Problems that are difficult for scientists to understand

Chapter 20 The Flames of War (1)
the sudden disappearance of the persian army

Why would an army suddenly disappear?Someone had seen them, but they disappeared after a gust of wind, did they offend God, or died in a disaster?
Egypt is an ancient civilization with a long history.In 525 BC, Persia, an emerging country in Asia, invaded Egypt and established the No.20 Seven Dynasties in Egyptian history.During the conquest of Egypt, the Persian king Cambyses sent an army from Thebes to attack the Siwa oasis.According to the records of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus "History", this army "...set out from Thebes with a guide. It is known that they arrived at the city of × Xiobia, and the people living in this city It is said that it belonged to the Samians of Escrionia, and it was seven days' journey from Thebes across the desert. This place is called the Island of Happiness in Greek."Here it is said that the army came, and after this no one could know anything about them except the Ammonites and those who heard them tell these things, for they neither reached the Ammonites , and did not return to Egypt.

Regarding this, the Ammonites say this: When the Persians attacked them from Oasis across the desert and came about halfway between Oasis and their country, it was they who had breakfasted. At the same time, a violent and extremely strong south wind suddenly rose, and the sand brought by the wind buried them.In this way they disappear.

This is the earliest, most detailed, and only account of the disappearance of the Persian army. "Father of History" Herodotus mentioned the disappearance of the No.20 Seventh Dynasty Persian army in Egypt, which aroused great interest and various speculations from later generations.

Fekri, a professor of history at Cairo University in Egypt, speculated in his book "Ancient History of Egypt" that they walked into the desert, lost their way, and died of hunger and thirst.The Soviet scholar Avkiyev also believed in "Ancient Oriental History" that "all the expedition teams sent to the oasis died in the desert."Perhaps this Persian army was indeed buried in the vast sea of ​​yellow sand, but doubts still exist, because so far there have been no major breakthroughs in the area where people think they may have died.Professor Fikri also wrote in "Ancient History of Egypt" that believers of the god Amon (the main god believed by the ancient Egyptians) said that it was God's revenge that turned the Libyan desert into a hell for the Persians.Because according to the records of Herodotus' "History", Cambyses became a little crazy after conquering Egypt. In the temple of Memphis, he killed the holy cow of Ajins, which was regarded as sacred by the Egyptians. , the holy bull of Apis is a symbol of the god Amon, which may offend the god Amon.

Religious speculation is, of course, absurd.For any unsolved case, people are free to daydream, but must finally come back to the facts.Starting from this point, from the beginning of the 20th century, those abroad who were interested in exploring the truth of this unsolved case began to conduct field investigations in order to find the answer to the mystery of the disappearance of the Persian army. In 1930, British military officer Wingate made a survey, but no results were obtained.Half a century later, in 1983, a joint American-Egyptian expedition was born.Among them are 5 Americans and 14 Egyptian geologists.The team was led by novelists Gary Chaffetz, 36, and Dean Podson, 32, of Boston. On October 1983, 10, they left Habari Oasis (about 5 kilometers south of Cairo) and headed towards their destination, the Siwa Oasis.Expeditions are funded by private donations.With the support of manufacturers, Chaffetz made a budget of 150 US dollars, and equipped with advanced radar equipment, the microwaves they emit can detect the situation at a depth of 15.59 meters underground.It can be expected that if this expedition is successful, it will add a new chapter to the ancient Egyptian history of civilization.However, the mystery of the disappearance of the Persian army has not yet been solved.

