10 misconceptions about lost technologies of the past

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Learn the truth behind the Inca-built planes of gold, Egyptian submarines, Roman concrete and Damascus steel.

1. The Incas knew the secret of indestructible masonry

Take a look at this beauty. It was built by the Incas - representatives of the ancient Indian civilization. They fitted the stone blocks to each other so tightly that you couldn't even stick a knife blade in there. And these structures have stood for hundreds of years.

Some believe that these buildings do not belong to backward Indians, but to some Atlanteans or even aliens. How else to explain the fact that the secret of such masonry is lost forever?

What really is

Inca masonry is a very cool thing. But those who overly admire her do not take into account some important points.

It is correct to call it polygonal masonry, because it was used not only by the Incas. And even more so it was not invented by representatives of ancient supercivilizations. The same masonry was used in Ancient Greece and Rome, in China and Japan, in Medieval Europe and other places.

What is really there, you can see buildings built using polygonal masonry in Russia, for example, in the city of Kronstadt. Or see the foundation of the Brest Fortress in Belarus. Have the aliens really tried there too?

In fact, there is nothing unusual about polygonal masonry - even today it is sometimes used to add aesthetics to design projects.

And yes, if you wish, you can stick a knife into the fresh polygonal masonry. And it is impossible to do the same with the Inca, because the stones have worn down over the centuries under their own weight.

2. Maya created skulls from crystal that cannot be reproduced

The crystal skulls that the Maya created from solid pieces of quartz are a real miracle. There are 13 such specimens in the collections of historians around the world.

Proponents of alternative history argue that even with modern technology, such a skull will not work. How did the Maya do it? We used the services of aliens, of course!

And they also warned the Maya that in 2012 they would collide the Earth and Nibiru, but somehow it did not grow together. Probably because the latter was invented by the Sumerians, not the Maya.

What really is

These skulls were created just with the use of quite modern technologies - an abrasive wheel with a dusting of carborundum and a grinding machine. They were made from imported Brazilian quartz in Switzerland or Germany in the 19th or 20th centuries.

Scientists from Great Britain and the USA came to this conclusion after examining the skulls using an elementary particle accelerator and an ultraviolet radiation receiver. These are fakes, created to be sold to wealthy collectors under the flavor of legends about the achievements of the Incas, Aztecs and Mayans.

3. Damascus steel and crucible damask steel are superior to any modern alloys

Damascus steel is an invention of the armourers of the Ancient East. This alloy is incredibly lightweight, tough and holds the edge well. A blade made of Damascus steel will easily cut in half both a sword made of steel, and the famous Japanese katana made of a thousand layers of metal, and plate armor, and its owner, and the horse under it, and a silk scarf on the fly.

But even such steel, made by welding, is inferior to crucible damask steel - they could generally cut the barrels of automatic machines … If then there were automatic machines, of course.

What really is

Most likely, the myth about the strength of Damascus steel and crucible damask steel appeared at the beginning of the 19th century thanks to the novels "Talisman" and "Ivanhoe" by Walter Scott. No sword will cut through chain mail or plate armor. Moreover, any blade will deteriorate when trying to do this - no matter what damask it is made of.

If you want to break through the armor, use a chisel, a hammer or a war hammer. No armor can resist here. Concussion and fractures to the victim are guaranteed in any case.

The metallurgical properties of crucible damask steel and welded damascus are not bad for their time, but they are nothing particularly outstanding. Modern alloys surpass them in lightness, strength and durability. And they sharpen better.

However, the technology of production of Damascus has not been lost at all, so now the damask steel is made mainly by enthusiasts - as a tribute to the blacksmiths of the past.

4. Heat weapons of the past melted entire fortresses

Glazed, or vitrified, fortresses and forts are ancient fortifications, the walls of which were partially melted, and the gaps between the stones in them were filled with glassy slag. Such fortresses can be found in Scotland, Ireland, the north of England, as well as in France and other places.

How were such buildings created? This is one of two things. Or the ancient Celts and other peoples burned the walls of their castles in some now forgotten way to give them incredible strength. Or regular castles have been exposed to incredible heat weapons during sieges!

