5 Incredible Discoveries that Changed the World of Archaeology

From the 1,900-year-old remains of a woman with teeth growing out of her pelvis to a 2,700-year-old solid gold bong, archaeology has provided a wealth of fascinating finds and insight into our history. Recent discoveries have changed our fundamental understanding of our previous thought.
Biographics: / @biographics
Geographics: / @geographicstravel
Warographics: / @warographics643
MegaProjects: / @megaprojects9649
Into The Shadows: / intotheshadows
TopTenz: / toptenznet
Today I Found Out: / todayifoundout
Highlight History: / @highlighthistory
Business Blaze: / @brainblaze6526
Casual Criminalist: / thecasualcriminalist
Decoding the Unknown: / @decodingtheunknown2373
#5IncredibleDiscoveries #sideprojects

[@getnohappy]

Finding out we can't easily tell ancient human poo from dog poo has been genuinely the highlight of my day ^^ thanks Simon

[@CurrieNerd]

Luckily, my neighbour still can't tell the difference when they're deposited in her front garden.

[@cvp5882]

Got a kick out of the fact that it's more complicated because humans ate dogs, and dogs ate human crap that possibly contained dogs that may have also eaten human crap. The circle of life is beautiful lol

[@poil8351]

no the fact that they can actually get ancinet poo to smell is the highlight for me.

[@barth9580]

They taste totally different.

[@jameswalker3973]

I would imagine that there would be more dog poo in dog poo as ancient man could not lick his own backside.

[@powwowken2760]

Whenever the deciphering of Hieroglyphs comes up I can't help but be curious about how much they changed over the literal millennia that they were in use and question how confident we can be about our understanding of the older writings. Reading English writing that's only a couple hundred years old is a rollercoaster ride, just imagine a language that existed for a couple thousand years. How drastically would it change during that amount of time?

[@imagesbychaostee1305]

A couple hundred years? In 920, Ordlaf, a regional official in Wiltshire, England, wrote to King Edward the Elder. This, the Fonthill Letter, is the earliest surviving letter in the English language. But it's believed that English goes back to the late 4th or early 5th century... Granted that's not as old as Egyptian hieroglyphics but has nearly 2000 years is a far stretch from "a couple hundred"

[@imagesbychaostee1305]

And you can actually look at English to answer the question of how much a language can change in 2000 years...ever read Shakespeare? And that's only 500 years ago or so...about 1500 years after English began

[@TheSilmarillian]

Valid point indeed people judging from current social so called norms and interpreting things inscribed thousands of years ago ...if one looks at old dictionaries and books which I collect and read again valid point indeed

[@wizzyno1566]

@@imagesbychaostee1305 he didnt say english is only a couple of hundred years old. He said reading english from a couple of hundred years ago can be hard. And he is right. Everything you said is true but his point still stands.

[@glynnspencer4517]

Ancient Chinese is not too much different from modern Chinese though...

[@anamkarajoy]

It’s admittedly impressive and cool that people found and deciphered the Rosetta Stone; but it’s arguably far more impressive and cool that someone trilingual thought to make it, and went to all of that trouble to carve the text by hand, thrice.

[@jbrisby]

Thus earning a place in history as the world's first Teachers Edition.

[@anamkarajoy]

@@jbrisby 😆🥁 **rimshot** Bravo. Well played. haha! (edit: The word thus is so under-used and under-appreciated, so automatic bonus points to you.)

[@steveswangler6373]

actually the stone is only carved once, that we know of. there could be or could have been other copies, but we only have one. the message is carved three times, but the stone only once. also, how do we know it was carved by one person? we dont know if it was one or two or three or even more people. perhaps one person carved each section.

[@anamkarajoy]

@@steveswangler6373 “Actually,” Steve, the same text was carved three times onto one stone, in three languages/forms of writing, which was the whole point of it “unlocking” the meaning of the languages we couldn’t decipher previously. Cheers.

[@chrisbuckler9312]

They would have been paid to do it at the request of some leader to make sure everyone in the area knew what was going on

[@mad0scientist]

My college anthropology professor would say our ancient ancestors were anything but stupid. Their environment required a great deal of intelligence for things we take for granted.

[@jek__]

I would argue that the modern humans with their minds crammed full of irrelevant factoids are much stupider than our ancestors whose understanding comes from practical knowledge

[@killgates9890]

They was more tecnical then we with all tech we got...

[@Zach-qs2bw]

That's an interesting way to think about it they definitely weren't dumb they had more specialized knowledge while we have more general information

[@jerryware1970]

Most people confuse knowledge with intelligence.

[@jamesnewstead7099]

@@jerryware1970 and some confuse sounding profound with intelligence. You have to be intelligent to aquire knowledge

[@JuusoAlasuutari]

2000 year old resin is what I'd call properly cured.

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

Imagine the torch you'd need to get that going 🤣

[@TheSilmarillian]

yep

[@sizanogreen9900]

FINALLY SOME GOOD WEED! I would not smoke anything that didn't cure for at *least* 1000 years. I am no uncultured swine after all.

