Hidden History: Lost Civilizations, Secret Knowledge, and Ancient Mysteries (53 page)

part in their campaign against Euric,
king of the Visigoths in Gaul (France),
but subsequently disappeared somewhere in Burgandy in A.D. 470. The
name Riothamus seems to be a
Latinization of highest leader or supreme king, and was thus a title rather
than a personal name, which would
account for its dissimilarity to the
name Arthur. A fascinating detail
which appears to lend support to the
theory of Riothamus as Arthur, is that
the armies of this British King were
apparently betrayed to the Goths by a
letter sent by one Arvandus, who was
subsequently executed for treason. In
one medieval chronicle the name
Arvandus is rendered Morvandus,
which sounds similar to a Latinized
version of Mordred, the treacherous
son of the legendary Arthur. Unfortunately, outside of his activities in Gaul,
nothing is known about Riothamus, so
it is not possible to say if he was the
seed from which the legend of King
Arthur and the Round Table grew.

From the archaeological and textual evidence, the most likely theory
is that Arthur is a composite of one or
more of these British chieftains defending Britain against the marauding
Saxons, merged with elements from
Celtic mythology and medieval romance, to form the legendary Arthur
we know today. In essence then, there
was a historical basis for the Arthur
traditions. For the legend to survive
so long testifies that the character of
Arthur touches a nerve in human consciousness and answers some deepseated need to identify not with just a
hero, but with a king who symbolizes
the spirit of the land of Britain itself.

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The collection of the world's ancient mysteries contained in Hidden History is, of course, far from exhaustive; there are thousands of other enigmas to consider.
As new discoveries in archaeology and history are made
almost daily, there will always be a constant supply of
riddles from our ancient past to raise fascinating questions about the lifestyle, religion, technology, and origins of our ancestors. What follows is a selection of 40
additional mysteries from antiquity, separated into the
same categories as Hidden History, with a brief description of the site, artifact, or people.

The Hill of Tara-With a history
going back to 2500 B.C., this was the seat
of the ancient high kings of Ireland,
sacred dwelling place of the gods, and
entrance to the Celtic otherworld. As
a center for the ancient religion of the
Pagans, Tara was allegedly visited by
St. Patrick in his attempt to bring
Christianity to Ireland.

The Ohio Serpent Mound-This
enigmatic Native American structure
is the largest effigy earthwork in the
world, and one of a number of enigmatic ancient mounds in North
America. When was this huge structure built and what was its purpose?

Avebury-A huge stone circle
and henge monument at the heart of

a prehistoric landscape in southern
England, Avebury is older than
Stonehenge and is one of the most important megalithic sites in the world.

Rennes-le-Chateau-A village in
southern France which has become
the center of speculation regarding
the hidden treasure of the Knights
Templar. Apparently the village also
has connections with sacred geometry, the Priory of Sion, and the Holy
Grail.

The Tower of Babel-Known
from the Book of Genesis as a tower
built by man to reach the heavens,
could the story have its origin in a historical structure in the ancient city of
Babylon?

The Legends of Lake TiticacaLegends of lost cities and Inca gold
surround this lake, the highest in the
world navigable to large vessels. Could
recent archaeological discoveries provide solid evidence for these stories?

Glastonbury-Supposedly the
birthplace of Christianity in Britain
and the location of a possible ancient
zodiac in the lanscape, this small town
in Somerset, England, is associated
with legends concerning Joseph of
Arimathea, the Holy Grail, and King
Arthur.

The Eleusinian Mysteries-In
ancient Greece, mysterious initiation
ceremonies based on the cult of
Demeter and Persephone were performed at Eleusis, a small town west
of Athens. What did these strange rites
involve and who were the initiates?

Carnac-Located on the south
coast of Brittany, northeast France, the
village of Carnac is famous as the site
of more than 3,000 prehistoric standing stones, which legend describes as
a Roman legion turned to stone by the
British wizard Merlin. Why are there
so many of these megaliths in this
small area, and who erected them?

Chaco Canyon-An amazing Native American urban ceremonial center located deep in the remote deserts
of New Mexico. What was the purpose
of the mysterious lines radiating out
from the Chaco complex for as much
32 miles into the wilderness?

Mohenjo-daro-A sophisticated
city of 35,000 inhabitants, with baths,
an elaborate drainage system, and
two-story buildings, dating back more
than 5,000 years to the Indus Valley
Civilization of modern-day Pakistan
and northern India.

Tenochtitlan-The capital of the
Aztec empire, built on an island in
Lake Texcoco in what is now central
Mexico. Under the Aztecs, the island
was artificially enlarged to become the
largest and most powerful city in
Meso-America.

Chartres Cathedral-Located
southwest of Paris in the town of
Chartres, this Gothic cathedral was allegedly built on the site of a sacred
grove of the Druids, and has been connected with sacred geometry, the mysterious Black Madonna, and the
Knights Templar.

Lyonesse-Legendary sunken
land believed by some to lie off the
Isles of Scilly, to the southwest of
Cornwall, England. This mysterious
kingdom has sometimes been associated with King Arthur's Avalon, as
well as various locations mentioned in
Celtic and fairy mythology. Could the
Lyonesse legends preserve a folk
memory of the flooding of the Isles of
Scilly and part of Cornwall?

