10 Secrets Of The Sarcophagi

The word “sarcophagus” derives from the Greek word for “flesh-eater.” These stone burial boxes were employed for millennia in ancient Egypt, the Hellenistic world, and the Roman Empire. Their use even continued into the Christian era, when they became a medium for religious iconography. These upper-class coffins are typically ornately adorned—not only with depictions of the deceased but images of their hopes, dreams, and fears. These images often reflect societal and spiritual ideals, along with cross-cultural stylistic influences.

1#Flesh-Eating Sarcophagi

The ancient Turkish city of Assos is famed for its mysterious, flesh-eating sarcophagi. It typically takes between 50 and 200 years for a body to decompose, but the Assos sarcophagi can completely disintegrate a corpse within 40 days. These man-eating coffins are composed of andesite stone. Researchers are uncertain whether the stone itself is responsible for the rapid decomposition. Others suggest the presence of aluminum may be the cause.

The flesh-eating coffins of Assos were originally called sarko fagos, which translates to “flesh-eater” in Greek and is the basis of the modern word “sarcophagus.” The Assos necropolis dates to the seventh century BC, with the first sarcophagus appearing two centuries later. The early burials were unadorned, with flat covers and cubic stone blocks bearing the deceased’s name. Roman-era sarcophagi became more elaborate, with elegant carvings and inscriptions to indicate who was contained within

2#Mystery Pharaoh Of Tomb KV55

In 1907, archaeologists discovered a mysterious sarcophagus in Tomb KV55 in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. To this day, the identity of its inhabitant remains a mystery. Within the tomb, researchers found four canopic jars, a gilded shrine, furniture, and a single sarcophagus. The coffin had been desecrated. Someone ripped off the decorative face mask and chiseled away its owner’s name.

Some believe the sarcophagus belonged to Queen Tiye. Others insist it is King Smenkhkare. The prevailing theory is that it is the final resting place of Akhenaten. Researchers recently stumbled upon a long-forgotten box from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. It contains 500 golden sheets, skull fragments, and a note in French, indicating that the gold was discovered in a sarcophagus within KV55. Most believe that sarcophagus is the mystery one. The four alabaster canopic jars are empty but contain effigies of women 

believed to have been Akhenaten’s daughters.

3#Child Star Sarcophagus

In 1888, the British Museum purchased a sarcophagus containing the remains of an ancient child star. Seven-year-old Tjayasetimu was a member of the royal choir of ancient Egypt. Standing just 122 centimeters (4’0″), she was wrapped in painted bandages, and her face was covered with a veil and golden mask before burial. Researchers have employed computerized tomography to investigate what lies under the bandages.

Researchers were able to see her adult teeth pushing behind her baby teeth as well as shoulder-length hair. Experts believe the singer likely died of a rapid illness, like cholera. Tjayasetimu was too small for her sarcophagus, which might indicate a hasty burial. Hieroglyphics and paintings on the coffin reveal that Tjayasetimu was a “singer of the interior,” suggesting that she had an elite role in the choir of the Temple of Amun. The young musician was important enough to merit a burial befitting royalty and ancient Egypt’s wealthiest families.

4#3,000-Year-Old Fingerprints

In 2005, researchers at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge discovered ancient fingerprints on a 3,000-year-old sarcophagus lid. Experts believe these prints belong to the coffin’s craftsman, who would have handled the lid before the varnish dried. Dated to around 923 BC, the sarcophagus belonged to an ancient Egyptian priest named Nespawershefyt. Although the fingerprints were discovered in 2005, they were only announced in 2016 in preparation for Death on the Nile, an exhibit chronicling 4,000 years of Egyptian coffin design.

The oldest Egyptian fingerprints found so far date to 1300 BC and were discovered in a preserved loaf of bread from a tomb in Thebes. The oldest human fingerprints known belong to child who handled a ceramic statuette in what is now the Czech Republic around 26,000 years ago. However, prehuman fingerprints go back much further. Archaeologists discovered an 80,000-year-old Neanderthal print on a weapon-making tool in Neu Konigsaue, Germany.

