Stone tunnel. Ancient underground passage leading from Scotland to Turkey

There are also connecting tunnels, which are even smaller, and which are unlikely to pass through an adult or overweight person. Some tunnel systems are rings, most of the tunnels in such systems do not exceed 50 m.

The most common theory is that these are buildings of religious significance, and that they may have belonged to some non-Christian cult. Adding to the mystery is the fact that these tunnels have never been mentioned in historical texts. We may never know where they came from.

According to the German archaeologist Dr. Heinrich Kusch who recently published a book called "Secrets of the Underground Door in ancient world» tunnels appeared in the Stone Age - 5,000 years ago, during the Neolithic period, as they are usually located near the sites of people of that time. They also talk about earlier times - 12,000 years ago.

There is radiocarbon analysis data that the Bavarian tunnels are about 1500 years old, there are also later, medieval ones. Some have been known for a long time, others, like Erdstall, were discovered by accident. A cow nibbled grass on an alpine meadow - and suddenly fell into the ground. It cannot be said that they did not know about these tunnels before the release of the book, but somehow it was not advertised too much, if not directly, it was hushed up. Dark tunnels are still virtually unknown among scientists. In this regard, the book has become a real event.

“We would like to use the help of physicists for radiocarbon dating, expertise; theologians and specialists in prehistoric times,” says Alborn, one of the researchers. No dissertation has yet been written on this topic to date.

At least 700 such tunnels have been found in Bavaria alone, as well as about 500 in Austria. The people they have fancy names, such as "Schrazelloch" ("goblin hole") or "Alraunenhöhle" ("mandrake cave"). Some sagas say that they were part of the long tunnels connecting the castles.

European tunnels, as a rule, have the same vaulted structure, about 70 centimeters high, often the tunnels are connected by tunnels with a diameter of 40 centimeters, into which a normal person can hardly squeeze through. Kushch suggests that before the underground network was even larger, but part of it gradually collapsed. Or not found yet.

Some experts believe that the net was a way to protect a person from predators, while others think that some of the connected tunnels were used as passageways to travel safely, regardless of wars, violence, and even weather over the land. One thing is true - apparently this way of moving underground was extremely popular. True, it is not very clear to whom.

The book notes that chapels were often built at the entrances to the tunnels, perhaps because the Church was afraid of pagan heritage, or perhaps in order to eliminate its influence in this way. Many tunnels were filled up, the entrances to them were bricked up. Sometimes reliefs come across in caves, as for example on Bösenreutin near the city of Lindau on lake constance.

It depicts a goblin with a tail. Perhaps some galleries were temples for the followers of some pagan rites, it is quite possible that these people simply used what they did not build. In some chronicles, references to these tunnels were found, as on the way to the underworld.

But looking at these underground passages, and they are clearly artificial, one cannot get rid of the thought that a person must have been clearly uncomfortable and uncomfortable in them. Try to squat down to walk at least a dozen meters. And on your knees you won't travel long either. It is difficult to breathe there and you will not survive a long siege, hiding from enemies.

From all this, the impression is created that the myths about gnomes (or dwarfs, hobbits, goblins - call it what you want) really have real ground, or rather, have proof of what is under it.

The work of a real archaeologist is full of routine, but there are even cooler discoveries than the Ark of the Covenant.

L'Anse-au-Meadows

Traditionally it was thought that New World discovered by Columbus, but this settlement in Newfoundland proves that the Vikings were the first. The settlement was built 1000 years ago for 30-160 Vikings.

Sacsayhuaman

Fortress complex on the outskirts of Cusco, Peru, former capital empire of the Incas. It is impossible to put even paper between the pieces of rock, and, by the way, this complex was built without mortar.

mohenjo-daro

The city was built in 2600 BC. e. in present-day Pakistan. It has roads and even a drain system similar to a sewer. It was abandoned after 7 centuries and found only in 1922.

Gate of the Sun

Located in Western Bolivia, the symbol of the Tiwanaku Empire (stretched from Peru to Bolivia about 1500 years ago). The gate is carved from megalithic rock. Scientists believe that initially they did not stand here.

Tunnels of the Stone Age

A few years ago, archaeologists found an underground network of tunnels created by Stone Age people. It stretches from Scotland across Europe to Turkey.

