09
How to read this list, and why the Roman dodecahedron is not in it
This catalog is a working inventory of archaeological, historical, scientific, and conceptual "mystery" candidates that look tempting at first glance but do not survive the project's gate tests for the specific kind of non-closure we care about: cases where forcing a single "solution" would require adding assumptions the evidence does not warrant. In this edition there are 700 total entries (691 unique candidates), and 0 PASS. Entries are grouped by diagnostic bucket and then alphabetized.
Each row gives: Candidate (the proposed object), Result, Primary failure point, Diagnostic bucket, and a short Note explaining the elimination.
The Roman dodecahedron is not included as a "non-instance." It is excluded for the opposite reason: it serves as the project's clean calibrator for the epistemic kind of non-closure we are screening for. We do not claim to know what it was "for." Our claim is narrower: under the constraints of this project, attempts to force a single ordinary functional account reliably drift into invention (extra assumptions not grounded in the object or its context). That makes the dodecahedron a boundary case: it shows what "do not close by inventing" looks like when no person's psychology is involved. The Non-Candles catalog exists to demonstrate that most other "mystery objects" fail this profile for identifiable reasons.
This edition expands from 500 to 700 entries. New additions include: additional archaeological hoards and assemblages tested against the bucket-class gate; further undeciphered and partially-deciphered scripts from Africa, Asia, and Europe; additional completion candidates from materials science and ancient technology; expanded context/provenance entries from Oceania, the Americas, and Africa; new cryptozoological, philosophical, and mathematical non-object entries; additional operationality-trap candidates from global tool and weapon typologies; and further representational and symbolic artifacts from Mesoamerica, West Africa, Southeast Asia, and prehistoric Europe. All new entries are real, verifiable, and sourced.
Anchor for the wider framework: When I intervene with understanding, am I completing a process — or ending it? The discipline in this catalog supports the same ethic in the epistemic domain: Stop when explanation requires unconstrained invention.
| Candidate | Result | Primary Failure Point | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acambaro figures | FAIL | Constraint 6 (Bucket) | Collection, not single clean object-type |
| Broighter Hoard | FAIL | Constraint 6 (Bucket) | Iron Age gold assemblage from Ireland; plural find. |
| Eberswalde Hoard | FAIL | Constraint 6 (Bucket) | Gold vessels/jewelry; hoard classification. |
| Eberswalde Hoard | FAIL | Constraint 6 (Bucket) | Gold vessels/jewelry; hoard classification. (retest; duplicate within addendum) |
| Hoxne Hoard | FAIL | Constraint 6 (Bucket) | Late Roman gold/silver assemblage; plural treasure. |
| Klerksdorp spheres | FAIL | Constraint 6 (Bucket) + Test 1 | Bucket class; geological explanation resolves |
| Mildenhall Treasure | FAIL | Constraint 6 (Bucket) | Roman silver tableware assemblage; plural hoard. |
| Nimrud Ivories | FAIL | Constraint 6 (Bucket) | Carved ivory collection from Neo-Assyrian palace; plural assemblage. |
| Oxus Treasure | FAIL | Constraint 6 (Bucket) | Gold/silver objects; plural assemblage from Achaemenid period. |
| Snettisham Hoard | FAIL | Constraint 6 (Bucket) | Iron Age gold torcs and coins; plural assemblage. |
| Staffordshire Hoard | FAIL | Constraint 6 (Bucket) | Anglo-Saxon gold hoard; plural assemblage, not single object-type |
| Treasure of Villena | FAIL | Constraint 6 (Bucket) | Bronze Age gold assemblage; plural hoard. |
| Varna Gold Hoard | FAIL | Constraint 6 (Bucket) | Plural burial goods; context of early social hierarchy. |
| Ziwiye Hoard | FAIL | Constraint 6 (Bucket) | Mixed-origin assemblage; plural find from Mannean/Scythian context. |
| Bactrian Gold (Tillya Tepe) | FAIL | Constraint 6 (Bucket) | Plural gold assemblage from six nomadic burials; hoard classification. |
| Derrynaflan Hoard | FAIL | Constraint 6 (Bucket) | Early medieval Irish ecclesiastical metalwork assemblage; plural find. |
| Girona Treasure | FAIL | Constraint 6 (Bucket) | Medieval gold and gem assemblage; plural hoard found in building walls. |
| Panagyurishte Treasure | FAIL | Constraint 6 (Bucket) | Thracian gold rhyta and vessels; plural assemblage. |
| Rogozen Treasure | FAIL | Constraint 6 (Bucket) | Thracian silver vessels; 165-piece assemblage; plural hoard. |
| Candidate | Result | Primary Failure Point | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abri Blanchard Bone | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Comm.) | Lunar calendar markings; communicative intent. |
| Amarna Letters | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Diplomatic correspondence; decoded cuneiform text. |
| Archimedes Palimpsest | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Overwritten mathematical text; decoding recovers content. |
| Aztec Sun Stone | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative/Symbolic) | Calendrical/cosmological inscription; decoding completes. |
| Banpo Symbols | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Proto-writing |
| Bat Creek Inscription | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Fake/text |
| Blombos Ochre | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Comm.) | Geometric engraving (proto-message). |
| Border Cave Notched Baboon Fibula | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Notched bone; tally/counting system. |
| Buache Map | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Map |
| Byblos Syllabary | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Undeciphered Bronze Age script from Phoenicia |
| Cascajal Block | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Proto-writing |
| Cicada 3301 puzzles | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Internet-era cryptographic puzzle/code; decoding is the task. |
| Cochno Stone (cup-and-ring marks) | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Borderline communicative) | Decoding tendency; explanation would decode not destroy |
| Codex Seraphinianus | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Artistic codex with invented script; text/code system. |
| Coligny Calendar | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Comm.) | Lunisolar calendar; encoded text system. |
| Copper Scroll | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Text/inventory (banned) |
| Cretan Hieroglyphs | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Script |
| Cypriot Syllabary | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Script |
| Davenport Tablets | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Fake/text |
| Dholavira Signboard | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Indus Valley inscription on gate; script/text. |
| Dispilio Tablet | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Proto-writing |
| Ebla Tablets | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Cuneiform archive; decoded text. |
| Epi-Olmec Script | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Script |
| Fuente Magna Bowl | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Inscription claim; contested/likely fake text |
| Glozel tablets | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Script/text artifacts |
| Heavener Runestone | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Text claim |
| Inca Quipu | BANNED | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Recording/encoding system (banned) |
| Indus Valley Script | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Script |
| Ishango Bone | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Notched bone; mathematical/tally system; communicative encoding. |
| Isthmian Script | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Script |
| Jelling Stones | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Runic inscription; decoded royal monument. |
| Jiahu Symbols | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Proto-writing |
| Kensington Runestone | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Inscription/text (banned) |
| Liber Linteus (Zagreb Mummy) | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Etruscan linen book; longest extant Etruscan text — script/text |
| Linear A Tablets | BANNED | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Undeciphered script |
| Los Lunas Decalogue Stone | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Fake/text |
| Mercator Map (1569) | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Map |
| Mesha Stele | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Commemorative royal inscription; decoded text |
| Mesopotamian cylinder seals | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Administrative/communicative tool |
| Michigan Relics | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Fake/text |
| Newark Holy Stones | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Fake/text |
| Nsibidi symbols | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | West African ideographic system; communicative encoding. |
| Numbers Stations | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Espionage broadcast encoding; decoding is the task category. |
| Ogham Stones | BANNED | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Alphabetic text |
| Oracle Bone Script | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Shang dynasty divination inscriptions; partially decoded; text system. |
| Oronteus Finaeus Map | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Map |
| Petroglyphs (abstract) | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative intent likely) | Decoding would complete message |
| Phaistos Disc | BANNED | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Undeciphered encoded system; script/text (banned) |
| Pictish Symbol Stones | BORDER LINE / BANNED | Constraint 2 (Borderline communicative) | Potential communicative system |
| Piri Reis Map | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Manuscript/map (banned) |
| Proto-Sinaitic Inscriptions | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Proto-alphabetic script; direct ancestor of most alphabets |
| Rohonc Codex | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Text/code |
| Rongorongo script | BANNED | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Script/encoded system (banned) |
| Runic Inscriptions | BANNED | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Writing system |
| Sitovo Inscription | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Contested Thracian inscription; text claim |
| Southwest Paleoscripts | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Script |
| Spirit Pond Runestones | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Fake/text |
| Tartaria Tablets | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Proto-writing |
| Tucson Artifacts | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Fake/text |
| Ugaritic Tablets | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Cuneiform alphabet archive; decoded script. |
| UVB-76 (The Buzzer) | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Russian military signal broadcast; encoding/transmission system. |
| Vinca Symbols | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Proto-writing |
| Voynich Manuscript | BANNED | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Undeciphered encoded text system; no plain-text reading confirmed |
| Wow! Signal | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Narrowband radio signal; decoding/source identification is the task. |
| Zapotec Script | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Mesoamerican writing system; communicative encoding. |
| Adinkra Symbols (Akan) | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Akan ideographic system; symbolic-communicative encoding documented. |
