The "Pyramid of Menkaure", the smallest of the three great pyramids. This pyramid is believed to have been built by Pharaoh Menkaure around 2500 b.c. The three lesser pyramids (foreground) are believed to be the burial tombs for his queens.

The Pyramid of Menkaure, built around 2500 b.c. by Pharaoh Menkaure, the son of Khafre, the builder of the second pyramid. The last of the three major pyramids, the pyramids of Khufu (the "Great Pyramid"), Khafre, and Menkaure, this "third pyramid" is just one- tenth the size of the other two pyramids of the Giza group.

Menkaure's pyramid was left unfinished, perhaps because, some speculate, Menkaure died before its construction was complete. As such, the lower courses of the pyramid are encased in granite blocks, whereas the upper courses were left rough hewn and uncovered. It may also be possible that the granite blocks had fallen off due to earthquakes in the region, and carried away by locals for use in construction. The two other Giza pyramids show signs of also having been encased in granite. The pyramid of Khufu still has some granite facing stones scattered about its surface, and Khafre actually has retained the granite facing stones on much of its peak. If this is true, then the pyramids, far from being the rough-hewn, jagged, yellow-orange rockpiles that they appear as today, were in their heyday smooth, gleaming white symbols of geometrical perfection.

By far the most asked question about the pyramid of Menkaure, however, is, "Why is it so much smaller than the others? Most archaeologists have been of the opinion that Menkaure's pyramid represented a decline in Egyptian pyramid-building expertise, a decline in the amount of funds available in the royal treasury, or both. However, in 1995 a Belgian architect and amateur astronomer by the name of Robert Bauval noticed that from above, the three pyramids of Giza closely resembled in layout the belt stars of Orion. Not only did the relative positioning of the pyramids match, but the relative sizes of the pyramids matched the relative intensity of the three belt stars (click here for more).

Serpent Mound, near Peebles, Ohio. Serpent Mound is the largest and best-known serpent effigy in North America.

The lush, green, rolling hills of southern Ohio is the perfect location for Serpent Mound, the largest effigy mound in North America. Serpent Mound is the most famous of the numerous serpent-shaped effigy mounds in North America, and is also one of the oldest. However, though it is over 1,300 feet long, it averages only 3 feet in height, and it is difficult to see from the ground.

Set in the heart of the lush, rolling hills of southern Ohio, there is little question as to why the prehistoric Adena Indians (800 b.c. — a.d. 100) chose the Serpent symbol to represent the spirit of the area. The gently rolling hills of Adams County are clearly reminiscent of the undulating coils of a serpent, and of the fertility that the serpent represented in ancient Native American religion. Set deep in the countryside of southern Ohio, Serpent Mound and Adams County in general are a welcome relief from the hustle of Dayton and Cincinnati.

Though little details are known regarding the religious beliefs and rituals of the Adena, many believe that the Serpent Mound sat at the center of their religious rituals, and may have even served as a pathway for practitioners to walk, chanting hymns and thanking their gods for the continued fertility of the land, and praying for its continuance. The serpent's 17-foot jaws seem to be swallowing an egg, a somewhat disturbing image, yet not atypical of snakes, which often do eat bird eggs whole.

Nearby mounds have yielded significant archaeological discoveries from the Adena peoples, many of which are on display on site at the Serpent Mounds Museum. Serpent Mound is on State Route 73, six miles north of State Route 32 and 20 miles south of Bainbridge in Adams County, Ohio, near the town of Peebles. For more information, call 937-587-2796, or visit http://www.ohiohistory.org/places/serpent/

Dore's classic rendering of the "Tower of Babel" event recorded in Genesis 11. Most scholars believe that the tower was more like a ziggurat in form, a stepped tower similar in design to those built by the ancient Maya and other Southern and Central American peoples.

In Genesis 11, there is a strange story about how the ancient Babylonians decided to build a city, with a tower that would somehow unite mankind. "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole Earth" (Gen. 11:4). God feared that the building of this tower would unite mankind, so he confused their languages, thus ending any possibility of a united rebellion against him, as their confusion of languages made it impossible to undertake any sort of coordinated action. Thus, it was named the "Tower of Babel", from which our modern word "babble" is derived.

Scholars are divided on exactly what the tower was, and where it was located. Some believe that it is one of the many ziggurats to be found in Babylon today, others believe that it was destroyed, either in the chaos following the breakdown of society caused by the confusion of tongues, or some other undetermined cause. Unfortunately, due to the reign of Saddam Hussein, Western archaeological research had been curtailed in the area, so further research into the exact nature of the tower of Babel has been impossible. With the conquest and liberation of Iraq, however, new research will likely start soon into what truly happened in the dim past of humanity. Stay tuned to Mysterious World for regular updates on new discoveries regarding humanity's true past.

Angkor Wat, in modern-day Cambodia. This ancient ruin is actually fairly recent, built on the remains of a far more ancient structure. Angkor Wat is still in use today.

The temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia are some of the most enigmatic structures to be found in Asia. Construction on the temples was started by the ancient Khmer king Jayavarman II around a.d. 800, and the building and maintenance of Angkor was continued by his ancestors for the next 600 years, before they were forced out of the area by the Thai around 1431.

Angkor Wat is an exceptional monument on many levels. First of all, in size and complexity it ranks with all other major archaeological sites in the world, including even the pyramids of Egypt and Mexico. Moreover, its layout is like a mandala, i.e., a symbolic, ritualistic pattern intended to teach those who view it to think in a certain pattern. Academics who study the layout of Angkor Wat are of the opinion the layout of Angkor is intended to communicate the Buddhist view of the universe, and Buddhist monks still visit Angkor for this purpose.

Another view that has recently been discovered is that of Angkor Wat as a representation of the constellation of Draco on earth. Like the pyramids and Orion, Angkor Wat is believed by some to be laid out in such a way as to imitate the stars of the constellation of Draco, which lies near the pole star. Some believe that this indicates that Angkor Wat was actually started centuries earlier, and Jayavarman merely built up and improved pre-existing structures. If so, it is possible that the original ruins may have been significantly older, possibly dating back to the time of the pyramids.