Longue Grottoes

Located in Zhejiang Province, China, man-made caves date back to 212 BC. The most interesting part about them is the carefully made markings along the walls and ceiling, evenly spaced along the 60-degree axis.

Göbekli Tepe

Perched atop a mountain in present-day Turkey, the ancient structure redefined the origins of human society: it turns out that agriculture began around 9,000-10,000 BC, church and worship were at the origins of civilization.

Stone Spheres in Costa Rica

They were probably made in 700-1530 AD. There is a local myth that they are relics from lost city Atlantis.

Yonaguni Monument

Disputes over the man-made or miraculous origin of monolithic slabs at the bottom off the coast of Japan are ongoing to this day.

Hatshepsut's unfinished obelisk

Recently found in Aswan, Egypt. Could have been the largest Egyptian obelisk had it been completed in 1500 BC.

It is not for nothing that ancient buildings are called portraits of the civilizations that built them. Moreover, these portraits conceal the mysteries of entire cultures. After all, these structures stood for thousands of years after their builders disappeared from the face of the earth. It has strange burial places to cities unknown until recently - all these architectural artifacts sometimes reveal ancient secrets, and sometimes even more confuse scientists.

1 Teotihuacan Tunnels

Mexico
In 2017, a restoration project was launched to renovate one of the most famous places Mexico - the pre-Aztec city of Teotihuacan. During work on central square archaeologists have used a non-invasive technique to view underground voids. Scanning with electrical impedance tomography showed the unexpected - under the area there was a tunnel leading to a neighboring pyramid. Scientists are still perplexed why the Pyramid of the Moon, which is a colossal feat ancient architecture, could be connected to something else by an underground tunnel.

So far, it is impossible to explore it, and one of the reasons is the depth at which the tunnel passes - 10 meters. Curiously, this tunnel is very similar to another, previously discovered in one of the temples of Teotihuacan. Given that they were built by people who lived 2,000 years ago, it is difficult to say today whether the tunnels served a practical or mystical purpose.

2. Tungundzhi barrows

Australia
For more than 60 kilometers along the western Cape York, the coastal zone of Australia, you can see a number of large barrows. Researchers have been discussing the specifics of this phenomenon for years. Apparently, they did not take the local Aboriginal community seriously (Tungunji people claimed that their ancestors were buried in burial mounds). Not surprisingly, a number of strange theories have emerged. For example, some have suggested that these 250 mounds were created by ... birds.

In 2018, when the mounds were illuminated by radar, it turned out that locals and the archaeologists who thought the mounds were artificial were right. Eleven sand structures were scanned, and many of them still contained human remains. The juxtaposition of the interior also showed how burial procedures changed over time. But even at different times, different things were placed in all the tombs, such as flowers, spears and corals. The age of the mounds is not yet known, but some may be around 6000 years old, i.e. they were created around the same time that the Egyptians were building the pyramids.

3. Tel Edfu urban complex

Egypt
In 2018, during excavations in Egyptian Tel Edfu, a 4,000-year-old two-story complex was found, which was one of the earliest among the many large ruins in the region. Archaeologists have identified rooms that were used for storage, copper smelting, beer production and bread production. However, the purpose of the other premises has not been determined. Appearance the facade of the building was typical of ancient egypt but it was very well built. Another mystery is why people abandoned the complex after it was built.

Usually such abandoned places were taken apart for bricks for other construction projects. The same complex not only retained its walls 1.5 - 2 meters thick, but also the entrance doors. Given that they were made from extremely rare wood in Egypt, the doors must have been stolen a long time ago. This brewery-bakery is different from any other that have survived from the time of the Old Kingdom. Scientists believe that ancient city Edfu was an important settlement and was the starting point for expeditions to distant places.

4. Villa in Warwick

England
IN English city Warwick recently decided to relocate the high school. The builders who dug the foundation pit discovered a large Roman villa. Its size was 28 meters long and 14.5 meters wide. In their own words, this villa was "the size of a medieval church." Carved from local sandstone, it was probably part of a vast estate in the second century AD.

The villa itself was a very imposing building. In addition to being the largest structure in the region, it was connected to a Roman road. The discovery of corn drying chambers showed that the building, in addition to being someone's home, was used for agriculture. The one who lived in the villa left it about 200 years later.

