– English Lyrics

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

[Music]

Beyond history, beyond memory, the

ancient world conceals many mysteries.

From ancient Greece to the remote

Pacific Ocean, from holy relics to

Neolithic monuments, much of what was

known, what was found, and what was

built is now shrouded in legend and

myth.

We will unravel the secrets of ancient

stone circles and monoliths. Discover

the truth behind the enigmatic Easter

Island. The mystery of the death of

Alexander the Great. Explore the wonder

of the shroud of Trin and the Knights

Templar, and delve deep into the

extraterrestrial files and ancient

aliens.

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Together, we shall journey far across

both time and space to lift this shroud.

Together, we shall discover the top 10

mysteries of the ancient world.

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Our

great journey begins 6,000 years ago in

northern France. Here stands around

3,000 megalithic standing stones, making

Stonehenge look tiny in comparison.

These stones, collectively known as the

Carac stones, predate written history,

having been estimated to have been built

in around 4,500

BC. This is around 2,000 years before

the Egyptians built the Great Pyramid at

Giza.

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The stones themselves are almost

perfectly grouped into straight lines

and are separated into three main sites

across the area. Who built them, why,

and how are the subjects of much debate

and to this day remain a mystery. All we

know for sure is that they were built by

a culture who occupied northern France

before the rise of the Celtic cultures.

Some scholars have argued that the long

rows of stones are aligned to match with

the directions of sunsets and

solstesses.

There have also been theories stating

that the stones acted as astronomical

observatories.

This is similar to some of the theories

behind the uses of Stonehenge and many

other stone circles across the world.

The people who built this vast stone

complex also left their mark through

other constructions.

For example, the ruling classes built a

large tumulus 12 m high and 125 m wide.

This giant earthn mound acted as a tomb

for the chiefs of these mysterious

peoples.

not dissimilar to the ways in which some

of the pyramids were used in Egypt.

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Among the great standing stones can also

be seen a number of large, impressive

and strange looking chamber tombs called

dolmans.

These tombs consist of several large

stones supporting a capstone which were

then buried under a mound of earth. In

many cases, the mound has disappeared,

leaving the curious looking skeleton of

huge megalithic stones.

Excavations of these tombs have revealed

some strange art carved on the inner

surfaces.

These generally resemble serpents,

presumably representing their deities.

They appear to have been a highly

religious people. Perhaps their vast

complexes of standing stones were built

to honor these strange serpent deities.

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Due to their enigmatic nature, many

myths have surrounded the stones

throughout history. Early Christians

believe that the stones represented

ancient pagan warriors who had all been

turned to stone by godly powers of Pope

Cornelius.

Local tradition, however, links the

great stones to the Arththeran mythic

cycle. The people of Britany state that

they represent the soldiers of Roman

legions who were invading France.

According to this myth, the wizard

Merlin had used his magic to turn the

Romans into stone, thus explaining why

they stand in such well organized and

regimented fashion.

The standing stones of Cararnach lie

beyond the reach of written history.

Archaeology has only been able to tell

us so much about this mysterious site

and the strange people who built it. As

such, the various peoples throughout

history who have encountered this

mysterious site have created fabulous

tales to explain the presence of so many

thousands of megalithic stones. Indeed,

even today, the Carac stones remain one

of the oldest and strangest ancient

mysteries, thus earning them a place on

our top 10 list.

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We remain now in the foggy realms of

prehistory. A time beyond the written

word. A time known only through the

strange monuments left to us and the

myths passed down through generations.

However, our search for the greatest

mysteries of history now takes us across

the waters to the island of Albian to

Britain. Here lies one of the most

mysterious wonders of history,

Stonehenge.

The most famous prehistoric monument in

the world, Stonehenge stands in the

English countryside in the county of

Wiltshire in southern England. The site

as it survives consists of a ring of

standing stones with each stone

measuring at around 13 ft high and 7 ft

wide. They generally weigh around 25

tons each. A considerable amount

considering the prehistoric culture who

erected them had no forms of advanced

machinery.

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The stones themselves are set in the

midst of a dense complex of Neolithic

and Bronze Age monuments, including

several hundred burial mounds.

Archaeologists have dated the

construction of Stonehenge to around

3,000 BC. However, the structure was

built in several stages throughout

history, and the site was used by

pre-Nolithic peoples before the stones

were even erected. In fact, the site on

which Stonehenge was built appears to

have been significant as far back as

8,000 BC.

Archaeologists have found the remains of

at least five mealithic post holes.

These holes would have supported large

pine posts which appear to have been

east west orientation and of possible

ritual significance.

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The next phase of building at the site

of Stonehenge began in around 3,100 BC.

This site consisted of a large circular

enclosure made from chalk with an

entrance to the north and one to the

south. The exact purposes of this

structure are unclear, but

archaeologists have found the cremated

remains of 63 individuals at the site.

This has led some experts to believe

that some of the first stones brought to

the site in this period acted as grave

markers. However, scientific analysis of

a number of animal remains found near

the site in this period seems to reveal

that as many as 4,000 people gathered

here, bringing animals from as far as

Scotland.

It seems likely that these early Britons

came together to celebrate midsummer and

mid-inter festivals.

Up until around 3000 BC, archaeologists

have continued to find the cremated

remains of individuals.

This has led scholars to believe that

the early site of Stonehenge was often

used as a burial site. At this early

stage, Stonehenge was barely stone at

all and consisted mostly of wooden

structures.

