Where is Cleopatra’s tomb? Was King Arthur real? Did Atlantis exist?
History is littered with mysteries and secrets, which no one has been able to conclusively put to rest.
Click start to play today’s Crossword, where you have to ‘reveal something kept as a secret’ in 3-Down.
Here are a few mysteries that historians and researchers are still puzzling over:
1. Did King Arthur really exist?
You’ve likely read, watched or heard the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Surrounding stories of the legendary Celtic Briton were other fascinating characters and artifacts, like the knight Camelot, the wizard Merlin, and the sword Excalibur. If King Arthur truly existed, the reality was likely far less magical than the tall tales make it out to be. According to US-based science website Livescience, earliest accounts can be traced back to the ninth century, and speak of a leader – not a king – who led men into battle against the Saxons. A number of sites around Britain also seem to link to King Arthur, but excavations have not revealed any definitive proof of his existence.
2. Who was Jack the Ripper?
In 1888, a serial killer that the media dubbed as Jack the Ripper killed and mutilated the bodies of at least five women in London, UK. The audacious killer even supposedly sent a number of letters to the police, taunting them and mocking their efforts to find him. The Ripper was never found, although there have been years of speculation about his identity. Some have even suggested he was a woman named Lizzie Williams, although others have said this is unlikely. Chances are, the world may never know his true identity.
3. Where is Cleopatra’s tomb?
She was perhaps the best-known and most significant queen of Egypt, but no one knows where she entombed. Ancient writers, like Greek philosopher Plutarch, have indicated that both Cleopatra VII and Roman general Mark Antony were buried together in a tomb near the temple of Isis, an ancient Egyptian deity, in 30BC. Plutarch wrote that their resting place was a “lofty and beautiful” monument, full of treasures made of gold, emeralds, pearls, ebony and ivory. But the location of Cleopatra’s tomb remains a mystery, and archaeologists have noted that even if it has survived, it may likely have been plundered and been rendered unidentifiable.
4. Did Atlantis truly exist?
In the fourth century BC, Greek philosopher Plato wrote about a land named Atlantis that existed in the Atlantic Ocean, and how its people supposedly conquered much of Europe and Africa in prehistoric times. In Plato’s version, prehistoric Athenians retaliated against Atlantis and drove them beneath the waves. While full of drama and glory, this tale doesn’t inspire much confidence in scholars, but some have speculated that the legend of Atlantis was inspired by true events in Greek history. For instance, the Minoan civilisation, which thrived on Crete until 1400BC, is one of the top contenders for the inspiration behind Atlantis.
What other mysteries from history leave you intrigued? Play today’s Crossword and tell us at games@gulfnews.com.
