7 Mysterious Historical Artifacts We Still Don’t Understand Today

Liputan6.com, Jakarta - For many years, archaeology has discovered strange objects from the past. These artifacts often puzzle people because we don't know what they were used for or how they were made. 

Today, modern technology helps scientists understand many old mysteries. New tools like computers and special cameras can show us hidden details. But even with all this technology, some ancient artifacts still confuse experts around the world. These objects continue to raise questions that no one can answer.

Here are seven mysterious historical artifacts that scientists still cannot fully explain. Each one comes from a different time and place in history.

Divers recovered this device between 1901 from a shipwreck near Antikythera island. It has been called an "ancient Greek computer" and the "first computer." Made around 100 BCE, it contains 30 gear wheels inside a wooden case. The mechanism could track the sun, moon, and five planets. It also showed lunar phases and predicted eclipses using spiral dials. The mystery is its complexity. Nothing this advanced appears again until medieval clocks were made over 1,000 years later. Scientists still debate exactly who made it and how the Greeks developed such sophisticated technology.

These objects have twelve flat pentagonal sides with holes of different sizes on each face. They are made of bronze, stone, or precious metals and date from the 2nd to 4th centuries CE. More than 100 have been found across Europe in places like France, Germany, and Britain. Their purpose remains unknown. Theories include surveying tools, timekeeping devices, religious objects, or children's toys. Many were found with coin hoards, suggesting they were valuable. No Roman texts mention them, which deepens the mystery. The fine craftsmanship shows they were important, but experts cannot agree on their use.

This manuscript was created in the 15th or 16th century in Central Europe, according to the Britannica. It contains about 240 pages on parchment with colorful illustrations. The book shows drawings of unknown plants, astronomical diagrams, zodiac symbols, and naked women in pools. The text uses an alphabet that exists nowhere else, with scholars debating whether it contains 34 to 70 different symbols. Book dealer Wilfrid Voynich acquired it in 1912. Many experts, including World War II codebreakers, tried to translate it but failed. Theories suggest it's an encoded text, an invented language, or a hoax. It's housed at Yale University's Beinecke Library.

Farmers discovered these bronze masks in 1986 in Guanghan, Sichuan Province, China. They date from around 1600 to 1046 BCE, from the ancient Shu Kingdom. The masks have exaggerated features: huge protruding cylindrical eyes (one extends 16 centimeters outward), large pointed ears, and prominent straight noses. Some masks were partially covered with gold foil. The most famous is over 1.3 meters wide. These masks were found in sacrificial pits where objects were ritually broken and buried. Experts believe they represent deities or ancestors, possibly the legendary king Cancong. Their purpose and the sophisticated lost-wax casting technique used remain mysterious.

This clay disc from Crete measures about 15 centimeters in diameter. Italian archaeologist Luigi Pernier discovered it in 1908 at the Minoan palace of Phaistos. According to Messara museum website, it dates to around 1700 to 1650 BCE. Both sides show 242 symbols arranged in spiral patterns, representing 45 different signs. The symbols were stamped into soft clay using pre-formed seals before firing, making it the earliest known example of moveable type or "printing." Vertical lines separate groups of symbols, possibly marking words. The script is different from Linear A and Linear B. Nobody knows what language it represents or what the text says.

This artifact consists of a ceramic pot with an asphalt stopper, a copper cylinder, and an iron rod inside. It was discovered in 1936 in Khujut Rabu, Iraq, and dates to between 250 BCE and 250 CE. In 1940, Wilhelm König suggested these could be galvanic cells, possibly used for electroplating gold onto silver. If filled with acid or alkaline liquid, it could produce an electric charge. However, most archaeologists believe it was simply a storage vessel. The artifact's true purpose remains debated. Unfortunately, it disappeared in 2003 during the invasion of Iraq, so further testing is impossible.

Linear A is an ancient writing system used by the Minoan civilization on Crete between 1800 and 1450 BCE. It appears on clay tablets, stone objects, and metal items found throughout the island. While experts successfully decoded Linear B in 1952, Linear A remains undeciphered. The writing system is different from Linear B and represents an unknown language. If scientists could translate Linear A, it would reveal much about Minoan culture, religion, and daily life. The main problem is that nobody knows what language the Minoans spoke, making translation nearly impossible without more examples or a translation key.