15 Old Technologies Scientists Still Can't Explain

Sometimes the oldest inventions are the best! Yes, archaeologists have uncovered some fascinating artefacts over the centuries, but some of these incredible items only invite more questions, leaving scientists desperately searching for the answers! These mysterious discoveries suggest that our ancient ancestors were more advanced than we originally thought - and were capable of creating astonishing objects that we still can’t figure out to this day! From the world’s first computer discovered under the sea on an ancient shipwreck, to the 2,000 year old battery pack buried beneath the ground, these are the

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[nilanthaaajeewa]

Before 2500 years, ancient sri lankans had invented many compounds to drill, cut, polish corundum gems, and to make cover on gems when need to burn. Also they had some chemistry knowledge to remove rusty iron particles inside corundum gems. The next thing is they knew how to melt granite and use as clay to make structures . Also there was an adhesive to bond granite together . Also they used nano technology to make water filters . The steel was exported from sri lanka and india to make damascus swards. The above are not conclusions or just i heard. I researched for 20 years and learned how to do above things except melting granite . Because the last man was known as a rock smith, didnt gave the knowledge to his next generation or to students . The formula was made by few herbal plants those are grinded thoroughly and the liquid could make granite much soft and easy to be carved. The secret of making steel for swards including making iron from iron stones, mixing carbon to iron ( the paddy strew have carbon could be mixed to iron in numbers of times heating and hammering to make layers on layers as 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 ), forge to get 2028 layers, then put mild steel inside the hard steel. Then make the shape. Tempering . At last sharpening and polishing . Actually this much only my best to explain in english . Know much about these ancient technology but not fluent in english .

[ayaanc]

Imagine if some of these artefacts were just made by children who were messing about

[theghost]

Gobekli tepe, you forgot to mention one thing, there are animals carved on the pillars that do not exist on that continent, in other words they has already traveled the entire world over when they built that temple.

[naqiksah]

"This incredible machine was well before its time"...one can never be so sure how that time was actually like. Chances are pre-modern era might have been more modern than we are today.

[CamBad]

#7 city of Nan Madol. "Archaeologists still aren't sure how they built the city in the middle of the ocean after all these years. They think maybe it could've been dark magic or super skilled workers with ancient technology."

I'm very unknowledgeable about the subject so this may be a stupid question: but isn't it possible it was built on dry land and later flooded/buried by the ocean? I feel like that's a more likely explanation than ancestors building cities under water.

[ziluslules]

Plot twist: the Phaistos disk is a board game. I could imagine aliens finding a monopoly board game and questioned too intensely about it

[smokedbrisket]

for a long time, it was believed that the erosion damage on the Sphinx was wind-driven. That is, until actual geologists came to have a look, determining the erosion to be from moving water. The last time there was water like that in that part of Egypt was about 8-10K years ago. That monolith is far older than many of the experts (usually Egyptologists rather than geologists and other earth scientists) say it is.

[RedSinter]

Damascus Steel was really Wrootz Steel, based on steel ingots from that specific place in India. How it worked was finally figured out with the development of the S. E. M., Scanning Electron Microscope, in 1965. The discovery of its constituents was a huge surprise. It contained as thought specific minerals, but its impurities were to a certain extent what made it special, but only to a degree. How it was made and how it was developed still remain lost to time. However, how it worked was solved. With the exception of Present Day Super Steels no other steel retains its abilities. Most if not the majority of steels come in 2 verities Tough, or Hard unless you were Damascus Steel. Or modern Super Steels, which didn't come about till the 70's when the first super steels were made. The one major exception being Wrootz Steel. Tough Steels like X60 or even A36 have a large yeild point before ductil failure. Hard Steels are just that tempered and have good strength scatch resistance and used in Surgical Instruements as well as Rock Crushers, but they shattered when used in say girders for buildings or Truck Frames. Wroitz / Damascus does not it has the flexibility of Tough with the Hardness of a Rock Crusher. That Mystery only partially solved. Wrootz was steels were flattened then folded into smaller pieces then flattened out and folded again in some cases over 100 times then quinched. Carbides formed by the metals constituents from the repeated folding drive them to the materials grainbonderize giving the wave like patterns. These Carbides act as ball barings allowing the the great flexibility no steels had till super steels. In regular steels this flexing causes the grains do dislocate and fix permanently out of position leaving voids which can't allow them to return to their original position. In other words permanently deform, but not Wrootz Steels. A simple example of dislocation is to bend a metal coat hanger then try and bend it back to its original position.

[bandit]

The durability of ancient Roman concrete is pretty interesting. Those old roads and walls are still here after so many centuries...

[inuyashkikyukagumi]

The only things ancient times don't have is smartphone.

[williamcooper]

So, it is common, to find ore deposits that are free from inclusions or non similar deposits. There have been times when deposits of near pure gold have been found, so it can be safely assumed that iron, lithium and everything else has had near pure deposits and especially so, the further back in history you go, the more of it would be there.
Iron pillars are no different than iron skillets and as they are cooling, oil or fats can be smeared to cure it. And, if it is in an environment that doesn't promote rust well, then the iron will form a protective patena and last indefinitely. The sun impacting all day, the metal stores sun heat energy, which slowly emits away through the night, which aids in repelling standing, atmospheric moisture.

[badreality]

I remember when the Egyptian battery packs for electricity were considered "conspiracy theories".

Now, it is accepted knowledge.

[lloydlineske]

I love how we assume all the ancient people did was worship, make babies, and die. We have the Roman coliseum standing there and we know the purpose of it, but yet we still think anything older than it was just a temple. It's kinda hilarious if you think about it... oh there is also the Library of Alexandra that housed such great knowledge that so many inventions were made from reading the scrolls there.... but yeah, anything older than it must be a temple. 🤣

[kevin_delaney]

The Sphinx isn't the original carving, it's a statue of Anubis.

In regard to the last "computer" it is most likely a highly coveted time keeping device used to navigate the seas. People never think about the idea of ancient classified technologies. It's very probable that the reason we haven't seen many of these are the possibility of them not wanting it to fall into the wrong hands because it is what you need to navigate correctly and accurately.

[Altema]

I don't know why anyone would have trouble figuring out how the seismoscope works. Its a simple pendulum device, and the delayed movement of the pendulum articulates the lever in the opposite direction of the movement.

[bloodsweatandsteel.]

I am a hobbiest blacksmith myself. I have made Damascus steel in my own forge. This is not a lost art. It is simply the 1st form of welding we humans ever learned how to do. The process has never been lost!

[josephyiin]

Oh the Chinese definitely figured out who the Sword of Goujian belonged to. It is the personal sword of Goujian a famous king of the state of Yue during the Spring and Autumn period, hence the name.

[fsttag]

The art of making Damascus was never forgotten. There was a point where it was questionable, but Damascus is easily made now.

[bartversteijnen]

Why is a ruin always a temple and used for worship. Why is it not just someone's house?

[ashnarayan]

The cup was used to drink a mocktail of ancient drugs and or medicine. There are also similar jugs and bowls used for mixing.