[@dimadobrik4516]

@@sizanogreen9900 professionals have standards

[@aurorajones8481]

I call the resin... "King Tut" $1000 per MG

[@Big_Tex]

I once went to the British Museum, stood in line, and when I finally got in it was right smack there near the entrance: the Rosetta Stone! I had no idea it was there, nice surprise. Years later I told this gripping story to a coworker and she says “Rosetta … Stone? Isn’t that like … language … software?” 🤣

[@user-oy9iq6hj1d]

I have mates like that too..where do they think the name come from🤣 must be lucky tho cos I think that gets roated all over the place

[@SevCaswell]

Back in the 80s I was 5 years old and I was obsessed with Ancient Egypt (yes I am autistic) and I demanded repeatedly to go to the British Museum to see the Rosetta stone, and even told my aunt, who I was staying with, all about it. Apparently I got a lot of stares from the adults also there to see it.

[@jamellfoster6029]

LMBO... Not all people are cultured...

[@route2070]

I one time walked into the British Museum, when I walked into the Egyptian exhibit I saw what looked like a school group standing in a circle, and thought the teacher was giving them the talk. Don't be loud, don't touch anything, the normal thing. I then enjoyed the exhibit. When I went went to leave I noticed where the kids were standing was the Rosetta Stone. I almost completely missed it.

[@abbofun9022]

Well, to be fair, he wasn’t completely wrong 😉

[@Balrog-tf3bg]

Legend has it that there isn’t anything from Britain in the British museum

[@jandrews6254]

At least the artefacts that are there are being conserved and studied, instead of being destroyed by fundamentalists

[@johnlee5423]

Plenty of British artifacts in the British museum

[@wowplayer160]

@@jandrews6254 How very b 'Brotherhood of Steel' of you.

[@phife1878]

But most of the items are probably safer there.

[@niriboy8952]

@@jandrews6254 the problem is they study it then lie about what they find

[@Martin-pb7ts]

Great video. It is worth mentioning that dozens of stones have been found like the Rosetta stone enabling researchers to complete the translations as the Rosetta stone had chunks missing but by using all the stones, each damaged differently, they were able to complete the translation of the whole piece of text. Most of the work was done from the Rosetta stone though. I am surprised you did not include the Antikythera mechanism here. An incredible find, completely blowing apart our understanding of ancient Greece in terms of tools and machinery they created. It was a far more sophisticated society than we modern humans think it was.

[@darkhymn]

I think we often forget how devastating the fall of the western Roman empire and the subsequent dark ages were to European advancement. Over a thousand years of instability, near-constant large-scale warfare, Catholic dogma, disease, and feudalism set us back a long way. An entire continent somehow managed to forget about both regular bathing and silverware. For a thousand years.

[@jamesslick4790]

"Solid Gold Bong" is a good name for a band. "Paleo Feces" is ALSO a good name for a band. As is "Canine Anomalies". Damn this episode is a band name generator. And we aren't even half way through!

[@jamellfoster6029]

Wish he mentioned a solid gold goblet with 🍷 residue still in it to the point you can sample the 🍷...

[@minagica]

🤣🤣🤣

[@jek__]

Apparently everything is. Is that a band name? What about that?

[@jamesslick4790]

@@jek__ No but "The Band"is a good name for a band.

[@SunRabbit]

Actually, "James Slick" could be a band name too, if you claim you're related to Grace Slick. As for my own username, that's actually a hit song by the Soviet-era Russian band Mirazh (Мираж - Солнечный зайчик).

[@moiraburden5189]

One of my aunts studies bear scat. Specifically DNA in bear scat. Still beats working in customer service.

[@archstanton6102]

Did she discover whether they sh*t in the woods?

[@beli2431]

@@archstanton6102 most bathroom doors are too small and theu cant get in

[@moiraburden5189]

@@archstanton6102 it's a bear, it sh1ts wherever the fook it wants.

[@vilstef6988]

Considering some of the manners of the customers, I would wish some of them had their DNA in bear scat!

[@freshrot420]

@@vilstef6988 Ahh, the cycle completes.

[@burkhardstackelberg1203]

One could think of the pyramids like the "cathedrals" of ancient egypt, and building them as a religious service. The workers-not-slaves theory also is supported by conserved lettters between father and son, one working as a construction engineer at the site. Social benefits besides the spiritual benefits might be a case, indeed, interesting theory.

[@sbritton1313]

that doesn't mean that they didn't make the slaves do the heavy lifting...

[@GTSN38]

I doubt ancient Egyptians built the pyramids, they probably fixed pyramids or put up temples by them. Some advanced civilization created the pyramids way before the Egyptians came along. I also believe Egyptians had slaves, why wouldn't they ?

[@scottbeeler1532]

Or the heavy pouring

[@jrr7031]

Yea Dr. Aziz aswari theorrized that,based on the "tags" like gang symbols present in the pyramids. They were constructed and designed by a specialized, highly educated force....although im sure a significant slave forced moved them into place.

[@jonanderson4474]

Cathode.

[@stanleycrabface9248]

You should do a video on the Serapeum of Saqqara, and explain how the Egyptians achieved that.

[@parkerlynne]

Seeing the Rosetta Stone is one of my favorite memories of visiting the British Museum!

[@Ghostvertigo]

Simon should get a Rosetta Stone it's been mentioned in so many of his videos it's almost a part of his lore

[@tobychalmers8103]

Is the stone still on display at the British museum?

