Mummy with a gold tongue found in Egypt

By Owen Jarus - Live Science Contributor 

Could they speak to the gods?

This 2,000-year-old mummy was buried with a golden tongue, likely to help the deceased speak in the afterlife.

(Image: © Egyptian antiquities ministry)

Archaeologists have found a 2,000-year-old mummy with a gold tongue at an ancient Egyptian site called Taposiris Magna. 

Embalmers perhaps placed the golden tongue on the mummy to ensure that the deceased would be able to speak in the afterlife, the Egyptian antiquities ministry said in a statement released Jan 29. 

For instance, if the golden-tongued mummy encountered Osiris, the god of the underworld, in the afterlife, they would have needed to be able to speak to the god, the statement said. It isn’t clear if the mummy had a speech impediment when they were alive. It’s also not clear why the tongue was made out of gold specifically. 

• Related: The 25 most mysterious archaeological finds on Earth

The archaeologists,  led by Kathleen Martinez, from the Dominican Republic, discovered the mummy in one of 16 burials at Taposiris Magna, which has temples dedicated to Osiris and Isis, a goddess who was both the wife and sister of Osiris. Previously, archaeologists found a hoard of coins decorated with the face of Cleopatra VII, suggesting the temples were in use during the queen’s reign. 

Among the other burials at the site, archaeologists discovered this female mummy who has a death mask that covers much of her body. 

(Image credit: Egyptian antiquities ministry)

The remains of several statues depicting the deceased were also recently found at the site. 

(Image credit: Egyptian antiquities ministry)

This statue also depicts one of the deceased, a man whose hairstyle is shown in detail. 

(Image credit: Egyptian antiquities ministry)

This 2,000-year-old mummy was buried with a golden tongue, likely to help the deceased speak in the afterlife. 

(Image credit: Egyptian antiquities ministry)

More mummies

The other 15 burials also date back around 2,000 years and contain remarkable treasure. In one, a female mummy is wearing a death mask that covers much of her body and depicts her with a headdress while smiling.  

Two of the mummies were found with the remains of scrolls, which scholars are currently analyzing and deciphering. The plastered layers, or cartonnage, encasing one of these mummies has golden decorations of Osiris, the statement said. 

The researchers also found several statues that depict the people who were buried at the site; the statues are so well preserved, you can still make out the individual’s hairstyles and headdresses, the statement said. The statues give the people a formal look, with no smiles on their faces.  

Though the archaeologists aren’t sure exactly when the individuals died, they can tell that the people lived at a time when Egypt was ruled either by the Ptolemies (304 B.C. to 30 B.C.), who were the descendants of one of Alexander the Great’s generals, or by the Roman Empire, which took over the country after the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 B.C.

A team made of archaeologists from Egypt and the University of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic are conducting these excavations at Taposiris Magna. It is led by Kathleen Martinez, an archaeologist from the Dominican Republic. Excavation of the site and analysis of the remains is ongoing. 

Originally published on Live Science.

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07-02-2021 om 00:30 geschreven door peter  

Archaeologists in Turkey have discovered a major, previously unknown kingdom

They ruled a big part of today's Turkey and defeated the legendary king Midas.

 by Mihai Andrei

 

“We had no idea about this kingdom. In a flash, we had profound new information on the Iron Age Middle East,” said Prof. James Osborne of the Oriental Institute, an archaeologist who specializes in examining Iron Age cities. Osborne and colleagues have discovered what looks like a major political center in ancient Turkey from about 2700 years ago — and we knew nothing about it.

The mound from above (Google Earth / via OI).

{ https://www.zmescience.com/ }

05-02-2021 om 23:23 geschreven door peter  

Oldest Pyramid on Earth is Hidden on Icy Antarctica

Ancient alien conspiracy theorists strongly believe that secret pyramids and concealed all around the Earth and think some may be covered on Antarctica. Alien theorists point to a pyramid-like structure near the Shackleton mountain range on the continent. When viewed on satellite imagery, the pyramid appears to have four steep sides, similar to Giza’s Great Pyramid.

This theory was featured on the TV series Ancient Aliens on the History Channel. Episode one of season 11 of the series explored the possibility that alien visitors or human civilisations left such pyramids.

David Childress, a conspiracy theory author, told Ancient Aliens there’s a possibility the Shackleton pyramid is the oldest on the world.

He said if this giant Antarctica pyramid is an artificial structure, it would probably be the oldest pyramid on Earth. In fact, it might be the pilot pyramid that all the other pyramids on the planet were designed to look like.

However, Dr. Michael Sala, author of Exopolitics Political Implications of the Extraterrestrial Presence, has a different theory. He said the pyramid is just one node in a worldwide network of power-generating pyramids strategically installed around Earth.

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05-02-2021 om 15:48 geschreven door peter  

Legendary Giants of Peru whose skeletons were seen by the conquerors

In current times the idea of ​​the existence of lost civilizations of giant beings has spread widely among people, thanks mainly to the Internet. However, a few decades ago, this topic was unknown to the vast majority of people. Peru is one of the countries where these ancient stories have been documented by chroniclers or passed down from generation to generation, showing the “strangeness” that the colonizers witnessed hundreds of years ago.

There is a special area on our planet where there are especially many stories and legends about people of great stature. Also, these stories are not thousands of years old, but only a few hundred.

Stories about the Peruvian giants have been known since the 16th century, when the first Spanish conquerors arrived in this region.

One of the first reports of the Peruvian giants is the story of the conqueror Pedro Cieza de León , which is described in the folio Royal Comments of the Incas, Volume 1 , written by the Peruvian writer Inca Garcilaso de la Vega. Cieza de León apparently did not see the giants with his own eyes, but spoke to those who saw them.

In his report, he described that once people of great stature sailed on their large rafts from the reeds to the shore where the village of local natives was located. The town was located on the Santa Elena peninsula, which is now the territory of Ecuador.

The giants disembarked from the rafts on the peninsula and established their camp near the conquerors. Apparently, they decided to settle here for a long time, because they immediately began to dig deep wells to extract water from them.

Normal men reached their knees …

An excerpt from the ancient text narrates:

“Some of them were so tall that a normal-sized man would barely reach his knees. Their limbs were proportional to the body, but their huge heads with shoulder-length hair were monstrous. Their eyes were huge as saucers and their faces were beardless. Some of them were dressed in animal skins, but some were in their natural state (without clothing). Not a single woman was seen among them. When they set up camp, they began to dig deep wells to get water. They dug them in stony soil and then built strong stone pits. The water in them was excellent, it was always fresh and tasted good ”.

As soon as the giants established their camp, they immediately made a bloody raid on the village of the local natives. According to Cieza de León’s description, they stole everything they could grab and ate everything they could eat, including people!

It was a terrible sight when these huge people were hanging from the trees and the natives were fleeing from them, and they could hardly defend themselves. Then, on the site of the devastated village, the giants built their great huts and stayed here to fish and hunt in the local forests.

Despite this, Cieza de León himself believed this story to be completely true and described that he personally saw the huge stone wells built by the giants. He also writes that other conquerors saw the wells and the remains of huge houses that the local natives were unable to build.

In addition, Cieza de Leon writes about even more curious things. He writes that the conquerors found very large human bones in this area , as well as pieces of teeth that were large and heavy.

“In 1550, in the city of Lima, I heard that when His Excellency Don Antonio de Mendoza, the viceroy and governor of New Spain, was here, some bones of people were found that were huge and could belong to giants. I also heard that complete deposits of giant bones were found in an ancient tomb in or near Mexico City. Since many locals claim to have seen them first hand, we can assume that these giants really exist and may belong to only one race. “

Other proof of the existence of ancient Peruvian giants can be found in the records of Captain Juan Olmos, who in 1543 excavated ancient burials in the Trujillo Valley and supposedly discovered bones of people of great stature there.

Later, another giant skeleton was found in the province of Tucumán by the conqueror Agustín de Zárate and his people. In general, similar stories come from Spanish characters who visited Peru during the 16th century and continued to appear in the 17th century.

In 1620, the Jesuit priest and missionary Pablo José Arriaga in his manuscript ” The extirpation of idolatry in Peru ” wrote the following:

“They (the representatives of the Spanish inspectors) took us to the other side of the town, where there was a very large cave and the remains of giants lay in it. Among them were three giant bodies with deformed heads (elongated skulls) wrapped in ceremonial cloth. These giants were considered the ancestors of all these village people who worshiped them, even sacrifices were made in their honor. Then (the Spanish) burned all these bodies ”.

Cover of the Extirpation of idolatry in Peru of the Jesuit. Pablo Joseph de Arriaga (1620). In the 18th and 19th centuries, stories about Peruvian giants also appeared, but they became smaller and were already perceived as myths and legends, and not as something real.

{  https://mysteriousthing.com/ }

05-02-2021 om 00:51 geschreven door peter  

“Daddy, look at this”: 220-million-year-old dinosaur footprint discovered by four-year-old

So, uhm, what have you done lately?

Lily Wilder, aged 4, was walking with her father and per dog along a beach in south Wales, when she saw something unusual. It turned out to be a dinosaur footprint from the Triassic.