It is not until around 2,600 BC that the

builders of Stonehenge began to truly

adopt stone and begin to build the

concentric structures we see today.

Interestingly, analysis of the stone has

revealed that much of it came from as

far as Wales, a vast distance to

transport heavy rocks in Neolithic

times. From around 2,600 to 2,400 BC, a

major phase of building activity began.

A total of 80 stones were erected. Many

of these were truly enormous, standing

at almost 7.5 m tall. At this time, the

Stonehenge we think of today was

beginning to form. However, much of this

large standing stone complex is no

longer visible to us as many of the

stones were removed from the site

throughout history.

It seems that these enormous stones were

possibly transported by placing them on

rows of rolling logs, a method seen also

in China. However, the exact method by

which Stonehenge was built is unknown.

Many claim that it would have been

impossible for Neolithic peoples to

build such a structure and point to

extraterrestrial intervention.

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Regardless, why would this prehistoric

culture go to such lengths and efforts

to construct such impressive yet

mysterious structures?

The people responsible for Stonehenge

left no written records and the purposes

behind it are hotly debated today.

It has been speculated by some that the

complex had a seasonal function. In

fact, some of the stones align with the

sunset of the winter solstice and the

sunrise of the summer solstice. This

paired with the archaeological evidence

for gatherings at these times lends

credence to the possibility that the

site was used as both a calendar and a

place of ritual worship and celebration.

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Stonehenge may have also had an

astronomical function, being designed as

a form of celestial observatory,

allowing for the prediction of eclipses,

the solstice, the equinox, and other

celestial phenomena.

Some scholars have even suggested that

Stonehenge may have also been a site of

healing. This is based upon the sheer

number of human remains found at the

site with deformities and trauma.

Others state that the site was a place

of ancestor worship and linked to the

other surrounding Neolithic complexes.

According to this theory, Stonehenge

represented the land of the dead with a

ritual journey to Stonehenge

representing a ceremonial passage from

life to death.

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Just like the Carac stones, the mystery

surrounding this Neolithic structure has

led to the creation of numerous myths.

In the 12th century AD, the medieval

historian Jeffrey of Monmouth stated

that Stonehenge was in fact built by the

wizard Merlin.

Shrouded in myth, its purpose and

meaning lost to the ages. Stonehenge is

one of the most mysterious feats of

ancient engineering on Earth. Thus,

Stonehenge more than earned its place in

our top 10 ancient mysteries.

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We go now to the ancient Bronze Age

Mediterranean, a world dominated by

three major superpowers. the Masonans of

Greece, the Hittites of the Near East,

and the mighty Egyptian Empire. In

around 1200 BC, all but one of these

civilizations, Egypt, disappeared

completely from history in an event

known as the Bronze Age collapse.

The Masonans were once a flourishing

civilization in what is today Greece.

Their tale begins in around 1500 BC.

From this date onwards, the Masonans

became the most advanced civilization in

Europe, able to produce incredible works

of art, construct massive palaces and

fortifications

and effectively dominate much of the

eastern Mediterranean through both trade

and warfare.

In fact, it was the Masonans who were

believed to have been the peoples of the

Herriic myths. Mighty heroes such as

Achilles, Adius, and Agimemnon.

Across the Aian Sea, the great Hittite

Empire ruled a vast empire from their

homeland in modern-day Turkey. The

Hittites were an advanced civilization,

able to dominate surrounding kingdoms

such as Troy using their well-trained

armies. However, by the 13th century BC,

the Hittite Empire had weakened

considerably, having lost lands to the

Egyptians and the Assyrians.

To the south, the mighty Egyptian Empire

was flourishing, having conquered much

of the Levant. Egyptian expansion had

often brought them into violent contact

with the Hittites. In fact, the largest

battle in history to that date had been

fought between the two empires at the

battle of Megidda. Memory of this

terrible battle survived in the term

Armageddon.

However, in the 12th century BC, all

three of these ancient superpowers

encountered a series of disasters which

left only Egypt surviving, though having

lost its empire.

Every Masonan city was destroyed. The

Hittite Empire collapsed. Nearly every

major city in the Levant was burned to

the ground. And the Egyptians found

themselves having to fight tooth and

nail against the mysterious people

arriving from the sea. The infamous sea

peoples.

Some historians have referred to this

event as the worst and most mysterious

disaster in ancient history. the end of

a golden age in humanity's history and

no one knows how exactly it happened.

It is possible that a number of

environmental factors were involved. For

instance, we have evidence for a series

of devastating earthquakes hitting the

Mediterranean at this time. This caused

major damage to a number of cities. We

also have evidence for widespread

droughts which would have caused mass

starvation. And in fact, the sea level

had dropped considerably.

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However, what is most curious is the

fact that within a period of 50 years,

almost every significant city in the

Mediterranean world was burned to the

ground. And no one knows why. Could the

common people have revolted on mass made

desperate by their?

It seems likely, however, that many of

these cities were destroyed by a

mysterious people known as the sea

people. These strange peoples always

attacked by sea, hence the name, and

raided in land, much like the Vikings of

later periods.

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References to attacks by sea are found

from all three of the ancient

superpowers

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in Greece. We hear of the people of Pyos

increasing coastal patrols constantly on

the lookout for attacks from the sea.

Then we hear nothing from them at all

and their palaces are burned to the

ground.

