Sumerians Built Spaceport, Launched Spacecrafts And Traveled Outside Solar System 7000 Years Ago

By Vicky Verma

In 2016, Iraqi Transport Minister Kazim Finjan made a sensational statement during his business trip to Dhi Qar. According to him, the Sumerians had their own spaceport and actively traveled, including outside the solar system.

 

The Sumerians were one of the ancient advanced civilizations that lived around 7000 years ago in Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers which later became Babylonia and is now in Iraq and Syria.

The ancient buildings of the Sumerians amaze with their grandeur and are not inferior to the Egyptian pyramids. Naturally, numerous theories are proposed about the purpose of the ziggurats (massive structures built in ancient Mesopotamia), including ufologists’ interest. However, nobody expected the official to make such a statement.

The Sumerians believed in many gods. They prayed to Anu (supreme god or sky god), Enki (god of water, knowledge, mischief, crafts, and creation), Enlil (Lord Wind), Inanna (Queen of Heaven), Utu (sun-god), and Sin (moon-god).

They invented numerous technologies including the wheel, cuneiform script, arithmetic, geometry, irrigation, saws and other tools, sandals, chariots, harpoons, and beer.

Finjan is sure that the first airports and spacecraft platforms were built about 7000 уears ago in the ancient cities of Eridu and Ur. Unfortunately, the minister did not mention where the Sumerians had such technologies from, and why there was no evidence of them.

Read also:

• Mystery Behind 6000-Year-Old Genetic Disc: Humanoid & Cell Figures, Hoax Or Real?
• 3000-Years-Old Assyrian Cuneiform Tablets Can Save Earth From Future Solar Storms
• Underwater Pyramid Found In China May Have Been Built Before Last Ice Age
• Mysterious Ritual Of Asaro Mud Men From Papua New Guinea Signs Alien Encounter In Past

Sumerians Built Spacecraft Launch Pad 7,000 Years Ago 

Professor Kamal Aziz Ketuly wrote that during his visit to the Iraqi Museum in Baghdad, at the Sumerian wing, he observed three Sumerian clay tablets with cuneiform writing and drawings, dating back to around 3000 BC. According to him, in one of the tablets, he found heliocentric drawings of the solar system.

Additionally, from 3000 BC, “Mesopotamians used a calendar with months and years, which indicates that the Moon was studied at that early age.” Interestingly, in ancient Mesopotamia, “all five planets visible to the naked eye were known and studied, along with the Moon, the Sun, the stars, and other celestial phenomena.” These planets are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.

Scientists have several versions of the emergence of multi-tier temples. One of them is the need to keep the building in a good condition, as was intended for the gods for as long as possible. That is why each next tier was built on the previous one.

The Sumerians showed their desire for the upper world. The number of platforms could coincide with the number of known luminaries. It is worth noting that there were no forests and minerals in Lower Mesopotamia. The Sumerians actively traded, so it is hard to imagine where the resources for building full-fledged spaceships came from.

The truth will remain under the cover of time. If the Sumerians could conquer space, then they would have long flown away from Earth.

ALL RELATED VIDEOS, selected and posted by peter2011

{ https://www.howandwhys.com/ }

28-08-2022 om 01:12 geschreven door peter  

Jen Sullivan is the author of Child of the Universe, a book where she describes her memories of several past lives that were connected to the origins of Atlantis and Lemuria (Lymuria), and their respective destruction. Jen was suffering from a brain tumor when she was asked by her long time friend, Sarah Breskman Cosme, to participate in Quantum Hypnosis Healing Technique (QHHT) sessions to complete Sarah’s level 3 certification with Delores Cannon’s QHHT program.

After Jen recalled details of her most recent past life where she jumped off a bridge to her death in 1978 after going through a lobotomy as a result of nobody believing her past life recollections at the time, she experienced a remarkable healing. As the QHHT sessions continued, Jen remembered her first past life on Earth as a male when she was part of an extraterrestrial mission that crash landed in a large south Pacific island. She remembers being ultimately successful in creating a hybrid being using the genetics of a primitive local female and her DNA. The hybrid that was born became revered for her wisdom and ability to use red crystals that were retrieved from the spacecraft , and became the first Queen of Lemuria. Her name was Oona.

One of Jen’s companions on the crashed extraterrestrial spacecraft traveled through a space time portal to the other side of the planet taking with him some of the red crystals. He was involved in creating a hybrid being that was among the first Atlanteans who gained control over the local population. Ultimately, the Atlanteans followed a path of rapid technological development where the red crystals were used for weapons development and imperial conquest. In contrast the Lemurians lived a more peaceful life in harmony with nature where the red crystals were used to sustain a natural immunity to all disease, and considerably extended their life spans.

In her book, Jen describes the circumstances surrounding the Atlanteans visiting and ultimately destroying Lemuria. In that incarnation, Jen was a princess (Kala) who briefly reigned after her mother, the Queen was killed by the Atlanteans. Shortly after her coronation, Lemuria was destroyed by tidal waves created by undersea detonations caused by the Altanteans, and she was captured. Jen remembered being taken to Atlantis where she was tortured and interrogated for many decades over her knowledge and abilities concerning the red crystals.

In her first interview on Exopolitics Today, Jen describes why she chose to undergo the QHHT sessions with Sarah Cosme, the healing she experienced, and the details of her remarkable past lives as an extraterrestrial and the last Queen of Lemuria/Lymuria. Her memories of captivity in Atlantis over many decades gives a unique perspective on Atlantean culture, politics and science.

• Interview Available on YouTube & Rumble
• Audio Podcast on Apple, Spotify, or Google

• Jen Sullivan’s book is available at amazon.com
• Her website is www.jlfsullivan.com

{ https://exopolitics.org/ }

28-08-2022 om 00:22 geschreven door peter  

Spain's Stonehenge revealed: Prehistoric circle of 150 stones 2,000 years older than Britain's famed monument emerges from the depths of a reservoir after drought causes water to drop to a quarter of its usual level

• Spanish Stonehenge, first discovered in 1924, sits below the surface of the Valdecañas Reservoir
• An intense drought plaguing Spain drained the reservoir to just 28 percent capacity, revealing the stone circle for just the fifth time
• The monument consists of 150 standing granite stones, some more than six feet tall, which was constructed more than 7,000 years ago  - at least 2,000 years before Stonehenge 
• Experts fear it will be destroyed if submerged again for a prolonged time and are petitioning the government to have it moved to a new location 

By STACY LIBERATORE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and REUTERS

A prehistoric circle of 150 standing stones dubbed the Spanish Stonehenge has re-emerged from a reservoir for the only the fifth time since its discovery after the worst drought in 60 years left the waterbody at a quarter of its usual level.

The Dolmen of Guadalperal, a circle of granite stones dating from 5,000 BC, in the Valdecañas Reservoir in central Spain has only been seen four times since it was discovered in 1924. Nearly 20 years later, in 1963, the valley was deliberately flooded on the order of the Spanish dictator Franco, only emerging at periods of intense drought in the following years. 

The stones, which are at least 2,000 years older than Stonehenge in England, have wavy details that are believed to represent the nearby Tagus River. Some theories suggest the prehistoric structure was either used as a solar temple or laid over tombs when it was built by Celtic people 7,000 years ago.

It is not as famous as Stonehenge in England, but the theories to their purposes are similar - the monument in Wiltshire is also thought to serve as an ancient solar calendar.

The Spanish Stonehenge stones could disappear completely if they endure another prolonged submersion because the granite rocks are prone to erosion.  

Scroll down for video 

The Dolmen of Guadalperal, a circle of granite stones dating from 5,000 BC, in Spain's Valdecañas Reservoir has re-emerged for the only the fifth time since its discovery after the worst drought in 60 years left the waterbody at a quarter of its usual level

The standing granite stones - some as tall as 6ft - were discovered in 1924. Nearly 20 years later, in 1963, the valley was deliberately flooded on the order of the Spanish dictator Franco, only emerging at periods of intense drought in the following years

Similar to Stonehenge in England, theories suggest the so-called Spanish Stonehenge was used as a solar temple or laid over tombs when it was built by Celtic people more than 7,000 years ago

Archaeologists fear the stones could disappear completely if they endure another prolonged submersion, because the granite rocks are prone to erosion

The site was thought to be condemned to the history books in the 1960s when a Spanish general ordered the construction of a hydroelectric dam in Peraleda de la Mata, near Cáceres in Extremadura

Ángel Castaño, president of the Peraleda Cultural Association, recently started a petition to move the prehistoric monument out of its watery location and to somewhere it will survive. 

The monoliths are already showing significant signs of wear, Castaño said in 2019 when the stones were last above water, and if they are not saved now, it may be too late. 

Not much is known about Spanish Stonehenge because it typically sits at the bottom of the 14,108 square-mile deep reservoir, however the recent rise of the stones could let archeologists finally unravel its ancient secrets.

'It's a surprise, it's a rare opportunity to be able to access it,' said archaeologist Enrique Cedillo from Madrid's Complutense University, one of the experts racing to study the circle before it gets submerged again. 

The site was discovered by Hugo Obermaier, a German priest and amateur archaeologist, in 1925.

In 1963, Francisco Franco Bahamonde, who ruled over Spain from 1939 to 1975, ordered the valley boarding the Tagus river to be flooded and this area included the stone circle.

But before its rediscovery and subsequent demise, it is thought the stones would have centered around a central chamber for sun worship.

Dolmens are vertically arranged stones usually supporting a flat boulder.

When the reservoir is filled (pictured), the Stonehenge is submerged and impossible to see or visit  

Although there are many scattered across Western Europe, little is known about who erected them. Human remains found in or near many have led to an often-cited theory that they are tombs.

Local historical and tourism associations have advocated moving the Guadalperal stones to a museum or elsewhere on dry land.

Their presence is also good news for Ruben Argentas, who owns a small boat tours business. 'The dolmen emerges and the dolmen tourism begins,' he told Reuters after a busy day spent shuttling tourists to the site and back.

However, more than 80,000 tourists flock to England's Stonehenge each year to see a circle of enormous rocks that are up to 30 feet high, dwarfing the six-foot tall single monoliths uncovered in Spain. 

The stones have wavy details that are believed to represent the nearby Tagus River, which is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula

Spain's circle is made up of 150 granite  stones, with some standing six feet tall. Experts fear another prolonged submersion could destroy the prehistoric monument 

Radiocarbon dating of the rocks found they range in age from around 7,000 years old, which is about 2,000 years older than Stonehenge

There are more stones at the Spanish site. Stonehenge has only has 93.

However, Stonehenge's monument covers 10,800 square feet, making it a far bigger area than the Spanish site that is only 16 feet in diameter.

Radiocarbon dating of the rocks found they range in age from around 7,000 years old, which is about 2,000 years older than Stonehenge.

Neolithic people, often prone to building monolithic structures, emerged throughout time across Europe.

It is widely accepted Stonehenge's bluestones were quarried from Preseli Hills in Wales and moved to the current location, but how the idea for Stonehenge arrived on British shores remains a mystery. 

Archaeologists have uncovered Roman remains at Dolmen of Guadalperal, along with other artifacts like coins, ceramic fragments and a grinding stone, along with an entire settlement nearby. 

Although the structure was used for religious purposes, experts say it also had an economic purpose by acting as a trading hub. 

There are hundreds of stone circles similar to Stonehenge in other European countries. 