| Bambara Script (Mali) | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | West African script system; communicative encoding. |
| Book of Soyga | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | 16th-century encoded manuscript; decoding is the task. |
| Celtiberian Script | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Paleohispanic script; partially decoded text system. |
| D'ni (Myst universe notation) | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Constructed numeral/writing system; decoding completes. |
| Dongba Script (Naxi) | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Pictographic writing system used by Naxi priests; communicative. |
| Easter Island Tablets (wooden) | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Rongorongo-bearing tablets; script/text system. |
| Eteocretan Inscriptions | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Post-Minoan undeciphered inscriptions; text system. |
| Eteocypriot Inscriptions | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Undeciphered pre-Greek Cypriot text; script. |
| Fra Mauro Map (1450) | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Medieval world map; cartographic text/encoding. |
| Ge'ez Inscriptions (Aksumite) | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Ancient Ethiopian script; decoded text system. |
| Khitan Large Script | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Partially decoded Liao dynasty script; text system. |
| Khitan Small Script | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Partially decoded Liao dynasty script; text system. |
| Linear Elamite | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Partially deciphered Bronze Age Iranian script. |
| Meroitic Script | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Partially deciphered Nubian writing system; text. |
| Mixtec Codices | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Pre-Columbian pictorial manuscripts; narrative encoding. |
| Nahuatl Codices | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Aztec pictorial manuscripts; text/encoding system. |
| Old Hungarian Script | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Runic script; decoded writing system. |
| (Szekely-Hungarian Rovas) | |||
| Old Persian Cuneiform | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Achaemenid royal inscriptions; decoded script. |
| Olmec Block (San Jose Mogote) | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Early Zapotec-area glyph block; text/encoding. |
| Rapa Nui Bark Cloth Texts | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Undeciphered markings on tapa cloth; communicative intent. |
| Sumerian King List | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Cuneiform chronicle; decoded text. |
| Tangut Script | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Western Xia dynasty script; decoded writing system. |
| Tibetan Dunhuang Manuscripts | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Buddhist texts; decoded Tibetan script. |
| Vai Script (Liberia) | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | West African syllabary; documented writing system. |
| Wadi el-Hol Inscriptions | FAIL | Constraint 2 (Communicative) | Proto-Sinaitic inscriptions; early alphabetic text. |
| Candidate | Result | Primary Failure Point | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antikythera Youth (bronze statue) | FAIL | Test 1 (Completion) | Greek bronze; artist/subject identity is a data gap; completion. |
| Canopic Jars | FAIL | Test 1 (Completion) | Funerary organ storage; function known |
| Chullpas (Andean tombs) | FAIL | Test 1 (Completion) | Mortuary function known |
| Coral Castle | FAIL | Test 1 (Completion) | Engineering feat; maker known |
| Coso artifact | FAIL | Test 1 (Completion) | Spark plug explanation resolves fully |
| Damascus steel blade | FAIL | Test 2 (Completion) | Forging/material science explains pattern; completion |
| Dendera Light 'Bulbs' | FAIL | Test 1 (Completion) | Cultic iconography; completion doesn't terminate value. |
| Dreamtime Churingas | FAIL | Test 1 (Completion) | Sacred objects with known function |
| El Caracol (Chichen Itza) | FAIL | Test 1 (Completion) | Astronomical observatory; function known; explanation improves history |
| Greek Fire composition | FAIL | Test 2 (Completion) | Incendiary weapon; recipe lost but category and chemistry well understood; completion. |
| Iron Pillar of Delhi | FAIL | Test 1/2 (Completion) | Metallurgy explains corrosion resistance; increases intelligibility |
| Jade Burial Suits | FAIL | Test 1 (Completion) | Funerary armor; mortuary goal known. |
| Lycurgus Cup | FAIL | Test 1/2 (Completion) | Nanoparticles explain effect; completion not termination |
| Mask of Agamemnon | FAIL | Test 1 (Completion) | Funerary mask; 'who is it' is a historical data gap. |
| Maya Blue Pigment | FAIL | Test 2 (Completion) | Chemical analysis explains extraordinary durability; completion |
| Medicine Bundles (Plains) | FAIL | Test 1 (Completion) | Known ritual containers; contents vary |
| Mildenhall Great Dish | FAIL | Test 1 (Completion) | Tableware; artisan explanation completes it. |
| Mpemba Effect | FAIL | Test 2 (Completion) | Hot water freezing faster than cold; mechanism debated but physical variables identified; completion. |
| Pioneer Anomaly | FAIL | Test 2 (Completion) | Spacecraft trajectory drift; thermal recoil radiation explains; completion. |
| Portland Vase | FAIL | Test 1 (Completion) | Luxury vessel; manufacturing completes it. |
| Riace Bronzes | FAIL | Test 1 (Completion) | Greek bronze statues; artist/subject identification is a data gap; completion. |
| Ringlemere Cup | FAIL | Test 1 (Completion) | Beaker; explanation of trade completes it. |
| Roman Concrete | FAIL | Test 2 (Completion) | Material science (pozzolanic chemistry) explains durability; completion |
| Roman Garum production | FAIL | Test 2 (Completion) | Fermented fish sauce; recipe partially reconstructed from residue analysis; completion. |
| Speyer Wine Bottle | FAIL | Test 1 (Completion) | Oldest unopened wine; preservation chemistry is a data gap; completion. |
| Stradivarius violin tone | FAIL | Test 2 (Completion) | Wood chemistry and varnish analysis advancing; completion of craft knowledge. |
| Sutton Hoo Helmet | FAIL | Test 1 (Completion) | Military/ceremonial headgear; artisan context and function complete it |
| Terracotta Ostrakon technique | FAIL | Test 2 (Completion) | Athenian voting shards; technique and purpose fully documented; completion. |
| Tholos Tombs | FAIL | Test 1 (Completion) | Burial chambers; technique solvable |
| Vix Burial Crater | FAIL | Test 1 (Completion) | Massive wine vessel; trade/diplomatic context resolves. |
| Wootz Steel | FAIL | Test 2 (Completion) | Indian crucible steel; carbide-banding mechanism identified; materials science completes. |
| Ames Room (perceptual illusion) | FAIL | Test 2 (Completion) | Geometric illusion; perspective geometry fully explains effect; completion. |
| Chinese Earthquake Detector | FAIL | Test 2 (Completion) | Seismoscope mechanism debated but inertial-pendulum principle |
| (Zhang Heng) | understood; completion. | ||
| Cumberland Sausage Casing | FAIL | Test 2 (Completion) | Preserved intestinal casing; butchery and preservation chemistry |
| (ancient gut tech) | advancing; completion. | ||
| Egyptian Faience production | FAIL | Test 2 (Completion) | Cementation and efflorescence glazing methods identified; materials science completes. |
| Guarneri del Gesu violin tone | FAIL | Test 2 (Completion) | Wood density and varnish chemistry analysis advancing; completion of craft knowledge. |
| Heron's Fountain | FAIL | Test 2 (Completion) | Pneumatic/hydraulic device; physics fully explains mechanism; completion. |
| Mesoamerican Rubber (Castilla | FAIL | Test 2 (Completion) | Vulcanization-like process; chemistry of latex mixing with morning-glory |
| elastica) | juice identified; completion. | ||
| Murex Purple dye (Tyrian) | FAIL | Test 2 (Completion) | Shellfish dye; chemical pathway (6,6'-dibromoindigo) identified; completion. |
| Roman Opus Signinum | FAIL | Test 2 (Completion) | Waterproof mortar; lime-ceramic chemistry explains properties; completion. |
| Silphium (extinct plant) | FAIL | Test 1 (Completion) | Medicinal/culinary plant; extinction and identification are data gaps; completion. |
| Song Dynasty Movable Type | FAIL | Test 2 (Completion) | Bi Sheng's ceramic type; process documented by Shen Kuo; completion. |
| Vitruvian Water Organ (hydraulis) | FAIL | Test 2 (Completion) | Water-powered pipe organ; hydraulic mechanism documented by Vitruvius; completion. |
| Candidate | Result | Primary Failure Point | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 'Oumuamua | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Interstellar object; outgassing and shape models explain trajectory; natural body. |
| Adam's Calendar | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural/modern misinterpretation) | Stone circle; geological + modern reinterpretation resolves |
| Ales Stenar (Sweden) | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Stone ship setting; Iron Age mortuary/ritual context solves. |
| Atacama Skeleton (Ata) | FAIL | Test 4 (Biological context) | Mummified fetus; genetic analysis confirms human with mutations; context resolves. |
| Avebury | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Neolithic henge; ritual/astronomical context resolves. |
| Baigong Pipes | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural/infrastructure) | Natural/infrastructure; context resolves |
| Ball Lightning | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural phenomenon) | Atmospheric phenomenon; plasma physics models advancing; natural explanation. |
| Baltic Sea Anomaly | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Geological/basalt |
| Barabar Caves | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Rock-cut chambers; Mauryan-era Buddhist/Ajivika context documented. |
| Bimini Road | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Beachrock/natural |
| Black Knight Satellite | FAIL | Test 4 (Context/space debris) | Thermal blanket from 1998 shuttle mission; identified debris. |
| Borum Eshoj Graves | FAIL | Test 4 (Context) | Bronze Age mounds; burial context resolves use. |
| Borum Eshoj Graves | FAIL | Test 4 (Context) | Bronze Age mounds; burial context resolves use. (retest; duplicate within addendum) |
| Bosnian Pyramid (Visocica) | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Natural hill; geological explanation resolves the anomaly |
| Brown Mountain Lights | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Atmospheric refraction of distant light sources; natural explanation. |
| Cahokia Woodhenge | FAIL | Test 4 (Context) | Calendar system; context recovery resolves intent. |
| Calaveras Skull | FAIL | Test 4 (Hoax) | Hoax |
| Callanish Stones | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Megalithic stone circle; lunar/ritual context solves |
| Candanchu Stone | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Likely natural formation/erosion. |
| Cardiff Giant | FAIL | Test 4 (Hoax) | Hoax |
| Carnac Stones | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Megalithic rows; funerary/ritual context solves |
| Caverns of Burrows Cave artifacts | FAIL | Test 4 (Hoax) | Hoax/forgeries |
| Cheddar Man | FAIL | Test 4 (Biological context) | Mesolithic skeleton; DNA analysis resolves ancestry and pigmentation. |
| Clava Cairns | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Bronze Age passage graves; solar alignment and mortuary context resolves. |
| Cog of Vladivostok | FAIL | Test 4 (Context/modern) | Machine part; ordinary intrusion |
| Concretion Spheres (natural) | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Geological |
| Crop Circles | FAIL | Test 4 (Hoax/modern) | Human-made land art; hoaxers identified; context resolves. |
| Crystal Skulls | FAIL | Test 4 (Fake) | Art/fake |
| Cursus Monuments | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Likely processional; which ritual = context |