However, two other issues related to the disappearance mystery cannot be ignored, and their resolution will certainly help to unravel the mystery.First, why did Cambyses send troops to attack the Siwa Oasis?Professor Fekri said in "Ancient History of Egypt": At that time Egypt belonged to the Hellenistic world, and the oracle was highly respected by people all over the Hellenistic world, and what the oracle predicted was believed to be true.The reason why Cambyses destroyed this remote oasis is that the oracle here said that the world of Cambyses will suffer evil, and the Egyptians will regain their freedom.The second is the number of missing troops.Herodotus' "History" shows that Cambyses led a huge army to conquer Egypt, but did not say the specific number of troops.Since the division of troops in Thebes, the number of troops attacking the Siwa Oasis may have been much smaller.Professor Fekri thinks the army is only a few thousand strong.Gary Chaffetz estimated that there were 3, of which soldiers accounted for only 1/3, and the rest were slaves, wives, children, blacksmiths, technicians, divination teachers, clerks, hostages, and coachmen.

We are eagerly looking forward to new archaeological discoveries and new research results, and the mystery of the disappearance of the Persian army will one day be revealed.

The Mystery of the Disappearance of the Ancient Roman Expedition Resting in Rest
Ancient Rome not only gave birth to civilization, but also seems to have written Western military history. They provoked wars everywhere and left many mysteries behind.

According to historical records, in 53 BC, Crassus, one of the "Three Giants" of ancient Rome, led an army to conquer Parthia (today's northeast of Lang), and was besieged by Parthia in today's Syria. The captives were beheaded, and the Roman legion was almost wiped out. Only about 6000 people from the First Legion led by Crassus' eldest son, Publius, desperately broke through, but there was no news after the breakout. Thirty-three years later, the Roman Empire signed a treaty with Parthia, and the two sides began reciprocating the repatriation of prisoners of war.However, when the Roman Empire requested the repatriation of officers and soldiers captured in the Carlei War, it was denied by the Parthian authorities.The Romans were surprised to find that more than 33 members of the first Roman Legion that had broken through the siege had mysteriously disappeared.The Romans couldn't find them after several searches, so where did they go?
According to the "Hanshu Chen Tang Biography", in 36 BC, Zhizhi Shanyu of the Northern Xiongnu captured Wusun and Dawan, threatening the Western Regions of China.Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent troops to Kangju to destroy Zhizhi Shanyu.The Han army saw a strange army in Kangju. "There is a heavy wooden city outside the earth city" guarding it.After this army was surrendered by the Western Han army, all the captured soldiers were incorporated.Later, the government of the Western Han Dynasty set up Lixian County under the Qilian Mountains to settle the captured soldiers.Historians believe that only the ancient Roman army adopted the defensive formation of "heavy wooden city" and the formation of fish scales connected with round shields.So this army may be the remnants of the Roman First Army led by Publius who broke out in the Battle of Carre.

According to analysis, it is likely that more than 6000 people led by Publius, the eldest son of Crassus, broke out from Kale in Parthia and moved around.Later, he broke through the eastern defense line of Anxi, entered Central Asia, and was incorporated as a mercenary army by Zhizhi Shanyu.In 36 BC, in the battle between the Western Han Dynasty and Zhizhi, it was surrendered by Chen Tang and brought back to China.

However, some scholars hold different opinions. They believe that "heavy wood city" and "fish scale array" are not entirely Roman military art.In China, weaving wood or rammed earth has existed in ancient times, and the outer city is a Guo and the inner city is a common system in ancient China.Moreover, it is recorded in "Zuo Zhuan" that "Yu-scale array" was also used in ancient China, and its official name was "Yuli array" at that time.

In the 20s, a famous British sinologist named De Xiaoqian did a lot of work on this topic.In his article "Lixuan City in Ancient China" written in 40, he pointed out that in ancient China, the Roman Empire was called "Lixuan", and later it was renamed "Daqin". The beginning of this sentence is Minglixuan".The article goes on to point out that in ancient China, the only cities named after foreign countries were Kuqa and Wensu in Xinjiang, both of which used the old names of immigrants.The emergence of Lixuan City will naturally be related to foreign nationals.Furthermore, using historical data, it can be shown that Lixuan City first appeared on the map of the Western Han Dynasty in China in 1947 BC, which was the time when the Roman Empire asked Anxi to repatriate prisoners of war.This is by no means a coincidence of history. It shows that the Roman expeditionary force that broke out in the Battle of Carleigh, when their homeland was looking for them, had already arrived in China and settled down at the Qilian Mountains.