To erect a just one of the massive stones, people had to dig a large hole with a sloping side. The back of the hole was lined with a row of wooden stakes. The stone was then moved into position and pulled to the upright position using plant fiber ropes and likely a wooden frame for support.

Spain's Stonehenge is not as famous as the monument in England (pictured), but the theories to their purposes are similar -the are both believed to have served as ancient solar calendars

The recent appearance allows visitors and researchers to get up close to the stones. Archaeologists hope to learn more about who built the structure and why 

The Stonehenge monument standing today was the final stage of a four part building project that ended 3,500 years ago

Stonehenge is one of the most prominent prehistoric monuments in Britain. The Stonehenge that can be seen today is the final stage that was completed about 3,500 years ago. 

According to the monument's website, Stonehenge was built in four stages:   

First stage: The first version of Stonehenge was a large earthwork or Henge, comprising a ditch, bank and the Aubrey holes, all probably built around 3100 BC. 

The Aubrey  holes are round pits in the chalk, about one metre (3.3 feet) wide and deep, with steep sides and flat bottoms. 

Stonehenge (pictured) is one of the most prominent prehistoric monuments in Britain

They form a circle about 86.6 metres (284 feet) in diameter. 

Excavations revealed cremated human bones in some of the chalk filling, but the holes themselves were likely not made to be used as graves, but as part of a religious ceremony.

After this first stage, Stonehenge was abandoned and left untouched for more than 1,000 years. 

Second stage: The second and most dramatic stage of Stonehenge started around 2150 years BC, when about 82 bluestones from the Preseli mountains in south-west Wales were transported to the site. It's thought that the stones, some of which weigh four tonnes each, were dragged on rollers and sledges to the waters at Milford Haven, where they were loaded onto rafts.

They were carried on water along the south coast of Wales and up the rivers Avon and Frome, before being dragged overland again near Warminster and Wiltshire.

The final stage of the journey was mainly by water, down the river Wylye to Salisbury, then the Salisbury Avon to west Amesbury. 

The journey spanned nearly 240 miles, and once at the site, the stones were set up in the centre to form an incomplete double circle. 

During the same period, the original entrance was widened and a pair of Heel Stones were erected. The nearer part of the Avenue, connecting Stonehenge with the River Avon, was built aligned with the midsummer sunrise. 

Third stage: The third stage of Stonehenge, which took place about 2000 years BC, saw the arrival of the sarsen stones (a type of sandstone), which were larger than the bluestones.

They were likely brought from the Marlborough Downs (40 kilometres, or 25 miles, north of Stonehenge). 

The largest of the sarsen stones transported to Stonehenge weighs 50 tonnes, and transportation by water would not have been possible, so it's suspected that they were transported using sledges and ropes. 

Calculations have shown that it would have taken 500 men using leather ropes to pull one stone, with an extra 100 men needed to lay the rollers in front of the sledge.

These stones were arranged in an outer circle with a continuous run of lintels - horizontal supports. 

Inside the circle, five trilithons - structures consisting of two upright stones and a third across the top as a lintel - were placed in a horseshoe arrangement, which can still be seen today. 

Final stage: The fourth and final stage took place just after 1500 years BC, when the smaller bluestones were rearranged in the horseshoe and circle that can be seen today.

The original number of stones in the bluestone circle was probably around 60, but these have since been removed or broken up. Some remain as stumps below ground level. 

Source: Stonehenge.co.uk 

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{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

22-08-2022 om 22:49 geschreven door peter  

A recent report looked at the impact of climate change on Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster and other cryptids whose potentially hidden existence could finally be revealed as global warming drives them north to colder climates (Bigfoot), droughts shrink their lakes and rivers (Loch Ness monster), and cutbacks in farming shrink their food sources (Chupacabra). That same climate change is affecting paleontology, as the melting permafrost reveals more frozen carcasses in Siberia, and archeology, as lakes and rivers recede to free bodies (Lake Mead) and lost towns. It is that last consequence that has allowed an ancient megalith known as the Spanish Stonehenge to emerge from a reservoir and remind the world that England is not the only country with stone circles and mysterious monuments. And, while the appearance of the ancient monolith is good for archeology and local tourism, it could be bad for the granite stones themselves.

"It's a surprise, it's a rare opportunity to be able to access it."

That sentiment expressed by archaeologist Enrique Cedillo from Madrid's Complutense University to Reuters is shared by many, but they shouldn’t be surprised because humans are the reason why the Dolmen of Guadalperal, also known as the treasure of Guadalperal, disappeared in the first place. Located in Peraleda de la Mata, a town in the region of Campo Arañuelo in eastern Extremadura on the west coast of Spain bordering Portugal. The standing stones were first discovered in 1926 by German archaeologist Hugo Obermaier on the Guadalperal estate where he was a frequent summer guest.

After the end of World War I, Obermaier moved to Spain to focus on the many Neolithic sites in that country. Shortly before finding the stones, he had worked in the Cave of Altamira (a cave filled with prehistoric rock art) and studied Neolithic rock engravings of south Oran in Algeria. On the Guadalperal estate, Obermaier uncovered 140 standing stones in an oval shape with a diameter of 5 meters (16.4 feet). He determined that the stones were dolmen – funerary megaliths or single-chamber megalithic tombs that generally consisted of two or more vertical stones supporting one flat capstone. (Current photos here.) 

The dolmen of Guadalperal, also known as the Spanish Stonehenge, is seen due to the receding waters of the Valdecanas reservoir in the outskirts of El Gordo, Spain, August 3, 2022.

REUTERS/Susana Vera

Ruben Argenta drives his boat towards the dolmen of Guadalperal, which can only be seen when the Valdecanas reservoir waters become low in the outskirts of El Gordo, Spain, August 3, 2022.

REUTERS/Susana Vera

Most dolmen date from the early Neolithic (4000–3000 BCE) and are often covered with earth to form a burial mound. Because of their age and unsteadiness, the capstones are usually found on the ground. That appears to be how Obermaier found the Dolmen of Guadalperal, which he dated to between 2000 and 3000 BCE. Many of the stones were engraved and Obermaier and his team made reproductions of them, which were published in 1960. This was fortunate, as we will soon see.  

In addition to the standing stones, Obermaier found Roman artifacts -- a coin, ceramic fragments and a grinding stone – inside the oval, and 11 axes, ceramics, flint knives and other relics nearby. Also uncovered in the area was the remains of settlement, dating to the same time as the stones, which included houses, charcoal, pottery, mills, and sharpening stones, lending credence to the theory that the occupants were the builders of the dolmens. The total collection makes this Spanish Stonehenge an important historical site that should be worthy of protection. Unfortunately, progress overcame archeology in this case.

In 1963, Spain’s dictatorial leader Francisco Franco approved the building of the Valdecañas reservoir – the floor of the massive project included the site of the Dolmen of Guadalperal. At the time, archeologists decided that moving the stones would ruin their historical significance and opted to let the location be flooded as a way to preserve it. Thus, the Dolmen of Guadalperal were not seen again … until 2019 when a severe drought reduced the level of the Valdecañas reservoir to a point where the Spanish Stonehenge could be seen in a NASA satellite image. Eventually, most of the stones emerged, but the rains soon returned and the stones sunk back to their hiding place.

"It is a megalithic dolmen of great value that is now, for the first time, and who knows if it will be the last, fully accessible."

The Raíces de Peraleda Association launched a Change.org petition at the time to raise money to do something to save the Dolmen. They pointed out that the stones showed clear signs of deterioration as the porous granite cracks and crumbles. In addition, the waters have eroded the engravings and many are no longer visible – showing how fortunate it was that Obermaier's team made reproductions of them.

“It currently sits fully exposed in one corner of the Valdecanas reservoir, in the central province of Caceres, where authorities say the water level has dropped to 28% of capacity.”

It is now 2022 and Europe is in the midst of a record-breaking drought. Spain and Portugal have implemented restrictions on water usage because reservoirs like the Valdecañas are drying up. While that is bad news for farmers, businesses and anyone who drinks water, it is good news for the Dolmen of Guadalperal, the archeologists waiting to study them and unlock their mysterious origin, and the preservations who hope this will give them enough time to get the approvals and support to finally move the stones or figure out a way to protect them. If they need some incentive to convince local officials of the benefit to saving the Dolman, it comes from Ruben Argentas, who owns a small boat tours business.

"The dolmen emerges and the dolmen tourism begins."

Sadly, this is turning out to be a zero-sum problem. While local businesses are taking advantage of increased profits due to archeological tourism, the local farmers have no water for crops or livestock. With the reservoir down by nearly a third of its normal level, it will take a lot of rain over a long season to recover – and the dry conditions now make the ground hard for absorption and set the stage for damaging floods. For those who believe in karma, it appears payback is finally happening for the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.

As of this writing, no decisions have been made concerning the future of the Dolmen of Guadalperal. Let’s hope the important historical structures can be saved. It’s too bad Franco isn’t around to get his karma payback.

{ https://mysteriousuniverse.org/ }

22-08-2022 om 22:01 geschreven door peter  

The Egyptian myth of intelligent giant snakes killed by a flying Death Star

A condensed version of an ancient Egyptian legend goes as follows: the wise servant tells his master how he survived the shipwreck and came ashore on a mysterious island where he met a great talking serpent who called himself the Lord of Punt. All good things were on the island and the sailor and the snake converse until a ship is hailed and he can return to Egypt.

A number of the myth’s fragments lead to some interesting reflections. The size of the enigmatic reptile is the first thing that strikes you as astonishing. The surviving sailor recounts his misadventures in this manner:

“The trees were cracking, the ground was shaking. When I opened my face, I saw that the serpent was approaching me. Its length is thirty cubits. His beard is more than two cubits long. His scales are of gold, his eyebrows are of lapis lazuli, his body is curved upwards.”

This myth’s serpent is quite fascinating. Signs point to him having a beard and eyebrows thick enough to resemble the legendary golden Chinese dragons of Chinese mythology. However, a little beard was occasionally depicted on sacred snakes in Egypt. Ancient Egyptian and East Asian traditions about enormous reptiles appear to be derived from the same source.

The second unusual thing you notice is that, there is a reference made in the legend to a particular star that was responsible for the death of the entire serpent family. This is what the last serpent told the man:

“Now since you have survived this accident, let me tell you of a tale of calamity that befell me. I once lived on this island with my family – 75 serpents in all without counting an orphan girl who was brought to me by chance and who was dear to my heart. One night a star came crashing down from heaven and they all went up in flames. It happened when I wasn’t there – I wasn’t among them. Only I was spared, and behold, here I am, utterly alone.”

What kind of star was it that burnt down seventy-five enormous creatures all at once? – let’s remember the size of the serpent. What an accurate and effective hit and what a powerful striking factor!

Let us recall another myth from ancient Egypt, in which Sekhmet, the dreadful eye of the deity Ra, is said to have severed the head of a giant snake or serpent Apep (also known as Apophis). Apep was viewed as the greatest enemy of Ra, and thus was given the title Enemy of Ra, and also “the Lord of Chaos”.

In this particular instance — the tale of Serpent Island — this destruction of serpents by a star resembles a real celestial punishment, in the literal sense of the word!

Let’s take a step back from the myth for a moment and concentrate on the specifics. The last surviving sailor describes waves of eight cubits, and he estimates the length of the snake to be thirty cubits. These are key comparative measurements that can be used to estimate the scale:

“And now the wind is getting stronger, and the waves are eight cubits high. And then the mast fell into the wave, and the ship was lost, and no one survived except me.”

