Buzz
Humanity’s fascination with preserving records has resulted in an abundance of documents. Some of these are so widespread that simply encountering them often leaves people wishing they had skipped the museum.
Then there are the hidden codes, sacred oaths, one-of-a-kind manuscripts, and caves etched with the fears of past civilizations. Scholars, fixated on texts, speak in ancient tongues and acknowledge the incredible feats of the ancient Egyptians.
The realm of rare words and images has an undeniable allure. At times, it’s even surprisingly humorous.
10. The Earliest Case of Survival Against All Odds
In 1740, a French physician named Pierre-Jean du Monchaux documented a peculiar case. A patient, who had been unconscious, recovered and described a light so bright and pure that he was convinced he had one foot in Heaven. This account was later included in the doctor’s book, Anecdotes de Medecine.
This might have gone unnoticed if not for Phillippe Charlier, another French doctor, who stumbled upon the book while browsing through an antique shop. Ironically, he found it by chance and bought it for under $1.
Upon reading the case, Charlier realized he had come across the earliest recorded instance of a near-death experience. In a time when people relied on religion to explain such phenomena, the ancient doctor remained objective, suggesting a medical explanation—too much blood rushing to the brain.
Monchaux’s conclusion almost aligned with contemporary theories. Modern researchers believe that a lack of blood flow and oxygen to the brain triggers the sensations associated with near-death experiences.
9. The Enigmatic Devourer
In 2017, archaeologists excavated a shrine-like structure at Zincirli in Turkey. The modest building soon revealed a pot, which once contained cosmetics but was repurposed to hold an incantation.
Carved into the surface of the vessel was a tale about the capture of a creature known as a 'devourer,' believed to bring 'fire' to its victims. The only means of recovery was said to involve using the creature’s own blood.
The incantation did not clarify how the blood should be applied or the true identity of the creature. Drawings suggested it was either a centipede or a scorpion, with the 'fire' likely referring to the excruciating pain of a sting.
The inscription was made by a magician named Rahim, who etched this advice in Aramaic 2,800 years ago, making it the oldest known Aramaic incantation ever discovered. Archaeologists believe the incantation’s significance led to its preservation long after Rahim’s death, as the inscription was already over a century old when the temple was constructed.
8. Bathroom Humor from the Past
Ancient bathrooms with floor mosaics are a rarity. So, when one was uncovered in 2018 in the ancient Turkish city of Antiochia ad Cragum, it was a significant discovery. However, instead of featuring beautiful depictions of myths or intricate geometric designs, the small tiles showcased crude jokes.
Around 1,800 years ago, Roman men using the latrine would have likely been amused by the stories of Narcissus and Ganymede. Both were characters from real myths—Narcissus, obsessed with his own reflection, and Ganymede, who was abducted by Zeus as both a slave and a lover.
The mosaics humorously distorted the tales, starting with Narcissus, who was given a notably unattractive nose. Rather than admiring his reflection, he seemed obsessed with his genitals. Ganymede’s depiction was even more graphic—he was shown having his private parts cleaned by a heron. The bird, a symbol of Zeus, used a sponge typically reserved for toilet cleaning.
The unusual nature of these depictions left archaeologists shocked, but at least it proved that bathroom humor has a long history.
7. The Creswell Marks
The border between Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire is defined by a limestone gorge known as Creswell Crags, a site of historical importance. Aside from past findings of ancient remains, Creswell is home to Britain’s only Ice Age art.
After years of research, the caves surprised researchers again in 2019. A tour group uncovered the country’s largest collection of apotropaic marks. These engravings had no connection to the Ice Age gallery. The latter was thousands of years older, while the newly discovered carvings spanned from medieval times to the 19th century.
Historians identified several of the symbols. Known as witches’ marks, these symbols were believed to protect the living from harmful supernatural forces. Among the most common was “VV,” which invoked the Virgin Mary. Other symbols—such as boxes, mazes, and diagonal stripes—were thought to ward off the mysterious evils that caused disease and crop failure.
Dense groupings of these symbols adorned the ceilings and walls of the caves, reflecting the local population's deep fear of the unknown.
6. The Nag Hammadi Library
Around 1,400 years ago, a jar was buried in Egypt, containing 13 codices. The vessel was rediscovered in 1945 near the town of Nag Hammadi. Inside, the rolls contained Gnostic writings about Jesus. The Gnostic tradition, an early and often mystical branch of Christianity, is considered heretical by mainstream Christian doctrines. The majority of these texts were written in Coptic, the language spoken in Egypt for centuries.
In 2017, researchers in Texas discovered that one codex was unique. Instead of Coptic scribbles, the text was written in Greek. This was a remarkable find. The work, titled the First Apocalypse of James, had never been found in ancient Greek before. The manuscript detailed a conversation between Jesus and James, with the latter receiving guidance on how to continue teaching after Jesus's death.
Another distinct feature of this scroll was the use of tiny dots that separated the text into syllables. This rare technique is found in educational texts, suggesting that the writer might have used the heretical gospel as a tool to teach Greek to students.
