History’s biggest mysteries

History’s biggest mysteries

History’s biggest mysteries The origins and meanings of some of the world’s most baffling historic places and events are the stuff of legend. Some involve theories about sorcery, alien encounters and unexplained structures.
Stonehenge

This huge stone monument in the English countryside (find it on a map) has been puzzling people for centuries.

The Great Sphinx of Giza

The 240-foot-long limestone statue of this mythological figure overlooks the bank of the Nile (here), but exactly when it was built and why has been up for debate. Also, where’s its nose?

Lost Colony of Roanoke

A group of 16^th-century British settlers and their dwellings are said to have completely vanished from their early Virginia colony

Easter Island

Eighteenth-century Dutch explorers stumbled upon this remote South Pacific island (find it on a map) and were stunned by the hundreds of huge stone statutes erected there (what are they called?). Natives died off — here’s one cause — before key questions about their origins and methods were answered.

Lost Island of Atlantis

A revered Greek philosopher told of an island that was once a seat of great power, but plummeted into the depths of the ocean.

Chichen Itza

The ancient Mayans erected elaborate monuments in this city in the Yucatan Peninsula (where in the world?), then abandoned them.

The Shroud of Turin

Locked inside an Italian chapel (where?) is a cloth some say was placed on the body of Jesus Christ when he was buried. Some dismiss it as a forgery.

Pumapunku

This ancient Inca temple complex (found here) was constructed with puzzle-like pieces of stone cut with laser-like precision (see photos).

Coral Castle

In this southern Florida town (see a map) stands the 1920s home of a Latvian-American recluse. What makes it mysterious? He claimed to have built the vast “castle” all by himself (what did he call it?) using pieces of limestone that weighed tons.

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