In other words, based on the narrative, there can be no doubt regarding the size; the waves are big, and the snakes are at least three times larger than the waves. And with one swift strike from a certain “star,” all of this enormous “snake pit” of the seventy-five giant serpents is eradicated. It is clear that the explosion had a significant amount of power.

What struck the intelligent serpents? Somehow, it is difficult to accept a “crazy” asteroid hitting at random.

There is no doubt that ancient sources that tell about the history of peoples often include fictional tales in their folklore. We believe that this story parallels the ancient mythology of peoples that lived a long way from Egypt, where gods or heroes fought with reptiles or dragons in ancient stories. Why were such myths popular among ancient cultures?

 

07-08-2022 om 18:26 geschreven door peter  

Humans have been in the Arctic for over 40,000 years, new discoveries reveal

BY NEIL EN

The discovery was made by scientists from the Siberian Section of the Russian Academy of Sciences (СО РАН) conducted radiocarbon analyses of reindeer antler fragments found at the Kushevat Paleolithic site in the Lower Ob region.

In addition to the antler bones, scientists also examined a woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), a steppe bison (Bison Priscus), Elk (Alces alces), deer (Cervus elephus sibiricus), and, potentially, a musk ox (Ovibos moschatus). Analyses of the bones dated them back to a series of 20 different radiocarbon dates, all ranging from the period between 20 and 40 thousand years ago.

Although this finding solely points to animals, and not humans, inhibiting the Arctic region 40,000 years back, the discovery has now become the basis of further analyses, which currently date human activity in the Ob region back to 40,000 years ago. This is because two reindeer antlers held traces of human activity amongst this group of bones, which have only recently been analyzed.

The question of the initial settlement of the Arctic and Subarctic by an ancient man of the modern type (Homo sapiens sapiens) has long been of interest to scientists. The valley of the Ob River is often considered a potential migration route for Paleolithic man. It is believed that modern man came to Europe and Asia 50,000-60,000 thousand years ago.

What is still unclear is where the modern man lived before and how he crossed the Urals? For a long time, the hypothesis prevailed that 12,000-30,000 years ago, the north of Western Siberia was covered by a large glacier (just like the north of America and Europe). To the south of this glacier was a dammed basin reaching 130 meters.

For this reason, it was believed that looking for archaeological sites dating back to the period of 30-40 thousand years ago in the north was pointless. It was confirmed by the almost complete absence of finds (tools, sites, organic matter).

Thanks to the international research program using AMS dating and optical-stimulating luminescence, researchers from Europe and Russia proved that there was no ice cover in the north of Western Siberia 12,000-30,000 years ago. It was much earlier: 90,000-60,000 years ago north of Salekhard. The level of the ice-dammed basin in the Ob valley did not exceed 60 meters.

This is an entirely different paleogeographic picture. For thirty years, I was convinced that in the north of Western Siberia, there were all the conditions for the existence of an ancient person. Now we had the opportunity to try to prove it: to find traces of Homo sapiens in the north of the Ob 30,000-50,000 years ago, – the project manager, head of the laboratory of the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy named after V.I. V.S commented in a press statement.

As reported by the Barents Observer “the analysis suggests that Homo sapiens and not only Neanderthals inhabited the Arctic Circle in the Upper Paleolithic age. About two decades ago, it was only certain that Neanderthals, and not Homo sapiens, were occupants in the region during the period.”

This was discovered by radiocarbon dating a set of bones unearthed in 2001 at the Yakutia site. The radiocarbon analysis suggested that the Neanderthals had found themselves in the region approximately 28,500-27,000 years ago.

The new AMS analysis has hence provided two major breakthroughs. The first one is that Homo sapiens, as well as Neanderthals, inhabited the Arctic circle during the Paleolithic Age, and the second finding is that Homo sapiens lived north of the Arctic circle already 40,000 years ago.

{ https://mysteriesrunsolved.com/ }

07-08-2022 om 18:15 geschreven door peter  

Humans have been in the Arctic for over 40,000 years, new discoveries reveal

BY NEIL EN

The discovery was made by scientists from the Siberian Section of the Russian Academy of Sciences (СО РАН) conducted radiocarbon analyses of reindeer antler fragments found at the Kushevat Paleolithic site in the Lower Ob region.

In addition to the antler bones, scientists also examined a woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), a steppe bison (Bison Priscus), Elk (Alces alces), deer (Cervus elephus sibiricus), and, potentially, a musk ox (Ovibos moschatus). Analyses of the bones dated them back to a series of 20 different radiocarbon dates, all ranging from the period between 20 and 40 thousand years ago.

Although this finding solely points to animals, and not humans, inhibiting the Arctic region 40,000 years back, the discovery has now become the basis of further analyses, which currently date human activity in the Ob region back to 40,000 years ago. This is because two reindeer antlers held traces of human activity amongst this group of bones, which have only recently been analyzed.

The question of the initial settlement of the Arctic and Subarctic by an ancient man of the modern type (Homo sapiens sapiens) has long been of interest to scientists. The valley of the Ob River is often considered a potential migration route for Paleolithic man. It is believed that modern man came to Europe and Asia 50,000-60,000 thousand years ago.

What is still unclear is where the modern man lived before and how he crossed the Urals? For a long time, the hypothesis prevailed that 12,000-30,000 years ago, the north of Western Siberia was covered by a large glacier (just like the north of America and Europe). To the south of this glacier was a dammed basin reaching 130 meters.

For this reason, it was believed that looking for archaeological sites dating back to the period of 30-40 thousand years ago in the north was pointless. It was confirmed by the almost complete absence of finds (tools, sites, organic matter).

Thanks to the international research program using AMS dating and optical-stimulating luminescence, researchers from Europe and Russia proved that there was no ice cover in the north of Western Siberia 12,000-30,000 years ago. It was much earlier: 90,000-60,000 years ago north of Salekhard. The level of the ice-dammed basin in the Ob valley did not exceed 60 meters.

This is an entirely different paleogeographic picture. For thirty years, I was convinced that in the north of Western Siberia, there were all the conditions for the existence of an ancient person. Now we had the opportunity to try to prove it: to find traces of Homo sapiens in the north of the Ob 30,000-50,000 years ago, – the project manager, head of the laboratory of the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy named after V.I. V.S commented in a press statement.

As reported by the Barents Observer “the analysis suggests that Homo sapiens and not only Neanderthals inhabited the Arctic Circle in the Upper Paleolithic age. About two decades ago, it was only certain that Neanderthals, and not Homo sapiens, were occupants in the region during the period.”

This was discovered by radiocarbon dating a set of bones unearthed in 2001 at the Yakutia site. The radiocarbon analysis suggested that the Neanderthals had found themselves in the region approximately 28,500-27,000 years ago.

The new AMS analysis has hence provided two major breakthroughs. The first one is that Homo sapiens, as well as Neanderthals, inhabited the Arctic circle during the Paleolithic Age, and the second finding is that Homo sapiens lived north of the Arctic circle already 40,000 years ago.

{ https://mysteriesrunsolved.com/ }

07-08-2022 om 18:15 geschreven door peter  

Footprints of 88 adults and children dating back 12,000 years to the ICE AGE are discovered in salt flats of Utah desert

• Ghost tracks are given to ancient footprints that only appear when there is enough water in the ground, but then disappear when the area becomes dry again

• These footprints were discovered in the Utah desert on an Air Force base and were made 12,000 years ago

• Researchers found a total of 88 human footprints that belonged to both adults and children ages five to 12 

• The team found two open-air fire pits and evidence of the earliest human tobacco use just a half-mile away 

By STACY LIBERATORE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

Approximately 88 human 'ghost tracks' have been discovered in salt flats of Utah's Great Salt Lake desert that are believed to be more than 12,000 years ago and only appear when there is just the right amount of moisture – and then disappear when there it is not.

A team of researchers led by Cornell University determined the prints belonged to adults and children who were walking through shallow water during the Ice Age, when the now dry landscape was cloaked in wetlands. The sand in the water quickly filled in their footprints, but mud underneath kept the prints intact.

Because the sand holds more moisture than the surrounding sediment, the right amount of water will make the footprints stand out among the tan colored ground - but then disappear again when the ground dries up.

However, the group found much more than they bargained for – a half-mile away was the oldest evidence of human tobacco use.

Scroll down for video 

Pictured are a set of the ghost tracks. The prints can be seen moving away from the closest and are visible in a darker shade than the ground

Ghost tracks in the sand: The 12,000-year-old human footprints were discovered on a US Air Force base in Utah. Experts say they were made by both adults and children 

About 33 percent of Utah is desert and is the second driest state in the US after Nevada, but thousands of years ago the area was damp and even after the end of the last Ice Age when glaciers retreated the area was still wetter than it is today.

A shift in climate turned the wetlands into a wasteland, along with Utah's landlocked location that cut off moisture-laden ocean winds.

The change in landscape, however, is what kept the 12,000-year-old ghost tracks preserved.

Cornell's Thomas Urban was called to the US Air Force's Utah Testing and Training Range when someone spotted bizarre formations appearing on the ground.

The ancient humans were walking through shallow waters at the time. Their prints were filled in by sand, but mud at the bottom kept the formation. Because the sand holds more moisture than the surrounding sediment, when there is enough water in the ground the prints become darker on the surface

Experts investigated the subsurface of the ground and when dug out the prints when they could confirm their location. Pictured on the right is Daron Duke with the Far Western Anthropological Research Group. He confirmed the prints were made by adults and children

Urban instantly knew he was looking at ancient prints because he had previously investigated the earliest known human footprints in the Americas that were unearthed at White Sands National Park in New Mexico.

The researchers deployed a ground-penetrating radar survey, which provides a non-invasive way of investigating the subsurface, on two visible sets of tracks.

Daron Duke, of Far Western Anthropological Research Group, who worked alongside Urban, carefully excavated a subset of the prints.

The team used a method to investigate the subsurface without disturbing this, allowing them to locate the prints. Pictured is a model the technology created

Afterwards, Duke confirmed the individuals were barefoot and included young children from the age of five through 12.

Urban was working at the request of Duke, who had previously found two open-air hearths, the floor of a fireplace, on the military base that also dated to the end of the Ice Age - and one is where he discovered evidence of human tobacco use. 

'We have long wondered whether other sites like White Sands were out there, and whether ground-penetrating radar would be effective for imaging footprints at locations other than White Sands, since it was a very novel application of the technology,' Urban said in a statement. 'The answer to both questions is 'yes.''

While the Utah site is not as old and may not be as extensive as White Sands, Urban said there may be much more to be found, and the team said they will release a full study in the near future.

The New Mexico footprints were discovered in 2021 and dated to be 23,000 years old.

While the Utah site is not as old and may not be as extensive as White Sands (pictured), Urban said there may be much more to be found, and the team said they will release a full study in the near future. The New Mexico footprints were discovered in 2021 and dated to be 23,000 years old

British and American archaeologists uncovered the prints in soft mud adjoining Alkali Flat, a dry lakebed in the southern region of the state.

Using radiocarbon dating of seed layers above and below the tracks, experts from the U.S. Geological Survey dated the footprints as having been made over a period of at least 2,000 years.

For decades it's been generally held that homo sapiens first entered North America between 13,000 and 16,000 years ago — after the melting of the North American ice sheets opened up migration routes and much later than study co-author Sally Reynolds and her colleagues suggest.