Although Lily doesn’t quite grasp exactly what she spotted yet, her keen eye is what found the footprint. She called to her dad who took photos and then posted them on a Facebook group, where he was directed to contact paleontologists. The incredibly well-preserved fossil is more than just a cool find: it can help researchers better understand how some dinosaurs walked around.

“It really is stunning preservation … You can see every detail of the muscles and where the joints are in the foot,” Cindy Howells, Amgueddfa Cymru National Museum of Wales paleontology curator, told NBC News. She called the footprint the “best specimen ever found” on the beach.

It’s not possible to tell exactly what species it was right now, but many things can be inferred about the dinosaur that left the footprint. It was probably about 75 cm tall, shorter than a horse but taller than a dog. The dinosaur would have walked on its two hind feet and hunted small animals, or maybe even insects.

“There are no fossilised bones from this 220 million-year-old dinosaur, but similar footprints in the USA are known to have been made by the dinosaur Coelophysis which does not occur in the UK,” reads a statement from the National Museum Cardiff, where the fossil will soon be hosted. “Many of the other footprints found at Bendricks Bay in the past have most likely not been from dinosaurs, but rather from some of the more crocodilian-type reptiles that also inhabited the area.” The museum also added that Lily will have her name listed as the one who discovered the footprint.

Dinosaurs first appeared some 230 million years ago, so this is one of the earliest ones to roam the Earth. It marks an important period, when dinosaurs were diversifying and exploring different ecological niches. They would have roamed across much of today’s Britain, but few fossils have ever been found in the area. As it enters the custody of the museum, it will be analyzed in greater detail by palaeontologists.

Meanwhile, Howell says that people should learn from this episode and try to spend more time in nature, especially in this very challenging pandemic period, when meeting with others can be so complicated. You never know what you may find, she says.

“Obviously, we don’t all have dinosaur footprints on our doorstep but there is a wealth of nature local to you if you take the time to really look close enough,” she says.

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05-02-2021 om 00:29 geschreven door peter  

The Mysterious Aboriginal Rock Art of the Wandjinas

One of the most intriguing and perplexing legends of the Australian Aboriginal people is that of the Wandjinas, the supreme spirit beings and creators of the land and people.  The land of the Wandjina is a vast area of about 200,000 square kilometres of lands, waters, sea and islands in the Kimberley region of north-western Australia with continuous culture dating back at least 60,000 years but probably much older. Here, traditional Aboriginal law and culture are still active and alive.

The Worora, Ngarinyin and Wunumbul people are the three Wandjina tribes – these tribal groups are the custodians of the oldest known figurative art which is scattered throughout the Kimberley.

Perhaps what is most interesting about their figurative art painted on rocks and in caves is the way in which they have represented the Wandjinas - white faces, devoid of a mouth, large black eyes, and a head surrounded by a halo or some type of helmet.

The ancient paintings have received all manner of interpretations from stylized representations of people or even owls, to ancient astronaut theories which suggest that extraterrestrial beings visited Earth tens of thousands of years ago and had direct contact with the inhabitants. Some believe that the extraterrestrials even played a direct role in creation, which is reflected not only in the Dreamtime stories of the Aboriginals but also the myths and legends of many ancient civilizations around the world. 

One could be forgiven for thinking that there is indeed a remarkable similarity between the Wandjinas and the stereotypical image of an extraterrestrial which we see time and again in art, movies and witness accounts. And many raise logical questions such as, why were the Wandjinas painted with white skin if it was representing another Aboriginal, all of whom had black skin? Why were the eyes always painted so disproportionate to the face and nose? And why were they all painted without a mouth?

But what is even more surprising is the oral account of the Wandjinas which has been passed from generation to generation as all of the Aboriginal Dreamtime stories have.

The story goes like this – the Wandjina were “sky-beings” or “spirits from the clouds” who came down from the Milky Way during Dreamtime and created the Earth and all its inhabitants. Then Wandjina looked upon the inhabitants and realised the enormity of the task and returned home to bring more Wandjinas. With the aid of the Dreamtime snake, the Wandjina descended and spent their Dreamtime creating, teaching and being Gods to the Aboriginals whom they created.  After some time, the Wandjinas disappeared. They descended into the earth and since then, have lived at the bottom of the water source associated with each of the paintings. There, they continually produce new ‘child-seeds’, which are regarded as the source of all human life.  Some Wandjina also returned to the sky, and can now be seen at night as lights moving high above the earth.

Aboriginal people, in the Kimberley also believe that even after they disappeared, the Wandjina continued to control everything that happened on the land and in the sky and sea.

Aboriginal Dreamtime stories, rock art and cave paintings have often been considered more myth then reality, like the stories we find in the teachings of modern day religions. However, recent archaeological discoveries have confirmed the reality of at least some of the Dreamtime stories. For example, those that spoke of huge mammals walking the Earth were once considered fantasy. But discoveries of animal fossils belonging to ‘mega fauna’ including giant mammals confirmed that these stories were accounts of real life events, passed down by generations over tens of thousands of years.

Interestingly and of course controversially, objects have been found on geographical sites which suggest the area had been inhabited as long ago as 174,000 B.C.  This contradicts the theory that Aboriginals had their routes in Africa and that inhabitants travelled from Africa to Australia about 60,000 years ago. Other researchers have suggested that Homo sapiens actually originated in Australia .

Today, the Aboriginal tribes of the Worora, Ngarinyin and Wunumbul still revere the Wandjina and only certain individuals are given permission to paint them. It is said that the Wandjina could punish those who broke the law with floods, lightening and cyclones and the paintings of the Wandjina are believed to possess these powers, therefore according to the Aboriginals they are always to be approached and treated respectfully.

{ https://www.ancient-origins.net/ }

04-02-2021 om 23:28 geschreven door peter  

Naupa Iglesia: An Egyptian Portal in the Andes?

Halfway up a near-vertical ravine in the Andes, someone carved an inverted V-shaped entrance into the mountainside. Then they sliced the bedrock with great precision to create a shallow door that goes nowhere; the same design appears in ancient Persia and Egypt. Then for good measure, they carved an additional altar with three alcoves into an outcrop of bluestone.

This sacred site is named Naupa Iglesia, or more accurately, Naupa Huaca.

Windows into Paradise

It’s not by accident such 'doors' are referred to as spirit doors or windows into paradise: a naupa is an inhabitant of the spirit world, and as it happens, the false door of Naupa Huaca marks the passage of the earth’s electromagnetic currents, the very forces that are known to generate out-of-body states.

It takes a hard heart to stand here and not feel the palpable energy of place. It is transfixing as much as it is bewitching. And perhaps that is the foremost reason why this site was carved in such a remote and inaccessible location in Peru.

The very nature of its location makes any astronomical relationship unlikely, so we are open to entertain the idea that this temple was used for a restricted shamanic ritual . Temples of a similar nature in other parts of the world typically require a difficult access, followed by a sensory deprived environment which generates conditions for the candidate to access other levels of reality.

Musical Measurements

The measurements of the main portal of Naupa Huaca are not random, they conform to musical notation . The length to height ratio is 3:1, making a perfect fifth in the second octave; the ratio of the alcove is 5:6, a minor third.

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The 5:6 ratio is both unusual and filled with specialist information. It perfectly describes the movement of the Earth, whose pole completes one full rotation of its axis every 25,920 years, while the plane of the equator tilts four degrees every 21,000 years — a ratio of 5:6. This accurate calculation of the motion of the planet is also encoded in another unusual temple, the Bent Pyramid of Egypt, whose slope angles encode the same ratio.

Bent pyramid of Sneferu, Dahshur, Egypt.

( CC BY-SA 3.0 )

Dominating the unique environment of Naupa Huaca is the cave ceiling. It has been expertly sliced like butter (bear in mind this we are at an altitude of 9800 feet (2987.04 meters) on the side of a ravine) and smoothed with laser-like precision to create two different yet specific angles: 60 degrees and 52 degrees. There is only one other place on earth where these two numbers appear side by side: the slope angles of the two major pyramids at Giza .

Stone angles on the sheer faces of ravine at Naupa Iglesia.

Photograph © Freddy Silva

The violent earthquakes that regularly lay this region of the Andes to waste have exacted a fair share of damage at this site, preventing further exploration into this man-made cave beyond a latter-day low wall of stacked stone that prevents rubble from a partly collapsed ceiling to rain down onto the curious and the intrepid who venture up the mountainside trail.

Still, there’s another anomaly to be examined in this temple: its creator picked the exact spot on the side of the mountain where exists a single outcrop of bluestone. Appearing in stark contrast with the surrounding sandstone, bluestone contains a type of crystal that was used in early radio receivers for its excellent piezoelectric qualities. The rock is also magnetic, another useful feature for shamanic journeying.

Bluestone was also specifically chosen to build the oldest part of Stonehenge, leading its architects to source this sonorous granite 150 miles (241.40 km) away in Wales.

Stones at Carn Menyn, Wales, as an example of bluestone.These dolerite slabs, split by frost action, seem to be stacked, and ready for the taking.