5 Stonehenge Construction Camp

England
There is a military base at Larkhill within walking distance of Stonehenge. During preparations for new military exercises in 2018, the remains of an ancient fence were discovered. It is believed that ancient trade and meetings took place in such places. Nine wooden pillars stood exactly in the same position as the dolmens in the stone ring of Stonehenge.

This showed that Larkhill was a sort of design center for an overhaul. famous temple, which was also once also a modest ring of wooden poles. The original version of Stonehenge was erected around 3000 BC, but archaeologists believe that the fence is six to seven centuries older than it. It was probably a construction camp.

6. Hardnott Pass Fort

England
During the reign of the Roman emperor Hadrian (AD 117-138), part of Britain was part of the empire. Several forts were built to protect this frontier. One fortress stands near Hardnott Pass in Cumbria. It wasn't until 2015 that scientists noticed that its gates align perfectly with the Sun during the solstices. Located in a square building, the gates face each other in two pairs.

On the longest day of the year (summer solstice), at sunrise, the Sun shines through the northeast gate, and at sunset, into the southwest gate. On the shortest day (winter solstice), the process repeats, but in reverse. Why this particular fort was made the way it is is unknown. It is also not clear why the four towers of the fort were built perfectly in accordance with the cardinal directions. One plausible idea is that the fort is linked to religion (several ancient religions).

7. Ritual Hall and Moche Throne

Peru
In 2018, news of a remarkable find appeared in the press after Peruvian archaeologists explored the Huaca Limon de Ucupe site. They found two rooms of the mysterious culture. Long before the Incas, the Moche culture flourished in Peru. Existing for many centuries until 700 AD. this magnificent culture left behind monuments, golden artifacts and advanced agricultural techniques. Any new finds could help explain the culture's mysterious disappearance, or at least provide more knowledge about it.

In one room there was a beautiful ritual hall. Unlike the geometric and mythical paintings found elsewhere, the walls of the hall were decorated with realistic sea scenes. One painting was 10 meters in size. Over 100 tables once held plates, hinting at large and varied banquets. The two stepped thrones faced each other. The taller one was intended for the ruler, while the other was probably intended for the patron of the holiday. Next to the door of another room was a podium, perhaps for making announcements during meetings.

8. An ominous Stone Age burial

Sweden
In 2009, a strange grave was found in Sweden that puzzled even experts. In it, on a huge limestone platform measuring 12 by 14 meters, 11 skulls without jaws rested. Moreover, when this burial was created 8000 years ago, it was at the bottom of the lake. The skeleton of a newborn and animal bones were also found. Why they were "buried" underwater is just one of the grave's mysteries. Seven skulls were found to have blunt trauma marks. Men were hit from above or in front, and women from behind.

The sacrifice was unlikely. All injuries were clearly treated, and people lived for some more time. The bones were also oddly laid out. Human skulls were in the middle, and two of them were pierced with stakes. In the south were the bones of bears. Wild boar, deer and elk "decorated" the southeastern part. In addition, most of the bones were taken from the right side of the body. In truth, researchers cannot figure out the location or meaning of the ritual.

9. Religious objects in the mountains of Eilat

Israel
In 2015 in Israeli mountains Eilat, about 100 ritual objects were discovered. In the Negev desert, stone circles and phallic structures were arranged in dense groups. On an area of 80 hectares, archaeologists counted 44 places of worship. Although little is known about what took place in these places, themes of abundance and death were especially common. About 8000 years ago, male symbols were created on these objects, such as stone phalluses, indicating "female" stone circles with a diameter of 1.5-2.5 meters.

As object locations, flat areas with a good view of the surroundings were chosen. Given the small population and the desert around, the huge number of monuments is a mystery. In addition, similar finds continue to be made in other places. Only during one study found 349 ritual sites outside the mountains of Eilat.

10 Maya Archeology

Guatemala
During a recent aerial survey of northern Guatemala, more than 60,000 unknown Mayan archaeological sites were added to the map. Under the dense cover of forests, pyramids, walls, city fortifications, dams and defensive structures were found - all within 2,100 square kilometers. The study revealed entirely new places to explore, but also prompted immediate clues about other aspects of civilization.

