Problems that are difficult for scientists to understand

Chapter 17 Ancient Civilization Tracing (5)
It was not until the Renaissance era that nude art showed its charm again, and Venus gradually moved from the sacred halo to the secular, to nature, and became an excellent object to convey humanity.Such as Giorgione's famous painting "Venus Sleeping", Titian's famous painting "Venus Urbino" and so on.The most famous painting is "The Birth of Venus".On the screen, Venus has a faint sadness on his face, and seems to contain an indescribable, spiritual, and almost ideal love in his chest.Therefore, birth does not seem to bring joy, but a bit of tragedy.The background of the painting is a stretch of boundless sea water, fertile land and dense forests. Venus's steps seem to be elegant without bearing weight, as if he is in a driving melody.

This Venus has serious meaning as the personification of beauty and love.

In addition, the posture of this Venus is obviously depicted with reference to the style of classical statues, but the two hands are changed positions.In the 19th century, French female body art master Angor created the immortal work "Venus Rising from the Sea".Venus has gradually become a model of beauty and rationality in the minds of Westerners in the course of historical changes.

So, what about Venus with a broken arm?
Someone discovered the memoirs of the 19th-century French captain Dumont Cuvier, which solved the mystery of Venus' broken arm.

A statue of Venus was unearthed in the spring of 1820 by the Greek Milo farmer × Alkos when digging the ground.

The unearthed Venus has a drooping right arm, stroking the skirt of his clothes, with his upper arm stretched over his head, holding an apple.Louis Brest, the French Consul in Milo at that time, learned of the incident, and rushed to the residence of X Alkos, expressing that he would buy the statue at a high price, and obtained X Alkos' consent.However, because he did not have enough cash on hand, he had to send Juvier to Constantinople overnight to report to the French ambassador.After hearing the report, the ambassador immediately ordered the secretary to bring a huge sum of money with Juville to Milo overnight to purchase the goddess statue.Unexpectedly, the farmer × Alkos had sold the statue to a Greek businessman at this time, and it had already been shipped out.Cuvier immediately decided to intercept by force.After learning the news, Britain also sent ships to fight for it. The two sides launched a fierce battle. Unfortunately, the arms of the sculpture were broken during the melee.Since then, Venus has become a goddess with a broken arm.

Incompleteness is also a kind of beauty, which is the charm displayed by Venus with a broken arm.

The Unsolved Mysteries of Tiawaraco

The ancient agricultural tribes all have a tradition of attaching importance to astronomy and calendar, and there are many related relics preserved, some of which seem to be such incredible feats now.

21 kilometers southeast of Lake Titicaca in Peru, there is a cultural site of Tihualaco, which is famous for its large number of exquisite megalithic buildings.

Tiawaraco was originally called "Tipikara", which means "Central Stone" in Aymara, probably because other tribes mispronounced the word, and over time it became "Tiawaraa". division".It is known as "Alien's Lakeside Miracle".

In the ruins of Tiahualako, the most complete preservation is the peculiar building called "Kala Sasea".

It is a rectangular table top made of stone, 118 meters long and 112 meters wide, surrounded by solid walls, and there are steps leading to the underground inner courtyard.Huge stone pillars tower above the ground, forming a majestic stone forest.There are also many huge stone statues with strange shapes. Some scholars believe that there seem to be many astronomical marks or ancient starry sky patterns carved on the stone statues, which is puzzling.

According to the research of some archaeologists, "Kalasasia" may be the altar of the ancient Incas to sacrifice to the sun god, with a large scale and a solemn style.

On the south side of the courtyard of "Karasasea", there is an "Acapana" covering an area of ​​tens of thousands of square meters.

The pyramid is square, with huge pedestals and steps, and an ancient temple on the top. It is majestic and imposing, showing the outstanding artistic talent of the ancient Incas in architecture, sculpture, painting and decoration.

