We Still Don’t Know How They Were Made ANCIENT INVENTIONS LOST TO THE AGES
Even as the modern world becomes more technologically advanced, we still haven’t been able to uncover all the secrets of some ancient civilizations. From waterproof fire to unbreakable steel, these carefully guarded inventions were taken to the grave and have never been recreated or rediscovered. Like the civilizations that birthed them, they have been lost in time. GREEK FIRE There’s a reason the Byzantine Empire ruled the land and sea in Eastern Europe for seven centuries. That reason was Greek fire, an incredibly flammable, petroleum-based substance that the Byzantines used to incinerate their enemies. It was unique from other incendiary materials because water purportedly did not put out the fire. Some even reported
that water helped it spread. Its composition was carefully guarded by the Byzantines, and with the decline of their empire, the secret ingredients for Greek fire were lost. SAKSAYWAMAN BLOCKS On the other side of the world, the ancient Incans built an awe-inspiring citadel outside Cusco, the capital city of their empire. It was called Saksaywaman, and it functioned as a fortress, temple, and storage depot. However, it is not the function of the citadel that is mysterious, but the architecture. The walls of Saksaywaman are made with large stones, some weighing 200 tons, that are cut so precisely that mortar was not necessary to hold them together. The technique the Incan stonemasons used to fit the variously shaped stones is still unknown, but
its construction allowed the citadel to withstand earthquakes for centuries. DAMASCUS STEEL In 500 A.D., superior swords and knives began to appear in the Middle East. It was said that their blades could cut through a feather midair and that they were stronger than any other metal. “Damascus steel” was named for Damascus, Syria, the city where the steel was supposedly created. However, the secret to creating the blades was in the steel ingots from India used to make them, called Wootz steel. The technique for creating Damascus steel was lost in the 18th century, and though many have tried, no one has been able to replicate Wootz or Damascus steel.
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