Interesting stories about ancient artifacts.
Science has no room for superstition and magic. Throughout history no one scientific question not found any magical solutions, while the reverse happens all the time. The only exception is perhaps the area of archaeology. Even the sober archaeologist can confidently say that some of the ancient relics and artifacts seem to clearly have inexplicable from a scientific point of view, the ability to violently resist their theft.
1. Kernel for ballista
On the border of Israel and Syria in the late 1980-ies was discovered, several hundred distant relatives cannonballs used by the Roman Empire to destroy the enemy fortifications. According to records, the ancient city of Gamla was captured by the Romans after its walls were destroyed, in this 9000 residents of the city chose to commit suicide by jumping into the gorge.
No one did not notice any loss until 2015, when the courtyard of the Museum in the morning, suddenly found two cores of the ballista. Next to them was a note: “It’s two cores from the Roman ballistae from Gamla, I stole them in July 1995 and since then, they have brought me nothing but trouble. Please do not steal Antiques!”.
2. Pompeian relics
According to legend, Pompeii was cursed by the gods after some Holy places in the city were destroyed by the Roman legions. Archaeological superintendent of Pompeii, Massimo Osanna, gets 100 parcels every year with all sorts of artifacts from this city – from mosaics and frescoes to pieces of parts of statues. Almost all of them come with explanatory letters in which people write about the various challenges they began to face after he had stolen these items. One Spanish thief sent five parcels with the artifacts, claiming a curse upon his entire family.
3. Ring Senicianus
Ring Senicianus, discovered in the late 1700-ies, huge in size. The diameter of the gold ring is 2.5 cm, and it weighs 12 grams – you can wear it would be, except that on top of the gloves. On this ring there is an inscription in Latin: “Senicianus, God bless you”. A few decades after the discovery of this ring was found a Roman plate, which describes the history of this artifact. It was written by a Roman named Silvianus, who complained to God Nodens that the ring was stolen.
Also on the plate was written: “Let a man by the name of Senicianus who wears this ring will not increase health the slightest bit, until he bring the ring to the temple of Nodens”. Scientists believe that this story may well be the prototype of the famous story, “the Hobbit”, as Oxford Professor and aspiring author, Tolkien was well acquainted with the history of the cursed ring.
4. Whip Maori
Captain James Reddy Clendon was one of the first European settlers in New Zealand. He has contributed to establishing contacts between Maori and European colonizers, and later was Chairman of the first Bank of New Zealand and the first US Consul in that country. In the house of Clandon in Roin today you can see the whole exhibition of items and artifacts, many of which are of Maori origin.
One furtive visitor was clearly not aware of the fact that most of the artifacts of the Maori bear the curse for its owner, if they are mishandled. Stolen whip with handle of whalebone, which belonged to the eldest son of captain Clendon, returned less than a month after it was stolen. In an accompanying note read: “Take the damn thing. It brings continuous misfortune.”
5. Egyptian carving
A German in 2004, kidnapped the thread with hieroglyphic text during a visit to Egypt. The carvings were returned to the Egyptian Embassy in Berlin stepson men, for he himself couldn’t do because he died. Shortly after returning from a trip a man was suddenly stricken with paralysis and he became feverish. After that he was diagnosed with cancer, it is unclear whence undertaken, and soon the German had died. The artifact was returned in the hope that “the soul of man finds peace in another world” and to “free stepson and other relatives of the person from guilt in the eyes of the gods.”
6. Stones from the battlefield at Gettysburg
As the ancient excavations of Pompei, Park Rangers at Gettysburg will receive dozens of parcels every year, which they send twigs, stones and other “Souvenirs” that were stolen from the scene of the former battle. All parcels were accompanied by letters saying that things are cursed. One unlucky fan of Souvenirs suffered an industrial injury, multiple surgeries, and then his wife left him. Another lost his wife, son and house, and then all went to prison for nine years.
7. City cemetery Virginia
In 1867, in the old mining town of Virginia city in Nevada built a cemetery, because the corpses were buried anywhere throughout the city. However, immediately had a strange problem – many of the tombstones began to disappear from the cemetery. Then the gravestones started to return back. It turns out that without exception, all the gravestones were stolen for absolutely mundane things – are made doors, garden ornaments, etc. But then the kidnappers began one after another to pour misfortune from financial problems to a divorce and death. The thieves began to return gravestones to get rid of it.
8. Indian artifacts from Blanding
Since its founding in 1905, the Mormon settlers, the small town of Blanding in Utah became known for its abundance of cultural artifacts Anasazi. Since 1960-ies, they began to plunder the marauders. During the RAID the FBI in 1986 had seized more than 900 illegally obtained artifacts. In 2009 after the RAID, the FBI had arrested some of the most prominent citizens of the town, including the Sheriff’s brother and local doctor Jim REDD. REDD committed suicide the next day, and two others, also implicated in the crime, followed suit within a few months.
9. Vigango
Guohua is an ancient male society in the Kenyan tribe of Mijikenda. Experienced carvers make complex sculptures out of solid wood, known as “vedanga”. It is believed that these sculptures embody the spirit of the deceased. Vigango are highly valued in the West and they pay a lot of money. But since Kenyans do not sell these sacred sculptures, sometimes they simply steal. The curse of vigango comprehends not thieves, but and tribe.
Vigango need to regularly offer sacrifices and gifts, and they are never to pick up from where they were installed. Anthropologist-Explorer, who visited this tribe in 1999, found that several of the statues are gone. Then began the drought, and some members of the tribe mysteriously died. After several years of unhappiness the statue was returned to the tribe.
10. The petrified forest
In petrified forest National Park Arizona the temptation to get a souvenir high as anywhere else, since such Souvenirs are just everywhere. But few people know that since 1934, the Park came at least 1200 parcels with returns these gifts. With them was the letter explaining the returns that people are bringing Souvenirs home, began dramatically with “black stripe”, and literally everything.