In the northeast corner of the courtyard of "Kalasasia", stands a world-famous "Sun Gate", which is 2.5 meters high, 4.5 meters wide, and weighs about 12 tons. It is carved with a huge medium-long stone. made.There is a door hole in the center, and there are exquisite reliefs on the lintel, among which there is a mysterious bas-relief of a human figure, holding a scepter in each hand, a lot of light radiating from the head, and there are snake statues in between.On both sides of the figure, there are 3 parallel rows of intricately patterned square patterns, the figures are basically similar: the winged warriors respectfully face the god king in the center.It is said that the first ray of dawn at dawn on September 9 every year is always accurately shot from the center of the "Sun Gate", and the scenery is beautiful.

All the huge buildings on the Tiawalako cultural site are made of huge stones weighing several tons or even hundreds of tons.The stones are finely crafted, with concave and convex bites. There is no need for any adhesive between the stones.Some huge stones are fixed with copper mortise and buckle chains at the junction of some huge stones.It can be seen that the stone masonry technology of the ancient Incas was extremely high, and the buildings were exquisite and rigorous.

Near the ruins, a subgrade of an ancient Inca road was found. Judging from the direction in which the subgrade extends, it is likely to be from Cusco, Peru to Quito, Ecuador.

According to archaeologists' research, the ancient Incas made outstanding achievements in road construction. There are two main roads running through the country: one is the plateau road, which starts from present-day Colombia, runs through Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and then reaches Chile from Argentina; The other is a coastal road, starting from Tumbes at latitude 1 south and near the border of Ecuador in the north, running through the coastal area of ​​Peru in the south, and entering the central part of Chile.In addition to the above two main trunk lines, there are many branch roads leading to all parts of the country.Set up post stations, fortresses and beacon towers on the way.These roads provide convenience for transportation, marching, conveying orders, and parading leaders.The roads of the ancient Inca were much better than the roads in Europe at that time.

Pottery, copper objects, textiles, etc. were unearthed at the site.According to archaeologists' research, the ancient Incas reached a high level in mining, "gold, textiles and handicrafts. They were good at making weapons and tools with bronze, and made various decorations and sacrificial vessels with gold, silver and tin. Their weaving and pottery techniques are more advanced than those of the previous generation. Inca pottery has inherited the excellent tradition of the previous generation and has made great progress. The common shapes of the pottery are open straight cups, three tripod pots, and small mouthpieces with two ears. The bottom altar, etc., are decorated with red, black, yellow, white and other animal patterns or geometric patterns on the surface. Among the pottery, the three tripod pots made of red rough pottery are more characteristic, and the exquisitely made double-eared small-mouthed pointed-bottomed altar is A representative work of ancient Inca pottery. The pottery is colorful, vivid and rich in color, especially for depicting sun gods, human and animal images, and stepped patterns imitating the shape of mountains.

A huge ancient astronomical observatory was also found on the lakeside, built like an ancient football goal. It is actually a complex and ingenious device for measuring time and determining seasons.According to the research of archaeologists, the ancient Incas worshiped celestial bodies, and the development of astronomical and calendar knowledge is closely related to religious beliefs and agricultural production.They built observatories very early to observe the position of the sun and determine the sequence of agriculture, and to determine the summer solstice and winter solstice.The ancient Inca calendar had 12 months in a year, with three 3-day long weeks in each month, plus a 10-day short week in a year, with the winter solstice as the beginning of the year.

The miracle of the famous Lake Titicaca has puzzled modern people: the famous Lake Titicaca is located on a desert plateau at an altitude of 3812 meters. It is necessary to go to a high mountain 5 kilometers away to dig huge stones. Generally, the stones weigh several Tons or even dozens of tons, and some stones weigh as much as 200 tons.According to research, the ancient Incas could not "smelt iron. They had no steel tools, no explosives, and it was impossible for them to have airplanes, trains, cars, and tractors. At that time, the Americans had not yet created any machinery, wheels, and winches. In the high cold, low pressure In the harsh environment where it is extremely difficult to breathe, lack of oxygen, and without wheeled vehicles, what method did people use to dig such huge stones from the mountains? Huge boulders weighing several tons, dozens of tons, or even 200 tons were transported to the construction site of the lakeside square and lifted up to the top of the towering castles and palaces? At that time, there were no advanced equipment such as cranes, and the use of manpower was extremely simple. Can the original tools of the ancients build such a grand and majestic group of buildings? According to some estimates, the total project of all the megalithic buildings scattered on the shores of Lake Titicaca is more difficult than building pyramids. Who and when used what method? What about creating a miracle by the lake?