5#Inconvenient Sarcophagus

In 2015, the Israeli Antiquities Authority reported that they had acquired an 1,800-year-old sarcophagus after construction workers hid it. The 2.4-meter (8 ft), 2-ton limestone coffin suffered damage from the builders’ manhandling. The sarcophagus design contains a gorgon head, cupids, bulls’ heads, floral arrangements, and an image of young man. Experts believe the man depicted is the deceased. He is depicted with a short-sleeve, embroidered shirt and curly hair, in typical Roman fashion.

Dated to around the third century AD, the sarcophagus was found at Ashkelon. The ancient city’s population was a gumbo of Jews, Samaritans, and pagan Romans, all of whom influenced the sarcophagus’s design. Experts believe the sarcophagus was hidden to prevent delays in the building schedule. Representatives of the Antiquities Authority have referred to the coffin as “one of the rarest sarcophagi ever discovered in Israel.”

6#Silk Road Sarcophagus

In 1999, archaeologists discovered a white, marble sarcophagus reflecting the extent of cross-cultural interaction along the ancient Silk Road. Located in China’s Shanxi province, the coffin belonged to Yu Hong and his wife, who were interred between AD 592 and 598. The sarcophagus resembles a Chinese-roofed house. Its panels weigh 4,200 kilograms (9,259 lb) and rest on lions. Hybrid bird-men flank a fire altar in Zoroastrianism-inspired panels right next to Buddhist imagery of lotus blossoms and cross-legged meditating figures.

Yu Hong was a sixth-century Central Asian diplomat. DNA tests revealed he was Caucasian, leading some speculate that he was Sogdian, a Central Asian culture of merchants, musicians, and entertainers. Based on the presence of Tang-era coins, archaeologists believe the tomb was robbed sometime between 618 and 906. Some claim the thieves were “careless.” However, it’s possible they left the coins as part of a grave robber superstition.

7#Tabnit Sarcophagus

In 1887, a minister from the US discovered a sarcophagus that is considered to be one of the most fascinating artifacts of the enigmatic Phoenician culture. Dated to the fifth century BC, the sarcophagus held Tabnit, a priest of Astarte and ruler of Sidon. The coffin contained an oily, brown liquid, which preserved Tabnit’s remains. Only his extremities, like his lips, nose, and throat, had decayed. An autopsy revealed that Tabnit died around age 50 from smallpox.

A mysterious blend of hieroglyphics and Phoenician script cloak the Tabnit sarcophagus. This short-lived hybrid script developed around the fifth century BC and attests to the connection between Egypt and their northern neighbors. When Tabnit was initially displayed, his remains were exposed to sunlight, which caused rapid decomposition. Today, only his bones remain. The discovery of the sarcophagus and its removal to the British Museum caused an international scandal and a radical reaction from the Ottomans.

8#High Priest Hieroglyphics

In 2015, archaeologists discovered the sarcophagus of a high priest of Amun Ra covered in mysterious, holy hieroglyphics. Unearthed on the west bank of Luxor, the coffin dates to the 22nd Dynasty (943–716 BC). The plaster-covered wooden sarcophagus was found in the tomb of Amenhotep-Huy, vizier of Nubia during the reign of Pharaoh Amenhotep III (1391–1353 BC). The deceased’s name was Ankh-f-n-khonsu. On the front of the sarcophagus, he is portrayed wearing a crown of flowers and ribbons, a necklace, and a wig with a ceremonial beard.

Being from the 22nd Dynasty, the sarcophagus is younger than the 14th-century-BC tomb that contained it. The burial chamber also contained Ankh-f-n-khonsu’s Steele of Revealing, a funerary tablet that depicts the deceased making ritual offerings dressed in the traditional leopard-skin garb of a high priest of Amun Ra. The tomb’s walls contain images of figures in Nubian attire, reflecting Amenhotep-Huy’s sphere of influence.