(Ceridwen/ CC BY-SA 2.0 )

The outcrop has been expertly shaved into three niches, and although partly dynamited by religious fanatics, the delicate workmanship is still evident. Its central niche is similarly cut to musical notation, the ratio 3:2, a perfect fifth.

Naupa Huaca.

Photograph © Freddy Silva

The three-step design defines the Andean view of the Universe: the creative underworld, the physical middleworld, and the ethereal otherworld. The concept is idealized in the chakana, commonly known as the Andean Cross. Chakana literally means 'to bridge or cross,' and it describes how the three levels of existence are connected to each other by a hollow reed — a culturally shared concept in ancient Persia, Egypt, the southwestern United States, and the Celtic world. The oldest iteration of the design is carved on a monolith at Tiwanaku, the world's oldest temple complex, and it differs from the later version in that it is based not a square but a rectangle with a ratio of 5:6.

A carved altar with three alcoves into an outcrop of bluestone.

Photograph © Freddy Silva

Ruins at Tiwanaku, Bolivia.

( CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 )

It seems that Naupa Huaca was designed by a cosmic mason for anyone wishing to access another level of reality and communicate with gods which, back in the day, were either forces of nature, or elevated people who personified or understood how to control such forces.

Who Created Naupa Huaca?

As to the identity of the architect, certainly the Inca can be dismissed. Inca stonework pales by comparison in both scale and quality, they merely inherited and maintained a culture that was, by their time in the 14th century, already long-vanished; even the ancient Aymara claimed such temples were made long before the Inca.

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The style of stonework at Naupa Huaca is consistent with that found in Cuzco, Ollantaytambo, and Puma Punku , and what these sites hare in common is the myth of a traveling builder god named Viracocha who, together with seven Shining Ones, appeared at Tiwanaku after a catastrophic world flood, since dated to 9703 BC, to help rebuild humanity.

Viracocha. ( Public Domain )

Interestingly, the same group appears at the same time in Egypt as the Aku Shemsu Hor — the Followers of Horus.

© FREDDY SILVA, 2016 | www.invisibletemple.com

Freddy Silva is a best-selling author, and a leading researcher of alternative history, ancient knowledge, sacred sites, and the interaction between temples and consciousness. He is author of many books, including THE LOST ART OF RESURRECTION 

--

• Top Image: Shrine at Naupa Iglesia. Photograph © Freddy Silva

By Freddy Silva

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31-01-2021 om 23:52 geschreven door peter  

Giant Face of Ucanha: Huge Sculpted Mayan Mask Found in Mexico

In the southeastern Mexican state of  Yucatán on the Yucatán Peninsula, an archaeological team digging at a lightly explored site near the tiny, picturesque village of Ucanha uncovered something highly unusual. It was a giant human-looking face, as tall as a person and sculpted in stucco. Its features clearly identified it as  a Mayan mask of the ancient Maya civilization , which enjoyed total hegemony in this part of the world more than one thousand years ago.

Mayan Mask Discovered in the Yucatán Peninsula

The Maya stucco relief was first discovered in 2017. Researchers from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) in Mexico spent three years carefully restoring the sculpture, between periods when it was temporarily reburied to prevent its rapid deterioration from exposure to the elements. They were able to positively date the Mayan mask to the Late Pre-Classical era of the ancient Maya civilization, meaning it was created sometime between 300 BC and 250 AD.

View of the giant stucco face, or Mayan mask, in situ. The face was discovered in the Yucatán Peninsula near the village of Ucanha.

( INAH)

In their statement announcing the finding , INAH stated that sculptures like these “represent the faces of individuals with particular features that can be associated with deities or with characters of prominent social status.” It was a common practice in Maya civilization to decorate buildings with large-scale, embedded decorative sculptures, which often featured the faces of rulers or gods. 

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Relics like this are a rare find, however, since so many of the sculptures that once existed have been irrevocably damaged, or destroyed, or remain deeply buried in undiscovered locations. Nevertheless, similar sculpted stucco reliefs have been found in the villages of Acanceh and Izamal. But those are the only other giant faces discovered on the Yucatán Peninsula.

Recognizing the delicate nature of their discovery, the archaeologists have now reburied the fully-restored sculpture, thereby guaranteeing its preservation. However, tourists interested in getting a closer look at ancient Maya stucco reliefs can do so by  traveling to Acanceh . There, several sculptures honoring Maya deities have been put on display to the public, in the town’s “Palace of the Stuccos.”

Detail of the stucco Mayan mask discovered near the village of Ucanha in Mexico.

( INAH)

Olmec Influence on the Maya

The giant stucco Mayan mask represents outstanding examples of  ancient Maya art . Maya gods and rulers were routinely honored in sculpted form, and in addition to stucco, Maya artists also sculpted in stone, wood, bone, shells, and fired clay. The Maya interest in creating human-like sculpted faces dates back to the first millennium BC. Their artistic endeavors in this area were clearly influenced by their contacts with the Olmecs, the so-called “ Mother Culture of Mesoamerica ” that occupied the expansive land regions to the west of the Yucatán Peninsula until around 400 BC, when their societies vanished for reasons undetermined. 

Little is known about the nature of the contacts between the Olmecs and the Maya. But  Olmec influence on Maya culture was profound. The  Olmecs affected the Maya people’s spiritual beliefs, practices and even their recreational activities, as well as their preferences in artistic style and architecture.

The Olmecs are best known today for their  colossal carved stone head statues , which weigh several tons each and are believed to represent the visages of revered Olmec rulers. The carved faces in these gigantic chunks of rock are reminiscent of the Mayan masks and  giant faces  created by Maya sculptors, who would have been commissioned to make these works of art by rulers in the various small kingdoms that comprised the greater Maya civilization. 

In the late Pre-Classical era, when the  giant face  at Ucanha was sculpted, the Maya were living in still small but increasingly populated agricultural villages. These rapidly expanding settlements formed the seeds of the great Maya cities that arose to dominate the region in the Classical era, which ran from 250 AD to 900 AD. 

Larger-than-life artistic creations like the giant face of Ucanha are reflections of a society that was becoming increasingly confident and ambitious. At the height of their power, the Maya exercised political, cultural, and social control over a wide swath of southern  Mexico and Central America. They were able to maintain that control for several centuries, before internal decay followed by Spanish conquest brought about the demise of their kingdoms.

Recognizing the sensitive nature of their discovery, the archaeologists have now reburied the fully-restored sculpture, thereby guaranteeing its preservation.  (INAH)

Exploring History Through Artifacts Left Behind: The Mayan Mask

While the  Maya people  are still around in significant numbers, the great cultures built by their distant ancestors exist only in the form of the artifacts, relics, and architectural masterpieces they left behind. Amazing discoveries like the giant face at Ucanha don’t reveal many details about the culture or artists that created them. But they do act as markers of the ongoing cultural evolution that was changing  Maya society , taking them away from their modest agrarian roots and transforming them into a diversified, ambitious, and highly successful urban culture, one which was ultimately doomed to  extinction, as all great civilizations and empires seem to be.

Of course, what the  Maya experienced during the transition from the Pre-Classical to the Classical era is the same type of evolutionary transformation that has been experienced in Europe, the United States, and elsewhere across the planet over the past two centuries. When archaeologists from the far future are digging through the rubble left behind following our final  collapse, they will likely be just as curious about the long-lost civilization that created the giant carved heads at  Mount Rushmore  as we are about the long-lost civilization that created the giant sculpted faces on the Yucatán Peninsula.

• Top image: Mayan mask made of stucco which was discovered in the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico.
• Source:  INAH

By Nathan Falde

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30-01-2021 om 23:45 geschreven door peter  

Back in the 4^th century, a Maya community created a large stucco mask at the now-archaeological site of Ucanha which is located in the municipality of Cansahcab in the state of Yucatán, Mexico.

The mask, which is about as tall as a human, depicts a face of an unknown individual – possibly a deity or a very important person. In a statement, Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) reiterated this by saying that this type of mask would “represent the faces of individuals with particular features that can be associated with deities or with characters of prominent social status.” It was made with stucco (a fine plaster often used to coat walls and ceilings) and dates back to the Late Preclassic Period (approximately 300 BC to 250 AD).

An example of stucco.

While this is the first of its kind to be discovered in Ucanha, these types of stucco masks have been found at other archaeological sites in Acanceh and Izamal.

It was discovered by a graduate student from Yale University named Jacob Welch who was part of a team of Mexican and American researchers, student and laborers. Archaeologists from the INAH stated that while it was discovered in 2017, it remained unreported until recently so that it could be protected against possible looters. They added that the excavation work only began in 2019.

Another way that the team protected the mask was that they reburied it after it was found until experts could analyze and preserve it. It was dug up again in 2018 for restoration work as samples from the mask showed that it had deteriorated a bit. They also restored weak parts and relocated sections that had moved over time back to their original spots in addition to cleaning the mask’s surface so that its colors and patterns were more visible. After finishing their work in 2019, the mask was again reburied in order to preserve it.

The team was actually very lucky to have found the mask as many of them had not survived throughout the years because of roots, soil, erosion, and/or looters. Hopefully the restoration work and reburying it will help keep it in the best possible condition for many years to come. Pictures of the excavation site can be seen here.

