Ancient World Review

Turbowolf Interviews Graham Hancock: Episode 2

"In this episode Graham & the band discuss the mystery of the possible survival of death by human consciousness, the ancient Egyptian quest for the immortality of the soul, the encoding of advanced scientific information in ancient myths, some of the evidence from ancient Egypt and the Andes for the existence of a lost civilisation, and the danger, unless we change our ways, that our own civilisation could become the next Atlantis." Don Jenkins, Turbowolf manager. First episode can be found here.

Moche Culture Wiped Out By Extreme Weather?

Notes: This clip is from the BBC documentary "The Lost Civilization of Peru." The Moche Culture existed in northern Peru from around 100-800 AD and apparently collapsed during the period 500-750 AD, which coincides with the "Mega El Nino" and subsequent drought suggested by this ice-core evidence.

There is also some evidence that the Moche conducted ritual sacrifices during these storms:

"Evidence that violence was a significant part of Moche society was first identified in ceramic and mural art," according to About.com's Guide To The Moche Civilization. "Images of warriors in battle, decapitations and sacrifices were originally believed to have been ritual enactments, at least in part, but recent archaeological investigations have revealed that some of the scenes were realistic portrayals of events in Moche society. In particular, bodies of victims have been found at Huaca de la Luna, some of which were dismembered or decapitated and some were clearly sacrificed during episodes of torrential rains. Genetic data supports the identification of these individuals as enemy combatants." [Emphasis Added]

Turbowolf Interviews Graham Hancock Episode 1

Graham Hancock, I think, is the best of the "alternate archaeology" writers. He's generally dismissed by mainstream authorities as a "pseudoarcheologist," rightly so, perhaps, but he's done a lot of interesting research into lost civilizations and ancient mysteries, and his books are well written and entertaining.

Hancock's definitely unconventional, arguing, for instance, that humans have been around for much longer than currently believed and that there was a very ancient, technologically advanced "mother civilization" that existed as far back as the Paleolithic. I can believe that human society is older than anyone currently suspects, but when Hancock starts speculating, for example, that the Ark of the Covenant could have been a form of ancient technology, he loses me completely.

I do agree with him when he argues against "...an entrenched belief system about the human condition and about our collective past in which modern advanced civilization is seen as the product of thousands of years of linear social and technological evolution--'onwards and upwards'...from stupid old cave men to smart old us." (Source: The Official Graham Hancock Website) For what it's worth, I don't buy that, either.

Note: Turbowolf is a UK rock band.

New Discoveries In Chinese Archaeology (2009)

Delphi: The Belly Button Of The Ancient World

Ancient Sican Tomb Discovered In Peru

"The Sican (also Sicán) culture is the name that archaeologist Izumi Shimada gave to the culture that inhabited what is now the north coast of Peru between about AD 750 and 1375. According to Shimada, Sican means "temple of the moon." Source: Wikipedia. See The Sican Archaeological Project for more information. Note: discovery was apparently made last year.

Ancient Georgian Kingdom Of Colchis Pt. 1

Part Two of this Michael Woods documentary can be found here.

Terry Jones' Hidden History Of Rome

"Pagans" Celebrate Winter Solstice At Stonehenge

Comment: Every year, these "pagans, Druids and pantheists" celebrate the Winter Solstice at the most famous prehistoric monolith in the world, but since no one knows what kind of rituals were held at Stonehenge, their "ceremonies," by necessity, have to be improvised. As a result, they end up whooping like Hollywood Apaches in a hippie drum circle, surrounded by spectators with cell-phone cameras, and when it's all over, they get in their cars and drive back to their jobs in the city, leaving Stonehenge behind, just as enigmatic as it was a thousand years ago.

The problem with these modern "pagans" is that they really aren't pagans at all. They're too civilized for that. Too liberal. I can sympathize with their rejection of Christianity and the modern world, but it's going to take more than some robes, drums and solstice wreaths to bridge the gap between 2011 A.D. and 3000 B.C. Real paganism, for lack of a better term, has long since vanished from the West and ceremonies like this won't bring it back to life. The ancients understood that blood was necessary to propitiate the gods and the forces of nature. If these pagans want to celebrate the Solstice properly, they should leave their cameras at home, forget the drum circles and start conducting human sacrifices. No one knows if there were ritual killings at Stonehenge, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Pillar Collapses At Loreius Tiburtinus Villa In Pompeii

"A pillar was found collapsed at an ancient Roman villa in Pompeii on Thursday, as the government prepares a series of measures to preserve the unique but dilapidated archaeological area." Source: AFP News Agency. Note: the damage was apparently caused by severe weather in the area.

"Police were called in to carry out checks at the picturesque Loreius Tiburtinus villa from the 2nd century BC after the collapse of a pillar supporting one of the pergolas there was noticed by local technical staff.

"The villa has a large garden with pergolas and ponds, following a fashion of creating country-like residences in an urban environment.