The Crystal Skulls

A style of polished quartz skull carving first appeared in the art market in the 1860s. The British Museum in London, the Quai Branly Museum in Paris, and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC all house these skulls, which are thought to have been created before the Spanish invasion in the 16th century.

Although specialists had their suspicions about the authenticity of the skulls as early as the 1930s, they were later found to be a complete fake. They proved the skulls were unquestionably from post-Columbian times by using scientific tools.

Yet, if you believe Dan Aykroyd, who has gone so far as to produce a vodka product housed in a glass bottle like one of the crystal skulls, you may think that these enigmatic objects are actually 5,000 to 35,000 years old. When asked about the skulls, Aykroyd stated that although their provenance was debatable, everyone agreed that they were potent symbols of enlightenment and hope for a brighter future. He also stated that the skulls were carved without the use of any tools and took hundreds of years to complete.