The ancestors of the Scots, apparently, played with this weapon so much that they lost the technology of its production and slipped into the unwashed Middle Ages.

What really is

There is nothing particularly mysterious about the vitrified forts. The most obvious reason for the melting of sand and mortar between stones is fire, J. Mac Culloch, M. D. F. L. S. Chemist to the Ordnance, and Lecturer on Chemistry at the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich. Transactions of the Geological Society, 1st series, vol. 2 / On the Vitrified Forts of Scotland, which were organized by invaders during sieges. However, there are doubts that their fire could give the temperature necessary to melt the rubble.

In addition, studies show that the thermal effects on the walls lasted for several hours, which is too long for a fire.

It is much more likely that the castle builders themselves deliberately staged the arson. They fired the walls and the joints between the stones in order to harden the fine-grained rubble in the masonry by sintering. This is a primitive, but quite effective technology for strengthening walls.

5. The Incas and Egyptians flew in golden planes

Some more of the achievements of the aforementioned Incas: they invented no less - modern aviation. After them, golden models of airplanes remained in the burials of Kimbai of the 4th-7th centuries. Most likely, the Incas knew how to fly, otherwise how would they deliver the stone for their pyramids with polygonal masonry in the highlands?

An enlarged copy of the Inca plane was assembled by German enthusiasts Algund Enboom, Peter Belting and Konrad Lubbers. They screwed the motors to it, what do you think? Take off!

By the way, such gliders were available not only among the Incas, but also among the ancient Egyptians. The famous aircraft model from Sakkara confirms this. True, strange Egyptologists for some reason call it a bird, but what do they even understand?

What really is

As sad as it may be to admit it, the "golden airplanes" of the Incas are just jewelry depicting flying fish of the genus Hirundichthys, or swallow wings.

The Incas definitely did not have aviation, otherwise they would have left some kind of infrastructure: airfields, runways and the metallurgical industry.

But what is really there, these guys did not even know the wheels, and without it, it is somewhat difficult to land planes. And they could not make these figures fly, as did the German aircraft modellers: there was also tension with electric motors then.

And the famous plane from Sakkara is just a figurine of a falcon, an object of the cult of the gods Horus or Ra. Or he served as a kind of weather vane. In any case, according to glider designer Martin Gregory, this plane could never fly.

6. Roman concrete was much stronger than modern concrete

The Romans erected truly impressive buildings: amphitheaters, aqueducts, palaces, fortresses and other architectural monuments.

They also created roads that lasted 2,000 years. This is not a disposable asphalt for you to lay.

How did they do it? All thanks to the "Roman concrete", opus caementicium, which made the walls especially strong. The secret of this mixture has been lost, so now nothing close to the Colosseum can be built.

What really is

Roman concrete is an easy-to-manufacture mixture of Moore, David. The Riddle of Ancient Roman Concrete / S Dept. of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Colorado Region rubble, lime and volcanic ash. In many ways, it is inferior to the modern one due to the fact that the Romans did not have the opportunity to create a really small filler: industrial stone crushers had not yet been delivered.

Nonetheless, Roman concrete is strong, cheap, durable and environmentally friendly. Therefore, experiments on its application are being conducted now. It is especially effective in the construction of offshore structures, as it only grows stronger when it comes into contact with salt water.

And it is also worth mentioning the "Egyptian concrete", which was allegedly used in the construction of the pyramids. It just never existed. The Egyptians fastened the blocks of the pyramids with pink plaster mortar (and sometimes they simply hammered into it).

7. Petrospheres of Costa Rica - a product of advanced stone processing

These are large stone spheres of gabbro, sandstone or limestone. Their sizes range from a couple of centimeters to two meters in diameter, and their weight reaches 16 tons. There are no less than three hundred such stones in total.

The stones of Costa Rica were used by the Indians of the pre-Columbian times as toys, to mark celestial bodies or to establish boundaries between tribal lands. But how did primitive civilizations, which did not have grinding machines and abrasives, manage to make such perfectly round stones?

Either they were not as primitive as modern science is trying to convince us, or they were definitely helped by the Anunnaki.

What really is

These stone spheres are more correctly called petrospheres or nodules. They are obtained naturally in sedimentary rocks. Such stones are found all over the world, and any geologist will tell you that there is absolutely nothing unusual about them.

