Australia
And it’s another weird, possibly paranormal, story. As the saying goes, you wait a whole year for one and then two turn up at once.
An Aboriginal tale that states certain palm trees were brought to Australia by “gods from the north”, has been proven *correct* (I have to say that term loosely) because scientific evidence has shown the palm trees arrived some 30,000 years ago. Naturally the scientists are more pragmatic and suggest that humans brought them along, but who knows…
Decide for yourself.
Either way, that’s a 30,000-year oral tradition, which is astonishing.
It’s a beautiful thing when “mythological tales from primitive people” are proven correct by modern science. We should be less inclined to think of our ancestors as “stupid”, and even less inclined to believe ancient stories are just “myths”.
Iceland
The two loves of my life – ancient sites and the paranormal – have come together just north of Reykjavík in Iceland.
An eight-year battle to keep a site considered to be spiritual land has, as usual, fallen foul to the modern scientific way of life and destruction.
How sad.
Now the elves have had to move to another location.
Find this funny?
I don’t!
Having studied the paranormal most of my life, along with archaeology (that may surprise many of you), one cannot rule out these things. Reports of elves or gnomes or other like creatures come from all over the world. Just a mythological tale, I hear you say? I wouldn’t be so sure about that. It is, of course, another discussion entirely, but while some people may be a bit funny in the head, most people who report such things are of sound mind and can be scientists, doctors, lawyers, and just about from every walk of life. We do live in a truly magical world and it is a crying shame that the “mythological” side of life is being removed from society altogether and replaced with a corporate money-only society riddled with brain-numbing soap operas and reality TV shows. That’s why I don’t watch TV. Give me the paranormal anytime! Whether these things are coming from the mind or not really doesn’t matter. We need something magical in the world. Existing in a solely scientific world scares the hell out of me. What about you?
United States
Take that, theory of migration!
Well, I knew the date would be pushed back way beyond the Clovis boundary and way beyond the 14,000 years given recently, but I never imagined this far. Even my own theory of 20,000 years is looking rather thin on the ground.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/11/041118104010.htm
England
Congratulations to Stonehenge for receiving its three millionth theory!
But therein lies the uniqueness of our most famous monument – anyone can provide a theory because no one actually knows why Stonehenge was built and what it was used for. Other than the obvious astronomical alignments, Stonehenge had another, unknown, purpose and that is clear from the fact a few sticks are the only requirement to measure the path of the sun and the stars, and such a massive undertaking would be unnecessary.
It’s very easy to find flaws in this theory though, but first of all let’s pull apart the stupid newspaper called the “Daily Mail”.
The very first line states the most irritating false history of Stonehenge – that druids had anything to do with it. Druids did not exist when Stonehenge was built, so let’s put that idea to bed straight away.
The second ridiculous idea is – “Part of his evidence lies in ancient civilisations worldwide. As far afield as China, Peru and Turkey, such sacred monuments were built high up, whether on manmade or natural sites, and with circular patterns possibly linked to celestial movements.”
That statement is utter nonsense. Most sites are not on high ground. Stonehenge, while on “high ground”, is not anywhere near the highest piece of land in the area. In fact, just around a kilometre away, is a much higher hill which now forms a part of the main road leading from Amesbury. If that theory was correct Stonehenge would simply not be where it is today, so it was built where it is for another reason. Stonehenge, in fact, lies in a slight valley with upward sloping hills on either side, to the east and west.
According to the article, Mr. Spalding has said, “In early times, no spiritual ceremonies would have been performed on the ground.” That is the biggest load of nonsense you could possibly say about ancient history.
I could go on and write all afternoon about the flaws in this theory. I like the idea of a wooden platform and this is not a new theory – curved holes on the top of the lintels indicate a wooden walkway was once located on the top of the stones, perhaps acting as a kind of “fence” so people could walk around the top and either use it for astronomical observations or even to stop themselves from falling off… or both… but Mr. Spalding’s theory simply does not hold water. Not even a drop.
And don’t get me started on the Daily Mail newspaper.
Sweden
There is more than enough proof that the Vikings reached the Americas long before Columbus (and the Chinese long before the Vikings) but did you know the Vikings reached Islamic lands?
The idea that Columbus was the first to discover America now has to be the biggest deception taught to our children, and sooner or later the history books must change, but rumours of Vikings reaching Islamic cities have been around for a long time, and even in the Viking Chronicles it is written they reached both the “Black and Caspian seas and beyond”. And now, like the Viking outpost in North America, which is still omitted from the history books, here is evidence the Vikings did have contact with Islam.
This stunning ring has distinctive Islamic writing of the word “Allah” and is in such a new condition that it was unlikely to have been traded across the continents.
Scotland
Orkney is the unlikely home of one of the most important archaeological sites in the word, and certainly one of the most important Neolithic sites ever found.
