Man has always been inclined to reflect reality through symbols and signs. The art of sculpture has been very successful in helping us in this for more than one millennium. And today, researchers and ordinary people continue to solve the riddles of the ancestors in the amazing and mysterious statues and monuments that have survived to this day, but so far this has been possible only with varying success. Your attention is 6 impressive sculptures, whose riddles have not yet been solved.
1. Palace complex of Angkor (Kingdom of Cambodia)
Today Cambodia, frankly, is not the greatest state on the planet or its geographic region. However, a few centuries ago there was a powerful kingdom, from whose former greatness now remains a magnificent palace complex, striking with its buildings and monuments.
For a long time Angkor was hidden by the jungle, and only a little over a century ago it was rediscovered to mankind. At the same time, his research began. However, the vast territory of 3000 square meters is not so easy to explore. The ancient complex includes stone palaces, temples, a square for celebrations, reservoirs, infrastructure and residential buildings.
But some of the most fascinating are the mysterious sculptures in the form of faces. Their exact purpose has not yet been determined. In addition, they look quite ominous as soon as the shadow falls on them during the setting of the Sun.
Other somewhat intimidating sculptures are statues depicting men carrying giant Nagas. They are called devas (gods) and asuras (demons). Their facial expressions are also different: if the devas are royally detached, then the asuras are the embodiment of the dark passions of man.
2. Moai (Easter Island)
Perhaps, only those who are absolutely not interested in the secrets of the planet have not heard about the Moai statues on Easter Island. After all, tens of researchers and simple enthusiasts around the world have been trying to solve the riddles of these sculptures for more than one century.
On the island of Rapa Nui, better known by the name given by Europeans - Easter - there are about nine hundred unusual statues in the form of busts, with a height of three to five meters. But their weight is also striking - on average, their weight is five tons. And this despite the fact that their antiquity has been confirmed by researchers.
It is unclear how hundreds of years ago people could do such a complex and, at the same time, high-quality work. The faces are made quite accurately, and on the tops of some of them are a kind of hats made of red basalt pumice. The material for the statues themselves was volcanic stone.
Despite active study, the statues of Easter Island continue to keep their secrets. At the moment, it is known, for example, how they were installed on the ground: an earthen embankment was thrown, along which sculptures were dragged with ropes, and then basalt caps were installed where they were. Then the embankment was removed.
3. Reptilian statues (Nuku Hiva Island)
On the island of Nuku Hiva, in French Polynesia, there are amazing sculptures that have no analogues on the planet. A real paradise on earth - with a typical tropical climate and stunning beauty of nature - experienced a catastrophic demographic crisis, which was the result of predatory colonization. The number of the local population has decreased tenfold. Perhaps that is why the secrets of the mysterious sculptures of the island have not yet been solved.
The statues are made of stone and date back to the XI-XIV centuries. According to historians and archaeologists, they are the idols worshiped by the ancient Polynesians. But this does not in any way justify their strange appearance.
The sculptures depict strange creatures with bulging eyes and bellies, elongated heads. Of particular interest are the garments of idols - based on the already acquired experience of mankind, some make assumptions that the deities are clothed in spacesuits.
That is why these statues are called reptilians - after the most famous aliens who are supposedly frequent guests on Earth, and also often become the protagonists of various conspiracy theories.
4. Ball "Sfera Con Sfera" (Vatican)
This installation is located in the center of the Pinia Courtyard and is the acquisition of Pope John Paul II in 1990 for his residence. Its author is the Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro.
The sculpture, which is about four meters high, has a double structure of two balls: in the first - the outer ball - the second - the smaller one - is placed. They are united by a complex mechanism for the ability to rotate relative to each other.
Despite the beautiful appearance, both spheres are depicted crumbling, which creates a rather heavy atmosphere around the sculpture. Many of those who viewed and were around Sfera Con Sfera experienced oppressive sensations and anxiety. At the same time, it was not possible to decipher the author's message.
There is a belief associated with the installation: it is capable of fulfilling desires. To do this, you need to get inside the spheres and sincerely wish for something. The authorities, in connection with the emergence of such a tradition among tourists, surrounded the sculpture with chains.
5. Monument to Genghis Khan (Mongolia)
This Mongolian commander, who built a huge empire, is known all over the world, and in our homeland we are especially revered. Accordingly, he has many monuments. However, the one that is located fifty kilometers from the capital of Mongolia stands out especially from all.
The sculpture is a huge monument on a ten-meter pedestal, about forty meters high and depicts the great commander sitting on a horse. The statue is sheathed with metal, and its weight is 250 thousand tons.
So far, there is, in fact, only a field around the impressive monument, but the Mongolian government plans to create a full-fledged tourist complex. At the moment, there is an observation deck located on the head of the monument's horse, a museum and a souvenir shop.
The place of its location is also interesting in the monument. According to legend, it was there, before the campaign against China, that the future Genghis Khan - then Temujin - found a golden whip, which is a symbol of power. Thus, the Mongols combined both a shrine and a tourist attraction in the monument.
6. Tablets of Georgia (USA)
Another monument, which is not only shrouded in secrets and understatements, but is also the subject of conspiracy disputes. After all, practically nothing is known about them, and impressionable people have long nicknamed them "The Ten Commandments of Antichrist."
This unusual sculpture is an imitation of huge sacred tablets, on which there is a text made in the form of commandments. It is titled "The Ten Commandments of the Age of Enlightenment." The height of the monument is about six meters, the mass of six granite blocks is one hundred tons. The text is written in eight languages - English, Spanish, Swahili, Hindi, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese and Russian. In addition, in the upper part of the monument there is another inscription translated into four ancient languages - Akkadian, Ancient Greek, Sanskrit and Ancient Egyptian.
It is the text of the commandments that attracts the most attention. After all, in fact, it is a kind of instruction for building a new world order. And he is also the subject of numerous conspiracy theories, which in their meaning boil down to approximately one thing: a certain secret society through tablets showed other people its vision of the concept of an "ideal world".
Interest is also fueled by a number of other mysteries associated with the monument. Firstly, the owner of the sculpture is unknown, and despite the fact that there is information about the acquisition of a piece of land on which it stands. Secondly, those who conceived the tablets arranged them in a special way - in accordance with the annual cycle of the movement of the Sun across the sky. Moreover, it is known from the inscription that a time capsule was laid simultaneously with the installation of the monument, but there is no information about its location or its contents.
In addition to the topic: 10 buildings from the past, which were considered old at times for the ancient Egyptians and Greeks.