9#Untouched Etruscan Sarcophagus

In 2015, Italian archaeologists excavating an untouched tomb discovered two sarcophagi, which shed light on the enigmatic Etruscan civilization. A farmer accidentally unearthed the 2,400-year-old tomb while plowing his field near Perugia. One sarcophagus is made of alabaster and marble and contains a male skeleton. It also bears a lengthy inscription and the name “Lars,” hinting at the deceased’s identity. The second sarcophagus is made of painted plaster. However, this fragile final resting place was shattered at some point in the past, and its secrets remain scattered among thousands of fragments.

The Etruscans flourished in Western Italy around Tuscany between 900 and 500 BC. While they introduced writing, winemaking, and roadbuilding to much of Europe, precious little is known of them. The sarcophagi are significant, since Etruscan artifacts are so rare. Researchers believe these ancient burials will provide insight into Etruscan sociopolitical organization, customs, and religious beliefs—particularly about the afterlife.

10#Mystery Of The Bearded Man

A mummy portrait attached to a Roman-Egyptian sarcophagus has tantalized archaeologists since its discovery. Dated between AD 170 and 180, this depiction of the deceased became detached from its sarcophagus and mummy long ago. The identity of the Bearded Man remains a mystery. Many have noted that he appears Byzantine. For years, his slight pout has mystified and fascinated researchers. They hope analysis of the pigment might bring them closer to the mystery man’s identity.

Roughly 900 mummy portraits have been found to date. They made their appearance beginning with the Roman occupation of Egypt in the first century AD and remained popular for about 200 years. These likenesses were painted on wooden boards and affixed to sarcophagi where the head would have been. The portraits are so naturalistic that researchers have used them to identify family members by comparing similarities. Most mummy portraits have been discovered at the acropolis of Faiyum.

10 Crazy Stories About The Rulers Of Ancient China

The emperors of the ancient world held an incredible amount of power. Those who ruled over the kingdoms of ancient China were called the sons of Heaven. They were deified men whose every word was to be followed without question.

When a whole kingdom follows your every word, it can be hard to stay stable, but it’s easy to fall into a decadent and unstable life. That much power can drive a man insane. Sometimes, it did.

1#King Zhou Of Shang Had A Lake Of Wine

As the reign of King Zhou went on, he started to get comfortable. He was the king of a great dynasty, and he resolved to enjoy it—in some absolutely unbelievable ways.

Zhou ordered the construction of the Pool Of Wine And Forest Of Meat, which was exactly what the name suggests. This was a massive, man-made lake filled with nothing but liquor. It was big enough for several canoes. In the center of the pool was a little island, dotted with trees. The tree’s branches, though, were skewers full of meat. Zhou and his concubines would pass their time drifting around in the canoes, drinking the liquor and plucking off meat.

As you might expect, all that decadence didn’t make King Zhou particularly popular. When he saw the people rising against him, Zhou set himself on fire—because, apparently, he was better at coming up with ideas for parties than painless suicide methods. His pool of liquor was destroyed, and his successors, who were significantly less fun, banned alcohol across the kingdom.

2#King Wu Of Qin Died In Powerlifting Contest

King Wu was a massive hulk of a man, obsessed with showing off his muscles. He valued strength above all else. He kicked all the book-reading nerds out of power and filled the highest ranks in his kingdom with musclemen, chosen for their ability to lift heavy things above their heads.

That love for lifting heavy things would be his end. One of the strongest men in the kingdom, Meng Yue, challenged him to a cauldron-lifting contest. It seems that Meng won: While Wu was lifting his cauldron up, his knees snapped, and he collapsed.

Wu spent about eight months slowly and painfully dying before his body finally gave up, which was bad news for Meng. As his reward for soundly beating the king in a powerlifting contest, Meng and his entire family were hunted down and killed.