With over 1,000 years of occupation starting 5,000 years ago the site, which is called the Ness of Brodgar, clearly shows how Neolithic cultures changed over time and is an invaluable tool for any archaeologist.
This fascinating account gives an in-depth description of the site and how it was found. Please note there are six pages, so scroll down at the bottom to move on to the next.
http://www.archaeology.org/issues/61-1301/features/327-scotland-orkney-neolithic-brodgar
Turkey
Well, this is quite something – an underground city, possibly the biggest in the world! Finds like this are rare, and certainly finds of this magnitude are fast becoming a thing of the past due to modern technology.
The 5,000-year-old city is the size of 65 football pitches and is currently being mapped by geo-radar.
Pakistan
The Bhamala Buddhist Archaeological Complex in Pakistan is a remarkable site and is now on the list for UNESCO World Heritage Site status.
Many fascinating finds have been unearthed and certainly many more will be discovered in the future. The site is at least 2,000 years old and evidence suggests it was occupied even earlier.
Israel
It’s often strange reporting on a country that never even existed until very recently, especially when the finds date to more than 2,300 years ago, because when you state the name of the country you immediately impart a stereotypical view of the political layout of the area.
That aside, this stunning find unearthed in a cave in Israel is quite something. Hen Zakai, an Israeli caver, was potholing with his father when something shiny caught his eye. It turned out to be a coin with a depiction of Alexander the Great on one side and the god Zeus on the other!
There were more items found later and they appear to be the personal belongings of an individual. It was clear the stash was hidden for some reason and archaeologists were immediately called in to investigate. It’s one of those finds where you can sit for hours pondering on who put them there, and why… but it’s also quite plausible that they were offerings, as caves were seen to be entrances to the underworld, even in those days.
Egypt
With the discovery last year of an unknown royal dynasty, one of the Pharaohs, known as king Senebkay, is now the earliest known Pharaoh to have died in battle.
Aged 35-40 when he died, king Senebkay lived sometime between 1650 – 1600 BC, and this royal lineage has been dubbed “Egypt’s Second Intermediate Period”, ranging from 1650 – 1550 BC.
His enemies must have known he was the king for his injuries were brutal – 18 have penetrated the bone – and he was basically hacked to death. The skull injuries clearly show the weapons used – the bronze battle axes of the day – and this is what leads to the suggestion that he was either killed in battle or some kind of ambush, the former being the most likely.
http://www.penn.museum/press-releases/1180-senebkay-forensic-evidence.html
And here:
India
Nothing is more stunning or architecturally implausible than rock cut caves, and those at Ajanta in Aurangabad district, Maharashtra, are no exception.
Last year I was in India and went to the nearby temples of Ellora – cave 16 being the largest rock cut cave temple in the world – and was absolutely astonished at the level of work that must have gone in to such a site.
Unfortunately, due to time constraints and the horrendous summer heat, I did not go to Ajanta but chose Ellora out of the two sites. One day I shall return to the most magical country on earth and finish my tour… but it will be in the cooler months and not the near-death temperatures of an Indian summer!
http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150223-uncovering-caves-full-of-treasure
United States
Staying with North America, an orange agate tool has been found beneath a layer of ash from the eruption of Mount St. Helens, which occurred 15,800 years ago.
The “Clovis theory” has now well and truly been blown out of the water, or out of the volcano in this case, by nearly 3,000 years.
The date for the arrival of humans in the Americas will continue to be pushed back further in the coming years.
United States
The Hopi are one of the longest continually existing tribes in North America, lasting for around ten thousand years thus far.
This article gives a fascinating insight into one of the last vestiges of native American Indian life.
http://www.latimes.com/travel/california/la-tr-d-hopi-20150217-story.html#page=1
Egypt
The ancient Egyptians invented many things that we still use today, but one of the most surprising is a state-wide health service for workers employed on the kings tombs.
Evidence of days off and sick notes have been found, and the workers were even given houses for their families and servants to do the chores! And all this more than 3,000 years ago!
Besides a NHS with free health care, the only thing we get from the state is grief! 🙂
http://phys.org/news/2015-02-paid-sick-days-physicians-ancient.html
Russia
A stunning necklace has been found around the neck of the skeleton of a young woman in the Altai Mountains in Siberia.
The beautiful glass beaded attire, named “Cleopatra’s necklace” because of its similarity to Egyptian necklaces and now considered priceless, is one of the most amazing pieces of non-gold jewellery ever found.