[@automatic_records_8337]

Beautiful complicated place.

[@automatic_records_8337]

@@tobychalmers8103 absolutely and many other mind blowing ancient artefacts.

[@MrFuzzyGreen]

The arguement for returning items from the British museum will rage on however, it's fair to say that more people have seen these items than they would have in their respective homes. Egypt fluctuating between visitable and too dangerous to consider is but one of the problems, major tourist destination though it surely is.

[@skullduggery3377]

whenever i think about the past, it always just brings back so many memories.

[@missoula2213]

Yup, that's how it works.

[@paulcooper2897]

Never a dull moment! Thanks for sharing 🇨🇦

[@GhostOnTheHalfShell]

IIRC my anthro courses i waaay back suggested that most workers were doing so seasonally for construction. It kept them fed and working after harvest. Since harvests were cached by the rulers, it does seem like a way to even out the food supply.

[@bobcatred]

I admit, I’d kind of love to hear archeologists centuries from now trying to decipher language today. Some combination of emojis, shorthand acronyms and bad English. It’d be entertaining to hear their theories 😂

[@robertbarncord6341]

Love the way your mind works. That was hilarious. 😂

[@machupikachu1085]

IKR?? Totes so troo bruv! LOL!!🤣

[@helenamcginty4920]

I keep reading about how 1 politician has "owned" another. Where did that cone from?

[@jandrews6254]

@@helenamcginty4920 just think how that will be interpreted in the future

[@user-tzzglsstle585e38]

@@jandrews6254 lmfao

[@MarkARoutt]

It's crazy to think that whenever we change our idea of the ancient times there are still people out there who will brush it off.

[@jek__]

Well it is likely to change again, it's important to remember

[@machupikachu1085]

ahh, what do YOU know. :D

[@Mr05Chuck]

Yes, we should always never question the consensus of what science says. Reification much?

[@MarkARoutt]

@@Mr05Chuck what?

[@misterflibble6601]

It's a certainty that at least some of the mistake that have been reevaluated by archeologists in an effort to correct their erroneous assumptions will in turn turn out to be _more_ erroneous assumptions. As technology and methods improve, the world of archeology must constantly be reevaluated because of this.

[@robertbarncord6341]

Indeed, people 150 years from now will probably be chuckling about what we believe is true today.

[@Raptor999_]

best believe if I spent my entire life building a pyramid too I’d be hitting that solid gold bong after a hard day of moving rocks around

[@huudathot]

Very interesting round up of archeological high points! For some reason your signature rapid delivery was a bit marred by (at least on my computer) widely variable sound volume. Sometimes you would be RIGHT there, and others seem to revert to a mumble - although you wouldn't look like you were changing emphasis or anything. Perhaps a better (or addition of) a lavalier mike?

[@sikskillz2186]

great show, awesome content. i really enjoyed the facts, not what people want things to be. I believe that has set humanity back so much.

[@StellaBella488]

Yes! I agree.

[@Rivanni1]

Great Video! Dually Informative And Entertaining 👍 Thanks for the info! 😀🎉

[@CCoburn3]

You have to love archeology. Such GIGANTIC amounts of conclusions based on such MINUTE amounts of evidence...

[@patrickwentz8413]

Usually when I tell people that the Pyramids were built mostly by native Egyptians and not coerced slaves they look at me like a carrot is growing out of my forehead. I can now point them to this video. Thank you.

[@vic5015]

Yes, the pyramid workers were paid and were *not* slaves. That's not to say that they necessarily paid in $, however.

[@Lara-jp4xk]

The channel " Voices from the past" reads old texts. There is a script (I think it was on tablets) that is a work log of an Egyptian who was supervising the transportation by boats of the stones used for building one of the Egyptian pyramids. That can be used to point the individuals supporting ancient alien theories in right direction.

[@clogs4956]

You know there’s records of tomb-builders going on strike because their beer, bread and onion rations were delayed, right? Seriously 😳

[@jmontgomery32]

This is NOT a new discovery. This has been theorized for quite a while. I haven't heard the "they were all slaves" theory since I was a kid....

[@acarpentersson8271]

I would hold off for a while. The first portion of the video was pointing out that scientist s had been wrong about so many things. Given the track record I would say that it's subject to change again.

[@timg2727]

Simon did an admirable job of staying on task during the poo segment. I would love to see the exact same info presented in a Brain Blaze video.

[@MrHurst-lb1rn]

Danny has a 4 page introduction ready to go.

[@timg2727]

@@MrHurst-lb1rn only 4?

[@MrHurst-lb1rn]

@@timg2727 anymore than that and Simon rations Danny's toilet sangria.

[@baddman69]

I found it hilarious that it was chapter 2.

[@kevincason5309]

while pointing out earlier missed conjecture, it's interesting that current conclusions are stated with so much assured confidence.

[@albertdehn8381]

Thanks for sharing 👍😀

[@annerigby4400]

About the translation of the Rosetta Stone and Champollion.... it'd be very interesting to watch/listen to a biographics about him and how he became the person to make the final breakthrough..... just saying.

