Admit it — you’ve always wanted to be
like Indiana Jones, traveling to mysterious sites and discovering amazing stuff in ancient
tombs and temples. Yeah, we’ve all been there! So how about some recent archaeological findings
that stupefied scientists all over the world? 1,500-year-old jewelry trove in Denmark
In the spring of 2017, Terese Refsgaard, an amateur archaeologist from Denmark, made an
astonishing discovery on an island in Horsens Fjord. She was searching for evidence of Viking settlements
on the island when she stumbled upon a real treasure cache: over 32 items of exquisite
jewelry dating back to 500 CE. There were beads, pendants, a needle, pearls,
and gold pieces used as currency back in the day. Scientists say this is amazing because it
speaks to connections between the pre-Viking settlers and the Roman Empire. Moreover, some of the patterns are absolutely
unique and have never been seen before. Hey, what could be better than finding ancient
gold? Well, apparently, finding ancient gold that
could surprise the all-knowing scientists! Lonely stone hut in Greenland
You might ask what’s so special about a stone hut, but this one is really something! According to Danish archaeologist Christian
Koch Madsen, the hut he and his team found near the Sermeq Kangilleq Glacier in southern
Greenland shouldn’t even be there. He said they’d been in the area before and
not found anything of interest. However, when they dug it up a little bit,
they uncovered a single dwelling. It’s very small (about 5 ft × 6.5 ft),
and it’s open to the wind from every side. Scientists can’t explain why it’s even
there — the hut stands alone, literally in the middle of nowhere, and people couldn’t
possibly have lived there all year around because it was simply too cold. Have any ideas to help the archaeologists? Share them in the comments — I’m sure
together we’ll find out the truth! Ancient Chinese sword used as a kitchen knife
Now that’s some story! A farmer from China was digging up his garden
when he found a really old, rusty sword. What would you do if you were him? I’d probably give it to experts for evaluation. Well, our friend wasn’t interested in such
stuff, so he took the blade for himself, cleaned and sharpened it, and used it as a kitchen
knife. It took him 5 years to realize something was
off about his utensil. I don’t know…perhaps the dragon engraving
on it? He finally gave it to scientists, and they
were amazed to see that it was actually a Qing Dynasty sword. They’ll have some trouble dating it more
accurately because of all the sharpening, but it surely has a lot of historical value. Ever wanted to use an ancient artifact to
cut some cucumbers? Gimme a like if you have, you mischiefs! Ancient tools found in Texas
To understand the significance of this discovery, consider this: In school, they teach us that
humans first arrived in the Americas about 13,000 years ago. Well, the tools found by a team of Texas State
archaeologists date back 16,000 years, which is 3,000 years older. Yeah, I know you can count. It just stupefies me completely. Dr. Thomas Williams from Gault School of Archaeological
Research says that humans were thought to have come to North America when enough ice
melted there to allow them to walk across the Bering Strait. Yeah, it was kinda dry back then. 3,000 years before that, though, this passage
just didn’t exist. There were only glaciers all around — sheer
ice walls up to 3 miles tall, with no food or water for humans to live on. How did they end up in central Texas then? That remains a mystery. Roman sarcophagus used as a flowerpot
This one is even crazier than the kitchen sword story! A flowerpot in Oxfordshire, England, turned
out to be an ancient Roman sarcophagus worth more than $364,000. Well, at least it stood in a place of significance:
Blenheim Palace, where the sarcophagus was eventually identified, was Sir Winston Churchill’s
birthplace. Before that, it was a residence of the fifth
Duke of Marlborough, who bought the object in the 19th century as a garden ornament! Ironically, it was only noticed when an antiques
expert came to the property to evaluate something else entirely and his gaze accidentally fell
on the object. Now, of course, the sarcophagus has been relocated
to much more suitable conditions where it will hopefully be preserved for centuries
to come. 14,000-year-old bread found in Jordan
Yeah, you heard that right. This bread is over 14,000 years old! In fact, the archaeologists who found it claim
it’s actually 14,400. Must be some tough crust on that one! Anyway, there’s an even more curious detail
about this ancient treat: Scientists say it predates the age of agriculture by 4,000 years. So people were hunters back then, but they
didn’t sow. How come they baked bread? Tobias Richter, head of the excavation party
in Jordan, explains that these guys lived in a transitional period between hunting and
agriculture. They gathered wild cereals like barley, einkorn,
and oats, processed them, and made food out of them. Later, this led to the practice of cultivating
the land. Small steps make a big deal. 8-year-old girl finds an ancient sword in
a lake It sounds almost like the story about the
Lady of the Lake. A little girl by the name of Saga Vanecek
was playing in a lake in Sweden when she stepped on something hard. She felt curious and pulled the object out
of the water…only to find it wasn’t a stick, like she’d initially thought, but
a very real sword. Swedish scientists estimate that the weapon
is at least 1,000 years old, so it was forged several centuries before the Viking era. Mikael Nordström from the Jönköpings Läns
Museum says they were able to collect a brooch in the same area that was from around the
same time. He says the place had been thought to be a
burial site, but this finding turned the theory upside down. Researchers now think it was some kind of
sacrificial ground because there were no signs of burial mounds around the place whatsoever. Looks like the truth is yet to be uncovered. Ceremonial dagger used as a doorstop
Here’s another unlikely story of an ancient relic treated like it was made for the mass
market. A landowner from Norfolk, England, dug up
a rather large piece of metal in his yard. Once again, not realizing it could be of some
importance (“some,” huh?), he found a use for it in his house: He needed a doorstop,
and now he had one. The object was used like this for more than
a decade until the man finally had doubts as to its origins and contacted scientists. The results of the analysis amazed the researchers:
It was a ceremonial dagger, or dirk, from the Bronze Age — that is, from about 3,500
years ago. The blade was deliberately bent at the time
of its making, showing that it was never intended to be used as a weapon. It was the third Bronze Age dirk found in
Europe. Some doorstop! Thor’s Hammer in Germany
No, not that Thor’s hammer. What I’m talking about here is an amulet
in the form of a war hammer wielded by the Norse thunder god. Many amulets like this were found in different
parts of Scandinavia, but this one is different. Like I would tell you it wasn’t! This hammer was part of a greater treasure
found by amateur archaeologist Rene Schön and his 13-year-old apprentice. The duo was scouting Rügen, a German island
in the Baltic Sea, when they came upon some silver pieces. With the help of professional archaeologists,
they uncovered many more objects of value, including that Thor’s Hammer I told you
about. So what’s unusual about it? Well, the scientists discovered that the treasure
actually belonged to the most famous Viking lord: King Harald Bluetooth. He was known for his wealth and power among
the Vikings. Bluetooth united all the Danish tribes, and
it was under his sigil that the Danes gained victory over the Germans and Norwegians. And if you’re now wondering whether a similarly
famous wireless technology was named after him, the answer is a definite yes! Now imagine the emotions the lucky archaeologists
had when they unearthed such a significant treasure! Ah, I wish I’d found some too! Well, Bright Siders, tell me: Have you ever
found anything unusual in your backyard? Or maybe in your attic? Share your surprising discoveries with everyone
down in the comments! But before you run off to search for ancient
relics around your house, make sure you give this video a like, share it with your adventurous
friends, and don’t forget to hit the subscribe button! Stay on the Bright Side!