Great amount private homes suggested that the Maya outnumbered those who live in the area today. They avoided deforestation and fell forests for Agriculture like modern day farmers, proving that large populations can thrive without deforestation. One fortress was strong enough that it could be argued that the Maya fought serious wars. Although most of the new structures are houses, the number of roads is just as amazing.

Under Europe, there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of underground tunnels, the origin of which remains a mystery. This type of tunnel is called "erdstall" and is very narrow. From 1 to 1.2 m in height and about 60 cm in width. There are also connecting tunnels, which are even smaller, and which are unlikely to pass through an adult or overweight person. Some tunnel systems are rings, most of the tunnels in such systems do not exceed 50 m.

The age of the tunnels is roughly determined to be the early Middle Ages. Since no historical artifacts could be found in the tunnels, it is difficult to determine the exact age. For the same reason, it is unlikely that these tunnels were ever used as hiding places or as housing. Although this possibility cannot be completely ruled out. The most common theory is that these are buildings of religious significance, and that they may have belonged to some non-Christian cult. Adding to the mystery is the fact that these tunnels have never been mentioned in historical texts. We may never know where they came from.

Let's find out more about them...
According to the German archaeologist Dr. Heinrich Kusch, who recently published a book called "Secrets of the Underground Door to the Ancient World", tunnels appeared in the Stone Age - 5,000 years ago, during the Neolithic period, since they are usually located next to the sites of people of that time. They also talk about earlier times - 12,000 years ago. There is radiocarbon analysis data that the Bavarian tunnels are about 1500 years old, there are also later, medieval ones. Some have been known for a long time, others, like Erdstall, were discovered by accident. A cow nibbled grass on an alpine meadow - and suddenly fell into the ground. It cannot be said that they did not know about these tunnels before the release of the book, but somehow it was not advertised too much, if not directly, it was hushed up. Dark tunnels are still virtually unknown among scientists. In this regard, the book has become a real event. “We would like to use the help of physicists for radiocarbon dating, expertise; theologians and specialists in prehistoric times,” says Alborn, one of the researchers. No dissertation has yet been written on this topic to date.

At least 700 such tunnels have been found in Bavaria alone, as well as about 500 in Austria. Among the people, they have bizarre names, such as "Schrazelloch" ("goblin hole") or "Alraunenhöhle" ("mandrake cave"). Some sagas say that they were part of the long tunnels connecting the castles.
European tunnels, as a rule, have the same vaulted structure, about 70 centimeters high, often the tunnels are connected by tunnels with a diameter of 40 centimeters, into which a normal person can hardly squeeze through.

Kushch suggests that before the underground network was even larger, but part of it gradually collapsed. Or not found yet.

Some experts believe that the net was a way to protect a person from predators, while others think that some of the connected tunnels were used as passageways to travel safely, regardless of wars, violence, and even weather over the land. One thing is true - apparently this way of moving underground was extremely popular. True, it is not very clear to whom.
The book notes that chapels were often built at the entrances to the tunnels, perhaps because the Church was afraid of pagan heritage, or perhaps in order to eliminate its influence in this way. Many tunnels were filled up, the entrances to them were bricked up. Sometimes reliefs come across in caves, as for example on Bösenreutin near the city of Lindau on Lake Constance. It depicts a goblin with a tail. Perhaps some galleries were temples for the followers of some pagan rites, it is quite possible that these people simply used what they did not build. In some chronicles, references to these tunnels were found, as on the way to the underworld.

But looking at these underground passages, and they are clearly artificial, one cannot get rid of the thought that a person must have been clearly uncomfortable and uncomfortable in them. Try to squat down to walk at least a dozen meters. And on your knees you won't travel long either. It is difficult to breathe there and you will not survive a long siege, hiding from enemies.

From all this, the impression is created that the myths about gnomes (or dwarfs, hobbits, goblins - call it what you want) really have real ground, or rather, have proof of what is under it.

In the old days, any city or castle that was more or less self-respecting had its own dungeons and underground passages. At least that's how it's commonly thought. Therefore, in themselves, these underground structures are not rare and do not cause surprise. However, even among the dungeons there are objects, the purpose of which is still a mystery to scientists.

