Puzzling Ancient Artifacts Of Unknown Origin And Purpose

AncientPages.com | March 10, 2014 | Artifacts, Featured Stories, News

AncientPages.com - Among strange artifacts that cannot be easily explained, there is a stele located in the the German national forest, (Kottenforst Naturpark), Roisdorf, a few miles west of Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.

It is a roughly square metal bar partially buried in the ground, with about 4 feet 10 inches (1.47 m) above the ground and approximately 9 feet (2.7 m) below ground.

"The Iron Man in the Kottenforst", Cologne, 1978

"The Iron Man in the Kottenforst", Cologne, 1978

It's so deeply stuck in the ground that even with a powerful tractor, it cannot be drawn from the soil - as it was attempted.

The pillar is porous and irregular. This unique ancient rarity in central Europe, is located at the center of some old medieval trails. Who made it, how and why, is unknown.

It was first mentioned in a 14th century document, where it was used as a village boundary marker, but some evidence exists that it is much older.

"The Iron Man in the Kottenforst", Cologne, 1978

"The Iron Man in the Kottenforst", Cologne, 1978

Scientists suggest it was created in the Middle Ages. After at least 600 years of exposure to the weather, the iron stele shows miraculously little trace of rust due to the passage of time.

No major corrosion is visible on the artifact.

Kottenforst Pillar - Location

The metallurgical examination demonstrated that the artifact contains coal, manganese, phosphorus, silicon and sulfur, so apparently it is nothing extraordinary.
It was placed at its present location around 1727, but where was it earlier?

The artifact has been shrouded in mystery for centuries and still remains the subject of scholarly speculation.

This is one of four clay disks found at Noatak National Preserve in northwestern Alaska. Photo by Scott Shirar, University of Alaska Museum of the North

This is one of four clay disks found at Noatak National Preserve in northwestern Alaska. Photo by Scott Shirar, University of Alaska Museum of the North

A few months ago, four small discs, only 2 centimeters across, were unearthed in an archaeological dig at Feniak Lake, in northwest Alaska.
Formed from clay, round and adormed with unknown markings, the artifacts remain a mystery.
Two of them have perfectly drilled, centered holes and a preliminary estimate of their age is at least 1,000 years old but they may prove to be much older.

This petroglyph-adorned boulder was found in the Noatak National Preserve by archaeologists working for the National Park Service 40 years ago. Photo by Scott Shirar, University of Alaska Museum of the North

This petroglyph-adorned boulder was found in the Noatak National Preserve by archaeologists working for the National Park Service 40 years ago. Photo by Scott Shirar, University of Alaska Museum of the North

Some of the petroglyphs on the boulders found in the vicinity are also covered with markings similar to those depicted on disks.

At the moment, no one is able to guess what their purpose was for prehistoric people of Alaska.

Written by – A. Sutherland AncientPages.com Staff Writer

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