Few archaeologists have claimed reliable evidence for human habitation older than about 16,000 years.

Read more:

• Ice Age human footprints discovered in Utah desert | Archaeology Program

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

01-08-2022 om 23:37 geschreven door peter  

{ https://mysteriousuniverse.org/ }

01-08-2022 om 23:17 geschreven door peter  

Narcissus: An Ancient Tragic Story with Many Modern Parallels

The Greek tale of the self-absorbed yet staggeringly handsome Narcissus is a famous and ancient one. Despite its age, the myth remains famous to this day and provides a moral warning against becoming selfish and uncaring towards others.

The Narcissus story is so influential, in fact, that his name has been given to the mental condition narcissism which is characterized by an inflated sense of self-importance and a lack of empathy for others. Narcissus’ life has also influenced popular culture for centuries and even provided the inspiration for the name of the Harry Potter character Narcissa Malfoy.

Whilst the most popular and well-known versions of the myth contain nymphs, warnings from the Gods and blind seers, the integral moral of the story remains influential. The story also acts as an explanation for the origin of the Narcissus flower (daffodil) and for the origin of echoes.

Primary Sources Give Some Info About Narcissus’ Life

There are a couple of surviving stories about Narcissus’ life, all of which differ somewhat but have the same central story with the same moral teachings.

The main primary source of the myth is Ovid’s Metamorphoses where the story is told in Book III. Ovid was a Roman poet who was born in the city around 43 BC and died in 16 or 17 AD. He traveled throughout his life to a number of Greek territories like Asia Minor and Athens.

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In 2 AD he began his Metamorphoses which is considered his magnum opus comprising 11,995 lines, 15 books and over 250 myths. This colossal poem chronicles the history of the world from its beginning until the deification of Julius Caesar. It also contains the longest version of the myth.

Another earlier but less complete source for the story of Narcissus is a version composed in 50 BC and thought to be the work of the poet Partenius of Nicaea. This work was discovered in 2004 by Dr Benjamin Henry within the Oxyrhynchus papyri at Oxford. The only difference between this telling and Ovid’s is the ending.

A third source for the tale of Narcissus’ life was composed by Conon who was a Greek grammarian and mythographer. His ending is similar to that of Partenius. The tale is also told by the Greek traveler and geographer Pausanias in Book IX of his Description of Greece .

Echo and Narcissus in painting from 1627 by Nicolas Poussin.

(Nicolas Poussin / Public domain )

Narcissus in Ovid’s Metamorphoses

Ovid’s telling of Narcissus’ life is perhaps the most well know version today. It begins with the birth of Narcissus. His parents were the God of the River, Cephissus, and the nymph Liriope. Ovid claims that Cephissus was not a nice man and had forced Liriope into his bed, and consequently the nymph became pregnant.

Narcissus, from his birth and throughout his life was incredibly handsome . When Liriope consulted a seer (named Tiresias) after his birth and asked if her son would live a long life, the seer stated that Narcissus would live a long life if he did not look at himself.

Narcissus managed to live his early life and not discover himself. His beauty became known, and men and women alike were said to be throwing themselves at him. However, Narcissus was not fazed by any of them and ignored all of their advances.

One day he was walking in the woods when an Oread (a mountain nymph) named Echo spotted him. Echo, like so many women before her, instantly fell deeply in love with the handsome Narcissus. She proceeded to follow him through the wood.

However, she was hesitant to speak to this beautiful man because, according to Ovid, the nymph suffered from a speech impediment that was a result of a curse by Juno (or Hera), the wife of Zeus. It was known that Zeus had a particular fondness for nymphs, and this had made Juno extremely jealous. It was said that every time Juno would almost catch Zeus with a nymph Echo would distract the unknowing wife.

When Juno eventually found out she punished Echo by removing her ability to communicate properly so she could only say the last few words that were spoken to her. She could therefore not talk to Narcissus first and instead had to wait for him to talk to her.

Another version of the hopeless heartbreak “bubble” Echo lived in because Narcissus was more interested in himself, from a painting by Francesco Xanto Avelli from 1535.

(Francesco Xanto Avelli / CC BY-SA 2.0 )

After some time, Narcissus heard Echo following him through the wood and he called out “Who’s there?” Echo repeated his questions and was eventually convinced by Narcissus to reveal herself.

Echo then immediately attempted to embrace Narcissus, however, he refused and stepped away from the nymph.

“Away with these encircling hands! May I die before what’s mine is yours. She answers,
“What’s mine is yours!” 

(Metamorphoses, Book III)

The heartbroken Echo spent the rest of her life in misery, she lived alone in the glens until nothing remained of her but an echo.

Narcissus continues to break the hearts of numerous lovers. One even went as far as to curse him that he may suffer as he has caused others to suffer. The Goddess of Revenge, Nemesis, eventually heard of this tale and noticed Narcissus’ behavior. She decided to punish the selfish man. During the summer when Narcissus became thirsty, she lured him to a pool and when he leaned down to the water he gazed upon his own reflection. Not realizing it was his own reflection, Narcissus fell deeply in love with himself, believing it was someone else.

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He was unable to remove himself from looking at his own reflection but soon realized that his love could not be reciprocated when he attempted to kiss or hold the reflection. However, his confusion is amplified when the image in the pool reciprocated his winks and waves. Narcissus could not understand why he could not secure what he so desperately desired.

Narcissus was tormented by this and by the time he realized it was his reflection it was too late, and he had already fallen in love with himself. Because he now knew he could never obtain what he truly wanted his body melted away from the passion he felt burning inside him.

When Echo returns to the place where Narcissus had been staring into his own eyes to recover his body for the funeral, she found in his place a gold and white flower. This flower would become known as the Narcissus flower, or the daffodil.

Ameinias spurned lover of Narcissus, who committed suicide as his love turned to madness, sculpted by Malcolm Lidbury for the 2016 Cornwall LGBT History project.

(Pinkpasty / CC BY 4.0 )

Narcissus According to Other Stories about Him

Parthenius tells much of the same story, however, rather than slowly decaying because of his yearning, Narcissus lost his will to live and committed suicide.

Canon’s version of the story was written at roughly the same time as Ovid’s however, this also differs slightly. First of all, rather than a nymph named Echo, a young man by the name of Ameinias falls in love with Narcissus after the latter had already turned away many male suitors.

Like those before him, Narcissus rejects Ameinias and gives him a sword. As a result of this rejection, Ameinias commits suicide on Narcissus’ doorstep. Ameinias had prayed to the gods to give the selfish Narcissus a lesson and make him learn from all the pain he had caused.

Narcissus then walked to a pool of water and decided to have a drink. As he bent down, he gazed upon his own reflection and fell in love. When he realized this love was futile, he killed himself because he could not obtain what he desired most.

In his work, Pausanias summarized Ovid’s story. Pausanias did not believe that a man old enough to fall in love would be stupid enough to not realize it was his own reflection upon which he was staring. So, Pausanias changed the story slightly, to make it more believable. Rather than falling in love with a nymph named Echo or a man named Ameinias, Narcissus was actually mourning the death of his beloved twin sister and was gazing at his own reflection to recall her features. In this telling, the spring in front of which Narcissus wastes away is located on a mountain top and is part of the river Lamus in a place called Donacon.

What all the versions share, however, is the inherent negative link between Narcissus and the act of gazing upon his reflection. It is possible that this was derived from the ancient Greek superstition that it was unlucky and sometimes even fatal to see your own reflection.

A fine Narcissus fresco from Pompeii showing the pool reflection he was in love with.

( CC0)

Narcissus’ Legacy

The myth of Narcissus has had a lasting effect on humans. He was a very popular subject in Roman art and appears prominently in 50 paintings from Pompeii alone. His name has been given, in Freudian psychiatry and psychoanalysis, to the mental condition that leaves one with an “inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for excessive attention and admiration, troubled relationships and a lack of empathy for others.” The myth also had a huge influence on Dante and Shakespeare.

After losing influence after the Renaissance, it came back and inspired more creatives. The myth appears in a number of 20th-century works of art and music and provides a warning against self-obsession which was particularly influential during the age of individualism.

The Origins of Narcissus’ Story

Because there is a lack of stories based on Narcissus and Echo, many scholars today believe that the myth may have originated with Ovid. According to Ingo Gildenhard and Andrew Zissos, this story actually interrupted the poetic pattern of Metamorphoses suggesting that the story may have been an afterthought and placed in the work to verify the validity of the prophet Tiresias (the seer). Ovid’s version, nevertheless, was then retold by later poets and has become not only an explanation for where the flower originated but also why echoes exist.

W. S. Anderson has argued that the language used in Ovid’s tale is formed in a way to discourage the audience from feeling any kind of sympathy for Narcissus. The poet stresses that he deserved everything that happened to him because of the horrible way he treated those who fell in love with him, particularly Echo.

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In Pausanias’ telling, however, the author takes a different stance. By rationalizing the story, Pausanias expresses his belief that Ovid’s version is foolish. Here, Echo and the will of the Gods are omitted. He even argues that the flower had existed long before Narcissus and his story. He effectively warped the story from one which explained the origins of the flower and of echoes into one purely for entertainment.

Despite this, and as already mentioned, both stories end with Narcissus’ death as a result of gazing into the pool and at his own reflection. Because of this he dies completely alone with no awareness of his surroundings. Both authors are conveying the same moral message that it is not good to be self-absorbed. The story warns that being so will only end in loneliness.

• Top image: Echo and Narcissus in a painting by John William Waterhouse, and one senses that Narcissus has already fallen in love with himself for all time.                       
• Source: John William Waterhouse / Public domain

By Molly Dowdeswell

{ https://www.ancient-origins.net/ }

31-07-2022 om 21:06 geschreven door peter  

Found a fossil on the beach in Taiwan just like searching NASA photos for similar things. UFO Sighting News.

Hey all, I found this fossil when I went to a BNB along the southern east side of Taiwan. I was looking for fossils. Its something I enjoy doing in hopes of making a find worthy to give to the local museum. This interesting to me. Paleontology and archeology are to passions I have. This is a fossil of stringray teeth. Stringrays have about 5-8 rows of teeth. This particular fossil seems to be about 150-200,000,000 years old. I determined this from other fossils I have seen, held and studied. But this is the first stingray teeth I have found. I was actually intently searching for fossil shark teeth, but its rare in Taiwan. Never heard of anyone finding any, but so is this fossil of stingray teeth. Was going to take a video, but was too hot and two love birds landed on my shoulder for 25 minutes making this awkward. 

Searching for fossils is just like searching in NASA photos for similar ancient artifacts. The only difference is I'm not there in person doing it...which by the way...I would love doing. So...link the similarities...this is what I do. 

I see here in Taiwan that people are worried about China invading. Chinese war ships and jets are having a military exercise, but Taiwanese think its a possible invasion in progress...due to US Nancy Pelosi visiting us in Taiwan. Not sure what will happen if China invades, but I will do my best to keep updating you on this situations if they do. 

Scott C. Waring - Taiwan 

{ https://www.ufosightingsdaily.com/ }

31-07-2022 om 18:12 geschreven door peter  

Nessie, is that you? Fossil discovery in freshwater river bed suggests Loch Ness Monster COULD have existed - but only 66 million years ago

• Fossils reveal plesiosaurs may have lived in freshwater 100 million years ago

• Plesiosaurs were prehistoric reptiles with small heads and long necks

• First found in 1823, they inspired reconstructions of the Loch Ness Monster

• Discovery suggests Loch Ness Monster could have been a plesiosaur

By SOPHIE CURTIS FOR MAILONLINE

The Loch Ness Monster's existence is 'plausible', according to scientists, after fossils revealed that plesiosaurs may have lived in fresh water.

