Easter Island Still Unsolved

Posted on June 22, 2012 by Darrick Dean

The Navel of the World it is called. A speck on a map in the endless Pacific. Yet ancient people found it and erected some of the most iconic statues of the ancient world. Mysterious and solemn, the Moai stare, not out over the ocean, but inward. How the people of Easter Island – the Rapa Nui – built them and what happened to their culture has been debated for decades. The current issue of National Geographic details the current state of theorizing over this lost past.

In Jared Diamond’s Collapse, he championed the theory that Easter Island’s civilization collapsed largely due to their destruction of the island’s environment. Once forested, it is nearly empty of trees to this day. Other researchers, as chronicled in The Statues That Walked, lay out evidence that the environmental destruction wasn’t intentional, nor as widespread and not the final nail in their coffin.

As in the end of any culture, many factors were at work. It can be hard to pin the blame on any one as primary, as they often work in tandem.

Of course, the real question is will we learn from the past or suffer the same fate caused by the blindness of hubris?

Categories: Ancient Sites, Mysteries | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Ray Bradbury, Legendary Writer, Dies

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Darrick Dean

Few authors write for as long or as much. Fewer still become legends in their lifetime and see their works regarded as classics.

Ray Bradbury, author of the classic Fahrenheit 451, unforgettable stories like The Martian Chronicles and Dandelion Wine and thousands of short stories, died yesterday at age 91.

In an era where many authors come and go, an American Original has been lost.

Categories: Books, Fiction, Writing | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Mayans: Engineers of the Ancient America

Posted on June 3, 2012 by Darrick Dean

Whereas many are focusing on the Mayan calendar’s supposed world-ending climax in December, others are using this focus on the Mayans to educate on this lost civilization. Engineer and explorer James A. O’Kon has written The Lost Secrets of Maya Technology, a fascinating look at the technology of these people who were for so long considered Stone Age folk.

From pyramids, to grand cities, irrigation and bridges, the Mayans matched and often surpassed civilizations of the Near East and Asia. They didn’t follow the standard model of emerging along riverways, use of animals and stayed relatively isolated from the rest of the world. Yes, they were preceded by the Olmecs, traded and eventually ruled by the Aztecs, and some suggest had at least some transoceanic contact. Yet, they largely seemed to develop on their own the technology that supposedly the primitives of the New World were too simple to figure out.

Eventually, drought and overuse of the land would lead to their downfall. Their cities already abandoned by 1492. Like many peoples, they couldn’t predict the future and thought time was on their side. In their success they felt invincible and they thought their world would never end. It did, as many before and since.

Will humans ever take seriously the history of those who fell before us?

Categories: Ancient America, Native Americans | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Vikings in America…More Evidence?

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Darrick Dean

For decades, rumors and sagas of Vikings in America before Columbus were ignored as fantasy. One of these evidences routinely dismissed was the Kensington Rune Stone, found in Minnesota. Even after remains of a Viking settlement in Canada, there was still a fierce reluctance to revisit this and other Viking evidences. Now geologist Scott Wolter has presented a detailed and scientific defense of the Kensington Rune Stone’s authenticity.

A potentially history-changing find.

Not the whimsical, logic-leaping theories of a revisionist, Wolter outlines the flaws in the arguments of hoax-claimers and the very serious and difficult-to-deny evidence of his position. (However, Wolter hurts his cause when he brings in the Templars into his theorizing – which wouldn’t be bad by itself, as they may come into play in all of this – but he includes many of the bizarre, untrue fancies that have been following them in recent years. Please, how many historians have to refute these things before people stop repeating them?)

Will the Viking presence in America continue to be ignored? Will these people, whose exploration skill was legendary, still be left on the Canadian coast?

Or perhaps we will finally let history tell its story.

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Ancient Mayan Astronomers

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Darrick Dean

I’m sure 2012 fanatics will like this: “Ancient Mayan workshop for astronomers discovered.” The Mayans are well known for their sophisticated calendars which are at the root at 2012 fascination. This particular set of finds may extend their calendar beyond the Big End this December. Like many cultures, their science and religion were strongly linked and time keeping was needed for worship purposes. Yet all their knowledge didn’t keep their civilization from ending.

Perhaps something for our own to ponder.

Categories: Ancient America, Ancient Sites, Native Americans | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Who Exactly Were the Neanderthals?

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Darrick Dean

The status and sophistication of the hominid species Neanderthal has been a matter of debate for decades. Once thought to be an ancestor man, genetic studies show it to be unrelated, though some studies have shown possible limited interbreeding. But how advanced were they? They existed for over a 100 millenia and went extinct about the same time man was making his big push across the globe. One recent study concludes they were building boats. They are the only other known hominid to ever approach man’s abilities.

Like all other hominids and primates, they pose a bit of problem for evolution in that they appear suddenly in history. The “family tree” of man is technically made up of assumed connections between bone fragments. Even though largely not considered man’s ancestor, they are often still referred as a “cousin” or such to fit into the evolutionary paradigm. This why some creationists still pretend they are humans in spite of the evidence. Taking this track instead of focusing on the more obvious problems doesn’t make a lot sense. I suspect this is just to fit this mysterious species into their own flawed interpretation of Earth’s history.

So where do neanderthals fit into the picture? How advanced did they get? Were they simply the latest in a long line of increasingly advanced primates, as some have suggested, designed to prepare the world for man? No evidence of religion or similar levels of sentience is known among them. Their use of simple tools is not unheard of in the animal world. But boats?

