The World Continues to Reveal Its Secrets
by Amy Lignor
We all know the names of those “magical” locations recorded throughout history. Perhaps, after all this time, the name “Atlantis” still reigns at the top of the list when it comes to being the most magical of them all. This was one locale people have claimed has actually been found; over the years, Atlantis has supposedly been discovered everywhere from the Bahamas to the Greek Islands to Cuba. For most, this legendary island still remains undiscovered. Determined people in their field, however, continue to search for proof that this great naval power the ancient Greek historian Plato described in 360 B.C., was real and did sink into the sea over 10,000 years ago. Whether reality or a tale of fiction, the “Lost City” continues to entice. Even when a story comes up on the History Channel about Atlantis, a record number of viewers tune in to see it “digitally” brought back to life.
These myths and legends still capture the mind in 2016, but it is also highly important to state that very real discoveries have been made this year. Archaeologists have unearthed some truly amazing historical pieces that have provided real facts history has been missing up until now.
HMS Warrior
This year, the wreck of the British warship HMS Warrior was discovered near Norway. Referred to as the “last shipwreck” stemming from the Battle of Jutland during World War I, a marine exploration team found the ship almost completely intact. The last of the Jutland wrecks to be located, the Warrior can now be counted with 14 other British warships (as well as 11 German warships) that were sunk in 1916, when the Imperial German High Seas Fleet tried to break out from the Royal Navy blockade of the North Sea.
Another 2016 discovery was made in a place much like the Lost City of Atlantis. Although the amazing ancient desert city of Petra, in Jordan, is certainly a fact, new data and discoveries are being made there constantly. This time, two incredible marble statues representing Aphrodite/Venus (the Greco-Roman goddess of love) were found nearly intact after all this time. Dating to the second century A.D., these statues were so well-preserved that even traces of paint applied to them at their creation still remain on the statues. Carved in a Roman style, these statues offer even more data on how Rome influenced the local culture of Petra when they “moved in.”
In Jerusalem, one of the most exceptional archaeological sites in the world, a gold coin with the Roman Emperor Nero’s face decorating it has been unearthed. Dating back to A.D. 60, before the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, the coin was discovered while archaeologists excavated the still mysterious Mount Zion. They came to an agreement that this coin we know in 2016 is “beyond priceless,” probably came from a Jewish home; a home, back then, that would not have seen it as nearly the treasure it has become.
And to add in a little mystery, a stone crocodile carving that dates back many centuries was recently uncovered in Mexico. Said to be used during Mesoamerican rituals, this find fills in some of the blanks in regards to ancient ceremonial practices that were once considered to be the “norm.”
Digging near a temple in the ruins of a city named, Lambityeco, it is no surprise that this was found. Archaeologists first uncovered two palaces at this same location back in the 1960s. Incredible frescoes hinted at this site and a “powerful neighboring city” that this smaller city started distancing itself from. Evidence of transportation routes being altered had already proven that Lambityeco was cutting ties with the nearby city; important structures had been moved, changed, and/or rebuilt. But the reasons behind the transformation are still lost in the dirt. Finding this crocodile just adds that extra little “something” to make archaeologists strive to find out even more about Lambityeco’s lifespan.
History does not ever fail to entertain, delight, or enchant a human being. In fact, with new discoveries being unearthed constantly, it will be even more exciting to see what the next few years bring to light.
Hmm…maybe someone will finally bring the Lost City of Atlantis to the surface after all.
Source: Baret News