It is likely that Cree 2 as well as the

mainland was attacked for we see the

Cretans moving their settlements in land

to escape this mysterious threat. From

the city of Ugarit in the Levant, we

hear of a desperate plea for help to the

king. Mysterious enemy ships were

beginning to appear and attack their

territory.

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The letter reads, "My father, behold,

the enemy's ships came here. My cities

were burned, and they did evil things in

my country. Does not my father know that

all the troops and chariots are in the

land of Hati, and all the ships are in

the land of Luca? Thus, our country is

abandoned to itself. May my father know

it. The ships of the enemy that came

here inflicted much damage upon us.

No one came to Uggerit's aid and the

city was completely destroyed. The plea

fell on deaf ears. Few escaped the

advancing destruction.

In Egypt, we also hear of an attack by

the sea peoples. However, unlike their

neighbors, the Egyptians were able to

fight them off in a desperate sea

battle. Egypt therefore was able to

survive their onslaught, albeit in a

weakened state. The golden age of the

Egyptian Empire had come to an end.

However, it is unlikely that the Sea

Peoples alone were responsible for the

Bronze Age collapse. The exact reason

behind the total destruction of some of

humanity's most impressive civilizations

remains unknown. Thus, the Bronze Age

collapse, perhaps the most devastating

event in all ancient history, makes it

onto our list of top 10 ancient

mysteries.

It has often been thought that the

collapse of the great Bronze Age

civilizations was inspiration for the

tales of Atlantis.

This therefore brings us onto our next

great ancient mystery, the enigmatic

city of Atlantis.

According

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to the 4th century BC philosopher Plato,

the great civilization of Atlantis lies

beyond the pillars of Hercules,

referring to what is known today as the

Straits of Gibraltar.

Mentioned in his works Creteus and

Taeus, Plato describes the city of

Atlantis as a powerful nation based on

an island in the midatlantic ocean.

However, in their arrogance, the

Atlantanss had offended the gods and

Plato tells us that they were punished

by their submersion of their entire city

beneath the waves. Atlantis fell into

the sea and then into myth. Most of

Plato's contemporaries and students

thought that Plato was not actually

referring to a real place, but using a

fictional civilization as a tool to

teach political philosophy.

Some however believed that Plato was in

fact referring to a true civilization

especially the later 4th century

philosopher Kantor who studied Plato's

works and traveled the world to

investigate the tale's origins.

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Like Kanto, many subsequent readers of

Plato have believed that there is some

truth to his words and that Plato was

either referring to a real city or

basing the Atlantanss on real people. In

the 16th century, interest in Atlantis

was renewed with many European scholars

associating the mysterious city with the

newly discovered Americas.

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European imaginations were further

inspired by the discovery of the Mayans

in Central America.

No one had expected to find such an

impressive civilization in the new world

and many immediately thought of Plato's

tales.

However, the European discoverers of

these impressive cities of the Mayans

did not originally think the indigenous

peoples they encountered were

responsible for their construction.

Instead, some believe that these great

cities and pyramids were built by the

Atlantanss and that the natives of

Central America were incapable of

founding such an impressive

civilization.

Others thought that the Mayans could

only be the inferior descendants of the

Atlantans, an offshoot of a once

technologically sophisticated

civilization which had lost its former

glory.

In this way, the early Atlantean

theories were strained by a degree of

racism and imperialism.

Europeans were convinced that Mayan

civilization could not have existed

without the help of a more advanced

nation. A viewpoint influenced by the

self-image of European colonizers as the

bringers of civilization to the less

technologically advanced nations of

Africa, Asia, and the Americas.

Inspired by the great lost civilizations

of Central and Southern America, many

pseudoarchchaeologists would continue

their searches for an Atlantan American

connection well into the modern era. The

tales of Atlantis were made even more

fanciful by theosophists such as Madame

Bllovatzky and Henry Alput. These

theosophists saw the Atlanteanss as a

superior race endowed with psychic and

supernatural powers. According to the

Theosophist, Atlantis reached its peak

around 1 million years ago, but

disappeared as a result of internal

conflict. The Theosophist's conception

of Atlantis directly contrast Plato's.

Plato saw the Atlanteanss as an

antagonistic and deeply flawed race who

were eventually defeated in warfare by

the superior Greeks of Athens. It seems

that time had only increased the

mysterious nature of Atlantis has

subsequent generations created

increasingly fantastical additions to

the legend. It was not until the 1960s

when the science behind continental

drift and plate tectonics became widely

understood that the idea of a lost

continent of Atlantis became an

impossible concept. In light of this,

new locations for Atlantis began to be

searched for by those convinced of the

reality behind the myth.

The most logical theory proposes that

Atlantis was based upon the lost ancient

Minoan city of Thera in the AGNC.

The island flourished as a naval trading

power until it was completely destroyed

by a massive volcanic eruption in around

1650 BC. The eruption generated a mega

tsunami with waves 150 m high.

Thea and many other Minoan cities

throughout the Ajun were completely

destroyed by this event and Minoan

civilization appears to have never

completely recovered its former glory.

One theory which does match Plato's

position of Atlantis as outside the

gates of Hercules states that the

Atlantanss may have been based on the

Canary or Madiraa Islands which lie west

of the straits of Gibralta.

Some see the location of Atlantis as

lying somewhere within the Bermuda

Triangle and even Cuba. Other theories

have placed Atlantis as far north as

Doggerand in the North Sea and even

Sweden and Antarctica.