Nessie enthusiasts have long believed that the creature of Scottish folklore, which is often depicted with a long neck and small head, could be a prehistoric reptile.

However, cynics argue that even if plesiosaurs had survived the asteroid strike that wiped out the dinosaurs, the creatures could not have lived in Loch Ness because they needed a saltwater environment.

Now researchers from the University of Bath, University of Portsmouth, and Université Hassan II in Morocco, have discovered fossils of small plesiosaurs in a 100-million year old river system in the Sahara Desert.

The discovery suggests that some species of plesiosaur did live in freshwater - lending credibility to the Loch Ness Monster legend. 

Plesiosaurs (right) and spinosaurus (left) may have both inhabited freshwater rivers 100 million years ago

Among the most famous claimed sightings of the Loch Ness Monster is a photograph taken in 1934 by Colonel Robert Kenneth Wilson which was published in the Daily Mail. However, the researchers point out that the last plesiosaurs died out 66 million years ago

The fossils, discovered in the Kem Kem beds of Morocco, which date back to the Late Cretaceous period, include bones and teeth from three-metre (10ft) long adults and an arm bone from a 1.5 metre (5ft) long baby. 

'The bones and teeth were found scattered and in different localities, not as a skeleton. So each bone and each tooth is a different animal,' said Dr. Nick Longrich from the University of Bath's Milner Centre for Evolution.

'It's scrappy stuff, but isolated bones actually tell us a lot about ancient ecosystems and animals in them. They're so much more common than skeletons, they give you more information to work with.'

The discovery hints that the creatures routinely lived and fed in freshwater, alongside frogs, crocodiles, turtles, fish, and the huge aquatic dinosaur Spinosaurus. 

The plesiosaurs' teeth show heavy wear, like those of Spinosaurus, implying they were eating the same food - chipping their teeth on the armoured fish that lived in the river. 

'What amazes me is that the ancient Moroccan river contained so many carnivores all living alongside each other,' said David Martill from the University of Portsmouth.

'This was no place to go for a swim.' 

Marine animals like whales and dolphins are known to wander up rivers, either to feed or because they are lost, but the researchers do not believe this explains the large number of plesiosaur fossils in the Kem Kem beds.

A more likely possibility is that the plesiosaurs were able to tolerate fresh and salt water, like some whales, such as the beluga whale.

It is even possible that the plesiosaurs were permanent residents of the river, like modern river dolphins, according to the researchers. 

The fossils, discovered in the Kem Kem beds of Morocco, which date back to the Late Cretaceous period, include bones and teeth from three-metre (10ft) long adults and an arm bone from a 1.5 metre (5ft) long baby. 

Left: A leptocleidid plesiosaur back vertebra. The big openings for the arteries on the bottom are typical of plesiosaurs. Right: Arm bone from a leptocleidid plesiosaur, mid- Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Kem Kem beds of Morocco

The plesiosaurs' small size would have let them hunt in shallow rivers, and the fossil beds indicate there were plenty of fish around. 

'It's a bit controversial, but who's to say that because we paleontologists have always called them "marine reptiles", they had to live in the sea?' said Dr Longrich.

'Lots of marine lineages invaded freshwater.' 

Plesiosaurs were a diverse and adaptable group, and were around for more than 100 million years. 

Based on what they've found in Morocco – and what other scientists have found elsewhere – the authors suggest they might have repeatedly invaded freshwater to different degrees.

'This is another sensational discovery that adds to the many discoveries we have made in the Kem Kem over the past fifteen years of work in this region of Morocco,' said Samir Zouhri from the Universite Hassan II in Morocco.

'Kem Kem was truly an incredible biodiversity hotspot in the Cretaceous.'

A leptocleidid plesiosaur tooth from the Kem Kem beds of Morocco

The plesiosaurs belong to the family Leptocleididae - a family of small plesiosaurs often found in brackish or freshwater elsewhere in England, Africa, and Australia. Other plesiosaurs, including the long-necked elasmosaurs, have also been found in brackish or fresh waters in North America and China.

Veterinary student Arthur Grant was the first person to link the plesiosaur with the Loch Ness Monster in 1934, after he claimed to have nearly hit the creature on his motorcycle. He drew a sketch that resembled the ancient marine reptile. 

A few months later, the Daily Mail published a photograph taken by gynaecologist Robert Kenneth Wilson that appeared to show a creature with a long neck and small head moving through the water. The image was later exposed as a hoax. 

A press release from the University of Bath stated the new discovery showed that the Loch Ness Monster was 'on one level, plausible'.

'Plesiosaurs weren't confined to the seas, they did inhabit freshwater. But the fossil record also suggests that after almost a hundred and fifty million years, the last plesiosaurs finally died out at the same time as the dinosaurs, 66 million years ago.'

The study has been published in the journal Cretaceous Research.

What IS the Loch Ness Monster?

Rumours of a strange creature living in the waters of Loch Ness have abounded over the decades, yet scant evidence has been found to back up these claims.

One of the first sightings, believed to have fuelled modern Nessie fever, came in May 2, 1933.  

On this date the Inverness Courier carried a story about a local couple who claim to have seen 'an enormous animal rolling and plunging on the surface'.

Another famous claimed sighting is a photograph taken in 1934 by Colonel Robert Kenneth Wilson.

It was later exposed as a hoax by one of the participants, Chris Spurling, who, on his deathbed, revealed that the pictures were staged.

Other sightings James Gray's picture from 2001 when he and friend Peter Levings were out fishing on the Loch, while namesake Hugh Gray's blurred photo of what appears to be a large sea creature was published in the Daily Express in 1933.

Robert Kenneth Wilson, a London physician, captured arguably the most famous image of the Loch Ness Monster. The surgeon’s photograph was published in the Daily Mail on April 21, 1934

The first reported sighting of the monster is said to have been made in AD565 by the Irish missionary St Columba when he came across a giant beast in the River Ness.

But no one has ever come up with a satisfactory explanation for the sightings - although in 2019, 'Nessie expert' Steve Feltham, who has spent 24 years watching the Loch, said he thought it was actually a giant Wels Catfish, native to waters near the Baltic and Caspian seas in Europe.

An online register lists more than 1,000 total Nessie sightings, created by Mr Campbell, the man behind the Official Loch Ness Monster Fan Club and is available at www.lochnesssightings.com. 

So what could explain these mysterious sightings? 

Many Nessie witnesses have mentioned large, crocodile-like scutes sitting atop the spine of the creature, leading some to believe an escaped amphibian may be to blame.

Native fish sturgeons can also weigh several hundred pounds and have ridged backs, which make them look almost reptilian.

Some believe Nessie is a long-necked plesiosaur - like an elasmosaur - that survived somehow when all the other dinosaurs were wiped out.

Others say the sightings are down to Scottish pines dying and flopping into the loch, before quickly becoming water-logged and sinking.

While submerged, botanical chemicals start trapping tiny bubbles of air.

Eventually, enough of these are gathered to propel the log upward as deep pressures begin altering its shape, giving the appearance of an animal coming up for air.

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

29-07-2022 om 01:20 geschreven door peter  

The Norse God Odin: Viking God of War, Father of Thor, But There’s More

Odin is the chief deity of the Norse pantheon. Although Odin was worshipped more generally in Germanic paganism, the information we have today about this god is derived mostly from Norse mythology. These pieces of information include both written sources, such as myths, and archaeological finds, that combined paint a complex picture of this Norse (Viking) god. Consequently, it is difficult to figure out Odin’s exact role and character. Nevertheless, in general, Odin is viewed as a wise deity, in addition to his role as the Norse god of war. Apart from that, he was also associated with death, poetry, magic, and prophecy. As the primary god of the Norse pantheon, Odin plays an important role in many myths. And he was also the father of the mighty Thor, who is so loved in modern popular culture for his strength.

Odin, the supreme god in Norse mythology, on his throne with his magical ravens.

( Juan Aunión  / Adobe Stock)

The Norse God Odin Was Also a Primary Germanic Deity

The name Odin is said to be derived from Proto-Germanic “Wodanaz,” which may be translated variously to mean “the fury,” “the furious,” “the inspired,” and “the inspiring.” One of the earliest textual references to the god Odin is found in  Germania, written by the  Roman historian Tacitus  in the 1st century AD. In his work, Tacitus wrote that the “Of all the gods,  Mercury is he whom they worship most. To him on certain stated days it is lawful to offer even human victims.” It has been pointed out that since Mercury’s day was identified as Wednesday, or “Woden’s day,” Tacitus was referring to Odin when he mentioned that the ancient Germans worshipped Mercury

• Were Vikings in South America Over 400 Years Before Columbus?
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Tacitus’ statement, however, must be taken with a pinch of salt. Whilst Odin was certainly a major deity amongst the  ancient Germans , there is insufficient evidence to show that his cult was primary to all the Germanic tribes. In other words, Tacitus may have been making a sweeping generalization about the religious beliefs of the people he was writing about. Additionally, it has been suggested that whilst the elites may have venerated Odin, he may have been less popular amongst the common people compared to his son,  Thor.

Ymir, the first Norse jotunn giant, sucks at the udder of Auðumbla as she licks Búri out of the ice in a painting by Nicolai Abildgaard, 1790.

(Nicolai Abildgaard /  CC0)

Odin: The Viking Creator God And His Many Children

One of Odin’s many epithets was “All-father.” Apart from the belief that he fathered many gods with various women (more about which in a moment), Odin was also regarded as a creator god. According to one myth, in the beginning, there was a vast emptiness called Ginnungagap. From this nothingness, two realms, Niflheim and Muspelheim, emerged. Niflheim was located to the north of Ginnungagap, and was an extremely cold place, with nothing but ice, frost, and fog. Muspelheim, by contrast, formed in the south of Ginnungagap, and was a hot place, with only fire, lava, and smoke.

In spite of these harsh conditions, life appeared. In Niflheim was a spring called Hvergelmir, which the Norse believed was the source of all the cold rivers. There were 11 cold rivers, collectively known as Elivagar. The water from these rivers flowed from the mountains to the plain of Ginnungagap, where it froze, forming a solid layer of ice. As time went by, the ice layer expanded. At the same time, lava was flowing from Muspelheim onto the plain of Ginnungagap. Eventually, the two met in the middle of Ginnungagap.

The meeting of the hot and cold elements resulted in the melting of the ice. The melted ice began to drip, and a human-like creature began to form in the ice. This was Ymir, the first  jotunn, or giant, in Norse mythology.

When Ymir slept, he began to sweat, and from these bodily fluids, two more giants, one male, and the other female, were born. Additionally, a third giant, another son called Thrudgelmir (meaning “Strength Yeller”) was born when one of Ymir’s legs paired with the other. The children of Ymir were the first of the frost giants, and were breastfed by Audhumbla, a giant cow, who, like Ymir, was created from the melting of the ice in Ginnungagap.

• Ancient Gods – When Darkness Ruled the World
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Audhumbla nourished herself by licking a block of salty ice. It was from this action that the first Norse god came into being. On the first day that the giant cow licked the block of salty ice, some human hair appeared. On the second day, a head emerged, and on the third, the rest of the body was freed. This was Buri, the first of the gods. Buri, through some unknown process, fathered a son, Borr, who later took Bestla (believed to be a jotunn) as his wife. Borr and Bestla were the parents of Odin, Vili, and Ve, the first of the Aesirs, one of the two main groups of gods in Norse mythology.