Until 592 A.D., considering that the Lixuan people had merged with the Han people, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty issued an edict to merge Lixuan County into Fanhe County.So far, Lixuan County has been established for 612 years.In this way, the Chinese Lixuan people quietly disappeared in history.

However, because no valuable results were obtained during the excavation of the ancient city of Lixuan, people infer that the ancient city of Lixuan may have been buried deep underground and became a city under the city.Due to insufficient evidence, the disappearance of the First Legion is still an unsolved case in Roman history, and it is a difficult mystery left to people for 2000 years.

The Mystery of the Destruction of the Royal Palace of Persepolis

Persepolis is the ruins of the palace city during the Akimenid Dynasty of the Langu Persian Empire.In addition to the historical architectural significance of the palace city of Persepolis, its architecture and sculptures also reflect the cultural exchanges between Persia and the surrounding areas at that time, reflecting how Persia integrated these cultural factors with its own culture.However, this Persepolis palace with a long history was burned down. What was the reason?

Persepolis is located 60 kilometers northeast of the capital of Xlangfals Province. It was built in the 6th to 5th centuries BC during the reign of King Darius.According to records, this large-scale palace is the reception hall of Darius and the Hall of Hundred Columns of Xerxes.The gate of the palace is made of solid boulders, on which a majestic winged sacred bull statue is carved.The base is a rock-hewn platform, about 500 meters long and 300 meters wide.The walls are decorated with rock reliefs of kings, ministers, rows of warriors and tribute-payers of conquered peoples.The hall is composed of many tall and unique stone pillars, the pillars are as high as 18 meters, with a wooden ceiling on them.

In front of the palace is a huge staircase made of dolomite. The slope of the staircase is not large, and it can accommodate 10 horses to pass side by side.The architecture of the entire palace includes rock reliefs, glazed pottery tiles, various murals, gold and ivory inlays, etc.Even if you take a quick tour of the temples of Persepolis, it will take more than half a day.At that time, there were carved beams and painted buildings, resplendent and resplendent, and there was an endless stream of envoys from all over the world who came to see them.

But unfortunately, the majestic and majestic palace of Persepolis was later burned down.

Who burned it, and how was it burned?This has been a puzzle in history.According to historians' research, it is generally believed that the Persepolis Palace was destroyed by the Macedonian King Alexander.

In 330 BC, after Alexander defeated the army of Darius III in the village of Gaugamela near Nineveh, in order to completely destroy Darius' regime politically, he continued eastward, and Alexander's army quickly occupied the Babylon, Susa and Persepolis.Alexander carried out amazing plunder here, ransacked the palace of Persepolis, and plundered 12 talents of treasure. He once mobilized 2000 mules and 3000 camels to carry these huge treasures.Not only that, Alexander also ordered the burning of the Persian king's palace, and the raging fire reduced this magnificent building to gravel and ashes.But exactly how, historians have different opinions, no consensus.

American scholar Fuller even believed in "Alexander's New Biography": "In Persepolis, Alexander burned the palace of Kirkes (Xerxes). The purpose was to announce to all Greeks that this revenge The war has been won." The famous British historian H. G. Wells in the "Compendium of World History" based on the writings of ancient historians believes that: Alexander "burned down the great palace of the King of Kings, claiming that the Greeks Revenge for the burning of Athens by Xerxes".The "General History of the World" edited by Soviet scholars Sergeyev, Diakov and the Soviet Academy of Sciences also held similar opinions, saying: "In order to avenge the ravages of Greece by Xerxes' expedition in 480 BC, Alexander burned Persepolis to the ground. The magnificent Persian palace." This view is also generally accepted by many historians in our country.

