Apparently the entire landscape of the Giza Necropolis, including the Pyramids and the Sphinx, display signs of erosion. This has led researchers to suggest that certain areas of this mighty necropolis were once submerged under the sea and a newly discovered fossil makes this theory look a lot more believable. A pretty cool theory right? Well here is the story.

Archaeologist Sherif El Morsi, who has worked extensively on the Giza plateau for over two decades, and his colleague Antoine Gigal, were the ones who made the discovery of this controversial fossil, which backs up studies and theories that the Pyramids of Giza and the mighty Sphinx were once submerged under the sea. Sherif El Morsi and Antoine Gigal are the founders of Giza for Humanity.

Dr. Robert M. Schoch was one of the first researchers to really address the theory that the structures of the plateau are much older than previously thought. In the early 90’s,  Dr. Schoch suggested that the Sphinx was thousands of years older than archaeologists believed, dating back to 5000-9000 BC, this suggestion was based on erosion pattern of water found at the monuments and the surrounding rocks.

Archaeologist Sherif El Morsi has been researching and looking into the mystery ever since. During one of the photo shoots documenting patterns of erosion of several megaliths in the area, he made an even more surprising discovery that suggests that the entire area was submerged at one moment.

“During one of the documentations of the ancient coastline, I almost tripped with a block of the second level of a temple,” said Mr. Morsi in an article published on the website Gigal Research. “To my surprise, the bump on the top surface of the block that almost tripped me was in fact a  exoskeleton of a fossil of what appears to be a echinoid (sea urchin) which are marine creatures that live in relatively shallow waters.”

Sherif El Morsi suggests that the Giza plateau was once flooded by a surge. The temple site of Menkare, in particular, may have been a former lagoon when the sea level covered the Necropolis, the Sphinx, the complex of temples and other monuments of the area.

But there are several other theories which different scientists have suggested. Some researchers believe that the echinoid found on the limestone was actually exposed by erosion and the fossilized creature was part of the original limestone that had formed 30 million years ago. But Morsi responded to these claims in a interesting way, and suggested that the creature was cemented, or petrified, in a relatively recent time, citing evidence that the creature was found placed gravitationally on the floor, that the fossil was in almost perfect condition and was located within the intertidal range of the lagoon, which is a big contrast to the small fish typically found in limestone blocks.

“We can clearly see the pristine condition and the details of the perforations of the exoskeleton, this means that the sea creature must have been petrified in recent times.” -Sherif El Morsi

According to El Morsi, the flooding, was quite significant, peaking at about 75 meters above current sea level and creating a coastline spanning to the Khafra enclosure near the Sphinx at the temple of Menkare. El Morsi also believes that there is evidence present at the monuments and surrounding blocks that suggest the presence of tidal waves in the past and even suggest an intertidal zone of about two meters.

The Sphinx, the temple of the Sphinx, and the first 20 fields of the Great Pyramid of Giza exhibit erosion due to deep water saturation according to El Morsi.

Dating the exact time of the flood is particularly difficult for researchers since, in the last 140,000 thousand years, sea levels have fluctuated by over 120 meters.

Certainly, this is a very interesting theory and we look forward to finding out more about the possibility of the Giza Plateau being submerged under water.

Reference: http://www.davidpbillington.net

Image Credit: Top10Ru

It is perhaps one of the most incredible ancient sites in Peru, a megalithic site that is believed to predate the Inca themselves. The construction features found at Sacsayhuaman are breathtaking, precisely cut stones, sharp edges, smooth surfaces and walls put together in such a way that modern engineers stand in awe when looking at the feature of this ancient megalithic site. Sacsayhuaman is located at an elevation of 3701m above sea level in the northern outskirts of Cusco, Peru.

Modern archaeologists believe that, according to recent studies, the oldest parts of this ancient city were built by the Killke, 1.000 years ago, but Inca legends go far beyond that; stating that this ancient megalithic site was built by gods who descended from the heavens. The stone masonry present at Sacsayhuaman is incredible, with huge walls composed of rocks over 50 tons, squeezed together in such a way as if the rock literally melted, placed together like a puzzle, perfectly fitting into place.

