Non-professional enthusiasts play a key role in nearly every scientific field. But in the realm of archaeology, such casusal-to-obsessed hobby explorers shine. They have made some extraordinary contributions to history, mostly on their own dime and time. Their efforts enrich history, break records, bring new knowledge and on occasion even prove that a myth was real.10Jain Temple18julark01-jain_19_2937719fWhile searching for historical goodies, an Indian schoolteacher came across an old building in a forest. Mr. Rajaguru, an avid follower of archaeology, realized that it was an ancient temple. Once it must have meant something to somebody but when it was found the place was a looted ruin. However, there were still enough wonders to wow any amateur seeker’s heart. It consists of three complex parts: a sanctum sanctorum, mandapam and a flag post. It’s likely age hinges on the sculptures and a stone-carved mural. They are very similar—especially the wall image—to known 9th century Indian art. Located at the tributary of Pambaru, the Jain temple is richly decorated with images of sea life such as fish and crab, possibly in honor of a fishing community. Standing a short distance outside the ruins are pillars depicting two people in the act of worship. 9The Ballarat Nugget126439-cordell-kentA novice prospector searching the Ballarat region in Australia, found a record-breaking nugget while sweeping the area. Gold has been found in the same vicinity before but nothing matches the size of this monster. The lucky man (who refused to share his identity) took the bling to be evaluated at the Ballarat Mining Exchange Gold Shop. The staff couldn’t believe the size before their eyes. Intact, the 12 pounds (5.5 kilograms) rock was estimated to be worth more than $300,000 but considerably less if melted down. It’s worth lies not in how many pieces of gold jewelry can be forged from the metal but as a complete mineral specimen. It’s size and shape is significantly rare. The previous record from the Ballarat area was a nugget that weighed 8 pounds (3.66 kg). 8Priceless Roman-Era ArtifactsromantrasureWhen Ran Feinstein and Ofer Raanan investigated a shipwreck off the coast of Israel, they found a sculpture on the seabed. They initially didn’t think much of it and continued to explore the vessel which had sunk near the ancient port of Caesarea. While they continued to find more sculptures, the pair didn’t yet know it but they had come across a slice of submerged Roman history. The biggest haul in thirty years included lamps and jars, bronze statues, animal effigies and anchors. Coins numbering in their thousands revealed the printed faces of Roman emperors Constantine and Licinius. The priceless items date back to different eras; some belong to the fourth century AD and others were forged in the first and second centuries. Experts believe that a storm had threatened the ship 1,700 years ago and sunk it despite her crew’s best effort to anchor the vessel. 7Kicking Dinosaur Embryosdinosaur-embryo-illo-1Amateur archaeologist Timothy Huang, a trained chemist, came across something science-changing in Yunnan Province, China. The dinosaur nests contained 200-plus embryonic bones in different stages of development. To follow the growth stages of a species whilst still inside the egg, Lufengosaurus in this case, is something that’s never been possible before. Scientist focused on the tiny femurs and learned two fascinating facts. The thigh bones were very porous inside. Such cavities allow blood to reach growing tissue and the bigger they are, the faster the indicated growth rate. These creatures grew faster than any other mammal or bird embryo today. Secondly, the femurs showed some thickening of the bone – the result of muscles being used. This means that the baby dinosaurs were not only rapid growers but they also actively kicked while still inside their shells. The eggs were laid between 199.6 million and 175.6 million years ago, making them the oldest embryos ever discovered. 6Slave TunnelstunnelIn Italy, the Roman Emperor Hadrian’s villa yielded a surprise—a massive subterranean network of tunnels. Most of it was already known from ancient architectural plans but researchers suspected that the underground had more to offer. They enlisted the help of amateur archaeologists who specialized in rappelling down into the earth. Eventually, the team dug open the first of several unmarked passageways and the mystery began. The charted tunnels most likely helped thousands of servants, slaves and merchants to keep the villa running smoothly without swarming the place. But the purpose of the new section remains unknown. It’s definitely more secretive. First not being recorded and then actually leading away from the estate to an underground roadway. Hadrian, who ruled from A.D. 117 to A.D. 138, might have used them for clandestine meetings or perhaps to be alone. 