The archaeological discovery was made in 2017 by Yale graduate student Jacob Welch.

Photo: INAH

Archaeologists and workers protect the now excavated mask from the elements using tarps and a tent.

Photo: INAH

{ https://mysteriousuniverse.org/ }

30-01-2021 om 23:29 geschreven door peter  

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman!

Which one of those has been uttered about the Nazca Lines – those mysterious geoglyphs in Peru’s Nazca Desert that are only visible from the air, where the shapes clearly depict birds (the winner!), animals, plants and some non-discernable drawings. While some speculate they could have been created by aliens as landing strips (half-points issued if those are the reasons you picked ‘plane’ or ‘Superman’), the real purpose of the Nazca lines has eluded discovery. Now, yet another team of archeologists have studied the lines and will be presenting their full conclusion of their purpose at an online conference in February. Fortunately for those of us unable to attend, they recently issued a press release.

“Not only have we unveiled the mystery with numerous and conclusive proofs, but we have also discovered a system that can save millions of lives around the world.”

Salvar Nazca is an international multidisciplinary team or archeologists and engineers led by Carlos E. Hermida who, with Peruvian researcher Luis Cabrejo, tourismologist and doctor in History of Art Ana Mafé García and engineer of Roads, Channels and Ports, Xosé Manuel Carreira Rodriguez, believe they’ve determined the likely purpose of the Nazca Lines. What could it be that caused Hermida to describe it as ‘lifesaving’?

“The disclosure of this study will lead us to understand from now on the famous Nazca Lines as a complex system of water management for the irrigation of vast extensions of the desert, which had the objective of controlling it and taking advantage of it in the different seasons of the year in the face of such changing humidity conditions in that region.”

That’s right – Salvar Nazca has determined that the Nazca Lines were a giant irrigation system created by people living in Peru between 500 BCE and 500 CE. Hmm. While it’s true that the Nazca Lines are in a desert whose dry conditions helped to preserve the lines for 2,000 years, why are they shaped like birds and animals rather than the familiar grid patterns or concentric circles of modern irrigation systems? The team is most likely referring to the crisscrossing lines and the spiral that are more prevalent but less popular than the biological shapes. How did those fit into the irrigation system? That appears to be another mystery that we’ll have to wait until the conference for an answer to.

And why does the study tout this ‘discovery’ as lifesaving? Salvar Nazca used satellite images of 2500 square km of the lines and took eight years to study them, comparing their shapes and locations to modern cartography of the area. Do they see this as a way for modern Peruvians to irrigate and farm the dry desert again? That didn’t seem to work for the Nazca culture which created them before falling around 800 CE due to climate change and destruction of plant life while dealing with the floods that instead caused erosion.

The paper, titled “Archaeological Tourism in Peru: the Nazca Lines as an immense irrigation system for harvesting water-intensive crops,” will be presented at the VII International Scientific Professional Congress of Cultural Tourism broadcast on February 17-19 from Cordoba, Spain. That’s when we may hear the authors say:

It’s a bird! It’s a plain! It’s an irrigation system! It’s all of the above!

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29-01-2021 om 18:21 geschreven door peter  

Photos And Videos: The Ancients Had Knowledge That Surpass Ours?

Many preserved buildings and artefacts points out that the ancients had advanced control technology. A number of ancient buildings and paintings of deities shows all too similar to the existing people – with aircraft, missiles and space suit. The oldest working model “glider” comes from the excavations of ancient Egypt 3000 years ago before Christ.

EGYPT

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28-01-2021 om 23:21 geschreven door peter  

The Lost Continent of Kumari Kandam

Most people are familiar with the story of Atlantis, the legendary sunken city as described by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. Till this day, opinion is still divided as to whether this story should be understood literally or taken merely as a morality tale. Further east in the subcontinent of India is a similar tale, though it probably is less well known compared to that of Atlantis. This is the ‘lost continent’ of Lemuria, frequently connected to the legend of Kumari Kandam by speakers of the Tamil language.

The term Lemuria has its origins in the latter part of the 19 ^th century. The English geologist Philip Sclater was puzzled by the presence of lemur fossils in Madagascar and India but not in mainland Africa and the Middle East. Thus, in his 1864 article entitled ‘The Mammals of Madagascar’, Sclater proposed that Madagascar and India were once part of a larger continent, and named this missing landmass ‘Lemuria’. Sclater’s theory was accepted by the scientific community of that period as the explanation of the way lemurs could have migrated from Madagascar to India or vice versa in ancient times. With the emergence of the modern concepts of continental drift and plate tectonics, however, Sclater’s proposition of a submerged continent was no longer tenable. Yet, the idea of a lost continent refused to die, and some still believe that Lemuria was an actual continent that existed in the past.

One such group is the Tamil nationalists. The term Kumari Kandam first appeared in the 15 ^th century Kanda Puranam, the Tamil version of the Skanda Puranam. Yet, stories about an ancient land submerged by the Indian Ocean have been recorded in many earlier Tamil literary works. According to the stories, there was a portion of land that was once ruled by the Pandiyan kings and was swallowed by the sea. When narratives about Lemuria arrived in colonial India, the country was going through a period when folklore was beginning to permeate historic knowledge as facts. As a result, Lemuria was quickly equated with Kumari Kandam.

Bhagavata-Purana, 10th Skanda. 

Image source .

The story of Kumari Kandam is not regarded as just a story, but seems to be laden with nationalistic sentiments. It has been claimed that the Pandiyan kings of Kumari Kandam were the rulers of the whole Indian continent, and that Tamil civilisation is the oldest civilisation in the world. When Kumari Kandam was submerged, its people spread across the world and founded various civilisations, hence the claim that the lost continent was also the cradle of human civilisation.

So, how much truth is there in the story of Kumari Kandam? According to researchers at India’s National Institute of Oceanography, the sea level was lower by 100 m about 14,500 years ago and by 60 m about 10,000 years ago. Hence, it is entirely possible that there was once a land bridge connecting the island of Sri Lanka to mainland India. As the rate of global warming increased between 12,000 and 10,000 years ago, the rising sea levels resulted in periodic flooding. This would have submerged prehistoric settlements that were located around the low-lying coastal areas of India and Sri Lanka. Stories of these catastrophic events may have been transmitted orally from one generation to another and finally written down as the story of Kumari Kandam.

One piece of evidence used to support the existence of Kumari Kandam is Adam’s Bridge (also called Rama’s Bridge), a chain of limestone shoals made up of sand, silt and small pebbles located in the Palk Strait extending 18 miles from mainland India to Sri Lanka.  This strip of land was once believed to be a natural formation, however, others argue that images taken by a NASA satellite depict this land formation to be a long broken bridge under the ocean's surface. 

The location of Adam's Bridge between India and Sri Lanka

The existence of a bridge in this location is also supported by another ancient legend.  The Ramayana tells the tale of Sita, Rama’s wife, being held captive on the island of Lanka. Rama commissions a massive building project to construct a bridge to transport his army of Vanara (ape men) across the ocean to Lanka. 

As with most so-called myths, it seems likely that there is at least some truth to the ancient Tamil legends of Kumari Kandam, but just how much, is yet to be determined.

By Ḏḥwty

References

Jayakaran, S. C., 2011`. The Lemuria Myth. [Online] Available at: 

• http://www.frontline.in/navigation/?type=static&page=archiveSearch&aid=20110422280809000&ais=08&avol=28

Mahalingam, N., 2010. Lemuria and Kumari Kandam. [Online] Available at: 

• http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/lemuria-and-kumari-kandam/article482101.ece

Parameswaran, N., 2005. Tamil civilisation - is it the oldest?. [Online] Available at:

•  http://www.tamilguardian.com/article.asp?articleid=256

Wikipedia, 2014. Kumari Kandam. [Online] Available at: 

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumari_Kandam

Wikipedia, 2014. Lemuria (continent). [Online] Available at: 

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemuria_(continent)

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28-01-2021 om 21:01 geschreven door peter  

Made of stone, the temple has three mud-brick warehouses on its southeastern side that held offerings made to the queen and her husband. 

Near the pyramid, the team of Egyptian archaeologists also found a series of burial shafts containing the remains of people who lived during the 18th and 19th dynasties of Egypt (1550 BCE - 1186 BCE), the ministry said in the statement, which was released Jan. 16.

These burials were likely part of a Teti-worshipping cult that formed after the pharaoh's death. The cult seems to have remained active for more than a millennium, with people wanting to be buried near the pharaoh's pyramid. So far, the team has uncovered more than 50 wooden coffins in these shafts, along with a wide array of objects. 

• Related: In photos: A look inside an Egyptian mummy 

Book of the Dead

One of the most fascinating objects found in the burial shafts is a 13-foot-long (4 meters) papyrus that contains Chapter 17 of the 'Book of the Dead', a manuscript that ancient Egyptians used to help guide the deceased through the afterlife.

The name of the papyrus's owner, Pwkhaef, is written on it; that same name was also found on one of the wooden coffins and on four shabti figurines meant to serve the deceased in the afterlife. 