We pretend we have explained man’s past and the other beings we share the planet with. It takes only a quick glance to find that each new discovery has only proven we know very little.

It was religion that first said we all originated from the same ancestors, in one location and that intelligence and religion existed from the beginning. Science and history have caught up and verified these claims. Yet many still close one eye to the flaws and holes in evolution and young-earth creationism.

Perhaps someday people will allow facts lead to where they may without trying to bend them around a preconceived conclusion.

[For more on man’s past, see Who was Adam?.]

Categories: Mysteries, Origins of Man, Prehistory | Tags: , , | 2 Comments

Pyramids in Wisconsin?

Posted on April 21, 2012 by Darrick Dean

For decades there have been reports of geometric structures on the floor of Rock Lake in Wisconsin. And after decades of discussion, we still have a lot of fuzzy photos and disregard by most archaeologists.

Nearby, however, is the Aztalan State Park with remnants of mounds built by a Mississippian mound builder culture. Extensive earthworks were built. Did they build something in the lake when it was low? Why would they? Divers claim they found remains of stone pyramids — stone not being a prime material of mound builders. An Aztec outpost?

This is one of those tantalizing mysteries some people keep talking about, yet no convincing proof seems to come forward.

If there were claims of pryamids in any lake nearby me, I would like to know one way or the other if it were true.

Categories: Ancient America, Ancient Sites, Mysteries | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Ancient Civilizations: Have six hours to spare?

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Darrick Dean

Ancient history is fascinating, even if you don’t know it yet. But who has time to learn, read or go take a class? Think about all that dead time driving back and forth to work. How about using that time to expand your horizons? Yes? Check this out: Origins of Great Civilizations.

This 12 lecture course gives a detailed introduction to the civilizations of the ancient Near East: Sumer, Babylon, Egypt, Assyria, Persia and many others. An enjoyable primer to the foundations of advanced societies.

Update: Want to delve deeper into Egypt? Think about it, their civilization spanned over 3000 years. We haven’t even hit 300. Check out Great Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt for a great primer on the people who preceeded the Greeks and Romans.

Categories: Ancient Sites, What You Can Do | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Be Prepared

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Darrick Dean

If I may return to our fiction review for a moment, 2012 seems to be an apt time to take in an apocalyptic tale or two. I’ve previously discussed the amusement I have with the 2012 doomsayers, not unlike Y2K (over a decade ago already!).

First ask yourself this: What would you do if you were faced with a major disaster? In particular, are you prepared for what may happen tomorrow, next year or an hour from now? Tornado? Earthquake? Some man-made cataclysm?

We’ve become such a pampered society, we think buying bread, milk and toilet paper is how to prepare for a coming storm. Most have no idea what do do if their power went out for more than a few hours. They think the government will be there to save them (forget Hurricane Katrina already?).

This lack of common sense preparedness – the classic Boy Scout motto “Be Prepared” said it best and simplest – will someday haunt us. That’s why I recommend folks give the novel One Second After a read.

It presents the most extreme scenario: An EMP attack on the U.S. renders nearly all electronics useless. If you don’t know what an EMP attack is, look it up. It is a real threat. Perhaps the government should worry more about this than meddling in our lives. In any case, William R. Forstchen paints a dire situation as a small town tries to survive until help arrives. It does arrive, over a year later. In the meantime, the realities of a collapsed society unfold in frightening detail.

Hopefully, we never see a disaster of this magnitude. Even smaller ones could push us to the brink. The Yellowstone supervolcano, the long overdue mega-earthquake along the fault near the Mississippi or some terrible nightmare set in motion by a depraved mind all lurk in the darkness. Then again, they may never happen.

This novel, entertaining as it is, will make you ponder what you would do. Though-provoking and perhaps extreme at times (we hope it is), it nevertheless may help snap a couple people out of their funk.

Don’t let laziness be the death of you.

Categories: Books, Fiction | Tags: , , | 1 Comment

Sheba’s Gold

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Darrick Dean

The Guardian reports:

A British excavation has struck archaeological gold with a discovery that may solve the mystery of where the Queen of Sheba of biblical legend derived her fabled treasures.

Almost 3,000 years ago, the ruler of Sheba, which spanned modern-day Ethiopia and Yemen, arrived in Jerusalem with vast quantities of gold to give to King Solomon. Now an enormous ancient goldmine, together with the ruins of a temple and the site of a battlefield, have been discovered in her former territory.

Louise Schofield, an archaeologist and former British Museum curator, who headed the excavation on the high Gheralta plateau in northern Ethiopia, said: “One of the things I’ve always loved about archaeology is the way it can tie up with legends and myths. The fact that we might have the Queen of Sheba’s mines is extraordinary.”

An initial clue lay in a 20ft stone stele (or slab) carved with a sun and crescent moon, the “calling card of the land of Sheba”, Schofield said.

Many scoff at the existence of the Queen of Sheba because the Bible is the main source of our knowledge of her. Yet, the places and people of the Bible have routinely and consistently appeared in archaeological discoveries. Often they are like Sheba and have little or no precedent outside the Bible.

Most non-religious individuals will at least admit the Bible is a valuable ancient document (one that we have more copies than anything else in antiquity) with much history within it (more on its place among other Near East writings here). However, there will always be people with an ax to grind and will push their agendas regardless of facts.

Categories: Ancient Documents, Bible | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

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