5The Sini CrenesvestaAn amateur archaeologist and professional hairdresser found a unique way to blend her two professions. Janet Stephens recreated the oldest Roman hairstyle and not just any old ponytail. Her diligent detective work revealed the sini crenes, the braided hairstyle of the Vestal Virgins. They were the six most important women in Rome and their trademark tresses symbolized chastity. In time their complex hairdressing became lost knowledge. Only two busts of Vestal Virgins exist with enough detail and Stephens investigated each braid-line to see where they began on the scalp. Slowly, the sacred weaving unraveled. Waist-length hair would be parted in sections, each of those producing six braids. Hairline hair (twisted around a cord) was fastened at the nape of the neck. In pairs, the braids were tied at the back in half square knots, their ends folded towards the face and fastened to a cornrow that ran past each ear. A seventh braid, made from leftover locks, was then coiled underneath the knotted plaits. 4Lindisfarne MonasteryfrithOne of the earliest monasteries built in England left no clue as to where it once might have stood. The only known facts stated that it was erected in 635 AD and most likely in the vicinity of a later-era medieval priory. Despite the fact that the priory’s remains were known and visible in Lindisfarne, the actual monastery remained elusive. In a crowd-funded effort, a search was organized nearby and one of the civilians who assisted at the dig made a momentous find. A rare grave marker from the 7th to 8th century linked the excavation site to the sought-after ruins. It belonged to the period the archaeologists were looking for and the name on the stone ended with “frith”, something that was common to Anglo-Saxons, the community believed to have lived there at the time. 3Largest Denmark Treasureviking-gold-discoveryWhen amateur archaeologists found seven bracelets in a field, the event was remarkable for Denmark. Six were gold (the remaining one was silver) dating back to 900. The precious yellow metal had a total weight of 900 grams (1.98 pounds), making it the largest Viking gold cache discovered in Denmark. Gold from that era is scarce, unlike Viking silver. Finding one such bangle is something but six together is unprecedented. The first was found within ten minutes and the archaeologists were shocked when they soon unearthed more. The bracelets could have been made for an elite person since two resembled the “Jelling” style—an upper class design. How they ended up in the field is unknown but perhaps they were part of a ritual burial or a treasure hideout. Years before, in 1911, the same field yielded a 67-gram gold chain, most likely part of the same jewelry collection.2Reichbank GoldNazi-gold_01cWorld War II era coins with a value of $65,000 was found buried under a tree. Their likely origin was Germany’s central bank because two swastika-bearing seals with the words “Reichsbank Berlin 224” were found with the gold. The coins were a mix of French, Belgian, Italian and Austrio-Hungarian currency from 1831 to 1910. Experts believe the money, most likely part of the bank’s gold reserves, was stolen by an insider or someone who got his hands on the hoard while it was being transported. Either way, it appears that the bounty was buried near the end of the war. It laid hidden under the hollow tree, which itself is only about fifty years old, until it was found by an amateur archaeologist a few years ago near Lueneburg, northern Germany. 1IthacaKanakia_Salamis_0170A self-styled British archaeologist believes he’s found Ithaca, the island home of legendary hero Odysseus of Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey. Robert Bittlestone used field trips and satellite images to search for the site in Cephalonia, western Greece. In the poem Odysseus returns home to an island, which is described by Homer. Bittlestone claims to have matched the poem’s geological description to a modern-day Cephalonia peninsula known as Paliki. While a peninsula is not an island, Bittlestone suggests it once was, and that earthquakes filled up the channel that had kept Ithaca separated from Cephalonia. He identified 26 Odyssey locations in northern Paliki just to drive the point home. If he sounds like a lone nut, he’s not. Bittlestone is backed by some serious supporters, including a Cambridge University professor and a geologist from Edinburgh University. +Further ReadingarchArchaeology is a fascinating topic that we have covered time and again on Listverse. Here are some other lists you will probably enjoy:10 Intriguing And Mysterious Archaeological Sites Top 10 Incredible Archaeological Discoveries 10 Weird and Grotesque Archaeological Finds 10 Archaeological Mysteries That Have Been Solved 10 Archaeological Discoveries Found In Strange Places