[@dark_fire_ice]

Interesting find on gender roles for ancient Indo Europeans (Yamnaya), about a third of barrow burials seem to be female centric. However, that ratio seems to be regional, the area being bisected by a river (I forgot which one, sorry), and those on the west seemed more balanced, and also had tooth decay do to having grain in their diet

[@RM-yf2lu]

Is there any direct evidence linking the genetic yamnaya group to an indo European language?

[@chefjosesoto]

Quite Banging Thank You

[@TinciaReima]

Nice work! Thanks for The interesting vídeo! 🇧🇷

[@jorgelotr3752]

14:23 it could be figured out easily as long as the text included asymmetrical symbols (of which there are many), like birds, feathers, humans, body parts... since the reading directio was the one in which those symbols had the "proper" orientation. Old Greek inscryptions are more frustrating in that regard for the uninitiated, since they could be read right-to-left, left-to-right or in boustrophedon (alternating lines of each direction), and they didn't have the decency people like the egyptians or the Rapa Nui natives had of flipping the letters to point it.

[@anamkarajoy]

You had us at “boustrophedon”...

[@PS3productionz]

An important note to consider the the “Girl Hunter” chapter, whilst it’s highly probably female hunters existed across ancient civilisations across the globe, the discovery of the hunter’s kit doesn’t necessarily mean the custodian was an active hunter during her lifetime. Grave goods were common practice across the ancient world where goods (weapons, tools ect.) were created for ceremonial purposes for safe passage through to the “afterlife”.

[@WastdTrashPanda]

That doesn't fit the Woke narrative so they're not going to say that.

[@jackreisewitz6632]

Yeah. Everybody "knows" that - because everybody teaches and repeats that. But truly, what do we really know about our interpretation of why ancient cultures did things? Or about ancient religions?? The true answer is "Nothing, Really." All we have is "educated guesses" by self proclaimed "experts". We don't really know what the actions we beheld actually meant to them, or what their thoughts and beliefs were. We can only guess at what motivated their actions. So we've taken to interpreting everything with a religious overtone. And that may be mostly right about some things, and totally wrong about others. We truly don't know.

[@gustavgustav2670]

You're literally doing the same thing as they did originally. Dismissing the evidence that is presented.

[@BigDaddy-hn7oh]

Informative and thorough, funny and your presentation. . It's yours . Thank you for your time and effort, job well done

[@1339LARS]

Brilliant as always!!!! //Lars

[@soyburglar1878]

Just how many channels does Simon narrate for?!?! Wow! I’ve completely lost track at this point. It’s as if every time I see his face, it’s associated with a completely new/different channel from all previous ones!

[@soyburglar1878]

I mean, good for him, I suppose ???

[@tubensalat1453]

There are 11 other channels listed in the description, so I'm guessing around 12 channels.

[@michaelmayhem350]

Great video but I can't believe Simon didn't put a spaceship in that thumbnail

[@stiaininbeglan3844]

Interestingly enough, when looking at the Biblical account of slavery in Egypt, the Hebrews were reluctant to leave Egypt. They brought jewelry with them out of Egypt that had been given to them by their Egyptian friends, and they mourned the loss of flesh to eat. They were treated fairly well, according to the Biblical account. If they hadn't been, they wouldn't have been reluctant to leave. They even had their own town outside the capital. And yet, there was a Pharaonic decree that they could not leave, and Moses' adopted brother sent the whole Egyptian guard after them when they did leave, so perhaps it is the understanding of slavery that needs to be addressed here, and not slavery set aside as an understanding of events.

[@josephlloyd9636]

I went to the Cairo Museum in 2005 unbelievable place. Everybody should do Egypt in their life time. Awesome videos thank you. 💕🏆👍

[@Emppu_T.]

It's probably great that the stone has been in Britain. Many places further south and in the middle east have gone through a lot of tumultuous times where terrorists and other destructive factions attack ancient artifacts. For example of the ancient Assyrians. Was it isis that recently demolished the famous gate

[@clinkerclint]

That is NOT the largest human poo ever found. That distinction belongs to "Dos Boot" found in the bathroom stall of a Sony CD plant in Terre Haute Indiana. It took me years of research and interviews to track down photographs of DB. It is truly a terrifying photograph. As far as I know, there is not a picture of it online. It is the actual size of a full grown man's cowboy boot. Absolutely unbelievable.

[@adilsongoliveira]

According to South Park it's actually Tom Cruise

[@Ob1sdarkside]

@@adilsongoliveira I thought they said it was Bono

[@Docmain3]

@@adilsongoliveira Bono. Later surpassed by Randy Marsh.

[@iamnobody3793]

This one time I pooped a turd that came out as a ? Even had a dot on the bottom.

[@rogercarpenter7558]

I don’t know shit about much, but I do know much about shit…My shit, that is. Since the advent of “low flow” toilets, I try to deposit my “boots” at home before visiting a friend’s house, lest I commit the unforgivable faux pas of turning their low flow into an overflow(with nary a plunger to be found). Fortunately, I’ve come up with an emergency solution, by adding the good folks at Guinness World Records to my speed dial. Their response time has been amazing in the few instances I’ve had to call them(especially when I threaten to flush a potential WR if they aren’t there post haste). This has come with an unexpected perk. I’ve found that as I’m known as the king 🤴 of humongous turds, I rather enjoy people talking shit about me!

