16 PRICELESS THINGS HUMANITY HAS LOST FOREVER

Here is a list of 16 priceless things humanity has lost forever.

Whether it be artwork or scripture, something that is ancient or just decades-old stirs the inquisitive nature of humanity. A beautiful pair of enormous Buddha's carved into a rockface thousands of years ago, for instance. They represent a time in history and give us insights into how those who came before us lived. It's a tragedy, then, that the Taliban forced slaves to rig them with explosives and demolish the Buddhas of Bayman back in 2001.

Another tragic loss is the remains of Peking Man, discovered in a cave near Beijing, China, in the 1920s. The teeth and bones were from a previously undiscovered hominid, now called Homo Erectus Pekinisis. For the next decade, palaeontologists continued to unearth fossils, growing the collection to around 200 items. When Japan invaded China in 1937, it was decided to ship the relics to America to protect them. Unfortunately, after they were packed in boxes for the Marines to take to the States, they disappeared, never to be seen again.

To find out more about these and other missing treasures, check out the video by Mental Floss on 16 Priceless Things We've Lost Forever below.