3#Emperor Wu Of Jin Let A Goat Choose His Concubines

One of the major benefits of being the emperor was the harems. They were meant to be a little perk for ruling the country, but for Emperor Wu, they were more of a distraction.

Emperor Wu dedicated most of his time to his harem. He would pull every pretty girl he could find out of her home to make her his concubine, especially preying on his officials’ daughters. This, for Emperor Wu, was important work—so much so that he made it a crime to get married until he was finished picking his concubines.

By the end, Emperor Wu had more than 10,000 women in his harem. To choose his partner for the night, he would ride around in a cart drawn by goats. When the goats stopped, he’d sleep with whichever woman they’d brought him to.

4#Emperor Gaozu Peed In Scholars’ Hats

Emperor Gaozu wasn’t the biggest supporter of education. He believed in military might and obedience to a strong, centralized government, and he didn’t really see any point in wasting time learning to read or discussing philosophy. “All I possess I have won on horseback,” he told one of his advisors. “Why should I bother with [the Books of] Odes and History?”

This wasn’t just simple disinterest; education actively enraged him. In Gaozu’s time, most scholars were followers of Confucius, and they walked with pointy hats. He spent most of his time launching into curse-filled tirades about how awful they were. When he actually saw a scholar, he’d rip off the scholar’s hat and pee in it.

When his advisor, Lu Jia, wrote a flattering book about his victories, though, Gaozu changed his tune. In one of history’s rare instances of someone admitting they were wrong, Gaozu set up Confucian schools across the empire and made it the state ideology.

5#Emperor Xuanzong Had 40,000 Concubines

Traditionally, in Xuanzong’s time, emperors would release their concubines when their reign came to an end. Since it often only took a couple of years for someone to get fed up and assassinate the king, that meant that being a concubine was only a temporary position.

Xuanzong, however, stubbornly refused to die. His reign went on for 44 years, and his harem just kept getting bigger. By the end, he had over 40,000 women. Xuanzong almost certainly didn’t have time to meet them all, so instead, they just sat around learning poetry, mathematics, and the classics and taking care of mulberry trees.

That doesn’t mean he stopped adding to his harem, though. When he was 60 years old, Xuanzong made his own son divorce his wife so that he could make his daughter-in-law one of his concubines.

6#Emperor Houfei Used His General’s Belly For Target Practice

Emperor Houfei was nine years old when he ascended to the throne. Nine, as the Chinese learned, is a bit too young to be given absolute power over an empire—and Emperor Houfei went mad with power in the way only a child could. He managed to survive for five years before people finally got fed up and killed him. The beginning of the end came when he saw his general, Xiao Daocheng, sleeping naked.

Houfei was captivated by the round bulge of Xiao’s massive belly, and he had a stroke of inspiration. He pinned a target to the general’s gut and used it as target practice. He would have used real arrows, but his attendant managed to convince him to use blunted ones. If he kept his general alive, his attendant told him, he could shoot arrows at his belly every day.

Xiao got his revenge. He sent a man into Houfei’s room while he was sleeping to cut off his head. Xiao then took over the empire himself.

7#Emperor Jing Killed A Man For Beating Him At A Board Game

Anyone who has flipped a Monopoly game in outrage has a kindred spirit in Emperor Jing. He lost his temper during a game of Liubo, an ancient Chinese game played on a heavy stone board. Emperor Jing was losing, and his opponent, apparently, hurt his feelings. He threw the stone board at his opponent’s head, hitting him so hard that he killed him.

Unfortunately for Emperor Jing, his opponent was the prince and heir to the Wu Empire. The King of Wu vowed revenge. He united seven kingdoms and led a revolt against Jing.

