(ORDO NEWS) — As you know, history is an inexact science. There are no definitive answers to many of her questions. Despite the efforts of archaeologists and other specialists, many historical mysteries may forever remain unsolved. We have collected some famous puzzles of history that the best minds are still struggling with.
1- Did King Arthur exist?
One of the questions that remains unresolved is whether King Arthur, the legendary ruler of the Britons of the 5th-6th centuries and the leader of the Knights of the Round Table, actually existed. Many researchers believe that Arthur, who traditionally appears in old chivalric romances, is actually just a myth.
According to scientists, this king did not exist as a separate person, and the name of Arthur was attributed to one of the medieval European leaders.
The main merit, allegedly belonging to Arthur, is considered a military victory over the Saxons who captured Britain.
A hostile tribe arrived on the island from the mainland and began to conquer the Celtic lands, but in the 6th century the advance of the Saxons to the west stopped. A number of researchers believe that this was due precisely to the military successes of Arthur.
Another argument in favor of the existence of this king is the so-called tomb of Arthur. In 1191, during the repair of the abbey in one of the oldest cities in England, Glastonbury, a burial place of a man and a woman was discovered, on which the name of the ruler Arthur was allegedly carved.
It was assumed that this was the burial place of the legendary king and his wife. A pilgrimage to the grave began, however, during the dispersal of the monastery in 1539, the buildings were destroyed, and the grave was also not preserved.
Another real place associated with Arthur is Tintagel Castle, where the legendary ruler allegedly lived. There are now ruins at the site of Tintagel. Archaeologists have found a stone there with an inscription, which, experts believe, mentions the name of Arthur.
It is believed that some letters have not been preserved and the full version of the phrase sounds like this: “Artugnu erected this stone in memory of his forefather Kolya.” King Kol is another semi-mythical ruler of Britain during the Early Middle Ages.
2- Where is the tomb of Genghis Khan
The founder of the Mongol Empire, Genghis Khan, died in 1227. According to one version, the cause of death was a fall from a horse, after which the ruler was ill for a long time. Genghis Khan died during the siege of Zhongxing, the capital of the Tangut kingdom, and his body was taken to Mongolia.
The burial place of the great conqueror has not yet been established. In the autonomous region of Inner Mongolia in northern China, there is the Mausoleum of Genghis Khan, but this is not a real burial place, but only a cenotaph – a monument of symbolic significance.
According to some historians, the ruler was buried near the place of his birth, near the Onon River, which flows through the territory of modern Mongolia and the Trans-Baikal.
According to some legends, a river bed was laid over the grave to hide the burial place. According to other myths, herds of horses were driven out at the burial place and trees were planted there.
According to another version, upon arrival in Mongolia, the coffin of Genghis Khan was already empty. Another chronicler claimed that the conqueror was buried on Burkhan-Khaldun, a sacred mountain that appears in Mongolian myths, etc.
There are rumors about the existence of some keys to the tomb of Genghis Khan, which allegedly allow you to find the burial place, as well as the curse of the tomb, which killed two French archaeologists.
3- Who is the Man in the Iron Mask
The legendary Man in the Iron Mask, known to Russian readers from the novel by Alexandre Dumas “The Vicomte de Bragelon, or Ten Years Later”, actually existed, but who he was is not known for certain.
According to the plot of Dumas’s book, the twin brother of Louis XIV was hiding under the mask. Initially, such a version was put forward in 1771 by the writer and philosopher Voltaire in one of his writings.
According to Voltaire, the prisoner wore an iron mask, although the more common version is that his face was covered with velvet.
In general, it is known that in several French prisons, including the Bastille, there was a prisoner under the number 64489001, who was arrested in 1669 or 1670. The masked man died in captivity in 1703 and was buried under the name Marchioly.
According to one version, Eustache Dauger, a participant in several political scandals of the late 17th century, was hidden under the mask, but this explanation is considered unconvincing.
Historian Hugh Ross Williamson believed that the Masked Man was not a brother, but the real father of Louis XIV (it is believed that the Sun King was not actually the son of Louis XIII, who did not communicate with his wife Anne of Austria for 14 years).
4- Is there a holy grail
Another question that remains unanswered is whether the Holy Grail ever existed, and if so, where it could (could) be located.
In medieval French legends, the word Grail refers to the cup from which Christ drank wine at the Last Supper and into which the blood that poured from the wounds of the Savior when he was tormented on the cross was collected. The knights of the Round Table unsuccessfully searched for this relic.
According to legend, the Grail, along with the spear that pierced the body of Christ, was brought to Britain by Joseph of Arimathea, a Jewish elder, in whose tomb the Savior was buried. It is believed that those who drink from this cup receive eternal life and the forgiveness of sins.
There are a variety of versions as to where the Grail is located. According to one of them, the relic must be sought in Turin.
In front of the temple of the Great Mother of God in this city there are two sculptures – Religion and Faith, and the second of them holds a bowl in his left hand. Turin guidebooks claim that the gaze of the statue indicates the direction in which to search for the Grail.
There is also an opinion that the Holy Grail is nothing more than the Antiochian chalice, a silver bowl found in 1910 on the territory of modern Turkey.
Medieval novels say that the Grail is not a cup at all, but a stone or some other precious relic.
5- Where is the gold of the Third Reich hidden?
For many years, researchers have been trying to find the treasures of the Third Reich, which the Nazis looted during their invasion of other countries. We are talking about gold, valuable paintings and jewelry.
In 2019, the diary of fascist officer Egon Ollenhauer was published in Germany, which claims that all these valuables are hidden in Poland.
On its territory, there are allegedly 11 caches with trucks filled with treasures. Thus, the Nazis tried to hide the loot from the Soviet troops.
The diary, in particular, said that one of the caches was located at the bottom of the pond, another was in the well, and the third was in a secret room in the palace. Searches for these indications were launched in the same year.
Earlier, in 2016, Polish scientists and treasure hunters tried to discover the so-called “golden train”, which left Breslau (now Wroclaw) for Walzbich at the end of World War II, but mysteriously disappeared along the way. It is believed that precious metals were in the 150-meter train.
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