scientists concluded that the red dot was not placed there by accident,
07:07but was intentionally added to complete the face suggested by what psychologists call
07:12pareidolia. The tendency of the human brain to see faces even when there are actually no faces.
07:18There was a person, 43,000 years ago, who picked up a stone, noticed what seemed to be a face
07:24on it,
07:25and using a finger stained with ochre completed the missing detail. This is the oldest known
07:31fingerprint of any kind of human in the world. It is even older than any trace left by our own
07:39species,
07:40and it is the first solid and direct physical evidence that Neanderthals likely also had the ability
07:47to see faces in ordinary objects, and most importantly to respond to that perception by picking up pigment
07:54and completing the image. This discovery adds to the growing number of similar pieces of evidence,
08:02cave paintings in other parts of the home, jewelry made from eagle claws in the Balkans, and evidence
08:09of complex structures in the caves of France. It is gradually changing the old image of Neanderthals as
08:16primitive ancestors of modern humans. Instead, new discoveries show that they actually had more
08:24similarities with us than was commonly believed just a few decades ago. Almost a century has passed,
08:33and during that time a whole story has developed about this, including theories suggesting that it
08:38was a site for alien takeoffs and landings. In 1933, National Geographic magazine published
08:46aerial photographs of the Pisco Valley in Peru. Here you can see a strange array of thousands of smooth
08:54circular pits stretching for almost 1.5 kilometers along the hillside. The locals call it Monte Sierpe or
09:03Snake Mountain because of the way the rows of pits curve across the landscape. Since the photos were published
09:10until recent years, it remained a mystery what these pits were really for. Theories include ancient burial sites,
09:20grain storage, defensive structures, water collection systems, and as mentioned earlier, a runway for aliens.
09:28There are some who have seriously discussed this theory. As part of the belief in ancient astronauts,
09:34the mystery was only solved by combining two modern methods of analysis. A group of researchers led by
09:44archaeologist Jacob Bongers from the University of Sydney flew drones over the area to create a detailed map of
09:52approximately 5,200 pits. Then, they conducted micro-botanical analysis on sediment samples taken directly from the bottom of the
10:03pits.
10:04This is where the crucial clue to the mystery emerged. The samples revealed traces of pollen from corn and other
10:13cultivated plants, as well as traces of wild plants traditionally used for making containers and wrapping products.
10:22Aerial photography completed the picture. The pits were not arranged randomly. They were arranged in
10:29separate groups with spaces without pits in between. In addition, the different parts of the site were
10:36constructed in different ways. Some had lines of stones while others did not. It is notable that this kind of
10:46arrangement resembles the quipu system, the ancient recording system using knots that the Inca used to keep records and
10:54statistics throughout their empire. By combining data about the plants and structures in the area,
11:02researchers concluded that Monte Montesierp most likely first served as a marketplace for the exchange of goods.
11:11Later, under the Inca, it was possibly turned into a large-scale system for recording and collecting tribute.
11:18According to Bongers, it's like a huge spreadsheet for the empire's accounting, but instead of being on a
11:25computer, it's carved into the side of a hill. One of the co-authors of the study, anthropologist Charles
11:33Stanisch said that the discovery is particularly important because this place has long been a
11:39favorite subject of pseudoscientific theories. Now, according to him, there is an explanation
11:45for Monte Montesierp that is based on data and not on speculation, and this explanation is more
11:51interesting than the theories about aliens. What we have here is not a mysterious trace of
11:57interference from beings from another planet, but evidence of a complex and well-thought-out system of
12:05trade and record-keeping created and used by the ancient inhabitants of the Andes themselves
12:12before the arrival of the Spanish. The fourth mystery took even longer to solve than the previous two.
12:21Archaeologists pondered this for over a hundred years, and the question wasn't about the object's use,
12:27but rather a seemingly simpler question. Where did it come from? At the beginning of the 20th century,
12:34a wooden boat estimated to be 2,400 years old was found in a bog on the island of Als
12:41in Denmark.
12:42This is the oldest surviving plank-built seagoing vessel in all of Northern Europe.
12:47The boat lay buried under the bog for more than 2,000 years, which is why it remained exceptionally well
12:54preserved. The peat-rich, almost oxygen-free environment preserved the wood, giving modern
13:02researchers a rare opportunity to study Iron Age shipbuilding firsthand.
13:08For over a century, the main question about the boat has been simple – who built it,
13:14and where did those people come from? The weapons and tools found with the boat were commonly used in
13:22various parts of Northern Europe at that time, so they did not provide any clear clues about its origin.
13:30The wooden containers found inside the boat helped narrow down the possible locations a bit – Denmark,
13:38Northern Germany, and Southern Sweden – but there is still no definite answer.
13:42The answer came late last year, when a group from Land University in Sweden decided to re-examine the
13:50pieces of material used to seal the gaps and the ropes that had been hidden and unexamined in the
13:57museum archive for a century. The chemical analysis of the resin used to seal the joints of the boat
14:06showed that it contained pine tar mixed with animal fat. This kind of composition is common in areas with
14:13vast ancient forests. Because of this, the possible origin of the boat shifted further east from Denmark
14:21towards the Baltic Sea, Bornholm, Gotland, or the northern coast of present-day Poland.
14:28But the most surprising part is not the chemical analysis. This is a direct physical trace of a
14:35person. A part of a fingerprint was left on the resin itself while it was being placed or adjusted.
14:41This kind of trace is extremely rare in that region and period. The researchers themselves called the
14:47discovery extraordinary. This is a direct connection to the person, 2,400 years ago, who held the tool
14:56and actually made or repaired this boat. If future studies confirm its origin in the Baltic region,
15:04this would mean that the people on the boat travelled not just short distances along the coast.