In their search for Atlantis, those who

believe in its existence have never been

entirely consistent in their theories of

its location. If there is one place in

which Atlantis does exist, it is in the

imaginations of many who have been

inspired by Plato's tale. Academics

today are unanimous in their belief that

Plato was using Atlantis as a fictional

allegory, a tool to teach political

theory. However, many still believe in

its existence and its mysterious nature

has heavily influenced our own culture.

Lost to the waves and lost to history,

the city of Atlantis has forever been

one of the great mysteries of the

ancient world. more than earning its

place on our top 10 list. We now move on

to another mysteriously disappearing

civilization.

In the Pacific Ocean lies a barren and

almost uninhabited island, an island

once populated by a rich and flourishing

ancient civilization.

An island known to us as Easter Island.

In the 19th century, the island's

population numbered at just over 100.

However, the great stone monuments,

which can be seen on their hundreds

across the island, tells us of a once

great ancient civilization.

These great stone monuments known as

Maui resembled huge human heads sticking

out of the ground, and they number at

nearly 900 spread across the island.

These impressive structures were

continuously built by these mysterious

peoples for a period of 500 years around

1100 and to600 AD and they are

indicative of the time when the

civilization at Easter Island

flourished. The statues were carved from

volcanic rock quarried from the site of

an extinct volcano. They appear to have

been built to commemorate the death of a

clan leader. Each head took a team of

five or six men a whole year to create,

after which they were transported to

various points of the island to be

erected. The heads were so huge that

special methods of transportation had to

be developed. Some of the largest heads,

in fact, weighed up to 82 tons. It is

believed that each head required a team

of around 250 men to transport it using

a Y-shaped sledge pulled along using

rope ties around the statue's neck.

Another possible method of

transportation involves tying ropes to

the head and rocking it, then tugging it

forward as it rocked, thus using the

head's momentum to pull it towards its

destination.

This method would require a team of

around 15 men.

Interestingly, however, only around a

quarter of the statues produced were

eventually erected. The rest were

discovered either in the quarry or on

their way to be erected. It seems the

people of the island had not the time to

complete their great works before their

civilization collapsed.

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During its height, the people of East

Island lived in various stonebuilt

settlements across the island. On the

coast of the island lived a mysterious

group of astronomer priests in stone

structures known as Tuper. These

priests, like many ancient peoples,

observed and charted the movement of the

heavens. The people of East Island also

developed their own writing systems

called Rango Rango. This script

consisted of pictographs and geometric

shapes and was written right to left,

then left to right in a winding snake-

like fashion. The meaning of these

strange texts, however, remains a

mystery. Only the ruling families and

the astronomer priests were able to read

it, and none of these peoples survived

the extinction of their civilization.

The island appears to have been first

settled in around 650 AD by a mysterious

tribe from Polynia. It is rumored that

their chief dreamed of a rich land to

the east and so led his people in a

great canoe expedition, eventually

discovering Easter Island. When the

civilization was flourishing, its nine

tribes were all ruled by a great high

chief who descended from the island's

first chief. However, the island's

prosperity was not long to last. As the

population increased, the island was

subject to extensive deforestation, and

as a result, the mass extinction of

nearly all of the island's plant life.

Experts believe that the island was once

home to many species of plant life,

which grew in abundance all across the

island, with some trees growing up to 15

meters. By the 18th century, 21 species

of tree and all species of landbirds had

become extinct on Easter Island as a

result of overh harvesting, over

hunting, and climate change. All

problems faced by our civilization

today.

The extinction of many of these island

trees meant that the people could no

longer build fishing vessels and much of

the soil lost its fertility, greatly

affecting agricultural production. The

loss of their native ecosystem meant

also that many of the animals which were

a source of food disappeared from the

island too. By the time Europeans

arrived at the island in the 18th

century, the once great civilization was

a shadow of its former self. The

population had diminished drastically,

no longer able to produce any great

stone bump structures. It has even been

suggested that the remaining population

had to resort to cannibalism to survive

in the new world they had created. The

now weakened and tiny population of

Easter Island eventually fell prey to

the European slave trade and disease.

Today, the island is sparssely populated

by the ancestors of a once great ancient

civilization.

The fall of Easter Island civilization

has been explained by a number of

theories. Most of these revolve around

the exploitation of their natural

environment, a stark warning to our own

civilization.

Could we fall prey to our own

overpopulation and environmental

destruction? Will all that remains of us

be our monuments? The disappearance of

Easter Island civilization is both a

mystery and a warning. An addition to

our top 10 mysteries of the ancient

world, which may be more relevant today

than at any other time.

We travel now across the waters to South

America. Here in the deserts of Peru is

a mystery that has long gone unsolved.

The Nazca lions. On the dry ground of

the Peruvian desert can be found

hundreds of enormous lines, many of them

resembling animal and human figures. The

lines are formed by a shallow trench and

cover a staggering area of 450 square

kilm.

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The largest figures span nearly 12,000

ft and include carvings of condors,

hummingbirds, monkeys, and spiders.

The lines were created as part of a huge

earthwork project by the Nazca

civilization which flourished for a

thousand years between 500 BC and 500

AD. The lines are so well preserved due

to the extremely dry and windless nature

of the Peruvian deserts. For centuries,

these enormous lines went unnoticed. It

was only in the 20th century that they

began to be rediscovered by civilian and

military aircraft flying over the area.

