evidence: We often think about our distant ancestors as primitive, equipped with the crudest of tools and a limited set of skills. But more often than not, we are terribly mistaken. Ancient civilizations are usually underestimated. History shows us that they repeatedly demonstrated incredible ingenuity and engineering prowess, even in the most distant past. From the stone age to the advent of metallurgy, these cultures thrived despite all. But still, certain ancient innovations and technologies remain a great enigma, as they cannot be replicated and fully understood. The mystery of ancient engineering challenges modern perception of the world’s first civilizations. Were they smarter than we think? [...] The exact process through which the Romans created such advanced art pieces remains a mystery, especially since nanotechnology was only understood by modern science in the 20th century. All this tells us that ancient artisans certainly possessed knowledge and techniques that were much more advanced than we first thought. [...] These ten incredible feats of ancient engineering are proof enough that our distant ancestors were much more sophisticated than we first thought. What is more, they definitely had an eye for art and magnificence and spared no effort or expense in order to create them.