Archaeologists often have a deeper purpose behind their digs – learning and understanding the culture behind their finds. In this case, they discovered details about a sport enjoyed by a civilization which is today called “Pok ta Pok.” This arose from the discovery of other ancient Mesoamerican sites. As of today, more than 1,300 ball courts for this sport have been found.
This sport, however, did not only serve as a game to be played but also served many ritualistic and political purposes in the same region. The rules of the game are not exactly known today, but it was speculated that it probably was very similar to racquetball.
Desert Kites
Low dry-stone walls that form lines that are up to 40 miles long were discovered in the deserts of Israel, Jordan, and Egypt. Viewed from above, these stone wall lines resemble a very large kite. Almost 2,000 of these Desert Kites have been discovered across Jordan and Syria until today.
Upon further study of the Desert Kites from the Negev and northeast Sinai, it was found that they were established in the late 4th millennium BCE or early 3rd millennium BCE. They were generally believed to have been used to catch herds or groups of wild animals that were consumed for food.
Tunnels of Baiae
While exploring the cliffs of Baiae, Italy, archaeologists discovered an ancient tunnel system. For many years after its discovery, it generally remained unstudied, although many believe that it was part of a Necromanteion. A Necromanteion is a temple where people went to consult the dead; this specific one was given the name “Oracle of the Dead.”
One reason this place remained unstudied by archaeologists is that most of the town of Baiae has now been submerged underwater because of volcanic activity. The few expeditions that have been attempted to study it, however, have shown that it contained numerous Roman sculptures and temples to various Roman gods.
The Perperikon Vampire
Nikolai Ovcharov discovered a skeleton while excavating the ruins of Perperikon. The collected evidence suggests that this skeleton died around 700 years ago. This city was inhabited since 5,000 BC but was only discovered 20 years ago. The skeleton had an iron rod through it.
The custom of driving an iron rod through is believed to be done to stop an evil being from rising from the dead. There were also recorded cases of some people that were accused of being vampires and then killed.
Baghdad Battery
The Baghdad Battery was discovered in the village of Khuyut Rabbou’a in 1936. Tests conducted on this ancient battery have shown that they were in use from around 250 BC to 224 BC. The terracotta pot included an asphalt stopper which also worked as its cover.
This asphalt stopper has an iron rod attached to its center that was surrounded by a copper cylinder. Surprisingly, the Baghdad Battery was capable of producing around 1.1 Volts of electricity. Archaeologists are still trying to determine where and how this battery was used.