- And you thought that
your computer was advanced. We live in age where we are
more technologically advanced than ever before, or are we? As it turns out, our ancient ancestors were much smarter than we thought, and in fact, some of their
inventions were so advanced that they baffle modern day scientists. Here are 10 ancient inventions
that science can't explain. Number one is the Antikythera mechanism. Divers discovered the
Antikythera mechanism in 1900 at the bottom of the Aegean
Sea in a Roman shipwreck. The bronze device was
found in a small wooden box and is made up of complex mechanical gears with mysterious engravings. It's believed that it was created some time between 250 and 100 BC. However, the technology is so advanced that anything even remotely similar wasn't discovered until
over 1,000 years later, when astronomical clocks were invented during the 14th century. Scientists believe that it was basically an ancient analog computer, but no one knows what it was used for. The best guess is that it
tracked astrological positions, like the lunar calender
and predicted events, such as the seasons. The only problem is that
it would have been hundreds of years before there was
any scientific understanding of the planets or even gravity. Its true origin or how
it even really worked is still a mystery to this day. Number two are the Stone
Balls of Costa Rica. Spread across the Osa region
in southern Costa Rica over 300 stone balls, known as Las Bolas, have mystified archeologists for decades. They were created between 600 and 1000 AD and vary from only a couple inches to over six feet in diameter
and weigh up to 15 tons. Each one of them is made from gabbro, limestone, or sandstone. They're nearly perfectly round and would've been carefully sculpted and sanded into a shape
from much larger boulders. The Diquis people, who
are native to the area, are likely the ones who made them. However, nobody knows why or how they were able to accomplish this. One theory is that they were put into lines leading to the chief's home, but by the time the spheres
were discovered in the 1930s, they may have been moved. Some believe that the balls were relics left from the lost city of Atlantis, while others tried blowing them up in order to see if they
contained hidden gold treasure, but to this day, nobody has any answer for why they even exist. Number three is Greek fire. Between the seventh and 12th century, the Byzantine Empire
was still in full swing defending the remaining borders of the once massive Roman Empire, which often involved large Naval battles. The Byzantines would use a
system of tubes and siphons to create a type of
flamethrower capable of shooting a flammable liquid
chemical at their enemies. There are numerous records, including detailed
drawings, of it being used. The only problem is, no one
knows what it was made from. It's believed that it was
a secret Byzantine formula that only a few select
very important people knew, and it was so well hidden
that it eventually died out along with the rest of the Roman Empire. The mystery chemical was
said to cling to flesh and could engulf a ship within minutes. What made it especially deadly was that it could burn in water. Scientists have not been able to replicate the effects of this mystery chemical and to this day, it remains unsolved. Number four is the universal antidote. Scientists have dedicated their
lives to creating antidotes for some of the most
deadly poisons on earth, but what if there was one
antidote to rule them all? Mithridates VI was the king
of Pontus from 120 to 63 BC, and it was during this
time that he developed the mythical Antidotum Mithridaticum. After his father was assassinated,
Mithridates went rogue and lived in the forest for seven years. During that time, he experimented
with different formulas that would give him immunity from poisons. He went as far as to ingest small amounts of lethal venoms to
test out his medicines. The result was made from
54 different ingredients, including chopped vipers, opium, and small amounts of lethal
poison and known antidotes, which were mixed together in a flask and left for two months. History tells us that this
liquid was incredibly valuable. However, because it
was so closely guarded, the secret formula was never passed on. Number five is Damascus Steel. Damascus Steel was first
discovered around 300 BC, but all remaining traces
of how the steel was forged were lost by the 18th century. The steel was named for the capital city of Damascus in Syria where it was founded and made into some of the
world's deadliest swords, including Viking swords. The steel was known for
its beautiful wave patterns and was said to be able to bend 90 degrees and bend back into place without breaking. The indestructible material
was made from wootz, which is a combination of iron and steel that would have been imported from Asia and then melted with a
mix of raw plant matter to make a crucible steel. It was an extremely advanced
nanotechnology alchemy. It's only thanks to modern
scanning electron microscopes that scientists even have an understanding of what made the steel so strong, but exactly how the swords