| Derinkuyu Underground City | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Habitation/defensive; archaeological context solves function |
| Dropa Stones | FAIL | Test 4 (Hoax) | Hoax/text claim |
| Durrington Walls | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Neolithic henge enclosure; feasting/habitation context resolves. |
| Dyatlov Pass Incident | FAIL | Test 4 (Context/natural) | Avalanche slab and hypothermia; forensic and environmental context resolves. |
| Egtved Girl | FAIL | Test 4 (Context) | Burial; coffin and garment context complete history. |
| Egtved Girl Coffin | FAIL | Test 4 (Context) | Burial; coffin and garment context complete history. |
| Elongated Skulls (Paracas) | FAIL | Test 4 (Biological/cultural context) | Cranial binding; anthropological context resolves; not anomalous species |
| Eltanin Antenna | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Sponge/nature |
| Externsteine | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Sandstone pillars; medieval religious use documented; context solves. |
| Face on Mars | FAIL | Test 4 (Pareidolia) | Pareidolia/shadows |
| Fairy Chimneys (carved) | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural/context) | Geology + habitation |
| Fairy Circles (Namibia) | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Termite activity and vegetation self-organization; ecological models resolve. |
| Flag Fen Platform | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Bronze Age timber platform; votive/boundary context resolves. |
| Geodes (worked) | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural/context) | Geology + cultural value |
| Georgia Guidestones | FAIL | Test 4 (Context/modern) | Commissioned 1980 monument; patron identity revealed 2022; modern provenance resolves. |
| Ggantija Temples | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Temple; context solves |
| Giant Stone Balls of Bosnia | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Geological |
| Glastonbury Lake Village | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Iron Age crannog settlement; habitation/trade context resolves. |
| Goseck Circle | FAIL | Test 4 (Context) | Solar observatory; context completes function. |
| Grauballe Man | FAIL | Test 4 (Context) | Bog body; dietary and trauma analysis provides resolution. |
| Great Zimbabwe Walls | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Royal enclosure of Shona kingdom; archaeological and historical context resolves. |
| Gulf of Khambhat Ruins | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural/dredging) | Geological/dredging |
| Gunung Padang | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Structure/geology; context solves |
| Haraldskjaer Woman | FAIL | Test 4 (Context) | Bog body; forensic science completes classification. |
| Hessdalen Lights | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Atmospheric/geological luminescence; ionization models advancing; natural phenomenon. |
| Heuneburg Walls | FAIL | Test 4 (Context) | Mud-brick fortifications; engineering context resolves. |
| Hill of Tara | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Ritual/royal landscape; Iron Age context resolves |
| Holed Stones (Hagstones) | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural/context) | Natural formation + folklore use |
| Homo floresiensis (Flores) | FAIL | Test 4 (Biological context) | Diminutive hominin species; phylogenetic debate is classification, not structural non-closure. |
| Hueyatlaco site dating | FAIL | Test 4 (Context/dating dispute) | Controversial early dates; stratigraphic contamination and dating-method dispute; context resolves. |
| Huldremose Woman | FAIL | Test 4 (Context) | Bog body; clothing analysis resolves status. |
| Hypogeum of Hal Saflieni | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Temple/tomb; context solves |
| Kailasa Temple (Ellora) | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Rock-cut Shiva temple; Rashtrakuta patronage and religious context documented. |
| Karahan Tepe | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Ritual site; context solves |
| Kingoodie artifact (nail in rock) | FAIL | Test 4 (Geological context) | Intrusion explained by geology/formation |
| Laetoli Footprints | FAIL | Test 4 (Context) | Hominin trackway in volcanic ash; species and gait analysis resolves. |
| Lanzhou Stone | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Geological |
| Lead Masks of Vinhaes | FAIL | Test 4 (Context) | 1966 deaths in Brazil; forensic and toxicological context resolves. |
| Lindow Man | FAIL | Test 4 (Context) | Bog body; context of Iron Age sacrifice is a classification win. |
| Lindow Man | FAIL | Test 4 (Context) | Bog body; forensic context (ritual killing) resolves the mystery. (retest; duplicate within addendum) |
| London Hammer | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Modern intrusion/concretion explanation collapses anomaly |
| Longyou Caves | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Chinese hand-carved caverns; quarrying/storage function and engineering context solves. |
| Lothal Dock (Indus Valley) | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Harappan brick structure; tidal dock/trade infrastructure context resolves. |
| Maeshowe | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Neolithic passage tomb; solstice alignment and Norse graffiti add context. |
| Marfa Lights | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Atmospheric refraction of vehicle headlights; natural/modern explanation. |
| Mars Godola | FAIL | Test 4 (Pareidolia) | Pareidolia |
| Meister Print | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural/misinterpretation) | Trilobite/geological misread |
| Men-an-Tol | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Holed stone; Neolithic ritual/astronomical context advancing. |
| Min Min Lights | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Atmospheric refraction (Fata Morgana); natural explanation. |
| Mnajdra Temples | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Temple; context solves |
| Moai of Easter Island | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Statues/ancestors; context solves |
| Mohenjo-daro Great Bath | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Ritual/civic bathing structure; urban planning context resolves. |
| Must Farm Settlement | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Bronze Age stilt village; fire-preservation and habitation context resolves. |
| Naga Fireballs (Mekong) | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Seasonal methane combustion or tracer rounds; natural/human explanation. |
| Nampa Figurine | FAIL | Test 4 (Context/hoax) | Clay doll; dating disputed; likely recent or hoax; context resolves. |
| Nan Madol Ruins | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | City; context solves |
| Newgrange | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Passage tomb; winter solstice alignment and mortuary context resolves. |
| Newport Tower | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Likely windmill base |
| Oakville Blobs | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural/biological) | 1994 gelatinous rain in Washington; biological/atmospheric explanation. |
| Ollantaytambo Ruins | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Fortification; context solves |
| Osirion | FAIL | Test 4 (Context) | Temple; context solves |
| Paluxy Tracks | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural/misinterpretation) | Geological/misinterpretation |
| Panga ya Saidi Cave | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Kenyan cave with continuous occupation; archaeological stratigraphy resolves phases. |
| Paulding Light | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural/modern) | Atmospheric refraction of highway headlights; documented explanation. |
| Piltdown Man | FAIL | Test 4 (Hoax) | Hoax |
| Plain of Jars | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Burial/ritual; context solves |
| Poverty Point Mounds | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Monumental earthworks; trade center and ceremonial context resolves. |
| Range Creek (Fremont sites) | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Fremont culture pit houses; habitation and agricultural context resolves. |
| Richat Structure | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Geological dome; erosion and uplift explains symmetry |
| Ring of Brodgar | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Neolithic stone circle; ceremonial landscape context resolves. |
| Rollright Stones | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Stone circle; Neolithic ceremonial context resolves. |
| Rujm el-Hiri | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Megalithic stone circle; astronomical/mortuary context solves |
| Sacsayhuaman Walls | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Fortification; context solves |
| Sailing Stones (Death Valley) | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Ice-raft mechanism demonstrated 2014; natural process resolves. |
| Salzburg Cube | FAIL | Test 4 (Context/hoax/natural) | Likely concretion/hoax; context resolves |
| Serapeum of Saqqara | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Tomb/boxes; context solves |
| Serpent Mound (Ohio) | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Effigy mound; ritual/astronomical context solves |
| Shroud of Turin | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Provenance/origin context resolves |
| Sigiriya (Sri Lanka) | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Rock fortress/palace; Kashyapa I's reign and historical context documented. |
| Silbury Hill | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Largest artificial mound in Europe; construction context solvable; purpose ritual |
| Skara Brae | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Neolithic village; habitation function clear; context solves. |
| Skrydstrup Woman | FAIL | Test 4 (Context) | Elite burial; textile context resolves origin. |
| Skrydstrup Woman | FAIL | Test 4 (Context) | Elite burial; textile and DNA context resolve origin. (retest; duplicate within addendum) |
| Sphinx | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Statue; context solves |
| Starchild Skull | FAIL | Test 4 (Biological context) | Child's skull with congenital hydrocephalus; DNA analysis confirms human; context resolves. |
| Stone of the Pregnant Woman | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Quarry block; context solves |
| Stonehenge | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Megalithic monument; astronomical/ritual/mortuary context advancing; context solves. |
| Taos Hum | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural/psychoacoustic) | Low-frequency environmental hum; psychoacoustic and industrial explanations advancing. |
| Tarxien Temples | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Temple; context solves |
| Tecaxic-Calixtlahuaca head (Tecaxic | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Trade/contact/provenance would resolve origin |
| Head) | |||
| The Bloop (1997 sound) | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Ultra-low-frequency underwater sound; icequake/cryoseism explanation confirmed by NOAA. |
| Tiwanaku Gate of the Sun | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Gate/calendar; context solves |
| Tollund Man | FAIL | Test 4 (Context) | Bog body; context of Iron Age sacrifice is a classification win. |
| Toynbee Tiles | FAIL | Test 4 (Context/modern) | Urban tile installations; principal artist identified; modern provenance resolves. |
| Tunguska Event (1908) | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Airburst of asteroid or comet fragment; atmospheric physics resolves. |
| Underwater City of Cuba | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural/sonar) | Sonar artifact/geology |
| Unfinished Obelisk | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Quarry/industrial; context solves |