The woman was around 25 years old when she died and must have been an important person, perhaps a princess or something equal, to be wearing such an incredible necklace. But the woman and the necklace date to long before Cleopatra and belong to the time of Alexander the Great, around 350 BC. The most astonishing thing is that the woman was from the Pazyryk culture and could have been related to the famous ‘Ice Princess’ – Princess Ukok, who has aroused so much interest all over the world with her well-preserved tattoos – as she dates to roughly the same time period and comes from the same area.
http://siberiantimes.com/culture/others/features/cleopatras-necklace-found-in-a-siberian-grave/
Armenia
A very interesting discovery suggests a ritual centre for divination and prediction was used in Armenia, dating to around 1300 BC.
Three different chambers have been identified and each one used a contrasting method for prediction.
One quote in the article reads:
“During divination practices, the rulers and diviners may have burnt some form of substances and drank wine, allowing them to experience “altered” states of mind, the archaeologists say.”
Again we have this reluctance to accept that all our ancestors used hallucinogenic substances for these purposes, most likely due to modern social norms. This quote suggests they “drank wine” and “burnt some form of substances”. Maybe they did, but I can guarantee they were also using other substances, and these would have been the main element in their prediction. Alcohol actually blocks spiritual insight, not enhances it, so it probably had another function if it was used in the rituals. Scientists even think the Oracle of Delphi made predictions by some form of natural gas that was escaping from the earth below the place where her predictions were made, causing her to hallucinate! Do me a lemon! Only a potato would believe that idea.
In my book I make it clear that hallucinogenic substances were not just an unusual aspect of religious practices, but were likely to have been used on a very regular basis, both for leisure and religion. I also advocate the idea that many ancient sites, like Stonehenge, were built with some of these elements in mind. In other words, some sites may have been built with the consumption of hallucinogenic substances as an intended part of their use.
Another article, which I shall attach below, is a study by an archaeologist who now proposes the world wide use of substances in all cultures. I wonder how many more decades it will be before the scientific community wakes up and accepts this as an obvious facet of our past?
Russia
An astonishing and dreadfully sad discovery in Irkutsk, Siberia, is the first known account of twin babies, and one of the earliest known deaths during childbirth, in the world.
Dating to 5700 BC, the mother and her two babies were found buried in a large cemetery next to a modern housing development. But the fact that these people were “hunter-gatherers” as the model suggests, but buried all their dead in one place, kind of destroys that idea entirely. Hunter-gatherers were considered to be nomadic and yet all over the world we keep finding older and older dates for people settling in one place. To compensate, this article suggests they were “a hunter-gatherer community who roamed the area.” That’s comical.
Our models of human history need an immediate and radical overhaul.
http://news.yahoo.com/prehistoric-grave-may-earliest-example-death-during-childbirth-133134526.html
Brazil
In my book I advocate the idea that humans first entered the Americas from the south, some 20,000 years ago, and that the populating of the Americas occurred there first and not in the north.
Controversial as it is, a lot of evidence is coming forward to back up that theory despite massive opposition from the mainstream. All the archaeologists who have produced evidence have been ridiculed and the finds in layers that are 20,000 years old “probably fell in there”. Well, that’s the pathetic excuse by the mainstream who continue the art of knowledge filtration in their relentless pursuit of maintaining the history books in the United States.
Mexico… or is it Spain?
The incredible Codex Mendoza is currently housed in Oxford, England, and contains one of the best records on Aztec culture. Dating to just twenty years after the Spanish conquest, the document is a lavishly illustrated series about Aztec life, war and ritual.
Controversy surrounds the idea of “virtual repatriation” – digitalising original documents and returning them to their native country in this format – and the Codex Mendoza is no exception.
There’s an interesting comment at the bottom of the page where someone has said the original should be returned to its native place (i.e. Mexico) and the “Europeans” should have the copy. I understand this sentiment, but the Codex Mendoza was written by a Spanish priest and intended for the Spanish king, therefore its true “owner” is Spain.
http://hyperallergic.com/177110/a-historic-manuscript-on-aztec-life-is-virtually-repatriated/
Rome, Italy
It seems that Roman women have been sneakily disguising themselves as men for two thousand years, hidden high on Trajan’s Column, in the centre of Rome itself!
Previously thought to have had no contact with the military whatsoever, including processional victories, now it seems women did indeed get involved in ceremonies and celebrations, and even lived with their military husbands at forts and compounds.
At least six women and / or girls have been clearly established on Trajan’s column. Hiding in plain sight, the long hair is more than obvious. Having been to Trajan’s Column it almost seems ludicrous that this has been missed. Although it would be very difficult to spot looking from the ground, a life-size replica of the column has existed since 1864, for the sole purpose of study, and scans of the column provide access to the entire story on a computer.
So, how were these women missed? Well, it has to be a simple case of pre-conceived ideas. For me this opens up a whole avenue in the problem with human consciousness when considering ancient history, but you’ll be glad to know that this time I’m not going to babble on about it.