5. The Remarkable Palimpsest
Centuries ago, writing materials were costly. As a result, old manuscripts were often scraped clean and reused for new writings. These repurposed documents are known as palimpsests.
In 2018, Dr. Eleonore Cellard examined fragments containing Quranic script. She observed faint, ghostly letters behind the eighth-century Arabic text and recognized several Bible verses. These were written in Coptic and came from the Old Testament’s Book of Deuteronomy.
The discovery was remarkable. Quranic palimpsests are already rare, but this was the first time a Christian document had been erased to make space for the Islamic holy book. The Arabic writing style helped date the text, but the Coptic script posed a greater challenge for dating.
The delicate nature of the manuscript made carbon dating impossible. Even if it had been sturdy enough for the technique, carbon dating can only date the material of the paper, not the writing itself. As a result, the style remained the only clue.
Unfortunately, the clue was broad. The original Coptic script could not have been written before the seventh century. Despite the challenges in dating, this palimpsest is invaluable for its rarity.
4. The Oldest Record of Algol
The star Algol is actually a triple-star system. Officially discovered in 1669, these three stars orbit one another, creating a phenomenon where the “star” dims and brightens. A papyrus from 2015 hinted that the ancient Egyptians were the first to notice it.
Known as the Cairo Calendar, this ancient document outlined each day of the year, providing guidance on auspicious dates for ceremonies, predictions, warnings, and even the movements of the gods. While scholars had long suspected a link to the stars, they lacked concrete proof.
The study revealed that the calendar’s most favorable days corresponded with Algol’s brightest phases, as well as the Moon’s. The appearances of Horus, a prominent deity, also synced with the 2,867-day cycle of the star system.
This strongly suggests that the ancient Egyptians were the first to track Algol over 3,200 years ago. Even more remarkable, they did so without a telescope, despite the star system being nearly 92.25 light-years away.
3. Reviving a Lost Language
A Cambridge scholar, captivated by ancient Babylonian, embarked on a mission to master not only its written form but also its spoken word. Babylonian faded into obscurity around the time of Jesus’s birth.
Undeterred by nearly 2,000 years of silence, Dr. Martin Worthington, who was already fluent in Sumerian, Assyrian, English, Italian, and French, dedicated over 20 years to deciphering ancient scripts and building a remarkable research archive.
After studying a variety of Babylonian documents, including correspondence, treaties, and scientific writings, Worthington succeeded in speaking the language. Although not entirely fluent, he was the first to give a speech in this ancient tongue, acknowledging that the project was far from perfect.
Worthington now imparts his knowledge of Babylonian to Assyriology students, primarily to deepen their connection with the ancient civilizations they are studying. Interestingly, if modern speakers of the language were to meet ancient Babylonians, the two might communicate, as Babylonian shares roots with Hebrew and Arabic, the languages that eventually supplanted it as the dominant tongue of the Middle East.
2. Ferdinand's Encrypted Messages
In a bid to protect military secrets from his foes, King Ferdinand of Spain resorted to a secret code. However, the code was so effective that his correspondence with General Gonzalo de Cordoba remained unreadable for half a millennium.
Ferdinand was the patron of Christopher Columbus’s voyages to the Americas and faced numerous adversaries. He famously reclaimed Spain from the Moors in 1492 and engaged in battles with France over control of the Mediterranean.
The letters promised to reveal fascinating glimpses into the mind of the war king. Spain's intelligence agency took on the task, discovering that Ferdinand's unique alphabet comprised 88 symbols, 237 letters, and six additional characters (such as numbers and triangles) that added layers of complexity to each symbol’s meaning. Furthermore, the “language” was continuous, without spaces to separate words.
After six months of intense work, the agency managed to decode enough of Ferdinand's messages to understand four pieces of correspondence in 2018. These letters unveiled a variety of details, including orders on troop movements in Italy and reprimands for a commander who had made independent decisions without Ferdinand’s approval. This achievement marked an important step toward deciphering the remainder of the royal communications.
1. The Hidden Ninja Vow
In Japan, rumors of a written ninja oath had lingered for nearly half a century. If such a document existed, it would be a rare treasure. Contrary to cinematic portrayals, real ninjas specialized in intelligence gathering through stealth rather than combat. Most of their practices and training were passed down orally from master to disciple. A written oath, if discovered, would be a groundbreaking find.
In 2018, the long-lost document was finally uncovered. It was generously donated to a museum by the Kizu family, once a notorious ninja clan hailing from the town of Iga. The donation included 130 ancient texts, but the most notable among them was the oath. Written by a man named Inosuke Kizu, it expressed gratitude to his masters for his ninjutsu training and made a solemn vow to never reveal the secret teachings, not even to his closest kin.
The 300-year-old manuscript also contained a dire warning for anyone who dared to share ninja secrets with outsiders. The author accepted that his betrayal would lead to his descendants being cursed and tortured by the gods for generations. This letter, likely handed to his masters, was then returned to the Kizu family following his death.