So, if you find the petrosphere at your dacha, it will not turn all modern scientific ideas upside down. The only thing it will do is decorate your garden.

8. The Egyptians had helicopters, submarines, airplanes and airships

In the 19th century, in the temple of Osiris in Abydos, Egyptologists discovered very strange hieroglyphs that could not be clearly deciphered. Then the find was forgotten for a long time, until in 1997 the researcher of UFOs and paranormalism Ruth Hover saw in the inscriptions evidence of the existence of advanced technology among the Egyptians.

She saw in the pictures a helicopter, a submarine, a glider and a balloon. Take a look yourself and tell me - well, it looks like it?

What really is

Once upon a time there was a pharaoh J. von Beckerath (1997). Chronologie des Äegyptischen Pharaonischen Seti I, who decided to honor the god Osiris by building a temple named after him. Relatives, after all: Pharaoh is also a god, by force of will the Sun raises and moves the Nile. At least that's how it was thought.

Again, the name Seti meant "dedicated to the god Seth", and the latter was a very unpleasant person and killed Osiris a little, so he was expectedly disliked. Therefore, the pharaoh was ashamed of his name and preferred to use the pseudonym Merneptah.

And on his tomb, which, as befits a royal person, he began to build in advance, he ordered to hollow out the names of Usiri and Usiriseti, which meant "this deceased became Osiris."

In general, as you understand, Seti I had a very tense relationship with Osiris, and the pharaoh tried in every possible way to establish contact with him. But if he succeeded, it was only at a personal meeting: Seti I died safely before the temple was finished. And his son Ramses II had to finish building this splendor.

And he, not suffering from excessive modesty, ordered to plaster the names and titles of his father, writing his own over them.

Over time, the plaster fell off, and slender hieroglyphs turned into all kinds of game. In which you can consider a submarine, a flying saucer, and the Pope with the proper skill. Here's an explanation for you.

9. The first batteries in the history of mankind were invented in Mesopotamia

The Seleucian vases are an artifact of the Parthian or Sassanian periods, found in Mesopotamia by the German archaeologist Wilhelm Koenig. They are now on display at the National Museum of Iraq.

Koenig theorized that these vessels were once filled with alkali and galvanically generated current. That is, people knew electricity more than 2000 years ago!

The people of Baghdad lit the city with incandescent lamps that the Anunnaki gave them, but this destroys Darwin's theory, so scientists hide everything. Here.

What really is

Reality, as always, is prosaic. Seleucia vases had a cult significance: they kept papyrus scrolls with spells from evil spirits. Apparently, therefore, they were found in the basements of unremarkable houses, and not in some ancient power plant.

Of course, if you pour some kind of electrolyte, such as vinegar or lemon juice, into these vessels, they will give a little tension. But you can just as well get electricity from potatoes.

10. Greek fire is a superweapon, head and shoulders above the mixtures in modern flamethrowers

This is a terrible weapon that the Byzantines invented in the 7th century. Combustible liquid was released from copper siphons, and also thrown in hand grenades and catapult shells. Greek fire destroyed ships on the water and strongholds on land. And it's good that the secret of its manufacture has been lost for centuries, because this liquid flame is much more dangerous than any modern napalm!

What really is

The recipe for "that very" Greek fire cannot be found, not because it has not survived anywhere, but because mankind has invented too many incendiary mixtures throughout history.

Greek fire was a composition of oil or bitumen, sulfur and oil.

But, despite the legends of destructiveness, in reality, he, apparently, was not such an effective thing. Otherwise, it would have been used in all the more or less significant military conflicts. However, everyone preferred the old-fashioned way to use hot oil, torches and burning arrows - easier, cheaper, no fuss with manufacturing.

And yes, incendiary siphons were invented in Byzantium in the 10th century. But if you imagine them as modern flamethrowers, you will have to upset: siphons did not work that way. First, the enemies were poured with a combustible mixture, and then they were thrown with torches or something like that.

The weapon had a very limited use, because it was not always possible to persuade opponents to stand still while some nastiness was pouring on them. In addition, there was a risk of splashing yourself.