King Solomon's TempleAccording to the Bible, this was the
first Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, and
allegedly the resting place of the Ark
of the Covenant and a fabulous treasure. Did the temple exist, and if so,
do its remains still lie beneath modern Jerusalem?

Nabta Playa-By the fifth millennium B.C. the peoples in Nabta Playaonce a large lake in the Nubian Desert
500 miles south of modern day Cairohad constructed the world's earliest
known astronomical device. Who
were these mysterious people and
how advanced was their astronomical
knowledge?

The Ark of the Covenant-The
ark was described in the Bible as a sacred container holding the stone tablets on which were inscribed the Ten
Commandments. Did this miraculous
artifact ever exist, and if so, is it the
mysterious object that now lies in a
church in Axum, Ethiopia?

Minoan Linear A-A script of the
Late Bronze Age culture of the
Minoans on Crete. Examples have
been found etched on jars and tablets
found on some Aegean islands and on
the Greek mainland, but so far the language remains undeciphered, and is
considered to be one of the holy grails
of ancient scripts.

The Ashoka Pillar-Located near
Delhi, India, this pillar-apparently
made almost entirely of iron-is completely uncorroded, despite exposure
to the elements for more than 1,000
years. Who erected it and what was its
purpose?

The Origins of the Zodiac-Were
the Egyptians, the Babylonians, or the
Greeks the first to develop the 12 Zodiacal constellations, or is there a prehistoric origin for the mysterious
Zodiac?

The Philosopher's Stone-In the
mystical process of alchemy, the
philosopher's stone was a substance that
could turn any metal into gold, and also
create an elixir that would make humans younger. What lies behind these
mysterious notions, and has anyone
ever discovered the philosopher's stone?

The Oxyrhynchus Papyri-The
site of Oxyrhynchus in Egypt has
yielded a vast collection of ancient
papyrus texts from the Greek and Roman periods of Egyptian history.

Among these are poems by Sappho,
Hebrew Gospels, and specimens of
Greek documents relating to magic
and astrology.

Ancient Cave Art-Dating as far
back as 40,000 years ago, European prehistoric rock art represents the oldest
known painting in the world. What
were our ancestors trying to communicate when they painted on cave
walls, and how did they achieve such
high levels of skill?

The Spear of Destiny-Known in
Christian mythology as the Holy
Lance, this was the spear used to
pierce the body of Jesus. The relic was
apparently once kept in Jerusalem
before being moved to Constantinople,
where its history becomes confused.
Does this sacred lance still exist, and
if so, where is it kept?

The Wands of Horus-Also
known as the Rods of Ancient Egypt,
these short cylindrical objects are usually depicted clutched in the fists of
statues of ancient Egyptian kings or
pharaohs. Do these wands represent
rolls of folded cloth, sacred symbols,
or healing rods?

The Holy Grail-In Christian religion, this was the dish, plate, or cup
used by Jesus at the Last Supper.
Should the Grail be understood as a
metaphor for spiritual fulfillment, or
does a physical Grail exist? If so, where
is it?

The Dendera Reliefs-Do
strange carvings in the Temple of
Hathor at Dendera, Egypt, represent
an ancient knowledge of electricity, or
are they to be interpreted as depicting mythological religious scenes?

Stone of Destiny-More popularly known as the Stone of Scone or
the Coronation Stone, this block of
sandstone was used for centuries in
the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland and England. What are the origins of this enigmatic stone? Why is it
associated with royalty?

The Ogham Script-Ogham was
an alphabet used by the ancient Irish,
Welsh, and Scots, mainly to represent
the Gaelic languages. Thought to be
named after the Irish god Ogma, what
were the origins of this mysterious
script, and why did it die out?

The Bosnian Pyramid-Located
in the Bosnia-Herzegovina town of
Visoko, northwest of Sarajavo,
Visocica Hill gained world-wide attention in October 2005 when BosnianAmerican businessman/explorer Semir
Osmanagic sensationally announced
that the mound was in fact a huge manmade pyramid, perhaps dating back
some 12,000 years to the last ice age.
Osmanagic claimed that the hill, once
the site of a medieval walled town,
possessed four perfectly symmetrical
slopes facing toward the cardinal
points, a flat top, and an entrance.

During excavations at the site,
Osmanagic and his team discovered
large stone blocks, believed by him to
come from the outer layer of the pyramid; tunnels, interpreted by the excavators as ventilation shafts for the
structure; and cut and polished stone
slabs, possibly once part of the
pyramid's sloping sides. Osmanagic is
convinced that the hill, one-third
taller than Egypt's Great Pyramid of
Giza, is man-made and has labelled
the enormous structure the Pyramid

of the Sun, due to its similarity to the
Pyramid of the Sun at the preColumbian city of Teotihuacan,
Mexico. Satellite photographs and
thermal imaging of the area revealed
two further pyramid-like hills in the
Visoko Valley. In fact, Osmanagic
maintains that there is a whole complex of ancient structures on the site,
including the Bosnian Pyramid of the
Moon, the Bosnian Pyramid of the
Dragon, the Bosnian Pyramid of the
Love, and the Temple of the Earth.

A booming tourist industry has
grown up around the astounding discoveries in the area of Visocica Hill,
with souvenir models of the pyramid
already available. Further marketing
products, such as tourist facilities and
an archaeological park, are in the
pipeline.