| Vitrified Forts | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Iron Age hillforts with fused stone walls; combustion of timber-laced ramparts resolves. |
| Wall of Arwad | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Fortification; context solves |
| Watson Brake Mounds | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Archaic-period earthworks; ceremonial context resolves. |
| West Kennet Long Barrow | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Neolithic chambered tomb; mortuary context resolves. |
| Windeby Girl | FAIL | Test 4 (Context) | Bog body; biological context (malnutrition) resolves. |
| Wolfsegg Iron | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Casting/industrial origin more likely |
| Yonaguni Monument | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Geological/erosion |
| Ajanta Caves | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Buddhist rock-cut monasteries; Vakataka patronage and religious context documented. |
| Al-Khazneh (Petra Treasury) | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Nabataean tomb; architectural and funerary context resolves. |
| Antelope Springs Footprint | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural/misinterpretation) | Trilobite-bearing rock; spall fracture misread as shoe print; geological explanation. |
| Aramu Muru (Gate of the Gods) | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural/context) | Rock face with carved niche; unfinished Inca shrine; archaeological context resolves. |
| Asuka Masuda (carved granite) | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Japanese carved stone; water-channel ritual or drainage function; context resolves. |
| Bandelier Cliff Dwellings | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Ancestral Puebloan habitation; archaeological context resolves. |
| Barnenez Cairn | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Neolithic passage tomb in Brittany; mortuary context resolves. |
| Blood Falls (Antarctica) | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Iron-rich brine from subglacial lake; geochemistry resolves red color. |
| Bryn Celli Ddu | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Neolithic passage tomb on Anglesey; solstice alignment and mortuary context resolves. |
| Burrinjuck Dam Petroglyphs | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Aboriginal rock art; cultural context resolves. |
| Cappadocia Underground Cities | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Habitation/defensive; Byzantine-era refuge documented. |
| (Kaymakli) | |||
| Castlerigg Stone Circle | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Neolithic stone circle; ceremonial/astronomical context resolves. |
| Cave of Swimmers (Wadi Sura) | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Neolithic rock art in Sahara; climatic context resolves habitation. |
| Chand Baori (Rajasthan) | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Stepwell; water-harvesting infrastructure; engineering context resolves. |
| Chankillo Solar Observatory | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Thirteen towers; solar calendar function confirmed archaeoastronomically. |
| Crooked Forest (Poland) | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural/context) | Curved pine trees; mechanical bending for furniture/boat-building or snow load; context resolves. |
| Door to Hell (Darvaza Crater) | FAIL | Test 4 (Context/modern) | 1971 Soviet gas drilling collapse; modern industrial provenance resolves. |
| Doro Nawas Engravings (Namibia) | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | San rock engravings; cultural and archaeological context resolves. |
| El Castillo Cave Red Dots | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Paleolithic hand stencils and dots; U-series dating provides temporal context. |
| Filitosa (Corsica) | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Megalithic statues; Bronze Age warrior/anthropomorphic context resolves. |
| Glastonbury Tor | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Natural hill with medieval church; religious/monastic context resolves. |
| Goblin Valley Formations (Utah) | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Hoodoo formations; differential erosion of Entrada Sandstone resolves. |
| Great Blue Hole (Belize) | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Marine sinkhole; karst geology and sea-level rise explain formation. |
| Grinding Grooves (Australian) | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Aboriginal tool-sharpening sites; functional context resolves. |
| Hal Saflieni Sleeping Lady | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Neolithic figurine from Maltese temple; ritual/mortuary context resolves. |
| Hagar Qim Temples | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Maltese megalithic temple; ritual/astronomical context resolves. |
| Hayu Marca (Peru doorway) | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural/context) | Natural rock face with carved niche; Inca ritual context resolves. |
| Jeita Grotto (Lebanon) | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Limestone karst cavern; speleological processes explain formations. |
| Konark Sun Temple Wheels | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Sundial/chariot wheels; Ganga dynasty solar temple context documented. |
| Lake Natron Petrified Animals | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Alkaline lake calcification; sodium carbonate chemistry resolves. |
| Llanganates Treasure (Atahualpa) | FAIL | Test 4 (Context) | Legendary Inca ransom gold; provenance and colonial-era context resolves. |
| Machu Picchu Intihuatana | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Astronomical/ritual gnomon; Inca solar calendar context resolves. |
| Moengo Petroglyphs (Suriname) | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Pre-Columbian rock art; archaeological context resolves. |
| Monte d'Accoddi (Sardinia) | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Neolithic stepped platform; ritual/temple context resolves. |
| Moray Terraces (Peru) | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Concentric agricultural terraces; Inca crop-experimentation context documented. |
| Morning Glory Clouds (Australia) | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Roll clouds; mesoscale meteorological dynamics resolve formation. |
| Nazlet Khater Skeleton | FAIL | Test 4 (Biological context) | Upper Paleolithic burial; anatomical and dating analysis resolves. |
| Nubian Pyramids (Meroe) | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Kushite royal tombs; archaeological and textual context resolves. |
| Oklo Natural Reactor | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Natural fission reactor; uranium isotope ratios and geological conditions explain; natural. |
| Oshoro Stone Circle (Hokkaido) | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Jomon-period stone circle; mortuary/ceremonial context resolves. |
| Pumapunku Drill Holes | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Tiwanaku stone masonry; bow-drill and abrasive sand technique documented. |
| Ringing Rocks (Pennsylvania) | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Diabase boulders; internal stress from sub-aerial weathering produces tone; geological. |
| Sardona Tectonic Arena (Swiss) | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Glarus Overthrust; geological explanation of older-over-younger strata resolves. |
| Skeleton Lake (Roopkund) | FAIL | Test 4 (Context) | Human remains from multiple mass-death events; hailstorm and genetic analysis resolves. |
| Stone Spheres of Chontales | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Pre-Columbian carved spheres; status/boundary markers; |
| (Nicaragua) | archaeological context resolves. | ||
| Submerged Forest (Borth, Wales) | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Intertidal peat and stumps; post-glacial sea-level rise resolves. |
| Terra Preta (Amazonian Dark Earth) | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Anthropogenic soil; charcoal and waste amendment process identified; context resolves. |
| Thonis-Heracleion (submerged city) | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Egyptian port city; subsidence and archaeological context resolves. |
| Trepanation Skulls (global) | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Surgical cranial perforation; medical/ritual context documented worldwide. |
| Uffington Castle (hillfort) | FAIL | Test 4 (Context recovery) | Iron Age hillfort; defensive/settlement context resolves. |
| Waffle Rock (West Virginia) | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Cross-hatched sandstone; differential cementation and erosion resolves pattern. |
| Wave Rock (Western Australia) | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Granite inselberg; chemical weathering and flared-slope formation resolves. |
| Zhangjiajie Pillars (China) | FAIL | Test 4 (Natural) | Sandstone pillar karst; differential erosion resolves formation. |
| Candidate | Result | Primary Failure Point | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arrow of Time problem | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Physics interpretive problem; no artifact or bounded phenomenon. |
| Bermuda Triangle | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object/pseudoscience) | Statistical artifact; no anomalous loss rate when adjusted for traffic volume. |
| Bigfoot / Sasquatch | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object/pseudoscience) | Cryptozoological claim; no verified specimen or artifact. |
| Boltzmann Brain paradox | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Cosmological thought experiment; no artifact. |
| Chinese Room argument | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Philosophical thought experiment (Searle); no artifact. |
| Collatz Conjecture | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Open mathematical problem; no artifact or phenomenon. |
| Dark Energy | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Theoretical cosmological construct; no bounded artifact. |
| Dark Matter | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Theoretical construct inferred from gravitational effects; no bounded artifact. |
| Dark Watchers (California) | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Folklore/optical illusion reported in Santa Lucia Mountains; no artifact. |
| Deja Vu phenomenon | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Neuropsychological experience; no artifact or bounded external phenomenon. |
| Fermi Paradox | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Conceptual framework; no artifact; probability/parameter problem. |
| Fine-Tuning Problem (cosmological) | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Anthropic reasoning/multiverse debate; philosophical, no artifact. |
| Flyby Anomaly | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Spacecraft trajectory discrepancy; thermal/relativistic models advancing; no artifact. |
| Godel's Incompleteness Theorems | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Proven mathematical theorems; interpretive implications are |
| (as mystery) | philosophical, not artifactual. | ||
| Grandfather Paradox | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Time-travel thought experiment; no artifact or bounded phenomenon. |
| Halting Problem | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Proven undecidable (Turing); mathematical result, not artifact. |
| Hard Problem of Consciousness | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Philosophical problem (Chalmers); no artifact or bounded phenomenon. |
| Knowledge Argument (Mary's Room) | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Philosophical thought experiment (Jackson); no artifact. |
| Loch Ness Monster | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object/pseudoscience) | Cryptozoological claim; no artifact; sonar and photographic evidence explained. |
