Beyond Fiction: 8 Amazing Discoveries in Unexpected Corners
We've all made some unexpected discoveries before. You may have found $20 in a coat pocket you didn't use, or you found a surprising family legacy in the basement of your home while cleaning. Just like my findings, the discoveries on this list came by surprise. They range from the odd to the priceless, and include everything in between.
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- In 2015, archaeologists using ground-penetrating radar discovered a hidden underground pyramid in Tiahuanaco, Bolivia, further unveiling the historical wonders of the ancient city.
- A lost 16th-century Portuguese ship loaded with gold and copper was miraculously uncovered in the Namibian desert by diamond miners in 200
- A rare Qing Dynasty vase found in a Paris attic stunned experts by selling for $19 million at Sotheby’s, far surpassing its expected value.
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- In 2006, two brothers uncovered a hidden Norman Rockwell painting worth $1
- 4 million behind a wall in their late father's Vermont home.
- The priceless Antikythera mechanism, an ancient Greek astronomical calculator, was recovered from a 2,000-year-old shipwreck off a Greek island in 190
- Researchers in China were shocked in 1990 to find that a seemingly ordinary Buddha statue contained the mummified remains of a monk.
- Roman and Ottoman coins discovered in a Japanese castle in 2016 have puzzled archaeologists due to the lack of known historical connection.
Many of these discoveries are material for documentaries and Netflix movies. While some of these results were the result of pure luck, others were the result of hard work and determination. We hope this list will inspire you to keep your eyes open and indulge in your curiosity. Who knows? Maybe you'll find something amazing too.
1. Find an underground pyramid in Bolivia
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Location: Tiahuanaco, Bolivia
Year of discovery: 2015
Estimated value: unknown
Bolivia's Tiahuanaco region and its historical monuments have led to a good number of discoveries, and excavations have continued for years by private companies and the government. In 2015, one of the most shocking discoveries in Tiahuanaco was the presence of an underground pyramid. Archaeologists discovered it using ground-penetrating radar.
They also found monolithic blocks inside the pyramid. Excavations in this underground pyramid are still ongoing. Tiahuanaco was once home to the most important city in ancient South America. Spanning 231,000 square miles, the city has made discoveries from this monumental historic site including stone edifices, palace ruins, sculptures, and more. Since 2000, Tiahuanaco has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
2. Long lost ship found in Namibian desert - with gold on board
Location: Orangimond, Namibia
Year of discovery: 2008
Estimated: $13 million
When you consider where you'll find a ship, the Namibian desert is probably the last on your list. But, believe it or not, this is where the remains of the Boom of Jesus were found. This Portuguese ship disappeared five hundred years ago when it sank off the coast of Namibia. As the coastal waters receded, the Boom of Jesus reappeared.
When she sank into a severe storm, she was on her way to India loaded with treasures such as gold and copper bars. Diamond miners discovered the ship and informed the Namibian government, which sent a team to dig up the wreckage. Two thousand coins of pure gold and tens of thousands of pounds of copper ingots were discovered in the Boom of Jesus, almost all intact.
3. Discover a unique Qing Dynasty vase in the attic
Location: Paris, France
Discovery Year: 2018
Estimated: $19 million
When homeowners in France were sorting out what was in their attics, they saw a beautiful decorated porcelain vase. The vase remained unnoticed for years, but when the couple saw it, they took it to Paris to evaluate it at Sotheby's.
Sotheby's discovered that the vase was an original work of art from the Qing Dynasty, and estimated its price range from $590,000 to $825,000. But this hidden treasure will continue to sell for a much larger amount than its value, as the auctioneer acquired it for a winning bid of $19 million. This piece must be truly unique to bring this price.
4. Two brothers find $15 million painting in the wall
Location: Arlington, Vermont
Year of discovery: 2006
Estimated: $15.4 million
Two brothers were walking around their father's house during a post-mortem excavation when they discovered something surprising hidden inside the walls. It was an original painting by Norman Rockwell. But this Rockwell painting matches the one hanging on the wall just a few inches away.
As it turned out, the brothers' father was hiding the precious original from his ex-wife during the divorce. He hid the real Rockwell painting in the wall, putting a disguised fake painting in its place. She stayed there for years until the father died. Later, at Sotheby's, the painting, titled "Breaking Domestic Relationships," sold for $15.4 million.
5. Shocking discovery from a 2,000-year-old shipwreck: the mechanism of Antikythera
Location: Antikythera, Greece
Discovery Year: 1900
Estimated value: Priceless
The Antikythera is an ancient astronomical calculator that is two thousand years old, consisting of thirty fine bronze pins made by hand. The advanced tool was made by ancient Greeks, and it took years for scientists to unravel the mystery behind the device, which Mike Edmonds of Cardiff University described as more expensive than the Mona Lisa.
The machine was discovered in 1900 by sponge divers who were searching the wreck of an ancient ship near Antikythera, a small Greek island. Using radiocarbon data, scientists were able to date this clock to 65 BC. When it comes to its overall value, its historical nature makes it almost priceless. Who can put a number to discover how ancient civilizations read the sky?
6. Secret mummy found in statue
Location: China
Year of discovery: 1990
Estimated: $80,000*
The thousand-year-old Buddha statue was valuable enough in itself, but what was hiding inside shocked researchers in 1990. These historians were testing the Buddha statue, which they wanted to restore to its former glittering glory. And the tests will tell them the best way to do the restoration.
When X-rays were performed to determine the material from which the statue was made, scientists were surprised to find a human skeleton. The statue was not a statue at all, but a sarcophagus of a mummy. As a result, scientists decided to leave the burial place as his intended final resting place.
7. Ancient Roman coins found in the ruins of a Japanese castle
Location: Japan
Year of discovery: 2016
Estimated value: $10,000 - $100,000*
Katsurin Castle, an ancient imperial building in Okinawa, Japan, was the site of a very strange discovery: ancient Ottoman and Roman coins. Ten of these ancient coins were found in Japan's southern prefecture, and it was the researcher from Ganoji, Toshio Tsukamoto, who discovered the coins in the ruins.
Although mining in Castorín began in 2013, coins were not discovered until 2016. Other artifacts found included Chinese ceramics and coins, obtained through trade with China. As for Roman and Ottoman coins, archaeologists are confused about how it ended up at Casturin Castle in southern Japan.
8. Video Games Atari " E. T discovered at landfill in New Mexico
Location: Alamogordo, New Mexico
Discovery Year: 2014
Estimated value: $5 - $10 million*
This story is shocking and has a lot of twists and turns. In the fall of 1983, video game maker Atari realized that E. Ti. This extraterrestrial Vedic game was a major failure. So, Atari decided to do something about her excess stock, secretly burying a lot of inventory at the Alamogordo landfill, New Mexico.
The "Atari Dump" landfill became the stuff of urban mythology, as no one believed that E. Ti. (E.T.) It was a game that failed. This lasted until 2014, when exploratory excavations in Alamogordo revealed that the Atari landfill was real throughout. Atari's game was so hated that burying millions of copies in the New Mexico desert was the best alternative to trying to sell it.
