Since we’ve been recording history since pretty much forever, it can sometimes be quite easy to decipher the reasoning behind one new artifact or another. There are, however, times when the answers weren’t obvious in the least bit. Here are Bizarre Discoveries That Scientists Couldn’t Explain.

Subscribe to Talltanic http://goo.gl/wgfvrr

#6 - The Yonaguni Monument
The Yonaguni Monument is sort of like the Japanese version of the Bimini road, at least they look sort of similar. This submerged rock formation is located off the coast of Yonaguni and it is believed that it was man-made. Other people think that the sharp steps you see in this picture were slowly created over time by the rhythm of the sea. Regardless of where these giant underwater steps came from, the government nor the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs deem the site important enough to conduct research or carry out preservation work. It seems like if we are ever to understand the secrets of this discovery, a private program is going to have to do the research.


#5 - Ulfberht Viking Swords
Just like with Damascus Steel, the Ulfberht Viking swords of old, which can be seen in this image, are a mystery to everyone that sees them. The curious part about the type of metal these swords were made of is that the materials and techniques the Vikings used weren’t even around for another 800 years. So how were these people able to create such awesome weaponry? We really don’t know, but it is something that we would really like to find out. Just imagine what sort of things we could create if we still had the recipes for both Damascus Steel and the Ulfberht Viking swords.


#4 - Greek Fire
This picture is just an artist’s rendition of the actual fire, but since there weren’t cameras in that age, there isn’t any photographic proof of the legendary Greek Fire. This 7th-century war weapon was a proto-napalm that was fired from ships during battles and times of war. This special and apparently highly secretive concoction had the ability to cling to human flesh and was impossible to put out with water, making it a perfect nightmare to rule the seas. The Byzantine Empire were the last folks to know how to make this deadly fire and even though National Geographic tried to recreate it, for educational purposes we hope, they didn’t actually come across the real recipe which is probably a good thing.


#3 - The Baghdad Batteries
Here is another invention that came way before it was supposed to which leads many people into thinking it came from aliens or time travelers. The pieces in this picture are the part to a mysterious device called The Baghdad Batteries. These artifacts were found during an expedition of the Mesopotamian area, and have been dated back to the early centuries AD. These pottery jars had a copper rod that had evidence of acid corrosion, this means that these pieces are assembled to create a functioning battery, predating the first known battery by hundreds of years. It really makes you think about where it really came from.


#2 - The Voynich Manuscript
No matter how cool this illustrated book looks, we don’t have a clue what it says. Just like the rongorongo tablet, the language written in the pages displayed in this picture cannot be read or deciphered by anyone living in the world today. As you can see, this ancient manuscript details plants and animal life, some of which have never been seen on this planet. Maybe the plants drawn in the manuscript have gone extinct, or maybe, they aren’t from this planet at all. It’s crazy how, with all of the languages we currently know, we aren’t able to at least get some clue as to what the Voynich Manuscript is all about.


#1 - The Phaistos
The disk you see here is called the Phaistos and it was discovered in Crete in 1908. This clay disk dates back to 1700 BC and is 6-inches in diameter. The characters on the face of this disk are actually 241 “words” that are made up of 45 individual symbols. Archaeologists think that this is a type of “sheet music” or record that holds a hymn or prayer. If you were crazy enough, you could just imagine ancient people dancing around a record player with this strange device playing music from the center. Whatever you think this artifact is, people have probably thought the same thing at one point or another. Like we said with the Antikythera Mechanism, if it doesn’t come with a manual, we’ll never know its use for sure.