| Maxwell's Demon | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Thermodynamic thought experiment; no artifact. |
| Measurement Problem (quantum) | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Interpretive problem in quantum mechanics; no artifact. |
| Missing Antimatter problem | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Cosmological asymmetry; CP violation explains partially; no artifact. |
| Olbers' Paradox | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Cosmological paradox; resolved by finite age of universe and expansion; no artifact. |
| Oregon Vortex | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Optical illusion/site |
| P vs NP problem | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Open mathematical conjecture; no artifact or phenomenon. |
| Placebo Effect (mechanism) | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Neurobiological phenomenon; no artifact; mechanism partially understood via expectation pathways. |
| Quantum Entanglement (as mystery) | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Physical phenomenon; Bell test violations confirmed; interpretive not artifactual. |
| Riemann Hypothesis | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Open mathematical conjecture; no artifact or phenomenon. |
| Ship of Theseus | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Philosophical thought experiment on identity; no artifact. |
| Simulation Hypothesis | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Philosophical/cosmological conjecture (Bostrom); no artifact or testable phenomenon. |
| Spontaneous Human Combustion | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object/pseudoscience) | Forensic cases explained by wick effect and external ignition; no artifact. |
| Theseus' Ship (historical artifact | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Ancient ship preservation claims are context problems; the paradox |
| claims) | itself is a thought experiment. | ||
| Tully Monster (Tullimonstrum) | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) + Test 4 | Fossil organism; phylogenetic classification is biological completion, not structural non-closure. |
| Vile Vortexes | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Pseudoscience/concept |
| Zeno's Paradoxes | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Logical paradoxes; resolved by calculus/limits; no artifact. |
| Zombie Argument (philosophy of | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Thought experiment (Chalmers); no artifact. |
| mind) | |||
| Basilisk (Roko's) | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Decision-theory thought experiment; no artifact or bounded phenomenon. |
| Chupacabra | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object/pseudoscience) | Cryptozoological claim; sightings attributed to coyotes with mange; no artifact. |
| Continuum Hypothesis | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Proven independent of ZFC (Cohen/Godel); mathematical result, not artifact. |
| Cotard's Delusion (as mystery) | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Neuropsychiatric syndrome; clinical condition, not artifact. |
| Dyson Sphere (concept) | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Hypothetical megastructure (Dyson); no artifact or detected phenomenon. |
| EPR Paradox (as mystery) | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Quantum mechanics thought experiment; resolved by Bell's theorem experiments; no artifact. |
| Hundredth Monkey Effect | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object/pseudoscience) | Pseudoscientific claim about spontaneous knowledge transmission; no artifact. |
| Mokele-mbembe | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object/pseudoscience) | Cryptozoological claim from Congo Basin; no verified specimen or artifact. |
| Mothman | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object/pseudoscience) | Folklore figure from Point Pleasant, WV; no artifact; barn owl/misidentification. |
| Newcomb's Problem | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Decision-theory thought experiment (Nozick); no artifact. |
| Observer Effect confusion (popular) | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Conflation of quantum measurement with consciousness; interpretive, no artifact. |
| Sorites Paradox | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Logical paradox of vagueness; no artifact or bounded phenomenon. |
| Swampman (thought experiment) | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Philosophical thought experiment (Davidson); no artifact. |
| Twin Earth (thought experiment) | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object) | Philosophical thought experiment (Putnam); no artifact. |
| Yeti / Abominable Snowman | FAIL | Constraint 0 (Non-object/pseudoscience) | Cryptozoological claim; hair samples identified as bear species; no artifact. |
| Candidate | Result | Primary Failure Point | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adze (Polynesian) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Stone/shell woodworking tool; function definitive. |
| Aiud Object | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Tool/part (e.g., excavator tooth) |
| Alabastron (perfume) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Cosmetic container |
| Amphorae | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Transport/storage containers |
| Antikythera Mechanism | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Astronomical calculator; explanation improves function and historical placement |
| Ard (ancient plow) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Scratch-plow; agricultural tool function definitive. |
| Ardagh Chalice | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Liturgical vessel; use-case is documented. |
| Ardagh Chalice | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Liturgical vessel; use-case is documented and functional. (retest; duplicate within addendum) |
| Baalbek foundation stones | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Engineering/transport question resolves, doesn't terminate |
| Baghdad Battery | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Obvious affordances (vessel/conductor); explanation improves |
| Bannerstones | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Atlatl counterweights; functional morphology resolves into tool class. |
| Battersea Shield | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Votive armor; function is definitive (defense). |
| Beaker Culture ceramics | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Vessels/status markers; context solves |
| Bell Beakers | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Vessels; association debate not a Candle III issue |
| Betz Sphere | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Tool/valve/art; all resolve into class |
| Birreme / Trireme rams | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Naval weapon; bronze ram function documented in texts and recovered examples. |
| Bone Needles (Paleolithic) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Sewing tools; function self-evident from morphology. |
| Bow Drill (ancient) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Fire-starting and drilling tool; function self-evident. |
| Brochs (Scottish) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Defensive towers; engineering solvable |
| Bronze Age Spearheads | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Weapons; function definitive; metallurgy improves history |
| Bronze Socketed Axes | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Tools/weapons; function definitive |
| Bush Barrow Lozenge | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Precision instrument; explanation improves utility. |
| Carnyx | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Celtic war-horn; instrument function clear; acoustic study improves history |
| Chinese Bronze Ding vessels | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Ritual cooking/offering vessels; function documented in Shang/Zhou texts. |
| Clandon Lozenge | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Gold ornament/instrument; use improves history. |
| Clovis Points | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Projectile/hunting tools; lithic function definitive |
| Crannog lake dwellings | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Artificial island settlements; habitation/defensive function clear. |
| Desert Kites | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Hunting structures; aerial patterns reveal function |
| Disc of Sabu (Schist Disc) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Mechanism/functional affordances; explanation improves placement |
| Divje Babe Flute | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Musical instrument; explanation improves function. |
| Dorchester pot | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Vessel/tool; explanation improves |
| Etruscan dental bridges | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Gold-wire dental prosthetics; medical tool function clear. |
| Fibulae (ancient brooches) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Dress fasteners; function and typology well documented. |
| Fire Pistons (ancient) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Pneumatic fire-starting tools; function demonstrated by compression ignition. |
| Fish Hooks (ancient) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Fishing tools; morphology and use-wear confirm function. |
| Fogous (Cornish) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Underground chambers; storage vs refuge |
| Folkton Drums | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Chalk measuring cylinders; functional. |
| Glass Linen Smoother (calender) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Glass smoothing tool; ironing/pressing function documented. |
| Gloucester Candlestick | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Liturgical tool; function is clear. |
| Great Pyramid | FAIL | Constraint 1 (Not portable) + Operationality trap | Architecture; 'how built' is completion |
| Greek Aeolipile | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Steam reaction device; explanation improves historical understanding of technology |
| Grimes Graves Chalk Cup | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Mining lamp; function is functionally improving. |
| Grooved Ware pottery | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Vessels; ritual vs domestic is classification |
| Halberds (ceremonial) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Weapon morphology clear |
| Harpoon Heads (Magdalenian) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Barbed hunting projectiles; function definitive. |
| Hillforts (Iron Age) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Defensive settlements |
| Hochdorf Couch | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Furniture; bronze craftsmanship increases history. |
| Hochdorf Couch | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Furniture; bronze craftsmanship increases history. (retest; duplicate within addendum) |
| Hohokam Stone Palettes | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Pigment-grinding tools; function resolves into craft context |
| Hoxne Pepper Pot | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Utilitarian vessel; function is obvious. |
| Intihuatana Stone | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Astronomical/ritual gnomon; explanation improves solar calendar function |
| Inuit snow goggles | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Anti-glare eyewear; function documented and self-evident. |
| Jomon flame pots | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Elaborate cooking/storage vessels; function known; decoration is stylistic context. |
| Kylix (Greek cups) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Drinking vessel; use documented |