However, the lines are not only visible

from aircraft. They can also be seen

from the surrounding ills and other high

places. The ancient Nazca people use

simple tools but advanced surveying

techniques to construct the lines.

However, the lines remain, their

construction remains a great mystery to

modern experts.

Archaeologists, ethnologists, and

anthropologists have studied the lines

and have come up with an interesting

hypothesis. They state that the Nazca

people created them to be seen by their

gods in the sky.

Another theory supposes that the Nazca

lions were intended to act as an

observatory, a tool used to observe

places on the distant horizon where the

sun and other celestial boses rose and

set during solstesses. This is not

dissimilar to what we have seen at Stone

Edenge. Many prehistoric cultures

constructed great earthworks and stone

buildings to observe the stars and

seasons, and they often linked these

observatories to ritual worship of their

gods. Computer aided studies of some of

the animal figures by astronomers has

revealed that they correspond with

astronomical constellations.

For example, according to computer

modeling, the giant spider figure is

actually a representation of the

constellation Orion.

However, this theory does not correspond

with many of the other figures in the

Nazca lines, so we cannot be sure. Other

theories abandon the celestial and

season theories altogether. For

instance, one explanation suggests that

the lines are linked to the Nazca

cultures worship of mountain and water

deities. These lines, according to this

theory, form part of a religious ritual

honoring these deities with the lines

being used as sacred paths leading to

areas where they might be properly

woripped. The proper worship of these

gods was essential in their decision

whether or not to provide water to the

land, a resource especially in demand in

such a dry and inhospitable land. Other

theories link the lions to possible

irrigation schemes planned by the Nazca,

but this does not fully explain the

various animal figures. Some claim these

figures exist primarily as fertility

gods. The wildest theories suppose the

Nazca lions were either constructed by

or for extraterrestrial visitors who

would be able to see the lines from

their craft. Although these explanations

are not currently accepted by today's

academic community who dismiss them due

to the lack of evidence for alien

activity.

Interestingly, however, there is still

no solid explanation behind the Nazca

lines by academics. The reasons for

their construction and the exact methods

behind it are a complete mystery to all

fields of scientific and historical

study. Another unsolved mystery of the

ancient world. Our

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next ancient mystery is not of a

monument but a man. The greatest

commander and conqueror of the ancient

world, Alexander the Great. In 323 BC,

Alexander the Great, subjugator of the

largest empire the world had ever known,

died under mysterious circumstances.

Born in the Macedonian city of Pella in

356 BC, Alexander was mentored by the

famous philosopher Aristotle until the

age of 16. He became king of Macedon

after his father Philip was

assassinated.

Suspiciously, this assassin was himself

slain before he could be interrogated.

And it is rumored Philillip was

assassinated in a plot involving

Alexander and his mother to prevent

Philillip from making his other son and

by another woman king. When he became

king, Alexander quickly proved himself

to be the shrewdest politician and best

military commander in the world. By the

age of 30, he had conquered the largest

empire ever known without losing a

single battle. From the shores of Greece

to the Himalayan mountains and the

borders of India, Alexander's empire

seemed to span the world itself. It was

hailed as a god in Egypt and the king of

kings in Persia. He founded over 20

cities all across the world, including

the famous Alexandria.

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However, before he could carry out his

plans to conquer the rest of the known

world, Alexander died mysteriously in

his palace at Babylon after 12 days of

suffering. The mysterious events began

one evening when Alexander was holding a

feast. Around mid evening, the king was

seized with intense pain and collapsed.

He was immediately taken to his bed

chamber in the palace and given the best

medical treatment available. However, he

soon experiences tremors, stiffnesses in

the neck, and sharp pains in the

stomach. This was soon followed by

excruciating agony whenever and wherever

he was touched on the body, making

treatment almost impossible. He was

eventually reduced to a fever and

delirium and experienced infrequent

hallucinations.

In his final days, the most powerful man

on earth could not speak and could only

move his head and arms. Ultimately, he

found it difficult to breathe and he

died at the age of just 32.

Four main theories have been presented

to explain Alexander's death. Malaria,

typhoid, alcohol, and poisoning.

Malaria is an unlikely explanation. This

disease is carried by mosquitoes in

tropical locations, whereas Alexander's

palace at Babylon was in the middle of a

desert landscape in what is modern-day

Iraq, thus making the presence of

mosquitoes unlikely.

Typhford is also an unlikely

explanation. The disease is transmitted

through food or water and usually

affects an entire population through

epidemic. It is highly unlikely to

result in a lone and isolated case. If

Alexander died of typhoid, then so would

of many others, and this is not

mentioned in the historical sources.

Alcohol is perhaps the least likely

explanation of them all. Common symptoms

of alcohol poisoning include nausea and

vomiting. Alexander suffered neither of

these symptoms.

One of the most frequent believed

theories is that Alexander was the

victim of assassination by poisoning.

Assassination was rife within the

Macedonian court. It was almost a

national tradition. After all,

Alexander's own father was assassinated

under mysterious circumstances.

However, the strongest argument against

poison is that Alexander suffered for 12

days before finally dying. Such

longlasting poisons are thought not to

have existed in antiquity.

Common poisons at this time were

hemlock, arsenic, wormwood, henbane, and

autumn crocus. All of which act almost

instantly.