Though scientists are currently analyzing the text, other copies of Chapter 17 contain a series of questions and answers – a cheat sheet of sorts for people trying to navigate the afterlife. Whether the newly found copy of Chapter 17 has the same question-and-answer format remains to be seen. 

Inside the burial shafts, the archaeological team discovered a stela that belonged to a man named Khaptah, who is identified as the overseer of the pharaoh's military chariot, and his wife, Mwtemwia.

The top part of the stela shows the couple paying homage to Osiris, the Egyptian god of the underworld, while the lower part shows the couple seated on chairs with six of their children in front of them. Their three daughters are shown seated and smelling lotus flowers, while their three sons are shown standing.

The archaeologists aren't certain which pharaoh(s) Khaptah served. It's possible that he served Ramesses II (who reigned from 1279 BCE to 1213 BCE), a pharaoh known for his military campaigns that expanded Egypt's empire as far north as Syria.

An inscription on the stela says that two of Khaptah's children are named after family members of Ramesses II. One of Khaptah's daughters is named Nefertari (the same name as Ramesses II's main wife) and one of his sons is named Khaemweset (the same name as one of Ramesses II's sons). 

Board games and mummies

Other discoveries in the burial shafts near the pyramid included a bronze ax, board games, statues of Osiris and several mummies, including the mummy of a woman who appears to have suffered from familial Mediterranean fever, a genetic disorder that causes recurring fever and inflammation of the abdomen, joints and lungs. 

(Egyptian Antiquities Ministry)

Above: The top of the stela shows the couple paying homage to Osiris; the bottom shows the couple seated with six of their children.

A shrine dedicated to Anubis – the god of the cemetery – was also found near the burial shafts, as were statues of the god. 

The Egyptian team that made the discovery includes archaeologists from the Egyptian antiquities ministry and the Zahi Hawass Center of Egyptology at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. 

Related content:

• 16 of the most interesting ancient board and dice games
• Photos: Mummies discovered in tombs in ancient Egyptian city
• Photos: Ancient Egyptian general's tomb discovered in Saqqara

This article was originally published by Live Science. Read the original article here.

{ https://www.sciencealert.com/ }

26-01-2021 om 23:59 geschreven door peter  

 WHO RULED EGYPT BEFORE THE PHARAOHS? (VIDEO)

Egypt was first ruled by beings who came down from heaven 5,300 years ago. They were gods like Set, Tot, Osiris, Horus Scorpion, and Horus Ka.

The pre-pharaonic period of Ancient Egypt is one of the enigmas of history. Despite the historical controversy regarding the existence of gods , ancient texts say that these powerful beings who “came from above” were the first rulers , before the first “human” pharaoh.

Historians have concluded that the first pharaoh was King Menes-Narmer , who established his rule in 3100 BC. C. Archaic history is more mysterious.

Archaic epoch with star gods pharaohs

The ancient history of Menes-Narmer’s predecessors is diffuse, and for this reason it is considered as a mythological dynasty . It is the so-called Protodynamic Period or Dynasty 0 .

The Egyptian gods were these first rulers , enigmatic beings of extraterrestrial character . They may have traveled from the constellation Orion , as they were associated with those distant stars.

According to Plutarch: Ra left for the heavens and Osiris became pharaoh of Egypt together with Isis and they built Thebes [present-day Luxor] ”.

From ancient texts it follows that Ra, Osiris, Isis, Thoth, and Horus were the most prominent ruling deities of this time of Ancient Egypt. The Royal Papyrus of Turin or List of Kings of Turin is a document that lists all the pharaohs.

By some estimates, these entire lineages would have lasted 13,000 years! Before 3,100 BC It has also been stated that Ptah was the first pharaoh in history .

Pharaoh Horus and “incarnations” of him

As we saw, Horus is among the main proto-dynastic pharaohs. The Palermo Stele says that it reigned millennia ago. There are also “incarnations” of this deity , (half divine and half human, perhaps? As hybrids ? ). Among them are names like Horus Scorpion I, Double Falcon and Horus Crocodile .

Another incarnation is Horus Ka , who reigned a generation before Menes / Narmer. Ka was buried in a double grave at Abydos . In finds from his tomb there are sherds with hieroglyphics of two raised hands . This sign was called “ka” and means “soul . ” Ka was the first pharaoh to adopt that hieroglyph and with a falcon on it .

Because of the powerful quality, either supernatural or technological , of the Egyptian gods, historians of the mainstream ( mainstream ) have never promoted the veracity of the story governments. Perhaps they were not mythological and in fact they reigned in person in Egypt .

Este artículo ha sido copiado del sitio web https://codigooculto.com – Puede leer más en: https://codigooculto.com/enigmas/quien-goberno-egipto-antes-faraones/?fbclid=IwAR1uGXRYptqGBiCpgEd_Ax4hs3t29pVCJ0-RQfFr34a1CI2TGYozMHtDi_g – Ningún contenido publicado en CodigoOculto.com puede ser copiado, distribuido, publicado, reescrito o utilizado de ninguna manera, en su totalidad o en parte, sin una autorización previa y por escrito de CodigoOculto.com

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24-01-2021 om 21:29 geschreven door peter  

The sandworms on the planet Arrakis are considered by many to be the real stars of the Dune novels of Frank Herbert. Reaching anywhere from 400 meters (1,300 ft) to a reported “half a league” (1.5 miles (2.4 km)) in length and 40 meters (130 ft) in diameter, they’re responsible for the treasured drug melange and featured in many action sequences because of their rideability and aversion to intruders.

Fortunately, these sandworms are fictional, but a smaller and equally vicious version does exist right here on Earth in the form of the Bobbitt worm (Eunice aphroditois) – a 10-foot-long bristle worm that burrows in the soft sediment of the ocean floor, waiting to ambush its prey by exploding out of the sand, grabbing their catch in vise jaws and dragging them back into the sediment for consumption. (Photos and videos here.) Fortunately, their favorite prey is fish and their larvae don’t excrete melange or any other spices. However, they don’t appear to have any natural enemies, which explains why they’ve lived nearly unchanged for 20 million years, according to a new study in the journal Scientific Reports.

A modern Bobbit worm hunts on the sea floor with just its head exposed. Researchers have found fossils suggesting they were terrorizing the ocean the same way 20 million years ago. 

(Chutinun Mora)

The fossil burrow opening, left, is compared to a modern Bobbit worm burrow opening. The researchers found that the fossil and modern burrows were similar. 

(Paleoenvironntal Sediment Laboratory/National Taiwan University, Chutinun Mora)

An animation shows how the trace fossil would have formed. 

(Yu Yen Pan)

The top part of the fossil burrow, seen from the side, is funnel shaped, with feathery lines from the disturbance of the soil that's thought to be caused by the worm pulling prey into the burrow. 

(Paleoenvironntal Sediment Laboratory/National Taiwan University)

The study coauthors included, from left, Shahin Dashtgard, Ludvig Lowemark, Yu Yen Pan and Masakazu Nara, standing on right. 

(Paleoenvironmental Sediment Laboratory/National Taiwan University)

This is an artistic reconstruction of Websteroprion armstrongi, a Bobbit worm that lived 400 million years ago in Ontario. Its fossil jaws were discovered and reported by a team of researchers that included David Rudkin at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. 

(James Ormiston)

“This trace fossil consists of an up to 2 m long, 2–3 cm in diameter, L-shaped burrow with distinct feather-like structures around the upper shaft. A comparison of Pennichnus to biological analogs strongly suggests that this new ichnogenus is associated with ambush-predatory worms that lived about 20 million years ago.”

How big?

Because they were squishy worms, no skeletal fossils of this species exist, but researchers led by National Taiwan University sedimentologist Ludvig Löwemark found trace fossils – burrows, prints and squiggles made by something on the floor of the ocean near Taiwan. By eliminating the traces being made by shrimp or snails – their burrows are longer and two-way – the researchers concluded they’d discovered the burrows of the ancestor of the modern Bobbitt worm.

We know what you’re dying to ask – yes, they’re named for Lorena Bobbitt, who in 1993 sliced off her sleeping husband’s penis after years of abuse. The nickname came from divers who witnessed the worms slicing fish in half with their jaws. 

The 319 trace fossils discovered at two sites pointed to an ancient Bobbitt worm for a number of reasons. They were high in iron, which came from the mucous they used to stabilize the burrows. The tunnels were L-shaped, which is typical for soft worms that can’t dig too far down before hitting hard dirt and going horizontal. Finally, they look very much like the burrows of modern Bobbitt worms.

If that’s not your hand on my leg …

Despite not providing melange or being large enough to ride, Löwemark and his team plan to search for more trace fossils of the ancient worms, now that they know what to look for. They’ve named the trace fossils Pennichnus formosae, meaning “beautiful feather trace,” which refers to the feathery patterns left when the worm re-enters the burrow with its prey.

Ancient Bobbitt worm (Ubi vermis antiquis bobbitt) is far easier to remember.

{ https://mysteriousuniverse.org/ }

24-01-2021 om 00:19 geschreven door peter  

2,000-Year-Old Limestone Pyramid Tomb Discovered in Lebanon

An ancient pyramid-shaped  megalithic burial has been discovered in North Lebanon dating back to 2,000 years before the pyramids of Egypt. What’s more, it is speculated that this, and other similar  pyramid tombs in Lebanon, might have inspired the rulers of  Egypt to construct their world famous pyramidal super-structures.

