Friday, 19 February 2016

The Monks Mound



Well, Monks Mound is the largest Pre-Columbian earthwork in the Americas and the largest pyramid north of Mesoamerica. In 1988, Monks Mound size was about 100 feet height, 955 feet long. The Mound is located at the Cahokia Mounds UNESCO World Heritage Site near Collinsville, Illinois. The Monks Mound base circumference is larger than the Pyramid of Sun at Teotihuacan and roughly same size of Great Pyramid of Giza 13.1 acres. However, Egyptian Pyramids built with stones in contrast of platform mound was constructed entirely layers of basket transported soil and clay. Due to flattened top, the rainwater accumulated within the structure result in slumping, the avalanche-like sliding of large sections of the sides at the highest part of the mound. 

The recent excavations have exposed, the slumping problem, though the mound was being made. These days, researcher are stunned how native engineers built Monk’s Mound, and their findings concludes, that the massive earthwork may have been built surprisingly fast, may be in just a fraction of the time that archaeologists once thought. Monks Mound is an extremely complex bit of earthen architecture; with certainly in tune with their materials. 

The original concept was much smaller mound; however several types of earth and clay from different sources had been used successively. Construction of Monks suggests that the stability of the mound was improved by the incorporation of bulwarks, some made of clay, others flood-plain, which allowed steeper slopes than the use of earth alone. Moreover, the structure rises in four terraces containing 22 million cubic feet of adobe, carried basket to the site. So, in brief, it took a lot of smarts to build Monks Mound and have it last for as long as it has.

Thursday, 11 February 2016

Amazing Colored Canyon of Egypt



The Colored Canyon is a narrow slot canyon located near the town of Nuweiba, on Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. Therefore, it’s named derived because of its astonishing spectrum of colors and banding. The millions of years water erosion result in shaped these amazing canyons. The canyon submerged under the ocean and more than 800 meters long and flanked by 40 meters high wall. 

Nevertheless, the natural sandstone walls are colored with a range of hues from dark brown to red to straw yellow, which appears due to the presence of magnesium and iron oxides. The colorful canyon is little more than a meter wide at some parts, and every so often blocked by fallen boulders that peoples have to climb over in order to proceed. The canyon is easy to reach and its short length makes it impeccable for hiking.

The canyon offers instant colorful and intriguing rock formations in all of Sinai. Therefore, in some places the deep coloration of rocks gives the canyon walls a prismatic and metallic sheen; in others, the stone is so smooth that it appears soft and pillowy. The canyon mouth is accessible by car, giving the channel a close and secretive atmosphere. The canyon is most commonly compared to the Jordanian city of Petra, although here the spectacle is totally natural.

Tuesday, 9 February 2016

Lake Anjikuni, The Mysterious Vanishing Village



Lake Anjikuni is incredible phenomena when entire village vanishes and nowhere to be found. Lake Anjikuni is a lake in Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is one of several lakes located along the Kazan River; Ennadai Lake is to the south and Yathkyed Lake is to the north.The Lake Anjikuni takes the things to the next level and disappears the entire village. The incident took place in Nov 1930, when a trapper named Joe Labelle was looking for shelter for night. Although he was very much familiar with the village, whose population was around 2000 peoples? So, you might not believe it, he made his way there and found quite an eerie scene the villagers were nowhere to be found, everything else, including food and rifles had been left behind. Since then, the story of Angikuni Lake has been a mainstay of Canadian mystery lore.

The normal signs of life were entirely absent. Even no laughter or the hubbub of conversation was detected. Therefore, Labelle telegraphed the RCMP and an investigation started how the entire village burial ground it was revealed that at least one (sources vary) grave had been opened, clearly not by animals, and emptied. In addition, about 300 feet from the village, the seven bodies 7 sled dogs were found, having starved to death despite open stores of food at the village. However, some versions of the story even report weird lights being seen above the lake around the time of the disappearance.

Therefore, what would really happen? Not confirmed yet, however there have been all sorts of claims about the cause for the disappearance, including aliens, ghosts, and even vampires. However, RCMP’s own website disregards the story as an urban legend, but with so various versions of it floating around from so numbers of years ago, it’s extremely hard to be certain. Except about the vampires, as believe can be certain it wasn’t vampires. Currently, no physical evidence exists of a village at Angikuni Lake, and nobody has ever published an account of going up there and clearing away any remnants. So mainly trust on documentary evidence to find the real history of the vanishing village.

Sunday, 7 February 2016

Grotte de Lascaux: The Famous Prehistoric Cave Printing



Lascaux is the setting of a complex of caves is the France most famous for its Paleolithic cave paintings.  The cave contains some of best known Upper Paleolithic art. These paintings are believed to be 18000 years old. The paintings primarily comprises of large images of animals. It is thought, these are best known fossil evidence to have lived in this area at that time. Therefore, in 1979 the cave was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list along with other prehistoric sites in the Vézère valley. The figures, which can be grouped into three main categories: animals, human figures, and abstract signs. Lascaux cave has often been referred to well-known for their artistry, more than 2000-strong menagerie of animal images are depicted in Technicolor shades of red, black, yellow and brown, ranging from reindeer, aurochs, mammoths and horses to a monumental 5.5m-long bull, the largest single cave drawing ever found. 

The cave was totally sealed and protected for ages; until 1940 it was discovered by four teenaged boys out searching for their lost dog. It comprises a massive network of chambers well decorated with the most complex prehistoric paintings ever found. In 1948, the original cave was opened for visitors, but within 15 years it became apparent that human breath, temperature changes and introduced elements were causing irrevocable damage, and the cave was closed in 1963. Carbon dating has shown that the paintings are still a mystery why the prehistoric painters consumed so much time and efforts to their creation, and why this specific site seems to have been so significant. Moreover, the most famous section of the cave is “The Great Hall of the Bulls” where bulls, equines, and stags are depicted.