If it was poison, then it was a

calculated and cruel act using a

substance not commonly utilized by

assassins of the day. In fact, some

possible candidates for the poison have

been put forward by toxicologists.

One theory supposes that Alexander's

wine was spiked by the plant known as

white hellaore. This plant is bitter

tasting and so the wine would have had

to be sweetened to conceal it. But it is

possible the king was too drunk to

notice. According to toxicologists, this

plant may cause the same symptoms

reported to have been suffered by

Alexander.

If the white hellaore was used, then it

seems that the king's killer wanted to

see him suffer for a prolonged period

and so went to great lengths to discover

this new poison. Indeed, there is no

doubt that in his conquest of the world,

Alexander may have made a few enemies

along the way. However, theories of such

as this are mere speculation. We may

never know the true killer of Alexander

the Great. From prince to king of the

known world, from man to god.

Alexander's death took him at the height

of his power. His death is a mystery,

but so also is his burial location. No

one knows where Alexander is buried, and

scholars have been on the hunt for it

for centuries.

A legend in life, a mystery in death.

Alexander the Great earns his place in

our list of great mysteries of the

ancient world.

[Music]

Our next ancient mystery is no man, but

an object that has been the subject of

much controversy and debate. The Shroud

of Trin

kept in the Cathedral of St. John the

Baptist in Trin. The shroud is a long

piece of linen cloth bearing the image

of a man. A man many believe to be Jesus

of Nazareth.

It is believed by many today that this

cloth is the very one that wrapped the

body of Jesus Christ after his

crucifixion.

Today, it is an object of worship for

many across the Christian world. The

shroud reveals the entire body of a man

who appears to be completely naked and

holds his hands across his groin. The

man appears to be quite tall as well as

muscular.

He has shoulderlength hair, a mustache,

and a beard, an image which is

strikingly like many representations of

Jesus seen throughout history. There are

also various reddish brown marks seen

across the body of the man which have

been interpreted by forensic specialists

as indicative of wounds. For example,

there is a round wound piercing the

man's wrist, an upward gouge penetrating

his thorax, small punctures around his

head, steams of bloods running down his

arms, and various other wounds all

across his body. It seems then that the

man who once occupied this shroud

suffered most, if not all, of the wounds

which were known to us from the story of

Jesus's crucifixion.

The origins of the shroud and the image

upon it, however, remains a mystery and

are hotly debated topics among

theologians, historians, and scientists.

The shroud is dated possibly to the

Middle Ages around the 14th century.

Even this, however, is hotly debated

with some questioning whether the

documents we have do indeed reference

the Sharin Shroud, although there is

possibly an even earlier attestation to

the shroud from the 1200s when it was

reportedly stolen from Constantinople by

the crusaders.

However, it is unanimously agreed that

the shroud appears in documents dating

to the 15th and 16th centuries. At this

time it was originally owned by the

house of Seavoi who in 1578 transferred

it to Trin where it remains today. It

was displayed to the public in the 17th

century and in the 19th century we see

the shroud being photographed for the

first time whilst in public exhibition.

Interestingly, although the shroud is

venerated by millions, the papacy has

never fully acknowledged it as the

authentic image of Jesus Christ.

Nevertheless, much care has gone into

its restoration and conservation. It is

currently sealed within a bulletproof

airtight case and is kept at a finely

tuned and consistent environment. The

temperature, gaseous composition, and

humidity inside the case are carefully

controlled to ensure the shroud is well

protected.

Many of the faithful throughout history

have believed that the shroud is indeed

the one mentioned in the Gospels of

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The

shroud is respected by Christians of

many denominations, including Baptists,

Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists,

Orthodox, Pentecostals, and

Presbyterians.

Much scientific analysis has been

carried out on the shroud, the result of

which have drawn much controversy.

Radiocarbon dating of the shroud seems

to indicate that it dates to either 14th

or 13th centuries, more than 1,000 years

after the crucifixion event. The results

of this study have been challenged,

however. Some state that the sample

which the scientists used was

contaminated in some way. This has been

denied by the scientific community who

state that the investigation was carried

out accurately. This has led some

believers to completely dismiss the

reliability of carbon dating altogether.

Furthermore, an examination of the

shroud's material itself has led to some

unexpected results.

For example, other burial shrouds that

have been excavated from tombs near

Jerusalem have revealed differing and

simpler weaving patterns than those seen

on the Trin Shroud. This has led some

experts to conclude that the terin

shroud cannot have originated from

Jerusalem at the time of Jesus. However,

an analysis of the dirt particles on the

shroud compared with the dirt found from

ancient tombs in Jerusalem has indeed

revealed them to be almost exactly the

same. The mysterious contradiction

indeed.

[Music]

There's also been much debate as to

whether the image on the shroud is

pigment or real blood. Chemical analysis

of the shroud seems to point to the fact

that it is real blood of the AB type,

but other scientists argue that certain

other pigments can give similar results

to those of blood. Every argument either

supporting or refuting the authenticity

of the shroud has resulted in argument

from both sides. Many of the faithful

refuse to believe that the shroud is

anything but a holy relic of Christ,

while some experts point to various

pieces of evidence to disprove its

authenticity.

Regardless, the origin and nature of the

Shroud of Trin is anything but

conclusive. Today, it remains a mystery

to faithful and faithless alike and

earns its place among the greatest

mysteries of antiquity.

