In human history, there have been many important technologies and inventions that demonstrate the incredible ingenuity and creative capacity of the ancients, leaving modern scientists baffled for decades.

Perfect dry stone grafting technology without cement

The Incas’ stone wall building technology always makes modern architects admire. The rocks have an irregular shape with a weight of 120 – 200 tons, but when placed together they fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.

They fit together incredibly well, even a piece of paper is difficult to insert between the rocks. In addition, these stone slabs are all dry-jointed, meaning no adhesive is used.

Besides, the precision of the joints is very high, with the perfect combination of rounded corners and diverse interlocking designs. Additionally, the way the walls tilt inward (to reduce damage in the event of an earthquake) has puzzled scientists for decades.

The method the Incas used to connect adjacent stones remains a mystery, and attempts to recreate the techniques have failed.

Nimrud lens – The world’s oldest telescope?

Nimrud lenses are made from natural, oval-shaped crystal that is 3,000 years old. It was excavated by Sir John Layard in 1850 at the Assyrian palace, in the ancient city of Nimrud, present-day Iraq.

The Nimrud lens has a focal point about 11 cm from the glass surface, and a focal length of about 12 cm. This construction gives it a magnification equivalent to a 3x magnifying glass (can be combined with another lens to achieve greater magnification). The surface of the lens has 12 pores, inside contains naphtha, a flammable liquid and some other liquids.

Nimrud lens. (Photo via Reddit)

Since its discovery more than a century ago, scientists and historians have debated its intended use, some saying it was used to make magnifying glasses, others saying it was used to make magnifiers. This is a glass that focuses sunlight to create fire. However, famous Italian professor Giovanni Pettinato has proposed that this lens was used by the ancient Assyrians as part of a telescope, which explains why the Assyrians were so adept at astronomy.

Smelting stainless steel

Modern science cannot explain the phenomenon of a 1,600-year-old iron pillar in Delhi, India that has not rusted after thousands of years, but according to many circulating rumors, the mystery lies in the “perfect” iron smelting technology. “perfect” but has been lost to the Indians.

Stainless iron columns in India demonstrate the talented metallurgical techniques of ancient people. (Photo via kienthuc.club)

According to ancient documents, the Delhi iron pillar was created in the 4th century under the reign of King Chandragupta II (from 375-413), to worship the protective gods of the Hindus.

From the outside, it is just a monolithic iron pillar 6.3m high and the base is buried 1m deep in the ground. The diameter of the column gradually decreases from 48cm at the base to 29cm when reaching the top. In the middle of the column is a passage written in ancient Sanskrit, praising a king. This non-special work became famous around the world simply because it “lasts forever”. Until now, science has not yet discovered the secret to making stainless iron of ancient Indians.

The antidote to “all poisons”

The antidote for “hundred poisons” Mithridates took the name of King Mithridates VI (ruled Pontus from 120 to 63 BC) – known as the “Poison King”.

Haunted by the death of his father who was murdered by poison during a large party in 120 BC, King Mithradates VI was very “sensitive” to poison. Fearing an “unjustified” death, King Mithridates VI decided to plan to “practice with poison” and forced himself to seriously carry out that plan.

First, he studied all the herbs he could find to have certain knowledge about poison. He then began mixing herbs together, creating poisons that could kill people.

King Mithradates regularly used small amounts of herbal mixtures to help him have “resistance”, avoiding being assassinated by poison. Legend has it that he invented a cure for all types of toxins with 65 ingredients, and later when he lost the battle, lost his kingdom, wife and children, he committed suicide with poison but failed because he was immune. with all kinds of poisons.

The original formula for this medicine has been lost. GS. Sergei Popov, a leading researcher in the Soviet Union, before escaping to the United States, tried to recycle this compound but failed.

Time machine

According to Father Ernetti, among historical events, he observed Christ being crucified on the cross and photographed that image. On the left is an image obtained using Chronovisor. On the right is a similar image kept in the Church in Perugia.

In 1960, Pellegrino Ernetti, an Italian priest, said he and two famous physicists Enrico Fermi and Werner von Braun created “Chronovisor” – a time machine. This machine is described as looking like a box with strange details and can learn about mysterious events in the past.

His theory is that “anything that happens leaves behind an energy that can never be destroyed.” So he developed a machine that could detect, magnify and convert this type of energy into images – just as a TV can show scenes from the past when it receives the right frequency.

However, instead of developing this project, the genius inventors in Ernetti’s father’s group voluntarily destroyed the machine to avoid the dangers of improper use before Ernetti’s death in 1994.