Some people in the West believe that it was impossible for the ancient Inca people, who mainly made a living by fishing and hunting, to create the splendid Tihuarac culture in the mountains around Lake Titicaca. In the 20s, writers Luis Powis and Jacques Berger believed that in the very distant ancient times, aliens from Venus, the "alien", once lived on the plateau on the shore of Lake Titicaca, Created a miracle by the lake.Some people believe that the pattern on the "Sun Gate" by the lake depicts the image of "alien", and the huge stone statue by the lake accurately records the starry sky 60 years ago.

Since 1950, the archaeological survey team led by Bolivian archaeologist Carlos Ponce Sancines has carried out a large-scale in-depth excavation and long-term serious investigation and research on the ancient sites on the shore of Lake Titicaca. And restore some ancient buildings that have been damaged.After radiocarbon 14 identification, it is determined that the earliest construction date of the ancient city by the lake began in 300 BC and was completed in 600 AD.The Andes Mountains are one of the birthplaces of ancient American civilization. Humans lived here from 10000 BC to 8500 BC.Archaeological excavation materials prove that the earliest ancient residents scattered in the Andes were the Mochika, Aymara and Quechua tribes (the Incas are a branch of the Quechua tribe).Before the formation of the Inca country, a series of highly developed ancient civilizations had appeared in the Andes.On the basis of inheriting and carrying forward the culture of the previous generations, the Incas created the splendid Inca culture in South America.The miracle of Lake Titicaca should be the crystallization of Inca culture.

Of course, it is still a mystery whether aliens created the miracle on the banks of Lake Titicaca, and it remains to be revealed by future generations.

The Mystery of the Fall of the Ancient Roman Empire
History is like a very long scroll, but the birth and disappearance, prosperity and decline of a country in history are often within a snap of your fingers.The emergence of the ancient Roman Empire is a miracle in history, but its destruction is also a strange case in history.

Rome is located in the Lower Tiber region of central Italy.The river flows slowly in the low mountains and bends towards the coastline in the marshy areas, making it an ideal channel for people coming down from the Apennines to reach the sea.

From 30 BC, the Roman Empire established by Augustus rose rapidly in Europe. By the 3rd century AD, the territory of the Roman Empire spanned three continents, Europe, Asia and Africa, and reached its heyday.However, not long after, this powerful empire declined rapidly again, and soon fell into a state of subjugation. Who would have thought that such a great empire would perish all at once.

The Roman Empire was a legendary state that grew without careful planning.The Roman nation, scarcely aware of themselves, conducted a political experiment.This experiment cannot be said to be successful, because in the end their empire completely collapsed, and this empire changed its shape and method greatly every century.The Roman Empire changed more in 100 years than Bengal, Mesopotamia, and Egypt did in a full 1000 years.It can be said that the Roman Empire has been changing and has never had a fixed form.

When the Roman Empire reached its late stage, it was a scene of decline.The British historian Gibbon described it in his "History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire": "The Roman government is getting weaker and weaker day by day in the eyes of its enemies, and more vicious and annoying to its own subjects day by day. As the public misfortune multiplies, the taxation increases. . . . The wicked rich shift the burden of inequality from themselves to the people; tortured and expropriated them so that the subjects would rather accept the simpler tyranny of the barbarians, flee to the forest or mountains, or rather serve as lowly slaves who could earn some money. In the past The title of Roman citizenship that people so desperately wanted, they now only feel so disgusted that they give up..."