A Blazing White Pyramid among the Blackness

This very well-preserved ancient megalithic stone tomb was discovered by Abdulaziz Al-Zein, the Environment Council's mountain guide, while he was hiking near the village of Akrum in the Akkar District of North Lebanon. This region has been inhabited for around 6,000 years and the pyramidal tomb was discovered on the high grounds of Wadi El-Deir.

• The Forgotten Stones of Baalbek, Lebanon
• Largest Known Megalithic Block from Antiquity Revealed at Baalbek
• The Monumental Baalbek – the Largest Building Blocks on Earth

A report in  The 961  says the 3-meter-high (9.84 ft) burial structure is “very well-preserved” and relatively untampered with, considering its age. What’s more, this particular sepulchral monument is different from all the others that have been found in the Akkar District, because it was constructed with tall, flat, white  limestone, where most others were built with basalt.

Could it really be true that the pyramid tombs at Akrum inspired the Pharaohs to build the famed Egyptian pyramids? 

( Ahmed / Adobe Stock)

Prototype Pyramids of the Egyptian Kings?                                     

The tombs at Akrum predate the  pyramids of Egypt  by about 2,000 years. Historical researcher Dr. Imad Younis told the  NNA that he thinks the Pharaohs of Egypt were “probably inspired by the idea of the pyramid burial from the Akrum burials.” While this is speculation, the researcher points out that “the ancient Egyptians visited the region and stayed there repeatedly.”

This entire area is abundant with megalithic cemeteries and, according to a report in  Lebanon24, the archaeological sites near the villages of Menges and Fereidis in Akkar “date back 4000 years before Christ.” Al-Zein notes that what is striking about this Akrum  pyramid shaped burial tomb is that it is made of tall, flat, white  limestone, while all other examples that have been discovered were constructed of dark basalt rocks.

Remains of a basalt dolmen in the Akkar District, North Lebanon.

( ASOR)

Memories of Humanity, Pillars of the Economy

Dr. Antoine Daher is head of the Environment Council in Kobayat - Akkarsay and he says there are three pyramid cemeteries in the outlying area of the town of Akrum al-Dayaa close to the border with Syria. However, he said that many of these forgotten treasures have been lost “due to people's ignorance of the value of these ancient constructions.” In a  Lebanon24 article, professor Daher highlighted the importance of the region saying there are the paintings of Wadi al-Saba that belong to the campaign of  Nebuchadnezzar before the time of Christ, and at the fortress of Husayn “Roman temples are still standing.”

The professor is calling out to authorities to protect and preserve the ancient monuments of the Akrum, and to “put an end to the sabotage that affects them.” He asked: “Can the Antiquities Directorate move with the municipalities of Mount Akrum, which has modest financial capacity, and with all interested parties and volunteers to protect these treasures, which are the memory of humanity and the pillar of the economy for the future?”

Kamouh el Hermel, also known as the Pyramid of Hermel, is a famous pyramid tomb in Lebanon dating back to the second century BC.

( Public domain )

Protecting the Traditional Home of the Pyramid

Lebanon is no stranger to ancient pyramid-shaped tombs and perhaps the most famous example is Kamouh el Hermel (the Pyramid of Hermel) located 6 kilometers (3.7 mi) south of Hermel in Baalbek-Hermel Governorate. Dating to the second century BC, this  pyramid sits on top of a hill and measures between 19.6 meters (64 ft) and 27 meters (89 ft) high, sitting on a base measuring around 1.1 meters (3.6 ft) with three steps made from black basalt. This  pyramid was heavily vandalized by locals between  2000 and 2018  when all four faces of the base were covered with graffiti.

Only three other pyramidal burials have been discovered in the Akrum area similar to the one discovered by Al-Zein, and all of these structures were recently renovated and opened for visitors and tourists. Unfortunately, according to the professor, “the ignorance and negligence” of the government, combined with their lack of proper efforts to preserve and protect the monuments, means that some of those “historical treasures” have also fallen to vandalism.

• Top image: The megalithic pyramid tomb in Akrum (Akkar District), Lebanon, was built with limestone. Experts believe that the Lebanese pyramid tombs inspired the great pyramids of Egypt. Source:  NNA

By Ashley Cowie

{ https://www.ancient-origins.net/ }

22-01-2021 om 23:08 geschreven door peter  

Has the Function of the Great Pyramid of Giza Finally Come to Light?

About 150 years after the establishment of Egyptology as an academic field, there still appears to be no agreement between scholars on the function of the Great Pyramid of Giza. Yet several different hypotheses have been proposed. The tomb hypothesis appeared when research began on the pyramid, with a popular belief saying the primary function of the pyramid was to be the final resting place for the second ruler of the 4th dynasty - Khufu.

Other competing theories were proposed as well: the granary, the power house, heaven’s mirror, water pump, and the Orion belt , among others. Reviewing all the main hypotheses with an open mind I came to conclusion that I cannot agree with any of those, so I propose my own. Certain aspects of the hypothesis were already voiced by others but not substantiated enough. I tried to fill the gaps where needed with additional facts and evidence.

It is well known that the Great Pyramid is located at the maximum geographical center of Earth (or close to it). No proposed hypothesis tends to explain why - most tend to ignore this fact or downplay it. If the pyramid is indeed built as a tomb, how did Khufu end up picking the location for the tomb to be at, or close to, the geographical center of Earth? With the pyramid construction estimated at 20 years, is mapping and charting the planet factored into the pyramid construction time?

How long did it take Khufu to survey the planet to determine that location? Similarly, how did the granary or power house end up at the center of Earth and for what reason? All the proposed hypotheses lack an explanation for this important aspect, and beyond any doubt it is critical in understanding the function of the Great Pyramid of Giza .

• Once Hidden in Plain Sight and Surprisingly Ignored: The Great Pyramid of Cholula
• 5 Pyramids of the Ancient World that You May Not Have Heard About

The Great Pyramid of Giza at night.

( CC BY ND 2.0)

The Pyramid as a Source of Light

Light can be created by any system if it can emit charged particles into the ionosphere. The Aurora Borealis is the phenomena caused by the same process in which where electrons created by the sun collide with air molecules to create light. So, what would it take for the Great Pyramid of Giza to create similar light?

First, let’s talk about the construction material used in the Great Pyramid of Giza. If in the ancient past someone decided to build a system to emit electrons and create light, the person would definitely face a dilemma with the choice of construction materials. To accomplish that goal, high conductivity material at high frequency is needed. Copper has excellent conductivity and we know Ancient Egyptians had it in their toolbox, though at high frequency copper would overheat and melt within a few seconds. What other materials could be used?

Great Pyramid of Giza in the rays of the sun.

( CC BY SA 3.0 )

Nummulitic limestone from the Abu Rawash area was analyzed by the National Research Center of Cairo. It was found its conductance improves at higher frequency - to the point where it is exceptional. If the conductivity of a material needs to be about 600 Tera Hz, in addition to structurally strong, there could not be better material than limestone.

One of the original casing stones for the Great Pyramid (circa 2570 BC), most of which were removed during medieval times. This block was found in the rubble surrounding the pyramid.

( CC BY SA 3.0 )

The Great Pyramid is located at the geographical center of Earth , as noticed by Charles Smyth and reported in this book “Our Inheritance in the Great Pyramid” in 1864. The fact that the geographical center of Earth is at the location of the Great Pyramid is startling.

Now, for a structure to emit high frequency radiation (which is really light), it must be surrounded by a large land mass. This is the fundamental requirement for systems emitting electromagnetic radiation , of which any antenna design engineer is aware. If the pyramid needs to emit electromagnetic radiation on a scale of the whole planet, the maximum land mass location is ideal!

Antennas of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), on the Chajnantor Plateau in the Chilean Andes. The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, two companion galaxies to our own Milky Way galaxy, can be seen as bright smudges in the night sky, in the centre of the photograph.

(ESO/C. Malin/ CC BY 4.0 )

The electrons emitted by the pyramid need to reach the ionosphere and there is about a 100-km air gap between the peak of the pyramid and the ionosphere. The earth is a spherical capacitor, which means electrons at high frequency would propagate through the air with little impedance. Also, the ionosphere has negligible impedance, which means electrons can travel along the layer of the ionosphere to the other side of the planet with practically no restriction. However, they need to come back to the base of the pyramid to complete the closed path.

Passing through the ionosphere, the electrons would be colliding with atoms of various gasses, creating air glow similar to Aurora Borealis. The electrons travel back toward Earth from the ionosphere through elevation points of the planet.

It is interesting to note that many ancient cultures across the planet have had pyramid like structures. With the ionosphere saturated with charged particles, building a pyramid would provide a path for electrons to come back to the Earth’s surface - creating intense light glow over the structure. Reaching the surface, the electrons would return to the pyramid base through the mantle of the planet, the impedance of which is also negligible.

Remains of the Great Pyramid of Caral.

