Lost Civilizations

The Nazca Lines are a collection of unusual, large ancient geoglyphs etched into the high plateaus of the Nazca Desert in southern Peru. The largest are nearly a quarter-mile long and depict a variety of objects and shapes including more than 70 drawings of animals such as birds, fish, llamas, jaguars, and monkeys – many of which would have been unknown to inhabitants of the area. Some depict human-like entities. They cover an area about 170 square miles and are only visible from the air. The drawings are believed to have been created sometime between 500 BC and 500 AD. They were made by gouging shallow lines about 6-inches deep into the ground, removing the natural iron oxide-coated reddish pebbles and exposing the grayish ground beneath.

The Steppe Geoglyphs of Kazakhstan Using space imagery, NASA scientists have discovered hundreds of strange geoglyphs, including a swastika and perfectly-formed cross, etched across a barren savanna in Kazakhstan. Satellite photos taken over 400 miles above the earth’s surface first revealed the enigmatic objects, now known as the Steppe Geoglyphs, to a Kazakh economist (Dmitriy Dey) in 2007.  His accidental discovery led to more in-depth scientific study of their mysterious origins and curious meaning. The myriad of unusual patterns are believed to be at least 8,000 years old which would make them the oldest creations ever found. Thus far, researchers have been unable to decipher the meaning of the ancient symbols. Almost all of the symbols, which are unrecognizable from the ground, are formed from mounds of dirt about

In 2009 (or 2010), a New Mexico millionaire (and modern-day Indiana Jones) gave the world a fascinating puzzle when he hid a treasure estimated to be worth between $1-5 million dollars and provided a cryptic poem full of clues hinting at its location. Tens of thousands have trekked through Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming in search of Forrest Fenn’s hidden treasure.  To date, the location of the treasure remains a mystery, despite a plethora of clues pointing to its location. About Forrest Fenn Forrest Fenn, millionaire writer, art dealer, and artifact collector, says he hid his treasure to get people off of their couches and into the wilderness. To say Forrest Fenn himself is a modern-day Indiana Jones would be an understatement. Fenn flew more than 300 missions in Vietnam and

For decades, archaeologists thought the ancient Aztec Death Whistles were nothing more than disturbing skull-shaped toys for Aztec children. They studied how they looked, how they were made, and where they were found. But nobody thought to blow into one. When they did, they found that the disquietingly-decorated skull-shaped clay objects made a spine-chilling noise described by one archaeologist as “the scream of a thousand corpses”. Yeah, they’re that creepy. The ancient Aztec Death Whistle is typically shaped like or decorated as a human skull. They were first associated with Aztec death rituals after two samples were found in the skeletal hands of a sacrificed 20-year-old male in a temple at Tlatelolco. Scientists are unsure what they were used for but some believe they were used

There’s more to the Easter Island Heads than meets the eye.  In fact, if you dig under them, you’ll discover not only complete odd-shaped bodies but strange, undecipherable symbols and petroglyphs etched into the statues’ 20-foot-tall torsos. Located 2,000 miles west of Chile on the remote Easter Island, the mysterious over-sized heads (called Moai) sit with their backs facing the ocean.  For decades, it was thought that the statues consisted solely of giant heads as most were buried in the hillside up to their shoulders.  But in 2011, the Easter Island Statue Project completed its Season V expedition and released remarkable photos showing that the bodies of the statues go far deeper underground than anyone had imagined. Considered one of the greatest achievements by Pacific prehistory, the

Introduction Located in the Atlantic ocean just west of Ireland, the mysterious island of Hy-Brasil (also documented as Hy-Brazil, Hybrasil, Brazil Rock, Hy-Breasal, Hy-Breasil, Brazir, and other variations) is shown on maps as early as 1325 and as late as 1872. Although Hy-Brasil can be found on many ancient maps, no island exists in our modern day and no historical documents were recorded to indicate where or what happened to the island. The mystery of Hy-Brasil is that it simply disappeared without a trace. The accounts of Hy-Brasil are similar to those of Atlantis but whereas Atlantis was reported by one or two ancient historians, Hy-Brasil has been documented in many first person accounts. Thought to be the home of a highly advanced civilization led by an

Introduction Plato described Atlantis as a island nation existing in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.  It was said to be populated by a great and powerful race and was a center for trade and commerce during that era.  The sheer scale of everything Plato said about Atlantis, from the grandeur of its buildings to the enormous timescale involved, has provided a controversial debate that has lasted for over 10,000 years. Plato's Description of Atlantis Plato claimed to have received his information from his family.  The fact that Plato would never perpetrate a fraud involving deceased members of his revered family, and the common knowledge that Plato was never known for wholesale fabrication, suggests that Plato indeed told the story as a truthful account of this mysterious civilization. Plato introduced Atlantis