[@deanhernandez8940]

Love your videos but, just two corrections. The Rosetta Stone is not black. It was stained when the French inked it to make the copies that allowed them to work on deciphering it after the English took it. And the Rosetta stone only has two languages on it: Greek and Egyptian. It has three scripts, two of which are Egyptian. This would be comparable to having English in print and in cursive: two scripts, one language. Thank you for all that you do!

[@CarlosSilva-td3nn]

Your videos aside from being informative are entretaining, witty. Many thanks.😊

[@leestark9513]

This shit never gets old... wait... what..?

[@kenikos744]

Weren't the great pyramids at Giza built at least 4,000 years ago? If the bones of the people found in this village near the pyramids date back only 2,000 years then I would think that the inhabitants were either just doing maintenance work on the pyramids or else they were working on something else. I can't bring myself to believe that these ancient Egyptian workers lived for another couple thousand years after doing all the heavy lifting it took to build the pyramids.

[@nomimalone7520]

Egypt: can we please have our stuff back? British museum: sorry, chaps. We're still looking at it.

[@tomevans4402]

Fascinating

[@larryowsowitz2274]

Thanks Grady. Very enlightening! Safety should transcend cost (to a point) in projects where public safety is concerned.

[@kimsidener1850]

This is not one of Grady's videos, but I agree his are informative and entertaining.

[@oldieman730]

A workers village from 2,000 years ago, will have nothing to do with the pyramid constructions of 4,500 years ago. Most likely these workers would have been used for the various temples and reconstruction works of later Pharaohs.

[@zaco-km3su]

Far more than 2000 years ago. Nice try though. The pyramids were built by professional workers.

[@anchorpoint5871]

The real discoveries in Archeology will never been divulged....it would rock our world.

[@grayvader245]

My greatest happiness is the $14,380 weekly profit I get consistently

[@AdamGustyGustaf]

The bong wow! Great video! I’ll swap subscriptions with you sir!

[@JayFolipurba]

It makes so much sense to be a hunter and gatherer, though. Hunting involves a lot of walking and waiting, why not pickup berries and roots along the way. And theres no reason why a few adventurous women wouldn't have participated in the hunting. There are female hunters today, as well as women in high risk jobs

[@jps3894]

Love your work. Thank you for your research. I hope you would do an in-depth look at the Giza pyramid builders, along with more recent and fringe theories included. For example, the recent carbon date given to the wood used in the Great pyramid has reopened the conversation about when it was built. And does the possible new date line up with things around it. Hope is something you get to one day. PS: years ago I got to see the Rosetta Stone before it was behind glass and before they started using copy. Snuck behind display to touch it and I got caught by the museum’s security

[@harrisonkane5457]

something about his body language and tone of voice gives me chills

[@BloodSweatandFears]

Like good chills or bad chills? 😂

[@paulcunnane4]

He needs to get some.

[@GrandPrixDecals]

Si on point as always!

[@MannsWoodlandPerspective]

Balance the audio in the transitions please

[@robbleeker2109]

Funny to automatically assume that the builders of the Pyramids lived there.. There is no way of knowing that this was the case. This could have been a settlement for workers doing restoration work to the Pyramids. We have seen that restoration work has been performed to the Sphinx

[@tonyallen2279]

They was illegal immagreints! Ha!

[@patrickscholten222]

i,m learning thnx

[@robyngillon4439]

I found you this morning at 5.30 am East coast Australia 👍🦘 mate keep them coming 👍🥳

[@okok-kn6ee]

4:20 how can something so big come out of a human

[@Wreckz_Tea]

I've absolutely passed bigger. I'm not at all exaggerating

[@roballen7937]

Well bigger things actually do come out of human females. They are called babies....🤔

[@jek__]

@@roballen7937 Butt babies are different from front babies

[@alexmegalos7144]

I do not know if it belongs to Egypt, but seeing how there is old Greek writing on it, you can deliver it to the Greek museum. Thank you.

[@dutchplanderlinde8883]

Oh, shut up.

[@Nickademas1]

No that's not how that works.

[@ianmetcalfe7389]

That's the problem it's so old and written in different languages nobody will ever know who it belongs too.

[@switchwizard9398]

Educational & Hilarious ! Thanks 😆

[@WolfRamAndHart]

This is riveting. It should have been on "Trending".

[@coweatsman]

The translation of the Rosetta Stone was an inconvenience for Joseph Smith who pretended to have translated an ancient Egyptian text as the "Book of Abraham" by divination, only for it to be actually translated as the Egyptian "Book of the Dead".

[@tubensalat1453]

Same diff, Abraham was also dead. ;) But interesting piece of knowledge.