( Christopher Kleihege / UNESCO )

As the electrons approach the Giza plateau, they would pass through caves filled with water. The finding of the caves was reported by Andrew Collins and Dr. Hawass. Another process took place there known as electrolysis, causing water molecules to split into hydrogen and oxygen gas. The gas mixture filling the caves caused air pressure build up on the bed rock, creating earth trembling and noise. It is interesting to note that the Pyramid Text has multiple references to quakes and trembles.

The Function of the Great Pyramid of Giza

The Great Pyramid of Giza has a few chambers, shafts, and passages. Each of the elements played an important role in producing light. I provide a description of the functions of the main components in the system below.

Great Pyramid of Giza plan.

(Author provided)

Subterranean Chamber

The function of the subterranean chamber was to split water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen gas. For that you need to have water, terminals, and voltage. Hydrogen would accumulate around one voltage terminal (cathode) and oxygen would be around the other terminal (anode), but only hydrogen is needed for light, so oxygen needs to be rejected from the system. The front view of the subterranean chamber shows two hills made of limestone - those are two necessary terminals.

• Star Shaft Pointing - Busted: Debunking the Star Shaft Theory of the Great Pyramid
• The Hidden Message in Khafre’s Pyramid: What Were the Builders Trying to Tell Us?

Front view of the subterranean chamber. 

(Author provided)

The top view of the chamber shows some similarities between the terminals: the two terminal bases are about the same size and the division between the two plateaus is exactly centered. All this points to intelligent design of the subterranean chamber. You can also notice some differences which are intentional.

Top view of the subterranean chamber. 

(Author provided)

Note that the terminal on the left has a wider area compared to the terminal on the right. This means more electrons would pass through the terminal on the left side than right terminal. This would cause a voltage potential in which negative is on the right side, with the hydrogen gas accumulating there, and oxygen is on the left. Also, you can notice that the left and right shafts exiting the subterranean chamber are not leveled.

Hydrogen gas being lighter than the air, it would exit to the right and pass toward the ascending passage. Oxygen gas is heavier than air and would tend to concentrate at the bottom of the chamber. The granite block on the floor at the right shaft would prevent oxygen passing through. Some mixture would pass along, but it would not cause combustion. The gas built in the caves came out from the floor pit. This was not a steady process of gas and water slowly pouring out; it was a process of gas and water blasting out of the pit with high pressure.

The Grand Gallery of the Great Pyramid.

(Pprevos/ CC BY SA 3.0 )

The Queen’s Chamber

For the pyramid to create light, free electrons are needed, and hydrogen was used for that. To get electrons from hydrogen it can be pressurized, subjected to high voltage, or hit with EM radiation. All three processes were used in the pyramid. As the air pressure in the subterranean chamber increased, the hydrogen gas got pressurized in the Queen’s chamber - filling the southern and northern shafts. The shafts are blocked by Gantenbrinks doors, so it stayed there.

With pressure mounting, the temperature of the gas increased, and partial release of electrons took place. There are copper terminals in the doors to channel the EM radiation of stars into the system. Those align with the shafts. The alignment does not need to be perfect, just enough for X and gamma rays (which can pass through the blockage) to reach the copper. Then the ionization of hydrogen took place.

Gantenbrink’s Door.

( Image Source )

The King’s Chamber

The purpose of the King’s chamber was to collect all free electrons produced in the Queen’s chamber and push those toward the top of the pyramid. The granite beams in the King’s chamber are made of red granite, which has high crystal content when exposed to vibration and creates an electric field, pulling electrons from the Queens’ chamber toward the peak of the pyramid.

Opening to the King’s Chamber shaft. Morton Edgar, 1910.

( Public Domain )

Antechamber and Portcullis

The function of the portcullis in the antechamber was to control the hydrogen gas flow toward the King’s chamber and control pressure in the pyramid. Essentially, closing those would prevent the gas flowing out of the pyramid through the King’s chamber shafts. Controlling how much the portcullis closed, someone would also control pressure in the Queen’s chamber and how much light the pyramid would produce.

A Coffer in the King’s Chamber

The coffer in the King’s chamber is an important feature. What it was used for and why was it placed there are questions that still puzzle many scholars. The purpose of the coffer was to create high voltage in the King’s chamber to ionize the hydrogen and make that space conductive. Without a high voltage source in the chamber, the pyramid would not work. A device similar to the Baghdad battery could have been used. Or a device similar in construction to the Ark of the Covenant would also work.

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• Hidden Chamber Found? Cosmic Ray Tech Reveals Large Void in Great Pyramid

Sarcophagus in the King's chamber.

( Brooklyn Museum )

Ascending Passage Plugs

There are three granite plugs in the bottom portion of the ascending passage. It appears the prevalent number of discussions support the theory that those were slid down to block the entrance to the ascending passage and were held there with wooden beams. There is, however, no agreement on the function of those plugs.

I believe those were used to shut down the pyramid at any instant if needed. It worked as an emergency stop. The three granite slabs would be slid down the descending passage to block hydrogen passing through and shut down the process. The fact that those plugs are blocking the passage now means they were used at least once.

Thus, I propose the function of the Great Pyramid of Giza was to emit free electrons to the Ionosphere, with the purpose to create light on the planet . The hydrogen gas produced in the subterranean chamber was used as a source of electrons needed for the process.

• Top Image:   The Great Pyramid of Egypt. Credit: BigStockPhoto

By Konstantin Borisov

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22-01-2021 om 22:53 geschreven door peter  

Human Evolutionary Theory Needs Updating, Again

Until now the Middle Stone Age is thought to have ended about 30,000 years ago. However, new evidence unearthed in Africa suggests the tools which define this period of African prehistory between the Early Stone Age and the Later Stone Age - continued to be produced for another 20,000 years.

Recent archaeological digs in Africa found evidence of Middle Stone Age tools dating to just 11,000 years ago, about 20,000 years after these tools were traditionally believed to have stopped being produced. This means groups of ancient humans moved to using newer tools at different speeds, and that early human hunters lived in relative isolation from each other.

Questioning Human Evolution in the Middle Stone Age

All previous archaeological and anthropological discoveries in Africa have supported the belief that humans in Africa stopped using simple points and scraper tools and developed more complex weapons , tools and craft appliances about 30,000 years ago. However, researchers from Germany’s Max Planck Institute have published their new findings in the journal  Scientific Reports claiming the latest evidence gathered at sites in Senegal, on the West coast of Africa, are “fueling a rethink of the passage of human evolution.”

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The new paper suggests some ancient people living in Africa 11,000 years ago were still using simple tools, while other groups had developed more advanced technologies 20,000 years previously. This directly challenges the traditional theory that humans evolved in a linear fashion, making technological advances together, and proves humans evolved at greatly different rates around Africa, and the world.

Team fieldwalking along the Gambia River, Senegal.

(Eleanor Scerri / Max-Plank Institute )

Evolution In A Nutshell

Putting recent human evolutionary history in a nutshell: the period before Homo sapiens is known as the Lower Stone age, and that gave way to the Middle Stone Age, where we began developing simple stone, wood and rope tools. In the Late Stone Age, the skill sets that were developed using these tools became craft disciplines, and the rapid advancements in technologies started at that time haven’t stopped since, leading to our current state, as tool wielding monkeys with big aspirations.

Note: I said that last bit, not the researchers at the Max Planck Institute .

The archaeologists wrote that for most of humanity's prehistory groups of humans were relatively isolated from each other. This conclusion was derived from the fact that most Middle Stone Age finds in Africa date to between 300 thousand and 30 thousand years ago and after this time they largely vanish. However, the new finds show primitive tool production continued in some isolated areas much later in the Late Stone Age, “when the Neolithic became the Bronze age around 3,500 BC,” said the researchers.

The lead author of the new study, Dr Eleanor Scerri, said that up to now almost everything that is known about ancient human origins has been extrapolated from discoveries in small parts of eastern and southern Africa. Now, this new work highlights the importance of investigating the entirety of the African continent so to construct a clearer and more reality-based picture of human evolution.

Lithics from Laminia (A-D) and Saxomununya (E-H). (A) unretouched flake; (B) bifacially retouched flake; (C) Levallois core evidencing a step fracture; (D) side retouched flake/scraper; (E, F) Levallois cores; (G) bifacial foliate point; (H) bifacial foliate.

(Jacopo Cerasoni / Nature CC-BY-4.0)

The Hindering Effects Of Geographic Isolation

The team are currently unclear as to “why” some groups of West Africa's Stone Age hunters were left standing in time while others rapidly advanced. However, they think “geographical isolation” has a lot to do with it. And we can still see the effects of geographical isolation in the modern world, for example, we have 20 years olds in San Fransisco walking about with Google Glasses being fed big data in live streams, while other 20 year olds around Yaohnanen village on the southern island of Tanna in Vanuatu worship Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the consort to Queen Elizabeth II, as a divine being.

The researchers also suggests that perhaps the people with less advanced technologies experience fewer changes in climate, therefore, they were not under such intense pressure to survive and adapt. Either way, the study presents “a newer view of human evolution:” one in which groups of Stone Age survivalists lived and developed separately, and maybe even had “cultural boundaries,” living “in slightly different ecological niches,” wrote the researchers.

