Topic · 14 rabbit holes

Strange Objects and Artifacts: Arks, Flying Chariots and Sky Glass

Arks, seals, flying chariots and desert glass: objects from the old records that are hard to explain, and the real science where there is some.

Some of these objects exist only in texts, like the flying Pushpaka Vimana. Others are real, like the scarab of Libyan desert glass on Tutankhamun's chest, formed by a cosmic event about 29 million years ago.

Objects 13

Hebrew Bible and EthiopiaArk of the CovenantA gold-covered chest with two cherubim on its lid, built to exact specifications, that struck down those who touched it.IndiaBrahmashiraA divine weapon in the Mahabharata so dangerous that, once fired, it could not be recalled, and was turned against the unborn.Greece and RomeHephaestus' golden maidensIn the oldest Greek epic, the smith god builds wheeled tripods that move by themselves and golden women who think and speak.Egypt and geologyLibyan desert glass (Tutankhamun's scarab)Yellow glass scattered in the Sahara, formed by a cosmic event 29 million years ago, carved into the scarab on Tutankhamun's pectoral.The AmericasMaya Long CountThe Maya day-count that starts in 3114 BCE, turned over a great cycle on December 21, 2012, and reaches numbers far larger than that.Jewish mysticismMerkabah (throne-chariot)The fiery throne-chariot of Ezekiel's vision, so dangerous to study that the rabbis restricted who could even discuss it.Sumer and Babylon; modern speculationNibiruIn Babylon, a name of Marduk and a crossing point in the sky. In modern lore, a hidden planet always about to hit Earth.IndiaPushpaka VimanaThe flying palace-car of the Ramayana, built for the gods, stolen by Ravana, and flown home by Rama with his whole army aboard.IndiaSaubha, the flying cityA flying fortress-city in the Mahabharata that could go anywhere, vanish, and rain weapons, until Krishna split it with his discus.Jewish, Christian and Islamic legendSeal of Solomon (Solomon's ring)A signet ring from heaven that let Solomon bind demons and set them to work building the Temple.Sumer and BabylonSharurNinurta's weapon that speaks, flies off to scout the enemy, and reports back with advice. Literature's oldest talking weapon.NorseSkidbladnirThe dwarf-built ship of the Norse gods: big enough for all of them, always sailing with a fair wind, and foldable into a pouch.ChinaThe Qigong (Jigong) flying cartA people from a far country build wind-driven flying carts; one lands in ancient China, is dismantled, and ten years later flies home.

Texts 1

Hermetic and Arabic alchemyEmerald TabletA short, cryptic alchemical text attributed to Hermes: "That which is below is like that which is above."

Questions people ask about Strange Objects and Artifacts

Where is the Ark of the Covenant?

No one knows. The Bible's Ark was lost by 587 BCE. Ethiopia's Kebra Nagast says it went to Ethiopia, and a church at Aksum is said to hold it. The only outside scholar known to have seen that object, Edward Ullendorff, said in 1941 it was an empty wooden box of medieval make.

What is a vimana?

A vimana is an aerial car in Indian literature. The most famous is the Pushpaka of the Ramayana, a flying palace-car that Rama flies home with his army. Scholars read it as a divine chariot of epic poetry. The Vaimanika Shastra, often cited as an ancient aircraft manual, was dictated between 1918 and 1923.

What is Libyan desert glass?

Pale yellow-green glass scattered in Egypt's Great Sand Sea, almost pure silica, formed about 29 million years ago by heat far beyond any volcano, probably an impact or airburst. A piece was carved into the scarab on Tutankhamun's pectoral. Egyptians prized it as a rare stone; they could not have known its origin.