Emperor Jing, though, was better at war than he was at Liubo. He managed to crush the rebellion. Then he shrunk the kingdoms of those who dared to question him and his policy of killing anyone who beats him at a board game

8#King Fu Sheng Made It A Crime To Say ‘Without

Legend has it that that King Fu Sheng’s eye was pecked out when he tried to steal an eagle’s eggs. That might be a myth, but the man was definitely blind in one eye, and he was a bit sensitive about it. He was so paranoid that he believed anyone who said the words “missing,” “lacking,” “less,” or “without” must be mocking him—so he made it a crime. Anyone who uttered one of those words in his presence was sentenced to death.

Murder was how Fu Sheng solved most of his problems. His astrologers advised him that if he didn’t change his ways, his reign would be short, but he didn’t really listen. Before his two years as king were up, he’d executed his wife, her father, and her uncle, and he was working his way through his own family.

When his cousins found out he was planning on taking them on next, they attacked his castle, pulled him out of his room, and had him dragged to death by a horse. For all of his efforts to stop people from making fun of him, Fu Sheng went down in history as the “One-Eyed Tyrant.”

9#Emperor Wenxuan Walked Around Naked Wearing Makeup

Wenxuan’s reign started off well, but as time went on, he started devoting less and less time to managing the state and more and more time to getting blindingly drunk. It didn’t take long before he was nearly perpetually drunk, and he completely lost control. He had a bad habit of taking all of his clothes off, putting makeup on his face, and wandering into his noble’s bedrooms. He’d even wander around naked in the winter.

His worst habit, though, was getting drunk and killing people. One time, he stopped a woman on the street and asked, “What is the Son of Heaven like?” When she answered, “He is so crazy that he really cannot be considered a Son of Heaven,” he beheaded her.

This wasn’t an isolated event. He drunkenly killed people so often that whenever he got drunk, his minister would bring him a condemned prisoner to murder so that he could get it out of his system before he took it out on the innocent.

10#Emperor Zhengde Liked To Play Make-Believe

Zhengde became emperor when he was 13 years old, and he wasn’t quite done with the days of childhood. He still liked to make believe, and because he was the emperor, everyone else had to go along with it.

He would force his ministers to dress up as merchants so that he could pretend he was a commoner visiting their shops. This, under Emperor Zhengde, was an imperial duty. Anyone who would not play make-believe with him was removed from their post.

He built a 200-room building called the “Leopard Quarter” next to the imperial zoo. He and his friends would spend their time there drinking and hunting the animals in the zoo, pretending they were in the jungles chasing wild game.

Zhengde also told his people that he had an identical double named General Zhu Shou. He would give orders for them to pass on to Zhu Shou. Then he would change his clothes and come back out, now forcing everyone to call him Zhu Shou. His men would have to tell him his own orders, and he would pretend to be surprised.

For an imaginary person, Zhu Shou was actually a pretty capable general. Zhengde stayed in power until he turned 29. In the end, though, the liquor got him. Drunk out his mind, he fell out of a boat. The cold water left him with an illness that ended his life.

10 Dark Secrets Of The Sun Cults

The Sun is one of the most ancient symbols of divinity. For millennia, people have seen this star as the center of their spiritual universe. It gives life, reminds us of our mortality, and offers a glimpse into the possibility of rebirth. The archaeological record is filled with enigmatic objects offering tantalizing clues about these ancient sun cults.

1#Earliest Eclipse

On November 30, 3340 BC, Irish Sun worshipers carved the first known representation of a solar eclipse. The engravings into three megalithic stones are located on the Cairn L site in County Meath. Researchers discovered that the Sun illuminates a special chamber within the monuments on November 1 and February 2, which mark the halfway points between the solstices and equinoxes.

The stone carvers predate the Celts. However, all later arrivals to the Emerald Isle continued Sun worship in some form. Brigit was the Celtic deity of light. Known as “The Bright One,” the Sun goddess was later absorbed into the Christian pantheon of saints.

Experts were able to trace the origin back to a specific date. Out of the 92 eclipses they analyzed, only the one in 3340 BC matched the location of the stones. Chinese astronomers made the previously oldest known eclipse carving in 2800 BC.

