1. Mysterious Locations

2. Items to Study Bermuda Triangle Stonehenge Noah’s Ark Nazca Lines
Atlantis
Crop Circles
Pyramids of Egypt
Easter Island
Troy
Sphinx
Fountain of Youth
Area 51

3. Why are these locations mysterious?
Lack of historical evidence as to who built them
Belief that the structures are too complex to be built of people of that time period
Unknown uses
Quest to find location from oral tradition
Strange phenomena surround the location
Once thought to be only myth or religious folklore

4. Stonehenge Group of standing stones in Salisbury Plain, England
Structure is enclosed by a circular ditch with banking on inside, a long roadway leading up to it, and 4 separate series of stones arranged in circles, horseshoe, and ovoid patterns

5. Who built it?
Once thought to be druids but druids did not arrive in England until 250 BCE
Radiocarbon dating has it built in several stages from 3000 BCE to 1500 BCE
Many doubt it could be built by the Neolithic peoples of the Bronze Age because of the complexity of the structure

6. Why was it built?
Some modern astronomers and archaeologists suggest that it was used to measure eclipses, solar, and lunar movements
Most agree it had something to do with astronomy
Others suggest it was used for religious rituals, centers of healing, or even burial grounds

7. Stonehenge Today

8. Pyramids of Egypt Pyramids used as tombs for pharaohs
Great Pyramid created to show greatness of the Khufu
Built over 20 year period ending about 2500 BCE
Controversy on how it was built and who built it

10. Theories How was it built? Who built it and how many?
Took stones from a quarry and pulled into place
Cut from a cast of stone
Who built it and how many?
Slaves (Israelites)
Skilled workers
10,000
100,000 divided into 5 groups that rotated
How was it planned?
Same format as previous pyramids 1 to 1 scale

12. Sphinx Symbolized the pharaoh as an incarnation of sun god Ra
Head of a man and body of lion
Others in Egypt had ram and hawk heads
Thousands built in Egypt

13. Great Sphinx Near the Great Pyramids of Giza
Carved out of natural rock
Considered to be one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World
Sphinxes common throughout Middle East and Greece as well

15. Sphinx Mystery How did they build it? Who built it?
Who is the pharaoh depicted?

16. Easter Island
Located 3540 km west of Chile in the southern Pacific Ocean
One of the most isolated, inhabited places in the world
Island is somewhat triangular in shape
166 square km in area
Uninhabited until 400 AD when Polynesians colonized
Famous for its hieroglyphs and for hundreds of remarkable monolithic stone heads (Maois)

18. Statues on Easter Island
Carved from soft volcanic tufa
10 to 40 ft high
Some weigh over 50 tons
Who built them?

19. After Reading, Who Built the Statues on Easter Island? P 75
What was the story about?
What did we find out?
What was said to offer a solution to the mystery?

20. Who built the statues?
Fair-skinned invaders from the East carved the monoliths
Later (c.1680) the present Polynesians conquered the island
French ethnologist Alfred Métreaux believes that the statues are no more than years old
They were built by the Polynesian ancestors of the present inhabitants.
DNA samples taken from the oldest bones found on the island reveal Polynesian characteristics.
Among other ideas now disproven are those connecting Easter Island with Egyptian or Hindu cultures or making it the remnant of a "lost continent."

21. Was there really a Noah’s Ark?
The ark that saved humanity and animals alike in the Bible, Torah, and Koran might be reality
At least a giant ark of some kind has been found, some believe
What appears to be the remains of a large, wooden ship are found in the mountains of eastern Turkey

23. Other interesting facts
Length is same number of cubits and same shape as mentioned in the religious texts
Petrified wood has been found at the site
Other details have been found via radar scan, including keels and bulkheads
Signs for the ark have been found, showing it was at one point an ancient tourist spot
Supposedly rested on Ararat, which is the name of the ancient country Urartu which covered this region

25. Mystery? Is this the ark of Noah from the religious texts?
Did someone else just happen to build a large boat?
If so, who built it?
Did someone just move a boat into the area?
YOU DECIDE

26. Did Troy actually exist?
Ancient city of Homer’s Iliad, an account of the Trojan War
Story involves mythology, including the gods and goddesses determining the victors
Recently made famous in a movie
Was it real or just myth?