The Knights Templar have long been

associated with secrets and

conspiracies. The actions of this order

of warrior monks and their sudden

disappearance have been the subjects of

much speculation. But perhaps the

biggest mystery of the order surrounds

their origin at the Temple Mount in

Jerusalem, the site from which they

claim their name. Why did the Templars

choose this ancient site as their base

of operations? And what were they

looking for in the tunnels below it?

Founded in 1118 in Jerusalem by the

French knight Hudipeans, the Knights

Templar soon became the most powerful

and wealthy organization in the medieval

world. Initially founded to protect

pilgrims visiting the Holy Land, the

Templars soon managed to expand their

spheres of operation throughout many

nations. They even became successful

bankers.

They were a formidable military force,

being the first professional standing

army in Europe since the fall of the

Roman Empire around 600 years earlier.

Their wealth and power was not to last.

In 1307, the Knights Templar in France

were arrested by agents of King Philip

IV.

All members of the order who did not

flee into hiding were rounded up,

imprisoned, and tortured. Thousands of

knights, monks, and other members of the

order were tortured until they confessed

to various crimes, including heresy,

homosexuality, and fraud. Most likely,

these confessions were all false. Some

state that King Phillip was in heavy

debt from his wars and decided to seize

Templar wealth to balance the books,

thus orchestrating an elaborate series

of accusations to level on the Templars

in order for his persecutions to seem

legitimate to the papacy.

Regardless of the reasons behind the

Templar's disappearance remains a

mystery even today.

[Music]

The penultimate place on our top 10

ancient mysteries is occupied by the

works of one of the oldest and most

mysterious civilizations in the world.

We shall now delve into a world of

strange ritual, magic spells, and

supernatural beings. We shall open the

Egyptian book of the dead. Dating to

around 1550 BC, the book of the dead was

used by Egyptian priests for millennia.

Its secret spells were said to have

guided the soul through the underworld

and onto the afterlife, and as such,

copies of it can be found in many burial

tombs and sarcophagi.

The book was not a book as we understand

them today with a cover and turnable

pages. Rather, it was a painted onto a

long scrolls of papyrus.

The book's spells were written in

hieroglyphic or hieratic script onto

these scrolls and were often accompanied

by illustrations depicting the dead on

their journey into the afterlife.

However, the spells found in the book of

the dead can also be seen written on the

coffins themselves.

The book of the dead consisted of around

192 spells and incantations.

The Egyptians were strong believers of

the magical power of the voice and

ritual speech was thought to possess a

great deal of power. The Egyptian

concept of magic called heka was

intimately linked to their religious

worship. Magic was used in honor of the

gods and some spells were offered to use

the power to control them. The spells

found in the book served as a range of

processes. Some spells give the user

mystical knowledge of the afterlife.

Others offer protection against evil

forces with some even dealing with the

famous weighing of the heart ritual. In

this ritual, the gods weighed the

deceased person's heart to determine

their purity and to decide whether to

allow them into the afterlife.

Each book of the dead was not identical.

The owner of each copy chose from a

large corpus of spells and decided which

one suited them the most. These spells

were then copied down allowing each

person to tailor their own unique book

of the dead. There were however certain

conventions which had to be maintained

through all copies and these often

depended upon which was fashionable at

the time. For example, in the Sate

dynasty, it was common to organize each

chapter into four sections.

Nevertheless, a common thread binds all

copies of the book. It is a single

entity of various forms. Importantly,

the book of the dead contained important

chapters which aimed at preserving the

body of the deceased after death along

with the person's spirit and

intelligence.

These were all seen as essential

qualities to be retained for the persons

in the next life.

The book of the dead states that in the

afterlife, its reader would join the

gods themselves and live in a paradise

version of the world of the living. They

would want for nothing and would live a

happy for eternity. The book also states

that the dead would themselves gain new

divine powers.

However, the path to the afterlife was a

difficult one. The dead would need to

pass through a series of gates, caverns,

mounds guarded by supernatural

creatures. These were grotesque

creatures with heads of animals. One of

these creatures was even known as he who

dances in blood.

The book, however, provided its owner

with the correct spells to ward them

off. The orals ended with the weighing

of the heart. After passing this test,

the dead would be reborn into the

afterlife.

The Book of the Dead is one of the most

mysterious documents in ancient history.

It speaks of strange and powerful

spells, fierce and grotesque

supernatural creatures, and a new plane

of existence for those who passed the

god's tests and prove themselves worthy

and just.

The owner of such a book would possess

powers over life and death and over the

gods themselves. The book of the dead,

therefore, occupies the penultimate

place in our top 10 ancient mysteries.

[Music]

The final place in our list belongs to

one of the strangest and most

revolutionary ideas ever to have been

proposed. The idea that human

advancement in prehistory and ancient

history was the result of

extraterrestrial intervention. Our final

place belongs to the ancient aliens.

Proponents of this theory state that

aliens made contact with humanity at

various points in the distant past and

influenced our development. They

provided us with culture, technology,

building techniques and the knowledge of

agriculture. In return, we worshiped

them as gods. The deities woripped by

all societies were according to this

theory actually aliens.

The idea that aliens visited ancient man

and were responsible for human

advancement has not been popular in

established academia. However, the

theory is based on some interesting

points and has a significant following.

Scientists such as Carl Sean have stated

that extraterrestrial visitations to

early man should not be discounted as a

fanciful theory that beings possessing

the technology of interstellar travel

almost certainly exist.