[@Ashannon888]

In my opinion the British Museum should do a complete inventory of everything they have (and there's a huge undertaking) and figure out exactly where everything is from and who would have ownership. If the country is safe, ask if they want the items returned, or if the Museum can buy or lease them. I'm sure some countries would just sell the artifacts to the museum for the cash. If you have collections, make an offer. Return 80% for free but the museum keeps 20%, the country chooses what the museum gets. Now as much as it'll hurt some people to hear, some artifacts were gifts so they'd be off the table. And the museum should refuse to return artifacts to any country where there's too much a risk the items would be lost or destroyed due to war or unrest. (Like Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine etc.) or to countries that are corrupt (like South Sudan, Somalia, Equatorial Guinea etc.) The big issues lay with artifacts from cultures that no longer exist. Who's the rightful owners? Say artifacts from ancient Carthage. Who gets them? The Carthaginians were basically annihilated by the Romans ages ago. Would it be Italy? The modern day Tunisians? The Carthaginians were a Phoenician people, so Lebanon?

[@aoilpe]

Answer : To the actual country it has been found… Hittite artifacts to Turkey, for example.

[@Erevos85]

If the British Museum were to start returning items to the rightful owners, then what would remain is an empty building.

[@ethelredhardrede1838]

@@aoilpe So give them to invaders from the Russian steppes that committed genocide. I don't think that is going to happen.

[@JohnWellingtonWells]

Honestly, considering the Egyptian Museum can't even properly care for the Mask of Tutankhamun, arguably the most famous Egyptian artifact in existence. I'm a bit split on the issue. If it was up to me, most important artifacts would be safely stored in some bunker or something and museums would only display recreations instead. To me preserving history is far more important than pimping out priceless artifacts for some easy tourist money.

[@aoilpe]

@@ethelredhardrede1838 Committed Genocide…. So , why should these artifacts stay in London? Because UK was always a HUMANIST NATION ? Have you read the initial comment?

[@MusicalRaichu]

IIRC reading the direction hieroglyphs was easy. the horizontal or vertical direction could be distinguished from the whether the layout was in rows or columns. the direction left-to-right or right-to-left could be distinguished by the direction the characters faced. the "tricks" used by Egyptian hieroglyphic writing has similarities to the vagaries of modern Japanese writing. The fact that I can understand any Japanese writing at all is just as much a miracle. the absence of spaces between words was the norm in ancient writing since writing materials whether stone, parchment or papyrus was extremely expensive. ambiguity was not as common as you'd think. some modern languages - yes Japanese, looking at you again - still suffer from this annoyance. writing material is cheap now guys, and spaces have been invented, so use them!

[@amandajones661]

The POO story is amazing!!!

[@bradbrandon2506]

How could he not tell they were cracks just by looking at them?

[@ignitionfrn2223]

1:35 - Chapter 1 - A 6,2mm long piece of string 4:25 - Chapter 2 - A lump of fossilised poo 9:05 - Chapter 3 - A hunting tool kit 11:00 - Chapter 4 - The village of pyramid builders 13:30 - Chapter 5 - The rosetta stone

[@captainmycaptain8334]

I hope your pillow stays cool on both sides for the rest of your life

[@omaindustry3502]

One of the best written funny scripts that I have heard in a while. Thanks for the eye watering laughs !

[@gordonwallin2368]

Cheers from the Pacific West Coast of Canada.

[@graspingoil]

I love the materials. And may I suggest slower pace of narration? To make it more intelligible and sound more educational?

[@csmic-phantm8095]

As to those families amongst any others who had contributed to the construction of said pyramids, I would go as far as to say that their views as well as their respective 'understandings' of the "Afterlife" & much more, life & death conceptually, may have largely influenced the subjects upon their ultimate decision making or willingness to participate altogether.

[@ad2000]

Personally I always thought the Elgin Marbles were a good exaple of the double standard that is made "preserving" archaeology with Lord Elgin cutting them from, and cracking them while removing them from there original place of rest, where they had been for over 2000 years. Of cause calling them The Elgin Marbles rather than The Parthenon Marbles helps, as most people don't get to know where they came from.

[@WalterGreenIII]

I love the look on his face when talking about an 8 inch long 2 inch diameter "poo", when he said... "Don't worry, they glued it back together"!!! 👍

[@michaelcollins9210]

Did anyone else think, “M&Ms, they melt in your mouth and not in your hands”?

[@jek__]

Fossilized turds, they melt in your diabetes medicine and not in your ground!

[@countofdownable]

In the Bible it never stated the Israelite slaves built the pyramids. This was a story later added by filmmakers as it looked impressive.

[@10HDFLHX]

Yup.. and people like Simon here do nothing to correct it, but just regurgitate it... Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9 He said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we. 10 Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” 11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor. They built supply cities, Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh.

[@martenkrueger8647]

Thats what I have been saying...no written or oral history from the Egyptians...or the Israelites!!!!. not in the Torah..or old testament..no tools writtings..plans..bragging stories from the Egyptians history..nothing , nada, zip! 🤔

[@10HDFLHX]

@@saoham659 Search for Merneptah Stele and you will find that they were indeed there and mentioned by name. They never built pyramids, but they did build supply sites. When the sites mentioned in the bible are visited, the remnants show that the construction method was of mud and straw, exactly as it states in the bible.

[@10HDFLHX]

@@saoham659 Ok.. thanks for backing that opinion up with facts.. Have a wonderful day.

[@10HDFLHX]

@@saoham659 Again, thanks for your opinion. I'm glad you were there to see that it didn't happen.