Ahmad Alomda January 28, 2017

Crime is so old that it’s a struggle to track down the first instance of any offense. But the search for such milestones is certainly informative. Somehow, the Romans seem more human when you know that they weren’t strangers to mooning.

10First Aircraft Hijacking

Photo credit: Bloomington Evening Post

It is nearly always claimed that the first plane hijacking of an aircraft occurred in 1931, when armed revolutionaries in Peru surrounded a plane that had just landed in Arequipa. To call this a hijacking is a bit of a stretch, however. The pilot, Byron Richards, refused the hijackers’ orders to take off with them onboard. After a two-week standoff, he was told that the revolution had been successful and that he was free to leave.

The first fatal aircraft hijacking on record took place in the United States on October 27, 1939. Earnest Pletch, who was receiving flying lessons from an instructor named Carl Bivens, dreamed of flying solo—so much so that he pulled a revolver from his pocket mid-flight, and shot his instructor in the back of the head. He then landed the plane, dumped Bivens’s body, and flew homeward.

Pletch had long been alienated from his family, and he later stated that he had planned to fly the plane into the side of his father’s barn. He never went through with this, however, and upon landing, he was promptly arrested and jailed for murder.

9First War Crime

Photo credit: Christian Meyer

The first record of a prehistoric battle dates from around 13,000 years ago. The site in northern Sudan, known as Cemetery 117, is also one of humanity’s earliest formal graveyards. Of the 61 skeletons unearthed there, 45 percent show evidence of inflicted wounds—making this “the earliest evidence for inter-communal violence in the archaeological record.”

It is not until 5,000 BC that we find evidence of needless damage inflicted upon human casualties. At least 26 skeletons found in a pit at Schoneck-Kilianstadten were killed with arrows or blunt weapons. Significantly, these skeletons also show signs of mutilation (most notably, the systematic breaking of lower limbs). The absence of younger women in the grave suggests that the victims were captured during warfare and transported before being killed, which means that the mutilation may have occurred before death.

8First Arson

Photo credit: Philips Galle

The enormous Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, built by King Croesus, was considered to be one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. But in 356 BC, it was burned to the ground by a man named Herostratus.

The motive? Herostratus simply wanted his name to go down in the history books. In response, the Ephesian authorities promptly executed him and suppressed all mention of his name, under penalty of death. Despite this, a book by Theopompus secured Herostratus’s place in history as the first recorded arsonist.

7First Mooning

Photo credit: William Whiston

Though mooning (the act of baring one’s buttocks) did not become common until the Middle Ages, the earliest recorded case dates from Roman times. According to the Roman historian Josephus, a Roman soldier mooned a passing group of Jews who were celebrating Passover. It was not so much the mooning itself but the act that accompanied it that caused offense. As Josephus delicately puts it: “One of the soldiers, lifting up the back of his garments . . . With his bottom to them crouched in a shameless way and released at them a foul-smelling sound.”

The result was a riot that caused the deaths of more than 30,000 people—so besides being the earliest, this was perhaps the most lethal mooning in history.

6First Kidnapping

Photo credit: Pietro da Cortona

At some point in the 10th century, Vikings kidnapped a Native American woman and brought her to Iceland—an American set foot on Europe around 500 years before Columbus did the opposite. We also know, thanks to the Code of Hammurabi, that slavery existed as early as 1750 BC in Mesopotamia. The code tells us that anyone who tried to rescue or steal another person’s slave would be punished by death. This system of slavery almost certainly involved kidnapping, but no specific accounts survive.

