Ancient artifacts that disappeared without a trace in the depths of history

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

There is no room for superstition and magic in science. Throughout history, no magical solution has been found to any scientific question, while the opposite is happening all the time.

The only exception is, perhaps, the area of archeology. Even the most sober archaeologist can confidently state that some ancient relics and artifacts seem to have a scientifically inexplicable ability to violently resist theft!

Ballista cores

On the Israeli-Syrian border in the late 1980s, several hundred distant relatives of cannonballs used by the Roman Empire to destroy enemy defenses were discovered. According to records, the ancient city of Gamla was captured by the Romans after its walls were destroyed, with 9,000 residents choosing to commit suicide by throwing themselves into the gorge.

No one noticed any loss until 2015, when two ballista balls were suddenly found in the courtyard of the museum in the morning. There was a note next to them: “These are two cannonballs from Roman ballistae from Gamla, I stole them in July 1995 and since then they have brought me nothing but trouble. Please do not steal antiques!"

Pompeian relics

According to legend, Pompeii was cursed by the gods after some of the holy sites in the city were destroyed by Roman legionaries. The archaeological caretaker of Pompeii, Massimo Hosanna, receives 100 parcels every year with all sorts of artifacts from this city, from mosaics and pieces of frescoes to pieces of statues. Almost all of them come with explanatory letters, in which people write about various problems that they began to face after they stole these items. One Spanish thief sent as many as five packages of artifacts, claiming that the curse befell his entire family.

Senicianus Ring

The Senicianus Ring, discovered in the late 1700s, is enormous in size. The diameter of the gold ring is 2.5 centimeters, and it weighs 12 grams - it could only be worn over a glove. This ring has an inscription in Latin: "Senitsianus, God bless you." A few decades after the discovery of this ring, an ancient Roman tablet was found that describes the history of this artifact. It was written by a Roman named Sylvianus, who complained to God Nodens that the ring had been stolen.

The tablet also read: "May the person named Senitsianus, who wears this ring, not have an inch of health gain until he returns the ring to the Nodens temple." Scientists believe that this story may well be the prototype of the famous story "The Hobbit", because the Oxford professor and aspiring author Tolkien was well acquainted with the history of the cursed ring.

Maori whip

Captain James Reddy Clendon was one of the earliest European settlers in New Zealand. He helped establish contacts between Maori and European colonialists, and later was the chairman of the first bank of New Zealand and the first US consul in this country. At the Clendon home in Roin, today you can see a whole exhibition of things and artifacts, many of which are of Maori origin.

One thieving visitor was clearly unaware that most Maori artifacts carry a curse upon their owner if mishandled. A stolen whip with a whalebone handle that belonged to Captain Clendon's eldest son was returned less than a month after it was stolen. The accompanying note read: “Take this damn thing. She brings continuous misfortune."

Egyptian carving

A certain German in 2004 snatched away the carving with the hieroglyphic text during a visit to Egypt. The carving was returned to the Egyptian embassy in Berlin by the man's stepson, for he himself could not do it, since he died. Shortly after returning from a trip, the man was suddenly paralyzed and developed a fever. After that, he was diagnosed with cancer that came from it is not clear where it came from, and soon the German simply died. The artifact was returned in the hope that "the human soul will find peace in another world", as well as to "free the stepson and all other human relatives from guilt in the eyes of the gods."

Stones from the battlefield in Gettysburg

Like the ancient excavations in Pompeii, park rangers in Gettysburg receive dozens of parcels each year, in which they are sent rods, stones and other "mementos" that were stolen from the site of the former battle. Moreover, all the parcels were accompanied by letters stating that things were cursed. One such unlucky souvenir lover suffered a work injury, several surgeries, and then his wife left him. Another lost his wife, son, and home, after which he ended up in prison for nine years.

Virginia City Cemetery

In 1867, a cemetery was built in the old mining town of Virginia City in Nevada, since before that corpses were buried anywhere throughout the city. However, a strange problem immediately arose - many gravestones began to disappear from the cemetery. Then the gravestones began to be returned back. It turns out that all gravestones, without exception, were stolen for completely mundane things - they made doors, garden decorations, etc. But then misfortunes began to pour on the kidnappers one after another: from financial problems to divorce and death. Thieves began to return the gravestones to get rid of the curse.

Indian artifacts from Blanding

Since its founding in 1905 by Mormon settlers, the small town of Blanding in Utah has become renowned for its abundance of Anasazi artifacts. Since the 1960s, looters began to plunder them. During a 1986 FBI raid, more than 900 misappropriated artifacts were seized. In 2009, following a special operation by the FBI, some of the city's most prominent citizens were arrested, including the sheriff's brother and local doctor Jim Redd. Redd committed suicide the next day, and two other people also involved in the crime followed suit for several months.

Vigango

Gohu is an ancient male society in the Kenyan tribe of the Mijikenda. Experienced carvers make intricate hardwood sculptures known as "vidango". It is believed that these sculptures embody the spirit of the deceased. Vigangos are highly prized in the West, and they pay a lot of money for them. But, since Kenyans do not sell these sacred sculptures, they are sometimes simply stolen. The curse of the Vigango falls not on the thieves, but also on the tribe.

Vigango must be offered regularly and sacrifices and gifts must never be taken from the place where they were installed. A research anthropologist who visited the tribe in 1999 found several of the statues missing. After that, a drought began, and some members of the tribe mysteriously died. After years of misfortune, the statues were returned to the tribe.

Petrified forest

In a petrified forest in Arizona National Park, the temptation to acquire a souvenir is higher than anywhere else, as such souvenirs are everywhere. But few people know that since 1934, at least 1200 parcels with the return of these souvenirs have come to the park. They had letters with them explaining these returns by the fact that people bringing souvenirs home had an abrupt "black streak", and literally in everything.

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