15:11They may have travelled hundreds of kilometres across the open sea. A journey that required careful
15:19planning and sailing skills far greater than what is commonly assumed about the people of that time
15:26in Northern Europe. Mystery of its origin seemed impossible to solve, because no written records survived.
15:34Written records were finally brought to light, not through the usual methods of archaeology,
15:39but through the chemistry of tar and a fingerprint that was accidentally preserved in a place where
15:45no one expected to find it. The fifth story on our list is the newest among the six and,
15:53at the same time, the most unique because of the simple fact that it has survived until today,
15:58whatever the meaning of the carvings on this object may be.
16:01At the Wadi Murabad cave complex, about five kilometres from the shore of the Dead Sea in the Judean desert,
16:10archaeologists discovered a small object woven from reeds. It was lying on top of one of the rooms
16:17inside the cave. According to radiocarbon dating, the object dates back to between 1743 and 1542 BCE,
16:26or the second part of the Middle Bronze Age. The surface of the object has zigzag engravings,
16:33net-like patterns, diagonal lines, dots, and a small image of a tree.
16:39But the decorations are not the most remarkable part of the discovery.
16:44What is truly surprising is that the object has survived until the present.
16:50Materials from plants like reeds, wood, and cloth deteriorate much faster than stone,
16:57metal, or ceramics in almost any environment. And to this day, organic artifacts as old as this one
17:04are extremely rare in the Judean desert.
17:09The unique and dry climate inside the caves in this region is the extraordinary reason why
17:15something made from a material that would likely have disappeared within just a few decades at most
17:21other archaeological sites has survived. Instead, it lasted for almost three and a half thousand years.
17:29Most likely, microscopic examination of the surface revealed traces of wear consistent with repeated
17:36use. They also found traces of a dark substance that was likely an organic adhesive.
17:42This suggests that something else was once attached to it, but has been lost over thousands of years.
17:49What could that thing have been? Whether it was a fastener, a decoration,
17:54or part of a larger structure remains unanswered. This still needs to be clarified by researchers
18:02through further analysis. The significance of this discovery is not just about a particular object.
18:09It directly expands our knowledge about the daily life and artistic traditions of the people
18:17living in the region during the Middle Bronze Age. Until now, knowledge about the symbols and
18:25decorations used during that time has mostly been based only on artifacts made of stone, wood, ceramics,
18:32and metal, materials that are more likely to survive most archaeological conditions.
18:39The discovery at Wadi Murabat clearly shows for the first time that similar designs and symbols were
18:46also used on organic materials. Until now, researchers have rarely had the opportunity to see these kinds of
18:54patterns firsthand because the materials on which they were placed have almost never survived until
19:00the time of excavation. And the last story on our list is the only mystery that still remains unsolved.
19:07We intentionally included this to remind everyone that behind every mystery solved in this video,
19:14there are months and sometimes even decades of research before the answer is found.
19:20And for now, there are researchers somewhere in the world holding something about which they can only say
19:27one thing we don't know. In the southern part of the Caucasus, at a Neolithic settlement currently being excavated,
19:36archaeologists discovered a stone sphere that was almost entirely hand-carved.
19:42It was found along with common artifacts such as remains of houses made of mud brick,
19:49kilns for making pottery, and pits used for storage.
19:54But the stone sphere is unique and unlike any other artifact found in this region. Compared to other
20:02discoveries that easily fit into the typical picture of life in ancient farming communities,
20:07the stone sphere seems out of place. Researchers still can't figure out where it should fit in the
20:14overall picture of how people lived during that time. Experts are cautious about proposing theories,
20:22and they still don't have a definite answer. It could possibly be an object used in rituals and
20:28related to certain community activities that we hardly know anything about today.
20:34It is also possible that this is part of an as-yet-unidentified system of weights and measures used in
20:41trade
20:42or in the distribution of resources within the community. Or maybe the answer is much simpler,
20:49just like what happened to the mummy in Austria. It could just be an ordinary household item whose
20:55real use will become clear once more information is found. Or if another similar stone ball is
21:00discovered in a clearer archaeological context. Or if a new technology is developed that can gather
21:08information we can't see yet. Scientists plan to conduct a more complete analysis of the artifact,
21:15together with specialists from different fields. Their goal is to find out how the stone ball was made,
21:23where its material came from, and perhaps get closer to the answer of what it was really used for.
21:29But until this study is completed, the stone ball remains a mystery, just as the first five objects in
21:36this video did until their mysteries were recently solved. A question that still has no answer and is
21:43waiting for x-ray, multi-spectral imaging, or micro-botanical analysis.
21:49These six things were found at different times and in different parts of the world. But they all have
21:57one thing in common. None of these were fully understood by scientists at the time they were
22:03discovered. A glass bead was mistaken for poison. A fingerprint remained invisible inside the pigment for
22:13thousands of years. The rows of pits on a mountain in Peru have been surrounded by stories about aliens
22:22for many years. What connects all of this is not mysticism, but another part of the scientific method.
22:32Sometimes the right answer doesn't wait for a very clever guess. It just needs the right tool that
22:38didn't exist at that time. If you enjoyed this journey into mysteries that have only recently been
22:44solved, please like the video. It really helps the channel grow. Let me know in the comments which of
22:52these six stories surprised you the most. And subscribe so you won't miss the next stories and mysteries
23:00that will be solved. Almost every month there's a mystery that science solves and we look for the most
23:07interesting ones among them.