| Lekythos (oil flasks) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Oil flasks; funerary use known |
| Lewis Chessmen | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Gaming pieces; explanation improves function. |
| Loom Weights | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Textile production tools; function confirmed by weaving context. |
| Luristan Bronzes | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Weapons, horse gear, and ritual objects; functional classes known. |
| Maces (decorated) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Weapons/status symbols; function clear |
| Macuahuitl | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Documented Aztec weapon |
| Medieval astrolabe | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Explicit instrument; explanation improves |
| Moche Stirrup-Spout Vessels | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Ceramic containers; function known; cultural symbolism adds context not mystery |
| Natufian Grinding Stones | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Food processing tools; cereal residue confirms function. |
| Nebra Sky Disc | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Map/Calendar; explanation improves history. |
| Net Sinkers | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Notched stones for weighting fishing nets; function definitive. |
| Nimrud Lens | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Optical/instrumental; explanation improves function |
| Nuraghe Towers (Sardinia) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Defensive/residential structures |
| Obsidian mirrors | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Mirrors/tool; divination is cultural context |
| Olduvai Handaxes | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Acheulean stone tools; butchering/cutting function definitive. |
| Other Nimrud ground crystals | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Instrumental/optical use class |
| Otzi's Copper Axe | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | High-status tool; explanation improves history. |
| Otzi's Quiver | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Archery equipment; function definitive; context improves Chalcolithic trade history |
| Penannular Brooches | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Dress fasteners with documented function; explanation improves textile/status history |
| Polished Axes (Neolithic) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Tools even if ceremonial; technique solvable |
| Poverty Point Objects (fired clay) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Shaped clay cooking balls; thermal function documented ethnographically. |
| Pre-dynastic Egyptian stone vases | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Containers; explanation improves technique/history |
| Puma Punku H-blocks | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Standardized architectural components |
| Queen's Lyre of Ur | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Musical instrument; function clear; craftsmanship improves history. |
| Quern Stones | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Grain-grinding tools; function definitive from morphology and residue. |
| Rhyta (animal-shaped) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Ritual pouring vessels |
| Roman Cosmetic Mortars | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Grinding/mixing vessels; use-wear confirms function; substance is a data gap. |
| Roman Holey Jar (London) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Perforated vessel; lamp or cage function; operational class definitive. |
| Roman Lettered Dice | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Gaming implements; exact game unknown but operational class definitive. |
| Roman Oil Lamps | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Lighting devices; function definitive; iconography adds context. |
| Roman Strigil | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Bathing scraper; function documented in texts and art. |
| Roman Surgical Instruments | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Medical tools; documented function; explanation improves history of medicine |
| Roman tesserae (mosaic tiles) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Building material; no Candle III profile |
| Saqqara Bird | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Model/toy or glider; explanation completes classification |
| Seahenge (Holme I) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Timber circle; ritual/mortuary structure; archaeological context resolves. |
| Shell Middens (Structured) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Waste deposits/intentional mounds; archaeology context gain |
| Situlae (bronze buckets) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Containers; iconography not a mystery |
| Sling Bullets (inscribed) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Projectile weapons; function definitive; inscriptions add context. |
| Souterrains (Ireland) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Underground chambers; storage/refuge function; classification solvable. |
| Spindle Whorls | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Yarn-spinning weights; function confirmed by textile archaeology. |
| Stamnos (wine jars) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Storage vessel |
| Talayots (Menorca) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Watchtowers/communal buildings |
| Tattoo Tools (ancient) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Body modification instruments |
| Terracotta Warriors | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Funerary army; function and patron documented; explanation improves production history. |
| Tripod Cauldrons | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Cooking/ceremonial vessels |
| Tumi (Peruvian ceremonial knife) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Sacrificial/surgical blade; function documented in Moche/Sican contexts. |
| Ulfberht sword(s) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Weapon/tool; explanation improves trade/metallurgy history |
| Ulu (Inuit knife) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Semi-lunar cutting tool; function documented ethnographically. |
| Uunartoq Disc | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Navigational sun compass; function. |
| Viking sunstone | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Navigational instrument; explanation completes |
| War Hammers (ritual) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Weapon; combat vs ceremony is context |
| Wheelhouses (Scottish) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Iron Age domestic architecture; habitation function clear. |
| Winnipesaukee Stone | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Holes/shape suggest tool/part use |
| Abacus (Roman) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Calculating device; operational function documented. |
| Atlatl Weights (general) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Spear-thrower counterweights; ballistic function confirmed experimentally. |
| Birdstones | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Ground-stone effigies; atlatl weight or ceremonial handle; operational class. |
| Blowgun Darts (Amazonian) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Hunting projectiles; curare-delivery function documented ethnographically. |
| Boatstone (Native American) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Ground-stone weights; atlatl-related function; operational class. |
| Bolas Stones | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Throwing weapon; hunting/entangling function documented ethnographically. |
| Bronze Cauldron of Battersea | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Cooking/feasting vessel; function definitive. |
| Burin (Paleolithic) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Engraving/carving tool; use-wear confirms function. |
| Celt (stone tool) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Ungrooved axe/adze; woodworking function definitive. |
| Clepsydra (water clock) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Timekeeping device; hydraulic mechanism documented. |
| Composite Bow (ancient) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Ranged weapon; construction and function documented. |
| Cuirass (Bronze Age) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Body armor; protective function definitive. |
| Dioptra (surveying instrument) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Surveying/astronomical instrument; function documented by Hero of Alexandria. |
| Drop Spindle (ancient) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Yarn-spinning tool; function self-evident and documented. |
| Egyptian Shaduf | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Water-lifting device; irrigation function documented. |
| Faience Beads (Egyptian) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Decorative/trade items; production technique known. |
| Flint Sickle Blades | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Harvesting tools; sickle-gloss confirms cereal-cutting function. |
| Gorget (shell, Mississippian) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Chest ornament; status/protective function resolves. |
| Greave (Bronze Age) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Shin armor; protective function definitive. |
| Grinding Slabs (metate) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Seed/grain processing surface; function definitive. |
| Hand Axe (Acheulean biface) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Multi-purpose cutting/butchering tool; function confirmed by use-wear. |
| Harpax (grappling device) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Naval boarding weapon; function documented in Roman texts. |
| Helepolis (siege tower) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Siege engine; military function documented. |
| Javelin Points (Bronze Age) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Throwing weapon tips; military/hunting function definitive. |
| Katar (Indian punch-dagger) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Thrusting weapon; combat function documented. |
| Khopesh (Egyptian sickle-sword) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Slashing weapon; military function documented in New Kingdom texts. |
| Labrys (double axe) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Tool/weapon; woodworking and ritual use documented. |
| Lamp (Paleolithic stone) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Fat-burning lighting device; function confirmed by residue analysis. |
| Lebombo Bone | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Notched baboon fibula; tally stick function; operational class. |
| Mano and Metate (Mesoamerican) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Maize-grinding tools; function documented ethnographically. |
| Muller (grinding stone) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Pigment/grain grinding tool; function confirmed by residue. |
| Nao (Bronze Age axe, China) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Bronze percussion instrument; ritual music function documented. |
| Ostracon (pottery shard for writing) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Writing surface; administrative/educational function documented. |
| Palstave (Bronze Age axe) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Hafted axe; woodworking/agricultural function definitive. |
| Pestle and Mortar (Neolithic) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Food processing tools; function definitive from morphology and residue. |
| Pilum (Roman javelin) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Throwing weapon; military function documented in Roman tactical texts. |
| Potter's Wheel (ancient) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Ceramic-production tool; rotational forming function documented. |