• Top image: Freshly found artifact of the Middle Stone Age from Laminia, Senegal.  Source: Eleanor Scerri / Max-Plank Institute

By Ashley Cowie

{ https://www.ancient-origins.net/general }

22-01-2021 om 22:07 geschreven door peter  

Mexican Farmers Unearth Ancient Statue of Elite Mesoamerican Woman

Farmers tilling the soil in a citrus grove in the Huasteca region along Mexico’s Gulf Coast unearthed something ancient and unusual. Hitting a hard object they assumed was a rock, the farmers dug down deeper to remove it. According to PHYS.org, what they had actually found was a six-foot-tall (1.8 meters) white stone statue of a Mesoamerican woman. She was buried in a position of peaceful repose, but facial features were contorted by an open-mouthed, wide-eyed expression that suggested she’d seen something shocking and unforgettable.

The farmers discovered the statue of a Mesoamerican woman in the Huasteca region in Mexico by chance when tilling the soil.

(María Eugenia Maldonado Vite / INAH)

Identifying and Dating the Mesoamerican Woman

After removing the statue from the ground, the farmers quickly notified local authorities. Word was eventually passed on to Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History, which dispatched archaeologists to investigate the discovery. These experts confirmed the statue’s antiquity, deducing that it was constructed and erected sometime between the years 1450 AD and 1521 AD, presumably by the Huastec people who had inhabited the region at that time.

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If this is correct, the statue would date to the era just before the Spanish conquistadors arrived on the Gulf Coast. The Huastec region was the site of one of the most appalling episodes associated with the Spanish conquest , when the brutal and fanatical conquistador Gonzalo de Sandoval had 400 Huastec nobles and 60 chiefs burned to death to intimidate the Huastec people into submitting to his authority. He later sold 20,000 Huastecs into slavery, decimating the population and leaving Huastec society in ruins.

Assuming the statue is accurately dated, it is a relic that foretells an epic tragedy. The wide-eyed look of shock and horror that animate the woman’s features could be seen as prophetic, as if the person who carved the statue somehow anticipated the coming apocalyptic disaster. The statue is a relic from a society that was on the verge of being utterly destroyed by ruthless invaders who would murder their leaders, enslave the strong, and rule the rest with an iron hand defined by its intolerance and contempt.

The citrus farmers then alerted authorities of their discovery. Experts are now trying to work out who or what the statue of the Mesoamerican woman represents.

(María Eugenia Maldonado Vite / INAH)

Deciphering the Identity of the Mesoamerican Woman

According to National Institute of Anthropology and History officials, this is the first statue of this type found anywhere in the Huasteca region. Based on the elaborate headpiece and fine clothing the woman represented in the statue is wearing, Institute archaeologist Maria Eugenia Maldonado Vito believes the statuesque woman was someone of elite status .

“This could be a ruler, based on her posture and attire, more than a goddess,” Maldonado wrote. Alternatively, she said the statue may represent “a late fusion between the Teem goddesses and women of political or social status in the Huasteca.” The goddesses she mentions were associated with fertility cults. Statues and figurines that venerate and immortalize fertility goddesses have been found all across the globe and represent a common motif from ancient times. Consequently, it is reasonable to hypothesize that the Huasteca statue may have some connection with fertility rites and observances.

But that is only one possibility, and maybe not the most likely explanation. “There are quite a few pre-Hispanic depictions of elite women and female rulers elsewhere,” explained Susan Gillespie, an anthropology professor asked to comment on the discovery of the Huasteca statue. “[They are] best known among the Classic Maya, but also in Classic Zapotec bas-reliefs and Post-Classic Mixtec codices.”

The Huastecs were originally descended from the Maya . They created their own distinct culture following their separation from their progenitors, which occurred approximately 2,000 years before the time when the statue of the woman was constructed. But they likely preserved at least some cultural traditions from ancient times, meaning that overlaps between their cultural practices and those of the Maya were to be expected.

Interestingly, the statue seems to reveal some Aztec influence . The Aztecs were just beginning to make intrusions in Huastec territory by the middle of the 15 ^th century AD, in military campaigns that were destined to bring the Huastecs into the Aztec Empire before the century ended. Given the contact between the Huastecs and the Aztecs that was occurring at this time, a cultural fusion that would help shape artistic choices was inevitable.

“Colonial era Aztec documents mentioned women ‘rulers’ or at least holders of the crown to pass on to their successors,” Gillespie is quoted as saying in PHYS.org. “Women were highly valued in the pre-Hispanic era, drastically losing their status only after the conquest.”

The statue of the Mesoamerican woman has an open mouth and a wide-eyed expression. Experts are trying to work out who or what she represents.

(María Eugenia Maldonado Vite / INAH)

Archaeology Always Begins with a Solitary Find

Since the Mesoamerican statue bears no inscriptions or identifying markings of any type, it is impossible to tell who the woman is or what exactly her status might have been. Unfortunately, it is also impossible to know for sure if she really was carved by a Huastec artist, or even if the statue was constructed in the Huastec region.

Not only is this the only such statue ever found there, but the place where it was found has never before produced any notable archaeological finds. This raises the possibility that the find was not legitimate, and that the statue was transported to Huastec from another location by unidentifiable sources at an unknown date.

“If there is only one such find, it’s hard to say whether it is significant, or even correctly identified,” Gillespie confirmed. “Archaeology works best with repeated occurrence, to show a pattern.” Of course, archaeologists haven’t yet had much of an opportunity to identify such a pattern, if it exists. This may be the first such statue ever found in Huastec, but that doesn’t mean it will be the only one.

Its discovery may launch an exciting new era of exploration—now that archaeologists know where to look, there is no telling what they might find in the months and years ahead. Today’s brand new archaeological site may be tomorrow’s treasure trove of invaluable artifacts, which would have remained hidden indefinitely if not for that first fortuitous discovery by citrus farmers.

• Top image: The statue of a Mesoamerican woman was discovered in Álamo Temapache, Veracruz in Mexico by citrus farmers. 
• Source: María Eugenia Maldonado Vite / INAH

By Nathan Falde

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22-01-2021 om 21:47 geschreven door peter  

L'Égypte dévoile des «trésors» trois fois millénaires

Les autorités égyptiennes ont dévoilé dimanche au public de nouveaux «trésors» archéologiques découverts dans la nécropole de Saqqarah dont une cinquantaine de sarcophages du Nouvel Empire vieux de plus de 3000 ans.

Ces nouvelles mises au jour ont été effectuées près de la pyramide du roi Téti, premier pharaon de la VIe dynastie de l'Ancien Empire, par une équipe menée par le célèbre égyptologue Zahi Hawass.

«Cette découverte réécrit l'Histoire de Saqqarah et plus particulièrement l'Histoire du Nouvel empire, né il y a 3000 ans», a assuré dimanche à l'AFP M. Hawass, avant d'ajouter que «70% (de cette nouvelle découverte) restent à explorer».

Les sarcophages en bois, datant du Nouvel Empire (XVIe-XIe siècle av. J.-C), ont été retrouvés dans un puits funéraire, selon M. Hawass, qui précise qu'un sarcophage en pierre a également été retrouvé dans un autre puits.

«Nous avons découvert un total de 22 puits funéraires», a-t-il dit à l'AFP. Parmi les découvertes dans ces puits figure celle d'un «soldat à côté duquel reposait sa hache de guerre», a précisé M. Hawass.

En outre, M. Hawass a ajouté que son équipe avait retrouvé «un papyrus d'environ 5m de long contenant le chapitre 17 du livre des morts (...) des masques, des embarcations en bois, des jeux auxquels jouaient les anciens Égyptiens».

L'archéologue estime qu'il s'agit d'une «découverte rare, car la plupart des pièces retrouvées datent du Nouvel Empire. À Saqqarah, c'est plutôt 500 avant J.-C. habituellement».

Plusieurs de ces objets ont été présentés dimanche à la presse, alors que les fouilles se poursuivaient sur le site.

Le ministère des Antiquités et du Tourisme avait révélé dès samedi soir dans un communiqué la teneur de ces découvertes, qu'il avait qualifiées de «majeures».

Le site de Saqqarah, qui se trouve à un peu plus de quinze kilomètres au sud des pyramides du plateau de Gizeh, abrite la nécropole de Memphis, la capitale de l'Égypte ancienne.

Il est classé au patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO et est connu pour la célèbre pyramide à degrés du pharaon Djéser, la première de l'ère pharaonique.

Ce monument, construit vers 2700 avant J.-C par l'architecte Imhotep, est considéré comme l'un des plus anciens à la surface du globe.

Les autorités espèrent inaugurer en 2021 le «Grand musée égyptien» près du plateau de Gizeh, où se trouvent les célèbres grandes pyramides et le Sphinx.

L'Égypte espère que toutes ces découvertes et son nouveau musée vont redynamiser le tourisme mis à mal par l'instabilité politique et les attentats après la révolution de 2011 qui a chassé Hosni Moubarak du pouvoir, et par la pandémie de COVID-19.

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21-01-2021 om 17:10 geschreven door peter