2#Sun Cults: Mayan Solar Sacrifice

At the Mayan site of Tikal, archaeologists unearthed evidence of human sacrifice related to Sun worship. Researchers believe that a man and boy were killed and burned to reenact the myth of twins who immolated themselves to be reborn as the Sun and Moon. This legend is widespread throughout Mesoamerica. However, there has never been concrete proof of human sacrifice associated with the myth.

Tikal’s Burial PP7TT-01 contains the body of a boy between 10 and 14 and a man between 35 and 40. Discovered at the bottom of a pit, they had been sacrificed and burned. Obsidian blades and rib lesions suggest that the victims were killed before they were set ablaze.

Others believe that they were still alive when cast into the pyre. The burial pit was built close to Tikal’s solar cycle calendar structures. The grave was also built on the compound’s eastern edge, associated with the rising Sun.

3#Grave Of The Sun Priestess

In 1921, archaeologists uncovered the burial of a “Sun priestess” in Denmark. Dated back 3,400 years, Egtved Girl was buried in an oaken coffin along with her infant. Between 16 and 18, the 160-centimeter (5’3″) girl was found wearing a Sun-shaped bronze belt buckle.

Experts interpret her belt as evidence that she was a priestess in an ancient Nordic Sun cult. The partially cremated bones of her child were found alongside her in a bark box.

Isotope analysis of Egtved Girl’s teeth revealed that she was likely born and raised in the Black Forest 800 kilometers (500 mi) to the south. Her clothes were typical for Denmark in the era. However, they were made from animals that lived elsewhere.

It is likely that she tried to integrate herself into foreign society by imitating their clothing. Experts believe that Egtved Girl married into a Danish chiefdom and was buried in her adopted home.

4#Britain’s Magical Gold

Archaeologists recently discovered that Bronze Age Irish Sun worshipers sought out “magic” gold from across the sea for their sacred artifacts. Chemical analysis revealed that the 4,000-year-old gold, which was assumed to have been mined locally, came from southwestern Britain.

The most common forms for this alien gold were Sun shapes, which reflected the spiritual beliefs of the island. No similar artifacts have been found in Britain, which suggests that the gold was exported and then worked on in Ireland.

Southwestern Britain was the site of a Bronze Age gold rush. Experts theorize that 200 kilograms (440 lb) of gold were extracted from Cornwall and West Devon. Some believe that the gold was a by-product of the more important tin industry.

Cornish tin was essential to Western Europe during the Bronze Age as tin was an integral part of the alloy along with copper. It is unknown whether British gold was more common or sought after specifically for aesthetic and symbolic qualities.

5#Trundholm Sun Chariot

In 1902, archaeologists discovered the Trunholm Sun chariot in a Danish bog. Dated between 1800 and 1600 BC, the 58-centimeter-long (23 in) artifact consists of a horse, six wheels, and a disc—all made of bronze. The disc is covered with a thin gold sheet on one side.

The hollow-cast sculpture is one of the earliest representations of horses in Europe. Some speculate that the wheels were in place to move the horse and solar disc during ritual performances. Others believe that the wheels simply may have helped the chariot stand upright.

According to Klaus Randsborg of the University of Copenhagen, the dimensions of the “Sun side” represent one-third of a solar year and the “Moon side” represents six lunar months. The idea of “traveling Suns” pervades the mythology of the ancient world. Norse, Celtic, Hindu, Greek, and Egyptian religions all perceived that the Sun was carried across the sky by a solar deity or animal.

6#Abydos Boat Graves

In 2000, researchers uncovered the hull of a 5,000-year-old vessel while excavating at the ancient Egyptian site of Abydos. Dated to 3000 BC, the ship is one of 14 discovered at the site.

These Abydos boat graves are located next to the funerary enclosure of Khasekhemwy, a second dynasty pharaoh. Experts believe that the boats were buried prior to the pharaoh’s tomb and may have been intended for a ruler as early as the first dynasty.