The three brothers noticed that the  Aesirs were outnumbered by the jotnar, who were producing new giants at a rapid pace. They reasoned that the only way to solve this problem was to kill Ymir. Therefore, Odin and his brothers waited for the giant to fall asleep, before attacking him. Ymir, however, woke up, and a terrible fight ensued. In the end, Ymir was slain. So much blood flowed from the jotunn’s corpse that most of his offspring were drowned in it. Only two giants managed to escape. Using Ymir’s remains, Odin and his brothers created the world.

Thor, the Norse god of lightning, is one of Odin's sons and probably the most famous of Norse deities in popular culture today.

( Dusan Kostic  / Adobe Stock)

Odin Was the Father of Many Including the Great God Thor

The Norse also believed that Odin and his brothers created the first human beings, though this appears to be unconnected to the creation myth. According to this story, Odin and his brothers were walking along a beach when they came across two logs, one from an ash, and the other from  an elm .

The gods decided to create humans out of the logs. Therefore, Odin gave the logs spirit and life, Ve gave them movement, mind, and intelligence, whilst Vili gave them shape, speech, feelings, and the five senses. The first man was called Ask, and the first woman Embla. The pair were placed by the gods in Midgard. 

Odin was also the father of many of the other Norse gods. Odin’s wife was the  goddess Frigg , with whom he had two sons, Baldur and Hod, who were direct opposites of each other. For instance, whilst Baldur represented light, Hod represented darkness (he is even depicted as being blind).

Odin also had sons with other women, many of whom were jotnar. For example, one of the best-known Norse gods, Thor, was the son of Odin and a jotunn named Jord. Another jotunn, Gridr, had a son, Vidarr, with Odin. According to prophecy, Vidarr, the god of vengeance, would avenge his father’s death during the Ragnarok. Another of Odin’s sons, Vali, was the offspring of the jotunn Rindr, and was destined to avenge the death of Baldur.

The heavenly palatial palace of Valhalla, depicted in this old painting by Max Brückner, was Odin's home.

(Max Brückner (1836-1919) /  Public domain )

Odin: The Norse God of War and His Palatial Valhalla Palace

In addition to his role as a creator god, Odin was worshipped as the Norse god of war. For instance, he was seen as a protector of Viking warriors. Additionally, the Norse thought that Odin never lost a battle, with some even believing that it was impossible for the god to lose a battle.

Most importantly, the Norse believed that those who died honorably in combat had the chance of entering  Valhalla(meaning “Hall of the Slain”), Odin’s palatial home. The slain warriors are recruited by Odin’s daughters, the Valkyries (literally meaning “dead choosers”), and lived in Valhalla, where they would feast daily, and prepare for the final Ragnarok battle. On the day of the final battle these warriors, known as the einherjar, would fight alongside Odin and the rest of the Norse gods against their enemies. 

Even though Odin was a warrior god, he did not win his battles with mere brute force and power. Indeed, the Norse also considered Odin to be a full of wisdom. Odin’s wisdom is most famously represented by his depiction as a one-eyed man. According to Norse mythology, the wisest god amongst the Aesir was  Mimir, whose origin is not entirely clear. This god was renowned for his knowledge and prophetic wisdom.

In one myth, Mimir is depicted as the caretaker of the Well of Knowledge (known also as Mimir’s Well). Odin, in his quest for knowledge, journeys to this well, so that he could drink from it. Although Odin was allowed to drink from the well, he had to sacrifice one of his eyes for the privilege.

The Well of Knowledge is believed to be located in Jotunheim, the land of the giants, which suggests that Mimir was a jotunn. In another myth, however, Mimir is depicted as an Aesir. In this myth, the Aesir were at war with the Vanir, the other major group of Norse gods. In the end, the Aesir and Vanir made peace, and exchanged hostages.

On the one hand, the Vanir sent some of their most prized members, such as Njord, Freyr, and Freyja, to the Aesir. On the other hand, Aesir sent Mimir and Hoenir to the Vanir.

Whilst Mimir was a powerful god, Hoenir is said to have been a weak and indecisive deity. When the Vanir discovered this, they took it as an insult, and executed Mimir in retaliation. The god’s severed head was sent to Odin, who magically reanimated it.

Mimir’s head, therefore, became a source of knowledge, and Odin relied on its counsel when he needed to make important decisions.

In this vintage illustration Odin is seated on his throne with his magical messengers: two ravens and two wolves.

( Morphart / Adobe Stock)

The Source of Odin’s Knowledge and Wisdom: Ravens and Wolves

Mimir was not the only source of knowledge that Odin had access to. The Norse believe that the god kept a pair of ravens,  Huginn and Muninn  (whose names literally mean “Thought” and “Memory”). Each morning, the birds would travel across the Nine Worlds to observe all that was going on. At night, Huginn and Muninn would return to Odin, and report to him all they had seen. It was through these ravens that Odin learned about everything that went on in each realm.

Apart from the ravens, Odin also kept a pair of wolves, Grei and Freki (meaning “Ravenous,” and “Greedy One”). The pair were supposedly created when Odin felt lonely. In his role as a warrior god, the wolves were perfect companions for Odin, as they would scour the battlefield, and feast on those who died in battle. Additionally, Odin’s mount was an eight-legged horse named Sleipnir (meaning “Slipper”).

In the epic and final Ragnarok battle, Odin dies in the jaws of the wolf Fenrir.

( Archivist / Adobe Stock)

Ragnarok: The Death of Odin in Fenrir’s Killer Wolf Jaws

Although Odin was an immensely powerful god, he too would perish one day, at the Ragnarok (meaning “Fate of the Gods”). The Norse believed that this would be the final battle at the end of the current cosmic order. The events of Ragnarok, including Odin’s own death, are said to have been prophesied by the god himself, but even he is powerless to prevent it from happening.

According to Norse mythology, Ragnarok will be preceded by a series of portents, including the birth of three monsters to Loki and Angrboda, his giantess wife, the death of Baldur, terrible winters, and the subversion of the cosmic order.

As Ragnarok approaches, the various combatants would converge on Vigrid (meaning ‘Field of Battle’), where the final battle would be fought. The gods, both Aesir and Vanir, and their followers would do battle with the forces of Loki and the jotnar. The gods would be led by Odin, wearing a gold helmet and hauberk, and armed Gungnir, his magical spear. At Ragnarok, Odin’s chief adversary was to be the Fenrir, the great wolf, and one of Loki’s offspring.

Odin foresaw that he would fight valiantly against the monstrous wolf but would, in the end, be devoured by it. Odin’s death, however, would be avenged by his son, Vidar, who rips apart Fenrir’s jaw, thereby killing the beast.

• More than Blood and Bling: Our Many Visions of the Vikings
• Ragnarok: Norse Account of Strange & Wonderful Land Doomed to Destruction – Part I

Although Ragnarok is depicted as a devastating event, it did not signal the end of the world. Odin prophesied that some of the gods would survive, in addition to a pair of humans, who would go on to repopulate the world.

Odin Remains The Chief Deity of Asir and the Norse Pantheon

To conclude, Odin is the chief deity of the Asir, and by extension, the Norse pantheon. This is clearly reflected in the fact that he is present in the major Norse myths from the creation of the world to the destruction of the current cosmos.

Although Odin is depicted as a warrior god, he is also believed to have been full of wisdom. Poetry, magic, and prophecy were also associated with this god. The last of these enabled Odin to foresee the events of Ragnarok.

Despite being a powerful god, and having won all the battles he fought, Odin was not invincible. This is almost human trait is well captured by Odin seeing his death in his fight with Fenrir at Ragnarok, and that he was powerless to change this fate.

• Top image: An old wooden statue of the Norse God Odin standing alone on the shore of a lonely Scandinavian fjord.       
• Source:  drakuliren / Adobe Stock

By Wu Mingren 

{https://www.ancient-origins.net/ }

27-07-2022 om 00:49 geschreven door peter  

Remembering Atlantis & Lemuria’s Final Days and their Extraterrestrial Origins

WRITTEN BY DR MICHAEL SALLA

Jen Sullivan is the author of Child of the Universe, a book where she describes her memories of several past lives that were connected to the origins of Atlantis and Lemuria (Lymuria), and their respective destruction. Jen was suffering from a brain tumor when she was asked by her long time friend, Sarah Breskman Cosme, to participate in Quantum Hypnosis Healing Technique (QHHT) sessions to complete Sarah’s level 3 certification with Delores Cannon’s QHHT program.

After Jen recalled details of her most recent past life where she jumped off a bridge to her death in 1978 after going through a lobotomy as a result of nobody believing her past life recollections at the time, she experienced a remarkable healing. As the QHHT sessions continued, Jen remembered her first past life on Earth as a male when she was part of an extraterrestrial mission that crash landed in a large south Pacific island. She remembers being ultimately successful in creating a hybrid being using the genetics of a primitive local female and her DNA. The hybrid that was born became revered for her wisdom and ability to use red crystals that were retrieved from the spacecraft , and became the first Queen of Lemuria. Her name was Oona.

One of Jen’s companions on the crashed extraterrestrial spacecraft traveled through a space time portal to the other side of the planet taking with him some of the red crystals. He was involved in creating a hybrid being that was among the first Atlanteans who gained control over the local population. Ultimately, the Atlanteans followed a path of rapid technological development where the red crystals were used for weapons development and imperial conquest. In contrast the Lemurians lived a more peaceful life in harmony with nature where the red crystals were used to sustain a natural immunity to all disease, and considerably extended their life spans.

In her book, Jen describes the circumstances surrounding the Atlanteans visiting and ultimately destroying Lemuria. In that incarnation, Jen was a princess (Kala) who briefly reigned after her mother, the Queen was killed by the Atlanteans. Shortly after her coronation, Lemuria was destroyed by tidal waves created by undersea detonations caused by the Altanteans, and she was captured. Jen remembered being taken to Atlantis where she was tortured and interrogated for many decades over her knowledge and abilities concerning the red crystals.

In her first interview on Exopolitics Today, Jen describes why she chose to undergo the QHHT sessions with Sarah Cosme, the healing she experienced, and the details of her remarkable past lives as an extraterrestrial and the last Queen of Lemuria/Lymuria. Her memories of captivity in Atlantis over many decades gives a unique perspective on Atlantean culture, politics and science.

• Interview Available on YouTube & Rumble
• Audio Podcast on Apple, Spotify, or Google

• Jen Sullivan’s book is available at amazon.com
• Her website is www.jlfsullivan.com

Note:

• During the interview, I encountered an unusual amount of electrical interference, which culminated in all the power in my home going off for a short period. My computer then experienced strange pulses which can be witnessed in the interview after the interruption around the (30 minutes mark). Jen explains how such electrical interference has happened often in her sessions with Sarah Breskman Cosme.

Michael Salla, Ph.D.

