Which object, excavated in the late 19th century and put in a national museum, was little commented upon until someone in the 1990s claimed it was a 2,000 year old glider?
Question #149915. Asked by
gmackematix.
Last updated Oct 07 2023.
Originally posted Oct 07 2023 8:01 PM.
The "Saqqara Bird" is dated to about 200 BC and was found in a tomb excavation in Egypt in 1898. It is a wooden object carved or modeled in the form of a flying bird, with airplane-like straight wings attached.
Its function is unknown. Egyptologist speculations include that it was a toy, a ceremonial model of a deity, or a boomerang-like weapon. Others suggest it was a weather vane or a ship mast totem.
In the 90s, a writer named Khalil Messiha put forward an idea that it could be proof that the Egyptians had flight technology and this was a model glider. Several people have tried to prove or disprove this idea. To date, there is no conclusive proof.
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