The Abydos boats are related to the ancient Egyptian belief that Ra, the Sun god, traveled through the sky in a solar boat. The journey represents the cycle of Ra’s daily regeneration.

No one knows whether the boats were used prior to their burial. They were large enough to accommodate about 30 rowers each and could have been sailed. Their construction of planks fitted together makes them the earliest Egyptian example of “built boats.”

7#Danish Sun Temple

Archaeologists believe that the Danish Island of Bornholm was once the site of a Sun-worshiping temple complex over 5,500 years ago. The entrance to the complex was aligned with the summer solstice, and researchers have uncovered a multitude of stone discs inscribed with sunrays.

Some speculate that the solar discs might actually be early maps—with fields, fences, and plants. These “stylized maps” bear a resemblance to landscape carvings found in the Italian Alps from the same period. Others suggest that the Sun stones were magic items, intended to bring fertility to farmland.

Excavations have already uncovered pottery, animal bones, and Sun discs, which are often damaged. Similar discs have been found at Rispebjerg, which also served as a sacred site for Sun worshipers. Ritual activity continued at the Vasagard site for several hundred years. Researchers are using 3-D laser scanning technology to map the complex’s box and passage tombs.

8#Monkton Farleigh Sun Disc

In 1947, archaeologists discovered a mysterious golden Sun disc alongside the remains of a skeleton near Stonehenge. Dated back 4,500 years, the thin sheet of embossed gold features a cross within a circle.

Experts believe that this 5-centimeter-wide (2 in) disc represents the Sun, which is in keeping with Bronze Age British spiritual belief. So far only six Sun discs have been found on the island.

Given the Sun disc’s rarity, experts theorize that it belonged to a chieftain. This Bronze Age elite cherished the artifact so much that he took it with him to the grave. Pottery and flint arrowheads were also found in the burial mound at Monkton Farleigh.

The disc dates back to the time that the central ring of Stonehenge was erected. A glistening golden disc would have meant far more to these ancient Sun worshipers than mere decoration. Two small holes suggest that the Sun disc was worn as a talisman and status symbol.

9#Goseck Circle

In 2002, archaeology students discovered the world’s oldest solar observatory during digging practice near the university in Goseck, Germany. Their excavation exercise revealed a 7,000-year-old henge with two gates that were aligned with the solstices.

The Goseck Circle is 70 meters (220 ft) in diameter. A circular wooden wall surrounds a narrow ditch. Archaeologists have been aware of the enclosures. However, they have never before understood their function. Labeled “German Stonehenge,” the area has become a tourist trap.

The people that built the Goseck Circle belonged to Stroke-Ornamented Pottery Culture, which dominated central Europe for 200 years around 4600 BC. Similar wooden henges have been found throughout Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic.

The spiritual beliefs of these long-gone people remain a mystery. However, the recent discovery suggests the worship of celestial objects, constellations, and most notably, the Sun. This monumental architecture dates thousands of years before the Egyptians built the pyramids.

10#Sun Temple Of Ramses II

In 2006, archaeologists discovered an ancient Sun temple under an outdoor marketplace in Cairo. The temple was once part of the city of Heliopolis—the epicenter of ancient Egyptian solar worship. Inscriptions reveal the temple’s founder: Ramses II.

A seated statue depicts the 19th dynasty ruler in the leopard skin of a high priest of Ra—the chief Egyptian solar deity. Stylistically, the statue resembles those of the 12th dynasty. Some theorize that artisans might have modified an older statue to resemble Ramses II.

Experts believe that the Egyptian solar cult originated in the Old Kingdom between 2700 and 2200 BC. Ramses II was renowned for his military campaigns against the Hittites and Syrians and his monumental building projects.

Through his reign (1279 to 1213 BC), he raised temples and statues in honor of himself. The temple to Ra at Heliopolis is the largest of the Ramses II temples yet discovered.