Fridge magnets and the secrets of an ancient civilization in North America.
There are a lot of stories and versions of which people first discovered the magnet and, knowing its properties, began to use it in everyday life. Recently discovered magnet artifacts on the continent of North America gave a new vision of history. According to the data, a magnet was used here even earlier than in Ancient China, also much earlier than indicated in the ancient Greek annals.
In the late 19th - early 20th centuries, historians who studied Central America in pre-Columbian times, drew attention to the finding of many artifacts that were completely incomprehensible and unusual to them. Scientific research began in 1930. It turned out that there was an older civilization earlier than the Maya and Aztecs, the name of the archaeologist who excavated Matthew Stirling. It was not possible to find out where it came from and how this people called themselves. Later we found a mention of them among the Aztecs. They knew about its existence long ago, but the name was also unknown, they named it simply by the area, rubber trees grew in it. Hence the name "rubber people" - the Olmecs. Moreover, it is interesting that the main city of the Olmecs, Tamoanchan, when it was possible to translate it meant “we are looking for our home”.
The Olmecs were a fairly advanced civilization that appeared from 2500 BC. and flourished from 1500 BC to 400 AD. NS. in North America, on the territory of Mexico, where the states of Tabasco and Veracruz are now, there is still controversial information about their presence in Guatemala, El Salvador.
They are known for changing the landscape of their territory for themselves, building open pyramids on the surface and under the embankments of the earth. They had their own hieroglyphic writing, which scientists still cannot fully decipher. Facts were found indicating that sacrifices were carried out for ritual purposes, since the remains of people who died a violent death were found near the ritual places, their main totem is a jaguar. We were surprised by the data from the knowledge about the wheel, confirms the found children's toys. It is also believed that with the help of wheels they transported large weights and played ball games.
The Olmecs not only knew well about magnets, magnetic properties, but used them. From their culture, the most ancient compass in the world has been preserved, found by Michael Crowe in 1968. Compass in the form of a long thin rectangle made of hematite in the middle of the groove, well polished. It was broken in ancient times. Then it was broken again during the study. To establish the direction, they laid it on a piece of bark and placed it on water or liquid mercury; the compass itself was located along the same line along which all the Olmec structures were built. It shows 35.5 degrees northwest.
The famous large stone heads, weighing up to 30 tons, measuring 2.5 by 7 meters, and the figures of people, animals are striking - everyone has magnetized in certain places, the right temple, cheek or navel, each figure is different. They served as a lightning rod. If you bring the compass to a certain place, then the compass needle reacts to the magnetic attraction from the magnet.
The heads and figures are all different, without repetitions, they were in certain places and served as pointers.
Where this people came from, its culture, how the development and civilization took place is still not known.
There is a theory that the Olmecs are from Atlantis. Large heads and figures made of magnet or in some places magnetized served as direction indicators. Knowing to which figure, where to bring the compass, it will be indicated where to look for the second head or figure-pointer. Thus, the path will go to the treasures of the ancient people from Atlantis. It is impossible to do this now, since all the magnets - pointers - heads and figures, despite their colossal size, huge weight, were taken from the previously occupied mandatory places and buried in the ground, away from people. The order was given to hide the signs by the priests and the chief in order to keep the secret.
Not only huge, but also small figures were made from magnetite. As befits a magnet, which has attractive and repulsive properties, and the ancient people knew them well, the figures had different meanings. Some with a repulsive effect, according to their beliefs, represented the wealthy dead, their communication with the living. The second, from a magnet, in the form of fat boys - well-being.
Img. No. 1 and img. No. 2 - heads found in Guatemala, img. No. 3 - the head of the Olmecs.
In neighboring Guatemala, such figures and heads were also found left from an unknown civilization at the same age, but outwardly they are different. They are more primitive, they call them "pot-bellied", have mournful features, closed eyes, more similar facial features to the Indian, the Olmecs' features are closer to Negroids. They have two magnetized places - cheeks and whiskey.
If we pay attention to small figurines, statues of that period, they were made with different faces, but in three main types - Negroid, European and Mongoloid. This means that this people knew about others, but not all that are in the world.
And although many peoples from different countries and continents are fighting in history for the primacy of the discovery of the magnet itself and its properties, the ability to use it for the benefit of people is good that it was discovered, and that many scientists from all over the world have studied and worked for several centuries. over it, improved. Just as the magnet is the strongest natural magnet, but only thanks to the stronger magnets created by people, we use many of the benefits of our time. In factories, industries, even in space, various magnets are used. In everyday life, we use magnets, often without thinking that there are magnets in all equipment from a vacuum cleaner, refrigerator, computer, phone to everything else, in bank cards, children's toys and every day we see magnets on the doors of our refrigerators.
About fridge magnets, this is a separate conversation. Due to the fact that the magnet is very easy to attach to the surface of the refrigerator, there is no need for glue and fixtures, but everything is very easy and simple, such a souvenir as a fridge magnet has become very common. Today the fridge magnet is the number one souvenir in all ratings. Buying souvenir fridge magnets on all trips, collecting and giving them to loved ones, has long gone beyond one or a couple of countries, rather, this is an unconditional rule or tradition of a global scale. A souvenir fridge magnet brought from another country is the most common occurrence. Now on refrigerators you can see the most interesting and different collections of magnets, and each has its own history of appearing on the door of the refrigerator. But, without the discovery of the magnet itself and its properties, this tradition, perhaps, would not have appeared at all and for sure, it would not have been so widespread - to bring and collect souvenir fridge magnets around the world.
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