Secondly, American scholar Duran Weir believes in "History of World Civilization": "Alexander lost his mind and burned this magnificent city to ashes. This may be because they saw 800 Greeks on the way because They were mutilated for various reasons. Some had their hands chopped off, some their legs were chopped off, some had their eyes gouged out, some had their ears cut off, and that’s why they were so furious.”

However, there is another version of Alexander burning down the Persian palace.Ancient Greek historians Diodorus, Guantis and Plutarch believed that it was Alexander who was teased and encouraged by the famous Athenian prostitute Tai Qisi after he was drunk and set it on fire. "With the encouragement and connivance of Tajs, King Alexander was persuaded to take part in it himself. He wore a crown of flowers, and held a torch in his hand, and from his mount he led the way. They circled the palace in a savage manner. They danced wildly, shouted loudly, and held the torches happily to light the palace. They burned the palace to show that they missed their homeland and did not intend to live among the barbarians." described in.

The Japanese scholar Akira Omuta analyzed in the book "Alexander" based on the records of ancient Greek historians: "According to the documents published at that time, perhaps Alexander did this for revenge after careful consideration. However, we After a detailed study, it is considered that this reason cannot be established.

At that time, Alexander was actively hoping to reconcile with the Persians. It was impossible for him to use revenge as an excuse to burn down the most famous Hall of Hundred Columns in such a dramatic way, let alone to say that the Eastern Expedition was over. He also said: "There is a legend that tells that Alexander was very drunk at a celebration banquet, and there was an Athenian courtesan Tai Qisi sitting beside him.She jokingly said to Alexander, would you like to set a fire and burn the Persian palace?On impulse, Alexander really set fire to it, and for a while the entire palace was engulfed in flames.When the soldiers hurried to see who set the fire, they saw that the drunk Alexander was setting fire for fun, so no one dared to stop him.When he sobered up, he regretted his reckless behavior.We believe that this arson incident was likely caused by Alexander's last impulse, which seems more credible. "

In addition, some people believe that the palace caught fire accidentally when Alexander held a grand banquet.

Today's Persepolis still exudes charming charm, and every visitor will feel a strong spiritual shock here.How exactly the Persian palace was burned remains to be further studied.

Why Napoleon Lost the Battle of Waterloo

Wars aimed at conquest can sometimes be said to be great. The great Napoleon was a conqueror, but his defeat at Waterloo made the world feel sorry for him.

The Battle of Waterloo in Belgium in June 1815 was a remarkable page in the history of world wars, and it was also the last battle of Napoleon's military career.However, the battle ended in Napoleon's defeat.

The process of the Battle of Waterloo was both thrilling and dramatic. Many subtle factors affected the battle situation, causing the French army to take a sharp turn and lose the victory that was almost at hand.

So what are these factors, and what factors play a decisive role?

In the spring of 1815, Napoleon, who was exiled to the island of Elba, returned to Paris and made a comeback.The monarchs of European countries immediately organized the seventh anti-French alliance, trying to strangle him.Napoleon quickly organized resistance. He made the correct strategic deployment and was determined to end the battle before the Russian-Austrian army arrived. For other reasons, this plan failed to materialize.After a large-scale retreat, the British army still stood on the high ground of Mount Saint-Jean in the south of Waterloo Village, determined to fight Napoleon to the death.

At noon on June 6, with the sound of three cannons, the curtain of the Battle of Waterloo suddenly opened, and the overwhelming French cavalry roared up, but the British army resisted tenaciously and suppressed the momentum of the French cavalry with fierce firepower. Entering a stalemate, the fierce battle throughout the afternoon did not stop for a moment, and both sides in the bloody battle lost the power to completely control the situation.When dusk came, Napoleon personally led his guards to rush to the British position, but at this moment, the British reinforcements arrived, and Napoleon always believed that Marshal Grouchy of the French army would come to rescue him before the arrival of the British reinforcements. The troops never arrived.

The situation took a turn for the worse, and the British army took advantage of the situation to launch a general offensive.

(End of this chapter)