The earliest specific case of a kidnapping was the famous Abduction of the Sabine Women in 750 BC. Supposedly, in the days when Rome was still a village, there was a distressing shortage of women. This did not bode well for the future of the settlement, so the Romans invited the entire population of the neighboring Sabines to a festival, snatched up the virgins among them, and forced them into marriage. Naturally, this sparked a regional war, which the Romans won—putting them on track to become Europe’s most powerful empire.

5First Torture

Photo credit: HoremWeb/Wikimedia

The earliest reports of torture come from Egypt, where whipping was used as a means of interrogation. Torture as a form of punishment was also rife: Anyone who committed parricide, the most taboo crime, was rolled naked through thorns and then burned alive. The practice of torture continued in Ancient Greece and Rome. (Interestingly, a Roman slave’s testimony was only valid in court if extracted by torture—slaves were unreliable unless in great pain.)

The Mosaic Code (written around 1,000 BC) lists a range of tortures familiar to us today. This code first introduced the idea of punishing adultery with stoning. And in Machabees 13:5–6, we find one of the earliest descriptions of the torture of a specific person. A high priest named Menelaus, who had offended the Syrian king, was thrown into a large tower filled with ashes and left to slowly suffocate to death.

4First Homicide

Photo credit: John Hawks

The first known homicide occurred a whopping 430,000 years ago in northern Spain, when a pre-modern human (probably either H. Heidelbergensis or H. Neanderthalensis) was hit in the head twice with a blunt instrument.

The shattered skull was found among other bone fragments in a limestone cave known as Sima de los Huesos, or “the pit of bones,” deep in the Atapuerca Mountains. Only after piecing together the skull fragments did scientists realize that they had stumbled upon the world’s oldest cold case. The nature of the damage suggests that the victim died of his or her injuries, which may have been caused by a wooden spear or stone axe.

3First Suicide

Photo credit: Keith Schengili-Roberts

One of the earliest reported cases of suicide was that of Empedocles, an Ancient Greek philosopher born around 492 BC. Legend has it that he jumped into the crater of Mount Etna, hoping people would think he had become a god. The effect was spoiled when one of his trademark bronze sandals was ejected by the volcano and discovered.

Around 1,500 years before Empedocles’s dalliance with volcanos, a man in Egypt penned what is now considered to be the oldest surviving suicide note. Known as The Debate Between a Man and His Soul, the note explores the man’s reasons for being tired of life. “Behold, my name is detested,” writes the author, “more than the smell of vultures on a summer’s day when the sky is hot . . . To whom can I speak today? Men’s faces are averted.”

2First Prostitution

Photo credit: Marie-Lan Nguyen

Herodotus tells us that the Babylonians had a custom whereby all women, no matter how high-born, had to give their bodies to the goddess Mylitta at least once in their lives. They sat inside the temple and were required to sleep with whichever man desired them. All proceeds, of course, went to the goddess rather than the woman.

But it is among the records of the Sumerians, dating from 2400 BC, that we find the earliest instance of prostitution as a profession. Priestesses of the goddess Ishtar would give their bodies to men who donated to her temples. Far from being criminals, these priestesses were treated as something like holy sex therapists, enabling their clientele to enjoy the powers of Ishtar directly.

1First Genocide

Photo credit: Piotr Haczek

Many of us are already familiar with the genocide that probably wiped out the Neanderthals. A 2009 study of the remains of a Neanderthal man, killed by a spear thrown at him at a time when only humans threw spears, added to a mounting body of evidence that Neanderthals met their end at the hands of Homo sapiens.

The earliest recorded case of state-backed genocide, however, is themassacre of the inhabitants of Melos by the Athenians during the Peloponnesian War. When the Melians refused to surrender, the Athenians put all the men to death and sold the women and children as slaves. As for the justification, no one sums it up better than the Athenians themselves: “The strong do what they want, and the weak suffer what they must.”

+Further Reading

The history of crime and detection is a fascinating subject; that’s why Listverse has published many great lists covering those topics in the past. Here are a few you might like: