Mystery Timeline｜Undated myths and BC
Gods and mythical beasts of world mythology, ancient ruins and legends from before recorded history.
One of the oldest works of literature in the world, born in ancient Mesopotamia. It tells of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, who defeats monsters with his friend Enkidu and, after his friend's death, travels in search of immortality. It includes a great flood story very similar to Noah's Ark.
A collection of spells placed in tombs with mummies in ancient Egypt, so the dead could travel safely through the underworld and enter paradise. Written on papyrus, it is famous for the "final judgment" scene in which the dead person's heart is weighed against a feather on scales. Its original title was "The Book of Coming Forth by Day."
Ancient manuscripts discovered in 1947 by a shepherd boy in caves at Qumran by the Dead Sea. Dating from about the 3rd century BC to the 1st century AD, they include some of the oldest surviving manuscripts of the Old Testament and have been called "the greatest archaeological discovery of the 20th century."
A legendary book of prophecy said to have been written on palm leaves by the ancient Indian sage Agastya, foretelling the fates of the people who would visit. In Tamil Nadu in southern India, there are "Nadi reading" houses where people have their own leaf found by their thumbprint and read to them.