The military strength of the Roman Empire also underwent new changes along with the development of the Roman Empire.The decline of the army began around the 3rd century. Soldiers pursued power and wealth and became the main force in political competition. They no longer devoted all their attention to defending the empire.

In this case, the regime relies more on the military than on ordinary citizens.

In this way, due to the excessive intervention and extraordinary effectiveness of force, the usurping of the emperor's throne often occurred.

After the reign of Emperor Severus, the source of troops was often insufficient. Originally, the army consisted mainly of Roman citizens, accompanied by imperial residents from civilized areas. Later, soldiers gradually became hereditary.During the reign of Emperor Aurelius, the barbarians joined the army. After the 3rd century, the main source of soldiers relied on the barbarians. Many children from families were unwilling to serve in the army, and the military often felt insufficient.These changes are slowly changing the cornerstone of Rome's military.

Regarding the development and destruction of the ancient Roman Empire, many scientists have paid a lot of attention and conducted in-depth research on it, and put forward different views and opinions on the demise of ancient Rome.

The first type: changes in politics, economy, and social psychology affected the development of ancient Rome until its destruction.For this issue, Lee Love has made a comprehensive explanation in "A History of World Civilization".

First of all, politically, there is no clear succession law under the head system, and as a result, the death of the head of state is followed by civil war.The biggest flaw in the politics of the late empire was that not enough people participated in government activities. Most of the residents of the empire were subjects who did not participate in politics. Heavy taxes often made them hate the empire.

Second, economically, Rome's worst economic problems were caused by slavery and labor shortages.Roman cities mainly relied on the surplus products produced by slaves, but the labor performed by slaves was too heavy to replenish the slave army through reproduction. With the end of the war with foreign governments, the source of prisoners of war slaves was cut off, and the surplus products produced in the countryside as a result Fewer and fewer.Slavery made Roman slave owners careless about developing production technology.

Finally, in terms of social psychology, society as a whole lacks that ideal of true citizenship.In the 3rd century AD, the Roman Empire could not rely on the civic ideals of the Republic period to inspire people and activate social vitality, which was mainly caused by years of wars and heavy tax burdens.Regional divisions, lack of public education, and social stratification further hinder the formation of any unified public spirit.The Roman Empire came to the end of history with the general indifference of the people.

The second type: the invasion of foreign blood led to the decline of the native people's literature, which eventually led to the decline of the native people's ability to govern the country until the country went to extinction.Denny Frank, a professor at Johns Hopkins University in the United States, carefully studied many Latin epitaphs and found that most of the slaves on these epitaphs had Greek names.Thus, he asserts, Rome and the Latin West encountered an invasion of Greek and Eastern slaves—since these were freed slaves, they all acquired Roman citizenship, and the composition of Roman citizenship changed.Through the study of 13900 epitaphs, he deduced that nearly 90% of the Roman-born residents in the city of Rome are of foreign origin, and the Romans who once established the Roman Empire have now given way to foreign races.

Because of this, Rome's transition from the head of state to the monarchy was a triumph of absolutism, the spread of Eastern religions, the decline of Latin literature, and the diminishing talent of those who once built empires to govern.

The third type: Malaria leads a powerful country to its demise.British and American archaeologists recently found genetic evidence of malaria infection in the remains of a child unearthed from an ancient Roman tomb.

Based on this, they believe that the Roman Empire may have declined due to rampant malaria.The ancient tomb excavated this time is a baby's tomb near the town of Lunano, 112 kilometers north of Rome, Italy, dating to about 450 AD.For the first time, researchers at Manchester University of Technology in the UK have used new technology to study this ancient case of malaria.They carefully isolated a genetic sample from the leg bone of the 3-year-old's skeleton and found it was similar to another sample infected with the malaria parasite.The researchers said that because the results of the two independent analyzes were completely consistent, they believed that the 3-year-old died of malaria parasites.

(End of this chapter)