[@drutaylor5994]

The image of just the brown M&Ms was a nice touch lol

[@TGo-n-Roscoe]

Dude, that last line you said before your normal, "like and subscribe" bit, (you obviously don't sound that robotic, but it's just a reference point... lol), was spot on. I think it's time for imperialists to return the treasures they've exploited from other continents.

[@jandrews6254]

You do know that Assyrian winged bulls have been very intentionally destroyed by jackhammers and heavy earthmoving equipment by religious fundamentalists intent on erasing anything that doesn’t agree with their religious viewpoint? Thankfully there are examples in the British Museum still in glorious condition.

[@JJ-si4qh]

Strongly disagree about repatriation of artifacts to Egypt. Ancient history is the heritage of humanity. If a country can’t be trusted to ensure its safety, then it belongs somewhere where it can, like the Uk

[@davidhughes4089]

That argument might hold true in some circumstances but given that we won't give back Greek artifacts it seems like an excuse rather than a genuine reason

[@DaFinkingOrk]

Look what's happened to so much Babylonian, Sumerian and Assyrian stuff in Iraq and Syria recently. It is better off in the UK I agree, where it is both safe and also made freely available for anyone to look at (deliberately hiding away and not allowing even foreign academics to see a historical artifact is wrong too, though far better than destroying it or failing to protect it from destruction). And in these cases it's rightful owners no longer exist, so there is no one to rightly give it back to. Same with Egypt - the ancient Egyptian culture is wholly extinct, modern Egyptians are an entirely different culture. Different story perhaps if the actual culture an artifact came from still exists, and want it back, and will keep it safe. But beyond a certain level of ancientness, no one has any reasonable claim to anything, that's ethno-nationalist BS, it's the history of mankind.

[@Vaeldarg]

"See, if you were more responsible at protecting your stuff, I wouldn't be stealing it right now....for its own safety, of course." - Thief holding a gun.

[@Ashannon888]

@@davidhughes4089 I guess the issue is it's true for some cases but not others and good lord I don't want to be the one to make the call. Can you imagine the outrage if they sent a bunch of priceless artifacts back to a country and being of unrest or corruption they were lost, destroyed or sold? (Though the Greek example you did is pretty valid)

[@davidhughes4089]

@@Ashannon888 obviously you're right in a lot of cases - would you send back artifacts to Iraq or Afghanistan for example - but I think the British museum is going to have to deal with this at some point. I think both Egypt and Greece are safe enough though- I read that Egypt has a really exceptional new museum in Cairo to host these objects for example.

[@judethaddeus9856]

Finding teeth in parts of the body aside from the mouth while rare is far from unheard of.. sometimes they’re caused by a twin that was absorbed by the body)… sometimes teeth, bones and even hair have been found in tumors/cysts and other parts of the body where those things should not be

[@MeerkatMotorBoards]

2.5 million stones in Giza pyramid, 20 years of construction (7300 days) =274 blocks per day quarried, transported, placed... yup, thats what happened

[@chrislong3938]

The story of the deciphering of the Rosetta Stone never fails to make me feel really stupid...

[@gregrice3867]

Nice graphics presentation of interesting, topical archaeology. Heinrich Schliemann is one of the most well known names associated with archaeology (historically recognized as key discoverer of site of ancient Troy - though Iman Wilkins' theory for that site in Celtic, western Europe are intriguing and well reasoned - the subject of your video. It is worth a quick check of names, from cultures or languages you are not familiar with, for proper, respectful pronunciation. Schliemann's Germanic name follows the common pronunciation of those words and names, with reference to the vowels E and I appearing together. One simple way to learn and recall the pronunciation is Einstein's name. E followed by I, is pronounced like English "long I" or like "eye". The other order, I followed by E, as in Schleimann, is pronounced like the English "long E", as in sound in "knee." So, Schliemann is NOT pronounced, as you did, like "shly-man", any more than your name is pronounced "Pie-ear". I;m in US, with approx. half of the population having Spanish as a second, if not first language, and millionaire TV news hosts frequently fail to take the 2 minutes it might require to verify the pronunciation of Spanish place names or the names of people of note. It would be refreshing if those publishing on

[@tubensalat1453]

So "shleemunn", for short. ;)

[@lebowskiduderino89]

crikey symon wistlah, youre like a bloody machine, mate! pumpin out those brilliant vids everyweah, on tha most brilliant topics! my freakin heads spinnin! ive got the knack for a nosh at tha pub for a pint of guinness and some fish and chips! blimey and bollocks to ya mate! cheerio!!!

[@philnorberts4324]

Someone woke up with the right foot, Simon is in such a good mood in this video, fun to watch

[@Yarrb53]

The Pyramids were built about 5,000 to 9,000 years ago, and not as tombs. How does one explain the massive water erosion on them and the Sphinx ?

[@tommyheron464]

I'm not sure about the same erosion on the pyramids but the sphinx is definitely much much older than is reported. Probably 12000years+ old.

[@jodyguilbeaux8225]

noahs flood was 4500 years ago, so those dates would push it back to a pre flood era. scientist today say the pyramids were built 4000 years ago. with the water erosion i believe they are a lot older. 12,000 ?