{ https://exopolitics.org/ }

26-07-2022 om 00:43 geschreven door peter  

Illustration by Jaedoo Lee

The Bizarre Bird That’s Breaking the Tree of Life

By Ben Crair

{ https://www.newyorker.com/ }

21-07-2022 om 01:21 geschreven door peter  

The Mysteries of Stonehenge and Other Ancient Stone Circles: From UFOs to Strange Creatures

Nick Redfern

Some ancient structures are more well-known than others. There’s no doubt, however, that Stonehenge is very near the top of the list. I should stress that although we have a great deal of data on the legendary creation itself, much of the story is still very much shrouded in enigmas, folklore and myth. Stonehenge was, most archaeologists suggest, constructed roughly around 3,100 BC. In other words, around five thousand years ago. That’s not the full story, though: there is clear evidence that the area on which Stonehenge stands now – the English county of Wiltshire - was used by the people of an even earlier era, possibly even to as far back as 8,000 BC. As for when Stonehenge was first studied to a fairly significant degree, the English Heritage comes to the point: “The first known excavation at Stonehenge, in the center of the monument, was undertaken in the 1620s by the Duke of Buckingham, prompted by a visit by King James I. The king subsequently commissioned the architect Inigo Jones to conduct a survey and study of the monument. Jones argued that Stonehenge was built by the Romans.” Jones was way off course.

Merrily Harpur, the author of Mystery Big Cats, has logged a fascinating account from a man named George Price, who had an undeniably bizarre experience on Salisbury Plain, England in September 2002, while then serving with the British Army. It was at the height of a military exercise, Harpur was told, and Price was a ‘commander in the turret of our tank, and we were advancing to contact our warriors’. Suddenly, Price’s attention was drawn to a ‘large, ape-like figure’ that ‘looked scared because of the noise from the engines and tanks were moving at speed all around." Although the beast was not in sight for long - it raced for the safety of ‘nearby prickly shrubs’ - an amazed Price could see that ‘its fur was similar to an orang-utan in colour...its height was impressive...[and] it seemed to run with its back low, i.e. bent over’.

Salisbury Plain is not just home to military manoeuvres, however. It is also home to one of the world’s most famous ancient stone circles: Stonehenge. While most students of the legendary structure conclude it had its beginnings somewhere around 3,100 BC, evidence of human activity in the area has been found suggesting a presence as far back as 8,000 BC. And a degree of that same presence is indicative of ritualistic activity, even at that incredibly early age. But, regardless of when, precisely, large-scale construction of Stonehenge actually began, what can be said with certainty is that it is comprised of a ditch, a bank, and what are known as the Aubrey holes - round pits in the chalk that form a huge circle. And then, of course, there are those massive stone blocks.

No less than eighty-two of Stonehenge’s so-called bluestones, some of which weigh up to four-tons, are believed to have been transported from the Preseli Mountains in southwest Wales to the Wiltshire site, a distance of 240-miles. Although, the actual number of stones is in dispute since, today, barely more than forty remain. Certainly, such a mammoth operation to move such huge stones would be no easy feat in the modern era, never mind thousands of years ago. And yet, somehow, this incredible and mystifying task was successfully achieved. Stonehenge’s thirty giant Sarsen stones, meanwhile, were brought from the Marlborough Downs, a distance of around twenty-five miles. This might sound like a much easier task than having to haul the bluestones all the way from Wales. Hardly. As noted, the Welsh stones are in the order of four-tons. Some of the Sarsen stones from the downs, however, weigh in at twenty-five-tons, the heaviest around fifty. And people wonder why so much mystery and intrigue surrounds the creation of Stonehenge.

Now, let's take a look at a mysterious aircraft around Stonehenge. In March 1997, the UK Independent newspaper ran an article titled "Secret US spyplane crash may be kept under wraps." In part, it stated: "A top-secret United States spyplane which flies on the edge of space at five times the speed of sound crashed at the British experimental airbase at Boscombe Down, Hampshire, in September 1994, according to a report in a leading military aviation journal. The SAS [Special Air Service], the report said, was scrambled to throw a cordon round the wreckage, which was flown back to the US two days later. The hypersonic reconnaissance aircraft, called Astra or Aurora, is believed to have been developed in the 1980s as a secret US government 'black programme.'" The account of the crash at Boscombe Down is made all the more intriguing by a story that was published in the UK's Salisbury Times newspaper on August 23, 1994 - just about a month before all hell broke loose at Boscombe Down. The location: the aforementioned A303 road. Interestingly, the A303 road goes by Stonehenge. The article states:

"A green flying saucer hovered beside the A303 road at Deptford last week - according to a lorry driver who rushed to Salisbury police station in the early hours of the morning. The man banged on the station door in Wilton Road at 1:30 a.m. on Thursday after spotting the saucer suspended in mid-air. 'He was 100 per cent convinced it was a UFO,' said Inspector Andy Shearing. The man said it was bright green and shaped like a triangle with rounded corners. It also had green and white flashing lights. Other drivers had seen it and were flashing their car lights at him. A patrol car took the driver back to the spot but there was no trace of the flying saucer. Inspector Shearing said police had been alerted about similar sightings in the same area in the past."

Although the Times called the object a "flying saucer," the description of it being "shaped like a triangle with rounded corners," sounds very much like the TR-3A. It's also a near-perfect description of equally unidentified aircraft that have become known within Ufology as "Flying Triangles." But here's the most important issue: the witness reported that the object he saw was "suspended in mid-air." This is particularly fascinating, as there are longstanding rumors that the TR-3A has hovering capabilities. It should be noted, too, that other stone circles in the United Kingdom are shrouded in mystery and high-strangeness.

Reports of hairy wild men absolutely abound throughout the English county of Staffordshire, but there is one area of the county that seems to attract a great deal more than its fair share of such activity. Its name is deeply familiar to one and all throughout the area as Castle Ring. Located near to the village of Cannock Wood, Castle Ring is an Iron Age structure commonly known as a Hill Fort. It is 801 feet above sea level, and its main ditch and bank enclosure is fourteen feet high and, at its widest point, 853 feet across. It has to be admitted that very little is known about the mysterious and long-forgotten people who built Castle Ring, except to say that they were already in residence at the time of the Roman invasion of A.D. 43 and remained there until approximately A.D. 50. Some suggest that the initial foundations of Castle Ring may even have been laid as early as 500 B.C. Moreover, historians suggest that the creators of Castle Ring might have represented a powerful body of people that held firm sway over certain other parts of Staffordshire, as well as significant portions of both Shropshire and Cheshire at the time in question. 

On May 1, 2004, Alec Williams was driving passed the car-park that sits at the base of Castle Ring when he witnessed a hair-covered, man-like entity lumber across the road and into the trees. A shocked Williams stated that the sighting lasted barely a few seconds, but that he was able to make out its amazing form: "It was about seven feet tall, with short, shiny, dark brown hair, a large head and had eyes that glowed bright red." Interestingly, Williams stated that as he slowed his vehicle down, he witnessed something akin to a camera flash coming from the depths of the woods and heard a cry that he described as a howl. 

Now, for some fascinating information from Jon Downes of the U.K.'s Center for Fortean Zoology. Jon reveals: "One of the most credible reports brought to my attention came from a family that had a daylight encounter with a large and hairy beast in the Peak District in 1991. This all occurred as they were driving near Ladybower Reservoir on the Manchester to Sheffield road. On a hillside, one of the family members had spotted a large figure walking down towards the road. But this was no man. Well, they brought the car to a screeching halt and came face to face with an enormous creature about eight feet tall, that was covered in long brown hair with eyes just like a man’s. Its walk was different, too, almost crouching. But just as the man-beast reached the road, another car pulled up behind the family and blasted their horn – apparently wondering why they had stopped in the middle of the road. Suddenly, the creature – which I presume was startled by the noise - ran across the road, jumped over a wall that had a ten-foot drop on the other side, and ran off, disappearing into the woods. Now, I know that the family has returned to the area but has seen nothing since."

It’s also worth noting that, with regard to the sighting of the large and lumbering beast that was seen near the Peak District-based Ladybower Reservoir in November 1991, less than one mile away, on Stanton Moor, stands a stone circle called the Nine Ladies. It was constructed during the Bronze Age era, and is a place at which, every year, druids and pagans alike celebrate the summer solstice. For sure, a wealth of mysteries to resolve.

RELATED VIDEOS, selected and posted by peter2011

{ https://mysteriousuniverse.org/ }

15-07-2022 om 00:53 geschreven door peter  

DNA from fossils unearthed in southern China dating back 14,000 years suggests Native Americans have East Asian roots

• Fossils found in China demonstrate that Native Americans may have had genetic roots in East Asia

• The data will help us understand 'how humans change their physical appearance by adapting to local environments over time,' study co-author Bing Su says

By CHRISTOPHER CARBONE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

DNA from ancient fossils in southern China has revealed that Native Americans may have roots in East Asia.

Scientists compared the genetic information of the Late Pleistocene era fossils to those from humans worldwide. 

They found that the bones belonged to an individual that was linked deeply to the East Asian ancestry of Native Americans. 

Archaeologists had been able to successfully sequence the genome of the fossils.

Scroll down for video 

Researchers for the first time successfully sequenced the genome of fossils from the Late Pleistocene.

Pictured above is a lateral view of the skull unearthed from Red Deer Cave

'Ancient DNA technique is a really powerful tool,' Bing Su, a study co-author who works at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, says. 

'It tells us quite definitively that the Red Deer Cave people were modern humans instead of an archaic species, such as Neanderthals or Denisovans, despite their unusual morphological features.'

They proposed that some of the southern East Asian people traveled north along the coast of present-day China through Japan and eventually reached Siberia. 

'It tells us quite definitively that the Red Deer Cave people were modern humans instead of an archaic species, such as Neanderthals or Denisovans, despite their unusual morphological features,' Bing Su, a study co-author, says.

Pictured is the reproduced portrait of the Red Deer Cave People or Mengziren 

It's believed that they then crossed the Bering Strait between Asia and North America to become the first people to arrive in the New World. 

The work that led to these insights began more than thirty years ago. 

At that time, a group of archaeologists in China discovered a large set of bones in the Maludong, or Red Deer Cave, in southern China’s Yunnan Province. 

Archaeologists used carbon dating - which uses the relative proportions of the carbon isotopes carbon-12 and carbon-14 to determine the age of organic matter - to show that the fossils were from the Late Pleistocene about 14,000 years ago. 

The discovery dates back to work that began several decades ago when archaeologists found a large set of bones in the Maludong, or Red Deer Cave, pictured above

This was a period of time when modern humans had migrated to many parts of the world. 

Researchers recovered a hominin skull cap from the cave that had characteristics of both modern humans and archaic humans. 

For instance, the shape of the skull resembled that of Neanderthals, and its brain appeared to be smaller than that of modern humans.

As a result, some anthropologists had thought the skull probably belonged to an unknown archaic human species that lived until fairly recently or to a hybrid population of archaic and modern humans. 

The finding contributes to our understanding of the rich genetic diversity of hominins living at that time in southern East Asia. 

Su says that it suggests that early humans who first arrived in eastern Asia had initially settled in the south before some of them moved to the north.

'It’s an important piece of evidence for understanding early human migration,' he explains.

'Such data will not only help us paint a more complete picture of how our ancestors migrate but also contain important information about how humans change their physical appearance by adapting to local environments over time, such as the variations in skin color in response to changes in sunlight exposure,' Su says. 

The team's findings were published July 14 in the journal Current Biology. 

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

14-07-2022 om 22:03 geschreven door peter  

DNA From Mysterious Hominin In China Suggests Native Americans’ East Asian Roots

Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com - For the first time, researchers successfully sequenced the genome of ancient human fossils from the Late Pleistocene in southern China. The data, published July 14 in the journal Current Biology, suggests that the mysterious hominin belonged to an extinct maternal branch of modern humans that might have contributed to the origin of Native Americans

The reproduced portrait of the Red Deer Cave People or Mengziren.

