5 Ancient Inventions Science Can’t Explain For the most part, technology has continued
improving in a linear fashion for thousands of years. However, ancient cultures have left many relics
and structures that seem a little too advanced for their respective eras. Even to this day, some of the greatest ancient
creations cannot be explained by scientists. Hi. I am Mister Mysterious and today I’ll be
telling you about five of the most mysterious ancient inventions that are still unexplained. We will be taking a look at astonishing artifacts
that mirror the splendor of ancient minds. Be prepared to rethink about how you imagine
our ancestors as well as ancient civilizations. FIVE: Ancient Flexible Glass The history of glassmaking can be traced back
to 3,500 BCE in Mesopotamia. Ever since that time, we know glass as a very
fragile substance. However, there is a story connected to ancient
Romans that talks about a type of glass that isn’t only unbreakable but has the power
to absorb damage. This invention is tied to the Roman Emperor
Tiberius Caesar as well as to an unknown craftsman who brought a drinking bowl made of flexible
glass to the Emperor. However, Tiberius wasn’t impressed with
the bowl and tried to break it by throwing it to the ground. However, instead of shattering, the mysterious
material dented. The craftsman then repaired the bowl with
a small hammer. After the inventor swore that he alone knew
the technique of manufacture, Tiberius Caesar had the man beheaded, fearing that such material
could undermine the value of gold and silver. Some believe that this is just an ancient
urban legend because the story sounds too good to be true. However, Roman glassmaking was so advanced
that some of its achievements couldn’t be replicated until the 18th century. Some of the best-known innovations from around
that period include colorless glass, window panes, and glass mosaics. FOUR: The Antikythera Mechanism More than a hundred years ago, an extraordinary
mechanism was found by divers at the bottom of the sea near the Greek island of Antikythera. This mechanism was found in a wooden box and
it was composed of at least 30 meshing bronze wheels. The wheels used to run a system that displayed
the date, positions of the sun and moon, lunar phases, a 19-year calendar and a 223-month
eclipse prediction dial. In other words, this was an analog computer
of great complexity. No other machine of known existence shows
a similarity in advanced engineering for at least another 1,000 years. Experts have been working to decipher inscriptions
hidden inside the mechanism. It was discovered that there was a pointer
on the front that carried colored balls: fiery red for Mars, gold for the Sun. The only thing we know about this device is
that the ancient Greeks used complex arrangements of precisely cut wheels to keep track of their
surroundings. They came to believe that nature worked according
to predefined rules, like a machine – which is an approach that forms the basis of our
modern scientific views. THREE: Baghdad’s Batteries War can destroy more than a nation, an army
or a leader. Culture, tradition, and history also lie in
the firing line and often suffer during war times. Iraq is one of the countries with a rich national
heritage that was often plagued by wars. The Garden of Eden and the Tower of Babel
are said to have been located in this ancient land. However, there is one ancient artifact that
goes against everything we think we know about our history. It was in 1938, while working in Khujut Rabu,
near Baghdad, that German archeologist Wilhelm Koning unearthed a five-inch-long clay jar
containing a copper cylinder that encased an iron rod. The object showed signs of corrosion, and
early tests revealed that an acidic agent had been present. For Koning, this was an ancient battery. More than 70 years after their discovery,
the batteries of Baghdad – as there are perhaps a dozen of them – are still shrouded
in mystery. Some have suggested the batteries may have
been used medicinally. Other scientists believe the batteries were
used for electroplating – transferring a thin layer of metal onto another metal surface. This idea is perhaps the most interesting
since at its core lies the mother of many inventions: money. Perhaps this invention was used in the making
of jewelry, where a layer of gold or silver is often applied to enhance its beauty in
a process called gilding. Either way, it seems like we’ll never know
the truth behind this intriguing innovation. TWO: Zhang Heng’s Seismoscope Throughout the ancient times, the Chinese
were concerned with the destructive force of earthquakes. They weren’t aware of tectonic plates and
they believed that earthquakes were disturbances with cosmic yin and yang. However, one inventor had his own ideas about
this destructive force of nature. One of the first and one of the most efficient
earthquake-detection instruments was invented almost 1900 years ago in ancient China. The device was invented by the Eastern Han
philosopher and court official Zhang Heng. The seismoscope was about six-feet-tall and
resembled a large bronze urn with eight tubes shaped as dragons’ heads. Surrounding the device were four bronze toads
positioned in four directions. Thanks to its internal pendulum and bronze
balls, the device’s internal mechanism would swing in the event of an earthquake. This would raise one of the dragons’ heads
and push the bronze balls out of the dragon’s mouth into the mouth of a bronze toad. This would create a very loud sound, which
served as a warning alarm. Today, we know very little about how Zhang
Heng managed to materialize his biggest invention. We only know that the device was very advanced
for the time of its creation as well as that it gives accurate results and warnings almost
two millennia later. ONE: The Iron Pillar of Delhi In the Qutb complex of Delhi stands one of
the most curious metal objects in the world – the so-called Iron Pillar of Delhi. This object does not seem to rust, despite
being over a thousand years old. The height of the pillar is about 23 feet. The base rests on a grid of iron bars soldered
into the upper layer of the dressed stone pavement. It is estimated to weigh more than six tons. While several inscriptions are found on the
pillar, the oldest one is a six-line stanza Sanskrit inscription. The name Chandra is mentioned in the third
verse, forcing scholars to believe that the pillar was made during the reign of Chandragupta
II. One of the most interesting qualities of this
pillar is its resistance to corrosion. One of the theories suggests that there is
a co-relation between the processing, structure, and properties of the pillar’s iron. In other words, this pillar is a living testimony
to the skill of metallurgists of ancient India. Even today, we can’t produce the same kind
of iron, even though we have multiple ways to protect metal objects from corrosion. What do you think about these mysterious ancient
inventions? Do we really know our civilization’s history
as we claim we do? If you find it interesting, share and like
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