| Roman Ballista Bolt | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Artillery projectile; military function documented. |
| Scramasax (Frankish knife) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Single-edged fighting knife; combat/utility function documented. |
| Shaduf (Mesopotamian) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Counterweighted irrigation lever; function documented in reliefs and texts. |
| Spear-thrower (Magdalenian) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Lever arm for projectile launch; function confirmed experimentally. |
| Toki Poutangata (Maori adze) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Ceremonial/functional adze; woodworking and chiefly status function documented. |
| Woomera (Australian spear-thrower) | FAIL | Test 3 (Operationality) | Spear-launching lever; function documented ethnographically. |
| Candidate | Result | Primary Failure Point | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberlemno Sculptured Stones | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational/symbolic) | Pictish cross-slabs; battle narrative and Christian iconography; representational. |
| Ain Sakhri Lovers | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Rep.) | Natufian sculpture; representational art of a couple. |
| Altamira Paintings | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Upper Palaeolithic cave art; representational; symbolic context adds meaning |
| Amber Amulets (Baltic) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/status) | Protective jewelry; apotropaic context |
| Amesbury Archer Gold | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Status) | Personal ornaments; status marker classification. |
| Atacama Giant | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/Ritual) | Geoglyph |
| Bactrian Composite Idols | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Rep.) | Anthropomorphic figures; ritual/symbolic. |
| Ballachulish Figure | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Rep.) | Wooden deity; representational ritual art. |
| Bark Paintings (Arnhem) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational art) | Art; cultural meaning contextualizes |
| Benin Bronzes | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Palace plaques and sculptures; commemorative court art. |
| Berlin Gold Hat / Golden Hats | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic) / Test 1 | Primarily symbolic/ritual/calendar; explanation completes |
| Blombos Cave Beads | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/status) | Perforated shell beads; personal ornament; symbolic behavior marker. |
| Blythe Intaglios | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/Ritual) | Geoglyphs |
| Bradshaw Figures (Gwion Gwion) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Rock art; representational imagery; cultural meaning contextualises |
| Bronze Age gold | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/ornament al) | Jewelry/status/ritual; solvable context |
| Bull-Leaper Fresco | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Rep.) | Representational art; narrative of a Minoan ritual. |
| Cahokia Birdman Tablet | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Engraved sandstone; representational figure of chunkey player/deity. |
| Celtic torcs | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/status) | Social history; not structural Candle III |
| Cerne Abbas Giant | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/Art) | Representational figure; dating resolves |
| Chauvet Cave Paintings | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Palaeolithic representational art; symbolic/ceremonial context adds meaning |
| Chavez Pass Effigy Vessels | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Sinagua ceramic effigies; ritual/representational context resolves. |
| Chavin Lanzon | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Carved granite monolith; deity figure in temple; religious context completes. |
| Chimu Gold Mask | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Funerary/ritual mask; mortuary context completes classification |
| Dabous Giraffes (Niger) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Neolithic rock engravings; representational animal art; cultural context completes. |
| Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-daro | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Bronze figurine; representational art; Indus Valley cultural context completes. |
| Diquis Stone Spheres (Costa Rica) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/status) | Status markers at chief's residences; symbolic/territorial function. |
| Disk of Enheduanna | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Votive relief disc; representational/religious context completes meaning |
| Dogu figurines (Jomon) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Ceramic anthropomorphic figures; ritual/symbolic context adds meaning. |
| Dunstable Swan Jewel | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Status) | Livery badge; status token. |
| Early stater coins | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Token/currency) | Operational + symbolic; numismatics completes |
| Effigy Mounds (Iowa) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/Ritual) | Animal-shaped earthworks; burial/ceremonial function documented. |
| Eshnunna Statues | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Rep.) | Votive figurines; ritual intent completes them. |
| Etruscan bulla (amulets) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic) | Protective/ritual; context adds meaning |
| Fertility Figurines (Venus) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Representational; ritual vs toy debate |
| Fossilized Shark Teeth (strung) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/status) | Jewelry; cultural preference |
| Funerary Masks (Mycenaean) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Mortuary function clear; portraits |
| Genetic disk | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/rep) + Test 4 | Representational; provenance/context would resolve |
| Glauberg Prince | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Rep.) | Portrait statue; cultural context completes identity. |
| Glauberg Prince | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Rep.) | Portrait statue; cultural context completes identity. (retest; duplicate within addendum) |
| Gobekli Tepe T-pillars | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational/symbolic) | Symbolism/architecture; interpretive not structural Candle III |
| Goddard Coin | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Token/currency) | Coin/token; solvable context |
| Gold of Troy (Priam's Treasure) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Status) + Constraint 6 | Schliemann's assemblage; status goods; plural hoard + attribution dispute = context. |
| Guennol Lioness | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Rep.) | Anthropomorphic figure; symbolic/ritual classification. |
| Gundestrup Cauldron | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic) | Ritual vessel; decoding motifs completes process. |
| Haida Totem Poles | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Monumental carved narratives; clan/lineage function documented. |
| Hallaton Helmet | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic) | Ceremonial helmet; historical recovery resolves. |
| Haniwa figures | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Japanese funerary terracotta; mortuary/protective function documented. |
| Harappan 'Priest-King' statue | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Steatite bust; representational portrait; cultural context completes. |
| Hittite Sun Disc (Alacahoyuk) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic) | Bronze standard; solar/religious symbolism; ritual context completes. |
| Hohle Fels Venus | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Ivory figurine; representational/ritual context adds meaning; oldest known figurative art candidate |
| Hopewell Copper Plates | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/status) | Repousse copper; elite mortuary goods; status/ritual classification. |
| Hopewell Platform Pipes | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/operationa lity) | Effigy smoking pipes; ritual + functional; both readings resolve. |
| Horned Helmets (Bronze Age) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/ritual) | Ceremonial headgear; ritual vs combat is use-context |
| Ica stones | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic) + Test 2 | Depictions/narratives; mystery loss not structural |
| Jade bi discs | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic) | Ritual symbolism/interpretive politics |
| Jinsha Sun Bird (gold disc) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic) | Shu kingdom gold foil; solar/avian symbolism; cultural context completes. |
| Kachina Dolls (Hopi) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Spirit figures; religious/educational function documented. |
| Knowth Macehead | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Ritual) | Ceremonial weapon; ritual context completes it. |
| La Tene art metalwork | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/decorative) | Art-history completion |
| Lady of Vix (Jewels) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Status) | Status markers; context of a 'princely' burial. |
| Lascaux Paintings | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Palaeolithic cave art; representational imagery; symbolic context adds meaning |
| Laugerie-Basse Plaques | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Art) | Engraved portable art; symbolic resolution. |
| Lion Man of Hohlenstein-Stadel | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Therianthropic ivory figure; symbolic context adds meaning; Aurignacian ritual |
| Long Man of Wilmington | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/Art) | Hill figure; representational; dating and context resolves. |
| Lydenburg Heads | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | South African terracotta masks; ritual/ceremonial context completes. |
| Maine Penny | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/token) | Coinage/token; context solves |
| Mapungubwe Gold Rhino | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/status) | Gold foil figurine; royal/elite status marker; context completes. |
| Marree Man | FAIL | Test 4 (Modern art) | Modern earthwork |
| Mask of Tutankhamun | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Funerary mask; mortuary function and identity fully documented. |
| Mayan Eccentric Flints | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/ritual) | Ritual knapping displays; ceremonial vs functional = context |
| Meyrick Helmet | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic) | Display armor; symbolic intent. |
| Minoan Snake Goddess figurines | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Faience figures; ritual/deity representation; symbolic context completes. |
| Minos Ring | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic) | Signet ring; administrative/status use. |
| Mississippian Shell Gorgets | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/status) | Engraved shell pendants; iconographic/status context completes. |
| Moai Kavakava (Easter Island) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Carved emaciated figures; ancestral/spirit representation; cultural context. |
| Mold Gold Cape | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Status) | Ceremonial regalia; context of elite status. |
| Nazca Lines | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/Ritual) | Geoglyphs |
| Nebra Sky Disc | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational map) | Astronomical representation; explanation improves history |
| Newstead Helmet | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic) | Roman cavalry mask; context resolves use. |