smiths did this is still unknown. Number six is Zhang Heng's seismoscope. It may just look like a
badass piece of ancient art, but when Chinese inventor and astronomer, Zhang Heng, created the
seismoscope around 130 AD, he actually invented the first
known earthquake detector. The bronze urn-shaped device
was incredibly decorated, with eight dragons attached to its sides representing the eight basic directions facing eight open-mouthed
frogs which sat below them. When it detected an earthquake, the dragon representing
the direction of the quake would drop a ball into the frog's mouth. It was amazingly accurate
and could detect a quake from hundreds of miles away,
but what's truly incredible is that this was done
despite tectonic plates not even being discovered yet. Scientists have been trying
to replicate this seismoscope for centuries, even as recently
as 2005, all unsuccessfully. Even the mechanisms inside the vessel and how the ball dropped
are still unknown. Number seven is the Great Pyramid of Giza. One of the biggest mysteries
of the ancient Egyptians is the Great Pyramid of Giza. The pyramid would have been
finished around 2560 BC and would have taken tens
of thousands of workers 10 to 20 years to build. It's the oldest and largest
of the three Giza pyramids and amazingly it's still largely
intact, and for centuries, it was the largest
manmade object on earth. It's made from 5.5
million tons of limestone, 8,000 tons of granite, and
500,000 tons of mortar. Its base is 756 feet and
when it was first built, it would have been 481 feet tall, but it's not the why it was
built that remains a mystery. In fact, researchers believe
that it was actually a tomb for the Fourth Dynasty pharaoh, Khufu, but instead how it was built. Now, there are numerous theories, from using scaffolding,
pulleys, ropes, or ramps all the way to alien intervention, but despite years of investigation, no one can agree on how it was planned or even how the blocks were put in place. Number eight is the Baigong Pipes. The Baigong Pipes are a
series of ancient pipes that run through Mt. Baigong in China. It's believed that a team
of American researchers who were looking for dinosaur fossils were the first to discover
the series of pipes before reporting them to officials. The pipes range up to
16 inches in diameter and run through the mountain
and three of its caves. Some of them run all
the way to Tuosu Lake, which is about 260 feet away
from the foot of the mountain. They're believed to be
very, very old and made from oxidized iron, silicon
dioxide, and calcium oxide, but not only is the purpose
of these pipes a mystery, but scientists are
still completely baffled by how they could have gotten there. For context, Mt. Baigong is
completely uninhabitable, so an ancient civilization would've had to make their way there and had the technology developed enough to make the pipes and
drill through the rock. It's extremely unlikely
for them to be there, but there they are. Number nine is flexible glass. Between 14 and 37 AD, during the reign of Roman emperor Tiberius Caesar, a glass maker invented vitrum flexible, or unbreakable glass,
that was so advanced, we still don't understand it. From the glass, he made a drinking bowl, which he gave to the emperor. Tiberius tested the bowl by
throwing it on the ground and amazingly, the glass didn't break and only had a small dent. He told the emperor
that he was the only one who knew the formula and
technique for making the glass, but like a lot of inventors
ahead of their time, instead of being praised
and given heaps of cash, things went in a very different direction. Despite it being a
groundbreaking discovery, Tiberius was less than
impressed because he was worried that it would bring down the
value of silver and gold, so like any other reasonable
dictator would do, he had the glass maker
beheaded and with his death went the secret of the
glass and its properties. And number 10 is Saksaywaman. Located on the outskirts of Cusco, Germany is an ancient walled city
known as Saksaywaman. It was built on a hilltop
between 900 and 1000 AD by the Killke culture
before it was expanded during the 13th century
under the Inca Empire. But it's not what lies behind the walls that's so interesting, but
instead, the walls themselves. The walls are made from massive
carved limestone boulders over 27 feet tall and
weighing over 100 tons. They would've been transported from a quarry nearly two miles away, and they are some of the
strongest walls ever built. That's because the stones
fit together so perfectly that not even a blade of
grass can wedge between them. Even more impressive is that mortar wasn't even used to keep them together. Some people have theorized that the stones were carved all together, but they're so oddly
shaped and yet so precise that scientists still have no idea what technology would have been used to calculate the angles, just one of many mysteries
that remain unsolved. I really appreciate
you guys watching this. Thank you very much,
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