29. Recent Discoveries Some believe it is in Hissarlik in Turkey
Heinrich Schliemann in 1871 identified the site and found that 9 separate cities were built there
He thought it was the 6th but later researchers said it was the 7th city
Controversy because of the mythology surrounding the story

32. Is there a Fountain of Youth?
The Fountain of Youth was a mythical fountain that had the power to renew youth
Belief was widespread especially throughout the Middle Ages
After discovery of America, said to be in the Bahamas
Spanish explorer, Juan Ponce de Leon, was sent to find it in 1512

34. Exploration Reheard myth from Native Americans
Thought fountain was in Garden of Eden in Asia
Thought America was Asia
Continued to explore Florida repeatedly until he died due to battle wounds

36. Did the City of Atlantis exist?
Greek legend
Large island in western sea
Possibly in the Atlantic Ocean
Somewhere in the Mediterranean
Near the Caribbean Sea
Plato tells of a high civilization that flourished but was destroyed by an earthquake

38. Pursuits Today Many societies for its discovery still exist
Described as an ideal state and is often associated with utopias
Search now found on History Channel’s new series “Mysteryquest”

39. Bermuda Triangle Also known as the Devil’s Triangle
Imaginary area outlined by connecting Miami, Florida, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and the Bermuda
Several unexplained disappearances of boats and planes have occurred in the area
Readings of directional devices do not operate normally in the Triangle

41. History of Disappearances
Christopher Columbus mentioned in 1493 how his compass was acting weird while in the Triangle
In 1918, USS Cyclops disappeared during World War I
In 1945, Flight 19 went missing
5 Navy Bombers
The searchplane also went missing

43. Explanations
Several other planes and ships also went missing and the wreckage of many have yet to be found
Why the strange activity?
Magnetic fields
Time warps
Atlantis
Alien abductions
Worm holes

45. Scientific Reasons
Gulf stream creating dangerous and unpredictable weather
Compass variation
Inexperienced captains and pilots

46. Crop Circles Large elaborate designs cut into farm fields
Started appearing in southern England in 1972
Most scientists believe engineered by people playing pranks
Have proven some are made by humans
Others had no footprints or tools

48. Explanations? Freak meteorological phenomena
Messages from extraterrestrials
UFOs seen near the circles
Tornadoes
Ball lightning
Associated with mythological beliefs
Found near many ritualistic sites like Stonehenge

49. Reasons to Doubt
In 1991, two men admitted to creating the circles in the 1970s
Used rope, wooden planks, hats, and wire as only tools

50. Shapes Geometric figures Sacred geometry Some are 3 dimensional
Others relate to religious or animal shapes

51. Nazca Lines
Geoglyphs on western side of Andes Mountains that were geometric shapes or animals
Lies between the Nazca and Grande Rivers in Peru
Discovered in 1927
From a culture that flourished in 300 BCE
Originally thought to be channels for water but pilots in 1930s noticed detailed patterns

53. Nazca Lines (con.) Up to 300 meters long
Only seen from altitude of at least 1500 ft
Culture not believed to be capable of manned flight
More than 30 figures etched into the plain

54. Explanations for Lines
Acquisition of water
Used lines in soil to indicate where water was
Astronomical purposes
Some lines point to sun setting and rising on Winter Solstice
Sacred rituals of Nazca people
Animal symbols line up with other symbols found on pottery involving religion and worship of animal spirits

55. More Explanations Landing strips for aliens Giant seismograph
People of Peru believe the Nazca Lines are a giant calendar.