Hanging Gardens of Babylon
One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon have always been an enigma, a romantic mystery. No one truly knows where they were located, or if they did really exist at all.They were purportedly erected by King Nebuchadnezzar II (605 – 562 B.C.) and were described as a veritable paradise, full of exotic plants and resplendent flowers, their enticing aroma floating throughout the beautiful oasis.
However, there is no definite proof that the Hanging Gardens were ever there. There are no Babylonian texts in existence that refer to them and no archaeological discoveries. So it has been proposed that either (a) the gardens were simply mythical, that (b) they were real but suffered total destruction or that (c) they were actually the well-established garden built by King Sennacherib on the River Tigris in modern-day Iraq.
Nevertheless, no archaeological evidence has ever been unearthed to date. There is some speculation that the proof lies underneath the Euphrates. Unfortunately, at the moment it has been deemed unsafe to excavate in that area. So the mystery continues … the quest for this long-lost Eden … the paradise that was created by a romantic King for his beloved wife simply because she was pining for the lush valleys and hillsides of her homeland …. will the Hanging Gardens of Babylon ever be discovered?
Easter Island statues mystery
Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, situated in the Pacific Ocean approximately 2,000 miles from Chile, has a mysterious past. There are many accounts of what may have happened to the inhabitants of Easter Island but there is actually no written proof.
They were a religious and superstitious race and they found solace in their lonely existence by creating art out of stone. They believed these statues would watch over them and protect them. Every village wanted one so they ended up carving around 1,000 Moai statues and scattering them all round the island.
The Rapa Nui people became so obsessed with building Moai that it became a competition between villages. This eventually prompted tragedy. The land’s resources were exhausted in order to feed their obsession, and it is believed that hurricanes and other harsh climatic conditions just increased the destruction, ravaging what remained of the island’s vegetation.
During the early part of the 19th century, the population suddenly dropped dramatically, depleted to around 100 only, and their cannibalism spree wasn’t to blame.
Certain information points to the thriving slave trading business as the culprit. Mercenary traders saw that Easter Island could be a lucrative source of slaves. It appears that Rapa Nui people were carted off in the thousands, which would explain the sudden depletion in their numbers.
However, there are other accounts, rather more interesting and mysterious than the previous one.
Both documentations agree that the Rapa Nui people disappeared practically overnight in huge numbers. However, the reason does differ somewhat one from the other.
The “Vile Vortices” are 12 points around the world where planes, ships and people simply vanish. One of these points is the infamous Bermuda Triangle. Easter Island is also one of these points.
Strangely, ancient megalithic structures can be found at all these spots – Egypt, Mexico, Pakistan (Mohenjo Daro archaeological site) and Easter Island among others. Evidence of contact with ancient alien civilizations?
If you still have doubts and are more inclined to believe the logical explanation, here’s something that will muddy the waters – the Moai statues weigh 14 tons and are at least 13 feet tall. How on earth did the Rapa Nui people move the Moai around the island without modern machinery or technology? Very mysterious ...
Mayan Civilization Disappearance
The Maya empire was set in the lush, equatorial valleys of modern-day Guatemala, and had risen to its full potential by the sixth century A.D.. They stood out from the rest of civilization and were advanced by thousands of years. Mayan cosmologists recorded the cycles of the sun, moon and planets accurately; they invented a writing system, made books and pottery and left behind hundreds of cities, beautiful architecture and symbolic artwork.
One of the biggest cities of the classic Maya lies in the northern jungles of Tikal National Park, Guatemala, and was one of the last cities to be deserted by them. It is thought that the classic Maya population might have been as grand as 20 million. However, by the time of the great breakdown, up to 95% of the Maya were unaccounted for.
There was another calendar called the Long Calendar, created by the priestly class and it seems to tie in with major events. The Maya built the Long Count Calendar in order to count down 5,125 years or one Great Cycle. It was further split into thirteen sections called ‘Baktuns’, each comprised of approximately 400 years. When a ‘Baktun’ ended, the Maya held a massive celebration; strangely, there was no celebration on the 10th ‘Baktun’.
Modern-day Maya tell the story of how their ancestors went home. Where is home?
Could it be that the Maya were counting down to a pre-chosen date? A date when they were scheduled to vanish?
There have been numerous accounts from people abducted by aliens, who affirm their abductors hail from the Pleiades. Is there a possibility that beings from this star cluster have visited our planet and interacted with humans for thousands of years?
So, in the end, could the demise of the ancient Maya society have been due to a massive exodus to a distant star? Were the elite priests and leaders aware of this and, hence, counting down to this major event?
The Enigma of Stonehenge
Stonehenge, an ancient monument on Salisbury Plain, is made up of an outside ring of tall vertical Sarsen stones covered by linked horizontal Lintel stones.
According to Archaeologists, this impressive Neolithic monument has stood on the Wiltshire plains for approximately 5,000 years. The 30 stones in the outer ring weigh no less than four tons each and they encircle five enormous arches with massive blocks weighing 22 tons each. These colossal stones were somehow conveyed from 120 miles away. This is an incredible demonstration of ancient engineering which cannot easily be explained.
A great number of the stones weigh between 50 and 70 tons. It’s difficult to understand how they were manoeuvred into place; and more importantly, how did they relocate the blue stones, the spotted dolerites, all the way from Wales? This is the only place in Britain where these stones can be found.
However, there is a bit of a problem with this plan. No prizes for guessing what happens to wooden rollers when one puts twenty tons of stone on them! Pulverised beyond recognition comes to mind!
There must have been a very good reason for heaving these particular stones 120 miles all the way from Preseli Hills. It would have made more sense to use locally quarried stones to build a monument of this type. Plus what we see today is not the Stonehenge that was originally built. According to researchers, only 25% of the original structure remains – the centre of a much bigger construction, surrounded by multiple concentric circles that were assembled over more than a thousand years.
It’s a mystery.
It’s curious to note that Stonehenge developed over a very long period of time, and the earliest section to be erected isn’t even there anymore - the Aubrey Circle, comprised of 56 holes that were filled up with the blue stones from Preseli Hills.
Numerous conventional scholars proposed that Stonehenge was just a place of worship and a burial ground. Even so, I find that hard to believe – the ancient Britons spent over a millennium to construct only a church and a cemetery? It’s unreasonable. I’m more inclined to believe that Stonehenge is on the same level as sophisticated structures like the Pyramids of Giza or Machu Picchu.
The activity in the timeline of this megastructure is what really blows you away. Usually, edifices of this kind are built, admittedly, over some time; and that is it. However, Stonehenge is quite unique because, over a juncture of thousands of years, the site was moved and changed about a few times.
For example, the original sockets, which are no longer visible, date back to 8,000 B.C.. The temple was then shifted to conjunct with the stars, so the blue stones were changed to the centre, which still remain as the blue stone circle today. In 2,600 B.C., the celestial background had altered again so they went ahead and included the big Sarsen stones. It’s extraordinary to see how the temple kept reshaping and adapting according to the Universe!
Where did all this knowledge originate from?
Stonehenge was undoubtedly part of a huge superstructure and there is definitely more to it than meets the eye.
We have barely begun to scratch the surface.
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