[@wolfsokaya]

Im pretty sure enough people can prove that having a brain at the size we have is not a guarantee for survival. :D

[@3l_Wero_Loc0]

Bong nice 🤙

[@bwar05]

I love the concept of “the key to Egypt’s history being returned to….Egypt”

[@John_Redcorn_]

Imagine dropping a deuce so legendary it transends the spans of time.

[@martenkrueger8647]

Lot of fuss over a average turd🙄

[@UsDiYoNa]

How did we survive while other hominid species went extinct? Easy explanation: we had a far higher propensity for violence-we were a warring species, whereas the Neanderthal and Denisovan were far less aggressive. The Denisovans were artistic and creative, making and wearing intricate stone jewelry as well as tools such as a high speed hand drill.

[@talisikid1618]

You have no proof of any of that.

[@UsDiYoNa]

@@talisikid1618 um, DUH? But thats why theories are called theories lmao, and this particular theory happens to be highly likely. LOADS of prominent archeologists, biologists, and historians agree. *Of course* I dont have *proof* of the cause of their demise, we barely have any proof of *ANYTHING* regarding these ancient hominids, however one thing we *DO* have proof of is the ACTUAL JEWELRY left by Denisovans with evidence of high speed drilling taking place to make it. Look it up. 🥴😂🤦🏽‍♂️

[@UsDiYoNa]

@@talisikid1618 regarding proof of Homosapiens being a warring species, well, I mean have you noticed anything from the last 30,000 years of Homosapien existence on this planet? Because thats kind of been proven a billion times over.

[@thomaswilson818]

Absolutely Amazing. I have to say that I have a piece of ancient poop that looks like my dog had done the deed and assumed it was a Dino but now I wonder if it is human? Any poop scientist in the room? 🤔🧐

[@makersmark1974]

I'm no scientists; But surrounded by poopheads and a system that smells of it... Yet concerning a solid ancient poop via any species, I'm at a loss.. 😅😪

[@fabianmckenna8197]

OMG.............. You've just put me off M&M's for life.

[@Aegor1998]

The whole thing with there being female hunters is very interesting because of how our blood flow works. Men have better blood flow to our extremities. It is thought that this was an adaptation from hunting. Women have better blood flow to their cores. It is thought that this is because of child birthing.

[@thirdenvoqation7735]

The other aspect is socio or ecological pressures, was the females forced into it because of the social structure of their society or because they needed everyone they could get to hunt to bring in sufficient supplies to keep their society going? Anyone can hunt to one degree or another, regardless of body 'optimisations' which could just be genetic legacy that hasn't caught up with the fast pace of hominid evolution. I always thought it was a conceit that it was men that was hunters/fighters and women was relegated to household roles, something that stinks of Western patriarchy viewpoints rather than a impartial review of evidence. Ancient civilisations had far different requirements to modern society, and I suspect the pressures of survival and having to adapt to seasons meant everyone had to contribute otherwise they'd likely be cast out. That contribution would probably reflect the skillsets they grew up with. apprenticed or married into. Just too many unanswered questions regarding this, and this is just South America, how much has been ignored elsewhere in the world?

[@Sienisota]

To me, it seems like rule: Human population lived in cold/difficult climate? = Equality: Everyone focuses on survival, and works together towards that goal. There was no sense in limiting what someone could do in order for the group to survive: Something needed doing? It was done by the person who happened to be present and available, regardless of sex or gender. Same with slavery: Survival is difficult and hard work? = No one has time and resources to imprison someone and force them to do some reluctant work: Everyone is needed to do their best, together, in order to survive. Signed: A Finnish person. Our language doesn't have a separate word for a human person, like she/he. Nor did we ever have slaves in our history.

[@zaco-km3su]

Women probably didn't hunt if they didn't have to.

[@zaco-km3su]

@@thirdenvoqation7735 NO, that's you. Women contributed with those "household chores". By foraging women contributed a lot. If the men failed....the women had a back up. Thing is...if enough men were wounded during hunting some women had to do it too. Overall, men would have been better than most women in most cases at hunting.

[@EbonyPope]

The women hunted more likely by using traps etc. The tools found were to dissect the animal. This isn't anything new. Active hunting was and still is men's work in today's hunter gatherer cultures which is only logical if you compare the abilities to throw a spear which shows quite stark differences between genders.

[@wearenot7withyou]

I hope that Viking who did the poo survived the ordeal 😳

[@iamnobody3793]

Maybe Vikings did butt stuff.

[@eaphantom9214]

Lol At least he got rid of some intestinal worms

[@wearenot7withyou]

@@eaphantom9214 SO MANY WORMS

[@eaphantom9214]

@@wearenot7withyou lol Crap meant for another video Whoops

[@wearenot7withyou]

@@eaphantom9214 HAHAHA I was trying to figure out what you were saying 🤣lolll

[@davidallard1980]

At 13:58 there is a vulture gylph, and you said that means what it looks like, so it means vulture? What is the globe next to it?

[@redhandedjill]

Encasing the poop "like an m&m." I found that way too funny lol

[@barry99705]

Heh, "Why are there pyramids in Egypt? Cause they're too heavy to carry."

[@PrimatoFortunato]

Not for aliens. Aliens drew power lines across tectonic plates. Aliens so powerful they Gravity rayed your momma, being fat as she is.