| Nok Terracottas | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | West African sculptural tradition; cultural/ritual context adds meaning. |
| Olmec colossal heads | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Portraiture; 'which ruler' is historical |
| Olmec were-jaguar figurines | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Therianthropic figures; ritual/mythological context completes. |
| Palette of Narmer | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Commemorative schist palette; historical narrative scene completes |
| Paracas Candelabra | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/Signal) | Geoglyph |
| Pierowall Stone | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Art) | Megalithic art; decoding symbols completes it. |
| Polynesian Tiki Stones | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Ancestor figures; iconography/cultural meaning |
| Poverty Point Owl Effigy | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Red jasper carving; representational bird figure; cultural context completes. |
| Pylos Combat Agate | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Rep.) | Micro-engraving; narrative scene completes it. |
| Pylos Combat Agate | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Rep.) | Micro-engraving; narrative scene completes it. (retest; duplicate within addendum) |
| Quimbaya gold figurine (specific) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic) | Symbolic/ritual reading dominates |
| Ram in the Thicket (Ur) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Gold/lapis figurine from Royal Tombs; votive/ritual art. |
| Sajama Lines | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/Ritual) | Processional/ritual |
| Sanxingdui Bronze Tree | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Monumental bronze sculpture; cosmological/ritual tree; symbolic context completes. |
| Sanxingdui Masks | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Rep.) | Ritual masks; cultural context adds meaning. |
| Sardinian Bronzetti | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Nuragic bronze figurines; votive/ritual classification. |
| Scottish Carved Stone Balls | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic) | Neolithic carved balls; 425+ found; symbolic/status reading dominates despite open debate. |
| Shigir Idol | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Carved figure/patterns; explanation not termination |
| Snettisham Great Torc | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Status) | High-status jewelry; context adds meaning. |
| Standard of Ur | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Narrative mosaic panel; representational scene; context completes meaning |
| Star Carr Headdresses | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/ritual) | Red deer skull frontlets; shamanic/hunting ritual context resolves. |
| Sutton Hoo Purse Lid | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Status) | Wealth/status marker; heraldic iconography completes it. |
| Tamil Bell (New Zealand) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/token) + Test 4 | Inscribed bronze bell; trade/drift contact resolves provenance. |
| Tanum Rock Carvings | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational/rit ual) | Bronze Age petroglyphs; representational ritual imagery; context adds meaning |
| Tara Brooch | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Status) | High-status fastener; metalwork history completes the value. |
| Tell Brak Eye Idols | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Alabaster votive figurines; temple/ritual context completes. |
| Thunderbird Copper (Great Lakes) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic) | Native copper cutout; spiritual/clan iconography; cultural context completes. |
| Toltec Chac Mool | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Reclining figure sculpture; sacrificial/offering platform; ritual context completes. |
| Torc-Twisted Gold Rods | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/ritual) | Probable votive offerings; metallurgy explains technique |
| Trundholm Sun Chariot | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic) | Ritual sculpture; religious context completes. |
| Uffington White Horse | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/Art) | Earthwork |
| Uruk Vase | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Carved alabaster ritual vessel; narrative procession scene; context completes. |
| Venus of Dolni Vestonice | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Ceramic figurine; oldest fired clay art; representational/ritual context. |
| Wampum Belts | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic) / Constraint 2 | Bead belts encoding treaties/histories; symbolic + communicative function documented. |
| Willendorf Venus | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Limestone figurine; representational/ritual; among the best-known Palaeolithic art. |
| Abu Simbel Colossi | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Ramesses II statues; royal propaganda and solar alignment context completes. |
| Adena Pipe (Adena effigy pipe) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Human effigy tubular pipe; mortuary/ritual context resolves. |
| Ain Ghazal Statues | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Neolithic lime-plaster figures; ritual/ancestor representation; context completes. |
| Aztec Coyolxauhqui Stone | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Carved disc depicting dismembered goddess; mythological narrative completes. |
| Bayon Temple Faces (Angkor) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Lokesvara/Jayavarman VII portrait towers; Buddhist/royal context completes. |
| Bird Deity Figurines (Vinca) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Anthropomorphic/bird-form terracotta; ritual/symbolic classification. |
| Borneo Hand Stencils | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Paleolithic cave art; representational body-marking; symbolic context adds meaning. |
| Canaanite Gold Pendants | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/status) | Religious/status jewelry; Astarte-form pendants; ritual context completes. |
| Cape York Petroglyphs | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Aboriginal rock art; cultural narrative context completes. |
| Catalhoyuk Wall Paintings | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Neolithic murals; hunting/landscape scenes; representational art. |
| Chinchorro Mummies (decorated) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/ritual) | Mortuary preparation; funerary ritual context documented. |
| Coatlicue Statue (Aztec) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Monumental earth-goddess sculpture; mythological context completes. |
| Cycladic Figurines | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Marble anthropomorphic figures; funerary/ritual context adds meaning. |
| Denisovan Bracelet | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/status) | Polished chloritolite bangle; personal ornament; symbolic behavior marker. |
| Eagle Warrior Statue (Aztec) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Life-size ceramic warrior; military-order representation; context completes. |
| El Lanzon (Chavin) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Carved granite deity; religious context completes meaning. |
| Etruscan Sarcophagus of the | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Terracotta funerary sculpture; mortuary/portraiture context completes. |
| Spouses | |||
| Fang Reliquary Figures (Gabon) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Guardian ancestor figures; reliquary context documented. |
| Gold Lunulae (Irish) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/status) | Crescent-shaped gold collars; status/ritual classification. |
| Great Serpent Mound Relief Pipe | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Effigy pipe; representational/ritual context resolves. |
| Ife Bronze Heads | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Yoruba royal portrait sculptures; court art context completes. |
| Ivory Lady (Valencina de la | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Copper Age ivory figurine; elite burial context resolves. |
| Concepcion) | |||
| Jericho Skulls (plastered) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Neolithic plastered skulls; ancestor veneration context documented. |
| Kerma Beaker (Nubia) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/status) | Polished black-topped pottery; funerary/status classification. |
| Key Marco Cat Figure | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Carved wooden feline; Calusa ritual/artistic context completes. |
| Keros Figurine Fragments | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Deliberately broken Cycladic figures; ritual deposition context resolves. |
| Khmer Devata Reliefs (Angkor Wat) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Hindu deity carvings; religious iconographic context completes. |
| Lady of Elche | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Iberian limestone bust; funerary/votive portrait; cultural context completes. |
| Lady of the Beasts (Minoan pendant) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Gold pendant depicting nature goddess; religious context completes. |
| Lespugue Venus | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Gravettian ivory figurine; representational/ritual context adds meaning. |
| Mixtec Gold Pectoral (Tomb 7, | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/status) | Elite mortuary jewelry; status/ritual classification. |
| Monte Alban) | |||
| Moai Eyes (coral and scoria) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Symbolic/ritual) | Inset eyes activating ancestor figures; ritual animation context documented. |
| Moche Portrait Vessels | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Ceramic portrait heads; individual portraiture; cultural context completes. |
| Nebamun Garden Fresco | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Egyptian tomb painting; representational/funerary scene. |
| Olmec Jade Masks | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Funerary/ritual masks; mortuary context completes classification. |
| Oseberg Ship Carvings | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Viking animal-style wood carvings; decorative/mythological context completes. |
| Oxus Chariot Model | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Gold model chariot; Achaemenid votive/prestige context completes. |
| Rock Art of Twyfelfontein (Namibia) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | San hunter-gatherer petroglyphs; representational animal imagery; context completes. |
| Seated Scribe (Saqqara) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Painted limestone statue; administrative portrait; context completes. |
| Sican Gold Mask (Batan Grande) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Funerary mask; Lambayeque mortuary context completes. |
| Taino Zemi Figures | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Spirit/ancestor figures; religious context documented. |
| Terracotta Army Acrobats | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Qin dynasty performance figures; funerary entertainment context completes. |
| Tsodilo Hills Paintings (Botswana) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | San rock art; representational/ritual imagery; cultural context adds meaning. |
| Wandjina Figures (Kimberley) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Aboriginal spirit paintings; religious/cultural context documented. |
| Xipe Totec Statue (Aztec) | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Flayed-god sculpture; sacrificial/agricultural ritual context completes. |
| Zapotec Funerary Urns | FAIL | Constraint 3 (Representational) | Ceramic deity/ancestor effigies; mortuary ritual context documented. |