Forget what you learned in the history books. More often than not they only tell one side of a story filled with nuance. The rare discoveries that have been collected here show a side of history that we rarely get to see. They peel back the layers of stories that we think we know to expose little known facts that make history all the more fascinating. If you are ready to see a different side to history than you already know, then click ahead...the truth awaits!
A CT scan of a 1,000 year old Buddha statue reveals the remains of a mummified monk
In 2015, researchers in the Netherlands performing a CT scan on a statue of a sitting Buddha found the last thing they were expecting once they got a look inside. The statue contained a monk that had been mummified for 1,000 years. Rather than simply placing the monk inside the statue, researchers discovered that the monk was filled with scraps of paper covered in Chinese characters. In order to mummify oneself a monk would take on a special diet of poisonous tea in order to ensure that the body would be too toxic to be consumed by maggots. It’s rare that a monk could accomplish such a feat, but the few who pulled it off were revered within the community.
This 2,000 year-old green serpentine stone mask found at the base of the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacán, Mexico
This mysterious green mask was discovered at the base of a pyramid in Mexico in 2011, but it wasn’t the only artifact that the archaeologists found. The bounty was discovered at the Teotihuacan Pyramid of the Sun and it’s believed that it was placed in the ground as an offering to the gods 2,000 years ago. Along with the mask archaeologists found pieces of obsidian and pottery directly next to human figurines made from similar pieces of green stone. Archaeologists know that the mask was placed as a part of a dedication ceremony because it was next to a different offering.
A giant spider crab from Japan, 1904
These giant spider crabs may look like something from a 1050s B-Movie, but they’re very real. These crustaceans live in the ocean around Japan, and they have the longest leg span of any arthropod. Considered a delicacy, the legs of a Japanese spider crab can reach up to 18 feet in length and the crab itself can weigh up to 42 lbs. The reason you don’t see these crabs all the time is because they live in holes within the deeper parts of the ocean, although they can still be caught when the head out to look for food, however the population has decreased due to overfishing.
Holy Roman Emperor Maximillian I wore these armored gloves from 1508 until his death
These beautiful gauntlets worn by Maximilian I of the Holy Roman Emperor are a type of glove worn by soldiers and knights from all over the world throughout the Middle Ages. These metal gloves protected a soldier’s hands and forearms, one of the most vulnerable parts of the body in a hand to hand scenario. There are many forms of gauntlets, and not all of them are as beautiful as these. Some of these “war gloves” were made of leather, others are iron, and some are chain mail. Supposedly these gloves were worn by Maximilian I until his death in 1519. It’s not clear if he ever “threw down the gauntlet" to fight someone else or if he literally wore them all day long.