Here we bring you ten amazing images of this ancient megalithic site that you probably haven’t yet seen, in an effort to help understand and get to know Sacsayhuaman better.

This image is incredible, observe the corner of this construction, the stone blocks seem bent, yet everything fits together perfectly, and there is not a chance that a single sheet of paper would fit between these incredible blocks of stone. This is one of the best examples of stone masonry fount at this ancient megalithic site.

These are “thrones” or at least that is what the tour guides explain them to be, but some believe that these flat surfaces are something other. Here we have 13 of these flat surfaces which have been carved out from extremely hard stone. Observe the incredible precision and detail, yet these were produced thousands of years ago.

Another image of a piece of a wall found at the megalithic site of Sacsayhuaman. Notice the different shapes that compose the wall, yet they seem to fit together in such a way as if the stone was made one for another.

Another section found at Sacsayhuaman demonstrating incredible masonry skills. Smooth surfaces were something which was favored by the ancient stonemasons at Sacsayhuaman. Precision and smoothness, amazing details.

Another image demonstrating Sacsayhuamans’ stonemason abilities to shape these huge stones in a unique manner, creating bent corners; something that we have seen in other places on the Planet, Egypt being one of those. Did ancient stonemasons from Sacsayhuaman really have the ability to soften rock?

Notice how these huge rocks seem to have been squeezed together. Some say that they appear to be fused together. Not a single sheet f paper can fit in between these rocks. How did the ancient stonemasons at Sacsayhuaman achieve this precision?

Another breathtaking image of Sacsayhuaman. Some of these blocks of stone have over a hundred tons, they seem to be pressed together fitting into place incredibly well. How did the ancient stonemasons achieve this type of precision? And how did they manage to quarry these blocks of stone and put the into place? Could the ancient Inca legends be true perhaps? That Sacsayhuaman was in fact constructed by gods that came from the sky?

Amazing styles of construction that defy our very own engineering and construction skills today. Observe the precise placement of these walls, and the incredible shapes these blocks of stone have. Sacsayhuaman is truly a wonder of ancient construction.

Another incredible wall at Sacsayhuaman displaying the combination of smaller blocks of stone with much larger ones, yet the difference is very pleasing to the eye. not only is Sacsayhuaman incredibly well constructed, it is incredibly aesthetic.

Sacsayhuaman is place that you have to visit to truly appreciate its beauty, energy and history. Even though we can see and learn much about this ancient megalithic site believed to predate the Inca, some of its mysteries are still hidden in these incredible walls who have a unique story to tell.

Image sources: Wikimedia Commons. HiddenIncaTours.com Panoramio.com

The underground city of Derinkuyu is an ancient city located beneath the surface of the Derinkuyu district in the Nevşehir Province, Turkey. It is one of the most amazing underground cities to have been discovered, and no one knows its exact age, making this already awesome underground city even cooler.

Here, we bring you 15 things you need to know about Derinkuyu.

Derinkuyu extends to a depth of about 60 meters underground, it was a highly sophisticated underground shelter. No one knows exactly from what were the people of the underground city hiding, some say war, others climate change, but the exact reason remains a mystery.

Who the exact builders of Derinkuyu where is a mystery, according to the Turkish Department of Culture, Derinkuyu was built by the Phrygians in the 8th and 7th centuries B.C. This ancient underground city was enlarged in the Byzantine era.

Evidence found in Derinkuyu connect the settlement to the Hittites’, several artifacts of Hittite-style have been found during excavations performed in the past.

Archaeologists speculate about the exact age of Derinkuyu, but writings of Xenophon (ca. 431 – 355 BC) mention the underground city and are believed to be the earliest examples of written evidence referring to Derinkuyu.

Even though there are really large underground cities across Europe and Asia, Derinkuyu is the largest underground city discovered to date in Turkey.

The underground city of Derinkuyu had extremely well-designed air shafts, some of them as deep as forty meters below the surface. Together with the air shafts, storage rooms and wells that were incorporated into the design, people could live without problems underground for long periods of time.

Underground Derinkuyu is really big, it has a total area of around 7,000 square feet, the entire underground city has not been excavated. The fact that Derinkuyu has around eleven floors adds to the mystery of how ancient man was able to achieve such incredible construction.

The security system that was used in Derinkuyu is both very effective and relatively easy to manage. Each floor of Derinkuyu could have been closed off separately; huge circular stones were used to isolate the entrances, these “doors” could only be worked with on the inside.

The underground city of Derinkuyu, even though located under the surface, was connected with the world. This ancient city was connected to other underground settlements through a series of tunnels.

Underground Derinkuyu was a fully working community; having specific sections underground such as shops, communal rooms, wells, tombs, arsenals, apartments, religious buildings and escape routes. People living in underground Derinkuyu had everything they needed to live life properly.

So far, archaeologists have discovered approximately fifty air shafts, they expect this number to increase as excavations advance.

According to archaeologists, there is a tunnel on the third level of Derinkuyu that leads to a neighboring city, 5 kilometers away called Kaymakli.

Underground Derinkuyu is believed to have been capable of offering proper living conditions to around 50,000 people.

This underground city had several wells, some of them were connected to the surface while other wells were not in order to protect the underground population from potential poisoning during times of war.

If you decide to visit the ancient underground city of Derinkuyu, you should know that you can only visit about 10% of this ancient city. The city itself is gigantic, and to even enter it you will have to go through really small passages. These passages were built on purpose to repel enemy troops or at least make it difficult to enter the city itself.

Mars has been one of the most important celestial objects for humans for centuries. We have observed and recorded the movement of the red planet and even named gods after our neighbor planet. Today, thanks to the research performed by space agencies worldwide, we can learn more about the red planet than ever before.

The images sent back by NASA’s rovers have been both revolutionary and controversial as some of them are more than strange. Is it too exaggerated to say that there is a slight possibility that there are structures on Mars? and that these structures are not just natural geological formations of the Red Planet? Well if you believe that all of the images from Mars that look like statues, animals, and other objects are just a strong case of Pareidolia, check out the following images from the red planet which might make you change how you see the red planet.

The possibility of life on Mars is higher than ever, and as each day goes by NASA’s scientists are a step closer to proving that the red planet did in fact have life thousands of years ago. This would change the entire picture about the red planet and these “statues” and “random” objects become something more… another mystery on Mars waiting to be explored and explained.

One of those really crazy images from the red planet. This image apparently shows a… gorilla? right? Or is Pareidolia kicking in again? Well, this object is very similar to some sort of ape; Now notice the surrounding rocks are more pointy, with sharp edges, this “formation” has smoother edges and round details. The question is, what is it? Just another one of those Martian rocks? Or is there something to the red planet we do not know? 

Id say this one is more Pareidolia than anything else, i mean yeah, it could be just another martian rock, but again the surrounding objects are very unlike this strange looking formation that some have called ” the finger on Mars”.

Ahh, the Martian helmet. another one of those crazy images. And this one actually looks like a World War I helmet, or at least resembles it a bit don’t you think? It could be just one of those really nicely shaped rocks credited to “Martian Mother Nature” but the similarity to a army helmet is just incredible.

Probably one of the most famous images from Mars is the Face of Mars. NASA even did a press conference when this image was sen to Earth to explain that due to the light conditions and angle from which the image was taken, Pareidolia kicked in to make it seem as there was an actual monument on Mars, with a humanoid face. Pareidolia or not, the image is a bit freaky, you can actually distinguish nose, eyes, and mouth… right?

One of the more recent images sent back to Earth from Mars is this images that according to some resembles an actual bone. Specifically a femur thigh bone. But, NASA quickly explained that this is just another Martian rock and we quote;  “it is not the fossilized remains of a mysterious Martian. “Mission science team members think its shape is likely sculpted by erosion, either wind or water.” So there you have it, it seems the Red planet is a really cool artist, don’t you think? 

Those are some of our favorite images from the red planet, but we are sure that we will have tons of new images to talk about in the next months so stay tuned.