Sean was followed by Eric von Danakin

who in 1968 proposed many theories about

extraterrestrial visitations in his book

Charity of the Gods. Danakin believed

that many of the great constructions and

tools created by ancient cultures were

far too advanced to have been created by

humans and that they were either created

by aliens or aliens assisted humans in

their making. For instance, it gives

Stonehenge, the great prince of Giza,

the Nazca lines and the Easter Island

heads as examples.

Danakin goes on to point out that many

ancient cultures across the world appear

to depict spacecraft in their art as

well as non-human creatures and

artifacts which were too advanced to

exist within the culture of the time.

Proponents of theories like this often

point to religious texts and mythologies

as evidence. For example, a common

theory is based upon the ancient

Sumerian texts found in ununiform

tablets. One of these, the Enuma Ellis,

states that humanity was created to

serve deities known as the Anunnaki.

This has been seen as evidenced by some

that aliens came to Earth to use

humanity as slaves.

Another text often cited is the Hindu

Ramayana. In this text, the gods are

portrayed as supernatural entities that

transport themselves using strange

flying vehicles. In fact, there are many

mentions of mysterious flying craft.

Even the Bible has been used as

evidence. For instance, in the book of

Genesis, 200 angels come down to earth

to mate with humanity, creating a race

of giants known as the Nephilim. These

angels are called the Watchers. They

taught humanity metallurgy, metal

working, cosmetics, sorcery, astrology,

astronomy, and meteorology.

Proponents of the ancient alien

hypothesis claim this is an early

account of alien interaction with

mankind.

However, perhaps the strangest evidence

used comes from the book of Ezekiel.

Here, a vision of Ezekiel is recounted

in which he sees an immense cloud that

emitted a brilliant light. According to

this account, the cloud contained a fire

and the center of the fire looked like

glowing metal and in the fire was what

looked like the four living creatures.

These creatures are described as winged

and roughly humanoid in appearance. The

passage goes on to describe some strange

shiny wheel-shaped objects which could

fly around and along and moved with the

strange humanoid creatures. Danakin

states that this passage of Ezekiel

proves early contact with aliens. This

account is perhaps the most striking of

all due to its similarities with modern

UFO sightings.

Some artifacts have also been put

forward as evidence. For example, the

elongated skulls of some ancient

civilizations of the Americas are seen

as proof that these ancient cultures

wish to emulate the appearance of alien

visitors. Critics of these theories have

argued that all of this evidence can be

explained without resorting to aliens as

an explanation. In fact, these theories

have been rejected by all credible

fields of study. Nevertheless, can we

truly be sure that our ancestors were

not visited by beings from another parts

of the universe? Modern experts may be

too quick to discard these

possibilities. One thing is for sure,

and that is that we cannot be sure.

Perhaps ancient man, as he busyed

himself about with his various concerns,

was being watched keenly and closely by

intelligences far greater than our own.

Regardless, the theory of ancient aliens

more than merits its place on our list.

[Music]

In our exploration of ancient mysteries,

we have journeyed far and wide. We have

flown across the world from the Pacific

to the Atlantic, from the English

countryside to the far reaches of the

new world. On our quest, we've also

traveled through time, covering

thousands of years of history in our

search for the weird and wonderful.

We've encountered an image of the

Messiah, witnessed the building of the

impossible, and even glimpsed at

extraterrestrial life itself.

Though the journey does not have to end

here, the ancient world is full of

mystery and holds many secrets for those

curious enough to look.

[Music]

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
mystery /ˈmɪstəri/ B1	noun - something difficult to understand or explain
ancient /ˈeɪnʃənt/ A2	adjective - very old
monument /ˈmɒnəmənt/ B1	noun - a structure built to honor a person or event
Stonehenge /ˈstəʊn.hɛndʒ/ B2	proper noun - a prehistoric monument in England consisting of a ring of standing stones
civilization /ˌsɪvɪlaɪˈzeɪʃən/ B1	noun - an advanced society with its own culture and way of life
collapse /kəˈlæps/ B1	verb - to fall down or give way suddenly
Atlantis /ætˈlæntɪs/ B2	proper noun - a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's works
Easter Island /ˈiːstər ˈaɪlənd/ B2	proper noun - a remote island in the Pacific Ocean known for its giant stone statues
Nazca /ˈnæzkə/ B2	proper noun - an ancient civilization in Peru known for its geoglyphs
Alexander /əlˈɛksəndər/ A2	proper noun - Alexander the Great, a famous ancient Macedonian king
shroud /ʃraʊd/ B2	noun - a cloth used to wrap a body for burial
Templar /ˈtɛmplər/ B2	noun - a member of the Knights Templar, a medieval Christian military order
alien /ˈeɪliən/ A2	noun - a being from another planet
ritual /ˈrɪtʃuəl/ B1	noun - a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order
extraterrestrial /ˌɛkstrətəˈrɛstriəl/ C1	adjective - originating from outside the Earth
megalithic /ˌmɛɡəˈlɪθɪk/ C1	adjective - relating to large stone structures built in prehistoric times
enigmatic /ˌɛnɪɡˈmætɪk/ C1	adjective - difficult to understand or explain; mysterious
hypothesis /haɪˈpɒθɪsɪs/ C1	noun - a proposed explanation for a phenomenon, based on limited evidence
artifact /ˈɑːrtɪfækt/ B2	noun - an object made by a human being, typically of cultural or historical interest