Credit: Xueping Ji

"Ancient DNA technique is a really powerful tool," Su says. "It tells us quite definitively that the Red Deer Cave people were modern humans instead of an archaic species, such as Neanderthals or Denisovans, despite their unusual morphological features," he says.

The researchers compared the genome of these fossils to that of people from around the world. They found that the bones belonged to an individual that was linked deeply to the East Asian ancestry of Native Americans. Combined with previous research data, this finding led the team to propose that some of the southern East Asia people had traveled north along the coastline of present-day eastern China through Japan and reached Siberia tens of thousands of years ago. They then crossed the Bering Strait between the continents of Asia and North America and became the first people to arrive in the New World.

The journey to making this discovery started over three decades ago, when a group of archaeologists in China discovered a large set of bones in the Maludong, or Red Deer Cave, in southern China's Yunnan Province. Carbon dating showed that the fossils were from the Late Pleistocene about 14,000 years ago, a period of time when modern humans had migrated to many parts of the world.

The excavation site of Maludong (Red Deer Cave).

Credit: Xueping Ji

From the cave, researchers recovered a hominin skull cap with characteristics of both modern humans and archaic humans. For example, the shape of the skull resembled that of Neanderthals, and its brain appeared to be smaller than that of modern humans. As a result, some anthropologists had thought the skull probably belonged to an unknown archaic human species that lived until fairly recently or to a hybrid population of archaic and modern humans.

In 2018, in collaboration with Xueping Ji, an archaeologist at Yunnan Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Bing Su at Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and his colleagues successfully extracted ancient DNA from the skull. Genomic sequencing shows that the hominin belonged to an extinct maternal lineage of a group of modern humans whose surviving decedents are now found in East Asia, the Indo-China peninsula, and Southeast Asia islands.

The finding also shows that during the Late Pleistocene, hominins living in southern East Asia had rich genetic and morphologic diversity, the degree of which is greater than that in northern East Asia during the same period. It suggests that early humans who first arrived in eastern Asia had initially settled in the south before some of them moved to the north, Su says.

See also: 

• More Archaeology News

"It's an important piece of evidence for understanding early human migration," he says.

Next, the team plans to sequence more ancient human DNA by using fossils from southern East Asia, especially ones that predated the Red Deer Cave people.

"Such data will not only help us paint a more complete picture of how our ancestors migrate but also contain important information about how humans change their physical appearance by adapting to local environments over time, such as the variations in skin color in response to changes in sunlight exposure," Su says.

The study was published in the journal Current Biology

Written by Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com Staff Writer

{ https://www.ancientpages.com/ }

14-07-2022 om 21:53 geschreven door peter  

Two More Disc-eyed Giants of Mont’e Prama Found in Sardinia!

Their purpose is currently unknown, but two more disc-eyed giants of Mont’e Prama have been unearthed on Sardinia. The Mont’e Prama Iron Age burial necropolis on the Italian island of Sardinia has for the last 50 years been the source of a great archaeological mystery. The site was first discovered by local farmers in March 1974 on farmland near Mont'e Prama, in the commune of Cabras, in central-western Sardinia, Italy. It was here that the so-called “Giants of Mont'e Prama” were discovered. This collection of ancient stone giant sculptures, with large disc-eyes, are also known as “boxer statues.”

The head of one of the newly found boxers is here on the right, with a visible chin and thick broken neck.

( Italian Ministry of Culture )

While it is understood that the giants of Mont’e Prama were created by people by the Nuragic culture of ancient Sardinia, the purpose of these gargantuan monuments is currently unknown. However, on Saturday afternoon, Italy’s Ministry of Culture announced that “two more giant naked torsos” had been identified by researchers at Mont’e Prama. In this instance, the two giants were covered with a large shield which has allowed the researchers to date them precisely to between 950 to 730 BC.

Emerging in the Early Bronze Age, Nuragic civilization derives its name from Sardinia’s “ nuraghe,” which are stone fortresses with high towers. Most of these structures were raised around 1800 BC and today no less than 7,000 nuraghes are peppered across the ancient Sardinian landscape. It was from these stone forts that the Nuragic people defended their rule over Sardinia until the 2nd century AD.

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This Nuragic civilization nuraghe stone fortress on Sardinia was built by the same people who made the mysterious giants of Mont’e Prama.

( franke 182  / Adobe Stock)

Many of you will already have noticed that the Sardinian nuraghe resembles, and perhaps functioned similarly to, the 2nd century Pictish brochs of northern Scotland. Day to day these stone towers housed community chiefs and their families, and they became community shelters for people and animals while under attack from rivalling tribes and foreign invaders.

Italy’s Cultural Minister, Dario Franceschini, said the two giant stone torsos are officially called “Cavalupo-type boxers,” which means they are either warriors, archers or boxers with shields and armed gloves. The culture ministry’s superintendent for southern Sardinia, Monica Stochino, said the statues are made of limestone which is soft and fragile. Therefore, the site archaeologists now need more time to excavate the two huge torsos from the surrounding sediment which has set like clay.

Some of the giants of Mont’e Prama had curved stone shields over their heads and this was also true of both of the recently discovered giants.

(DedaloNur / CC BY-SA 3.0 )

An article in Arkeonews explains that since the site’s discovery in 1974 “thousands of fragments” of giant human figures have been recovered at Mont’e Prama. While their original purpose remains veiled in mystery, so far, archaeologists have reassembled about 40 statues and while no one is complete each measures over 2 meters (6.56 feet) tall. Furthermore, they all represent warriors, archers, or nuraghe boxers.

Giant Warriors, Archers, and Boxers

Archaeologists believe the giant’s disc-shaped eyes and eastern-style garments probably depicted Nuragic cultural mythological heroes who were buried to symbolically guard the sepulchral site . However, other archaeologists consider the statues as representing deities from the Nuragic pantheon. However, these two interpretations are relatively limited and don’t consider inspiration from the land of the living first.

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Polynesian Easter Island , formerly known as Rapa Nui , is famed for its monumental giant statues called moai which were created during the 13th-16th centuries. According to writer Jo Anne Van Tilburg these carved human figures with oversize heads are believed to be “the living faces ( aringa ora ) of deified ancestors ( aringa ora ata tepuna )”. Perhaps the giants of Mont’e Prama, Sardinia also reflect the bodies and faces of the ancestors who taught them how to survive on an ocean locked island?

We will never know for sure what the large-eyed giants represented, but as long as archaeologists continue to excavate at Mont’e Prama in Sardinia it is only a matter of time before more statues will surface, adding to the emerging army of giants.

• Top image: Two more stone giants of Mont’e Prama from the Iron Age have been unearthed in Sardinia. Source: mont’e prama

By Ashley Cowie

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13-07-2022 om 01:40 geschreven door peter  

8,000-Year-Old Yarmukian Mother Goddess Unearthed

An 8,000-year-old "Mother Goddess" figurine has been uncovered at a Neolithic site in Israel. Why then, does she have “coffee-shaped” eyes?

Located at the foot of the Golan Heights in the Jordan Valley area of north-eastern Israel, the Sha'ar HaGolan kibbutz archaeological site is situated less than 1 km (2/3 of a mile) from the border with Jordan. It was here that archaeologists recently unearthed the broken 20-centimeter (7.87 inch) long figurine.

Dating back 8,000 years, this 'Mother Goddess' figurine was created by the Yarmukian culture. While Israeli archaeologists are describing the goddess as having “coffee-bean” shaped eyes, she has nothing to do with coffee. In fact, coffee can be traced to the mid-15th century in Yemen . So what then does this ancient mistress of the Levantine otherworld represent?

Red Is The Color Of Love, And Sex

The Neolithic Yarmukian culture of the ancient Levant is regarded as the first culture in prehistoric Israel. This attribution is given because Yarmukians were the first people in Levant to make clay pottery. And, similarly to later Neolithic groups in Ireland and Scotland, Yarmukian ceramics feature lozenge, herringbone and linear diagonal lines and patterns.

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Part of the extensive Sha'ar HaGolan excavation area.

(Yosef Garfinkel / CC BY-SA -3.0 )

Judea district archaeologist Anna Eirikh-Rose from Israeli Antiquity Authority serves as co-director of the dig at Sha'ar HaGolan kibbutz and she told J-Post the 20-centimeter goddess figurine was excavated next to the wall of a house covered with “a red bottomed bracelet.” Depending on agricultural success and the fertilization of people and animals for sustained survival, Yarmukians worshipped a “ Mother Goddess ” and red, like in most ancient cultures, represented fertility and all things sexual/reproductive.

The Largest Mother Goddess Ever Discovered In Israel

The Museum of Yarmukian Culture at the kibbutz archaeological site exhibits all of the artifacts recovered from this vast 20-hectare Neolithic excavation zone. The site was first excavated in 1949, and again in 2004. At these previous excavations researchers identified planned streets, courtyards and houses, as well as smaller mother goddess figurines with incised pebble faces, and further so-called “eye figurines.”

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Shaar Hagolan Mother Goddess clay figurine previously found at the site.

( CC BY SA 3.0 )

The dig’s current co-director, Dr. Julien Vieugue, describes the newly excavated goddess figurine as “a large, seated woman with big hips, a unique pointed hat and what is known as ‘coffee-bean’ eyes and a big nose.” She has one hand on her hip and the other is under her breast. Vieugue said the artifact represents one of the “largest examples'' of the goddess figurine ever found from the Yarmukian culture.”

A Cult Fertility Icon, Or A Recognized State Goddess

While many similar Yarmukian sites have been identified in the Levant, by a long shot, Sha’ar Hagolan is the largest and the most probable center of Yarmukian culture. Eirikh-Rose says that 8,000 years ago the inhabitants of Sha’ar Hagolan began mass-producing pottery. Now, it’s the primary goal of the archaeologists to better understand the “origin and mechanism of development of the pottery production” at the site.

Eirikh-Rose said the figurine was created by wrapping and layering clay around a central cylindrical core. The archaeologist added that it was anything but easy to make. The artifact is currently undergoing residue analysis which will eventually reveal what type of clay was used to make the goddess idol. Ultimately the researchers aim to find out if this particular Mother Goddess was a cultic icon, or a deity from an already established religion.

A close up of the head of one of the Yarmukian figures, showing the ‘coffee bean eyes’ shape.

(Yosef Garfinkel, CC BY-SA 3.0 )

Returning To Those Problematic “Coffee-Bean” Shaped Eyes

We should finish this piece with a return to the figurine’s so-called “coffee-bean” shaped eyes. One could perhaps better understand this “coffee-bean” reference to the symbolism of the figurine had it been discovered at a medieval Yemen site, or in 17th century South America where the Mother Goddess was worshipped as “ Pachamama” - the World-Mother and controller of fertility.

For the sake of clarity, Israeli archaeologists should perhaps change the name “coffee” to what the eyes actually represent. They should be called “wheat or barley-shaped eyes,” for these two details represent the unplanted wheat or barley kernel, and the promise of new life tomorrow.

• Top image: 8,000-year-old Mother Goddess figurine excavated at Sha’ar HaGolan, Israel Source: Anna Eirikh-Rose / Jerusalem Post

By Ashley Cowie

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13-07-2022 om 01:19 geschreven door peter