The first tunnels under Europe were discovered in the century before last. It turned out that the network of underground passages located under some ancient cities, can be interconnected, forming a multi-kilometer communication system. Such networks of tunnels unite, according to researchers, the territories of modern Turkey, Hungary, Austria, Germany, France, Scotland and Ireland.

The catacombs cover territories from Scotland and Atlantic coast France to the very mediterranean sea, that is, practically stretched across the entire Western Europe. This fact raises several questions for scientists at once. The first and probably the main one is what is the purpose of these structures? It is equally important to understand who dug them and when, with what technologies it was done, and why we do not find a single mention of such a grandiose project in any European chronicle, fairy tale or legend?
Some studies in recent years have only added questions that remain unanswered. Meanwhile, the scale of the ancient system of underground communications is impressive. In Bavaria alone, more than 700 such tunnels were discovered, in Austria - about 500 passages, which are called “goblin holes” here. Some of them were known in the Middle Ages and were considered "gates to hell" by churchmen. The total length of underground tunnels is thousands of kilometers. Recently, the German archaeologist Heinrich Kusch released a book called Secrets of the Underground Door to the Ancient World, which immediately became a bestseller. In this book, Dr. Kusch outlines the conclusions he came to as a result of many years of studying ancient tunnels in Germany and Austria. According to the archaeologist, the underground passages are much older than it was commonly thought. The oldest of them can be up to 12 thousand years old. In other words, the structures were built in the Stone Age! The question remains - who and, most importantly, why needed such a gigantic network of underground passages?

The dungeons are vaulted tunnels about 70 cm in diameter, obviously of man-made origin. There are also wider places where, according to some researchers, the underground parking of ancient people could be located. There is a hypothesis that in these passages the ancient ancestors of Europeans hid from enemies, predators and natural disasters. The hypothesis is rather controversial, since it does not explain either the huge length of some structures, or the diameter of passages that is too small for an adult. In addition, such passages could hardly reliably protect people from the listed troubles, and low and narrow tunnels, where a person would have to crawl and squat, would hardly allow anyone to escape. Involuntarily, folk tales about dwarfs, gnomes, goblins and other small people who inhabited the caves and dungeons of Western European folklore come to mind.
Heinrich Kusch believes that the network of dungeons in antiquity was much more grandiose, but was gradually destroyed by time and people. Wall reliefs and inscriptions found in some places testify that in later times the catacombs were indeed used for the performance of forbidden pagan cults, sectarians and other outcasts of the then society gathered there. However, it is quite obvious that these tunnels were not created by them, but by someone who lived much earlier. A more thorough study and dating of European dungeons is yet to be done by scientists.

Archaeologists have discovered thousands of Stone Age underground tunnels that stretch across Europe from Scotland to Turkey, baffling scientists with the mystery of their original purpose.

German archaeologist Dr. Heinrich Kusch, in his book Secrets of the Underground Doors to the Ancient World, says that tunnels were dug under literally hundreds of Neolithic settlements across Europe, and the fact that so many tunnels survived 12,000 years shows that the original network was incredibly large.

“In German Bavaria alone, we discovered 700 meters of these underground tunnels. We found 350 in Austrian Styria,” he says. “There were thousands of these tunnels all over Europe, from the north of Scotland all the way to the Mediterranean.”

The tunnels are comparatively narrow, about 70 centimeters wide, which is just enough for a person to get through. In some places there are small rooms, storage cells and seating areas.

The Stone Age was the first in a three-stage archaeological system that divides human prehistory into three periods: the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age. The transition from the Stone Age took place between 6000 and 2500 BC for most of humanity living in North Africa and Eurasia. And while many believe that Stone Age people were primitive, incredible finds like the 12,000-year-old Gobekli Tepe temple in Turkey, the pyramids of Egypt, and other structures such as Stonehenge demonstrate the amazing astronomical knowledge of people of that time, and say that they, apparently, were not so primitive.

The discovery of a vast network of underground tunnels suggests that Stone Age people spent their days, apparently, not only hunting and gathering. However, the true purpose of these tunnels is still a complete mystery. Some researchers believe that their task was to protect people from predators, while others believe that their goal was to provide an opportunity safe travel, protected from the influence of weather disasters, and even wars and violence. At the moment, scientists can only guess about their purpose, since the tunnels have not yet revealed all their secrets.