26January2012
Posted by MSH under: Ancient Egypt; Ancient Studies & Technology; Ancient Technology; Pyramids.
Readers should check out this (very) lengthy entry recently posted on the quite useful Em Hotep blog. Readers may recall that Em Hotep has actually produced a series on pyramid construction and architecture that is very readable and worth bookmarking (check out the “Featured Series” on the front page). This post brings us up-to-date with Gantenbrink’s Upuaut pyramid rover.
Technorati Tags: architecture, construction, giza, Great Pyramid, Pyramids, Upuaut
21January2012
Posted by MSH under: archaeology; Cult Archaeology; Mayan 2012.
I came across this lengthy essay (from this past August) recently. It’s a good article that provides a number of links for understanding the history and past cultural applications of the 2012 Mayan “prophecy” nonsense. It’s a good starting point for research into the mythology. Very informative.
Technorati Tags: 2012, apocalypse, archaeology, Mayan, mythology
18January2012
Posted by MSH under: Bible Code; Wacky Bible Interpretation.
Okay, I know — it’s beating a dead horse. But, I was reminded of the Bible Code today by this recent rehearsal of the nonsense at the Skeptophilia Blog. And since we’re beating dead horses, I should remind readers that I wrote a short book debunking this many moons ago (from the perspective of manuscript transmission and the history of the Hebrew OT text). It’s 100 pages or so and available as PDF.
Technorati Tags: bible code, computers, ELS, mathematicians, myth
16January2012
Posted by MSH under: archaeology.
Occasionally amid all the twaddle that I address on PaleoBabble I feel compelled to toss in something that may be useful for readers’ own research interests. Here’s another such link from AWOL (Ancient World Online) – a searchable database of over 250 open-access archaeology publications. Enjoy!
Technorati Tags: ancient, archaeology, AWOL, database
12January2012
Posted by MSH under: Ancient Sites; archaeology; Cult Archaeology; Jesus; Jesus Tomb.
Thanks go to Mark Goodacre of Duke University for this short post linking us to a recent paper about the alleged Jesus family tomb. As is typical, Mark clearly and succinctly summarizes the two primary points of weakness in the tomb argument — weaknesses that were noted at the beginning and which still kill the identification with Jesus of Nazareth. But perhaps $imcha Jacobovici can still squeeze more profit and notoriety out of it.
Technorati Tags: Jesus tomb, Judas, Mariamne, Mary Magdalene, Talpiot
7January2012
Posted by MSH under: Ancient Astronauts; Sitchin.
Some readers know about my website devoted to demonstrating the nonsense put forth by Zecharia Sitchin. Part of that site includes an open letter to Sitchin (now deceased of course) and his worshippers. It’s been there over 10 years (Sitchin never responded) but at long last someone has stepped forward to defend their hero. I have to give him points for that. The response, however, runs the gamut from excuses, misreadings, incoherence, and the obligatory “the Asyriologists just didn’t have the benefit of reading Sitchin when they translated these tablets” pablum. <Sigh> Just what I expected when I originally posted it. Here is the response along with my inserted replies (it’s a PDF; double-click on the sticky notes for my replies).
I know what many of you are thinking: “Why do you bother, Mike?” I’ve had people ask me that many times, including scholars in the various fields Sitchin stumbles through. Honestly, I do it for people who sincerely want to think through the data, not for people already blinded by what Sitchin says because they were bored or offended with something else (like mainstream Judaism or Christianity or materialist science). I don’t do it to win the blinded disciples, because no matter what data you put in front of those people, it just doesn’t matter. But there are people who haven’t been brainwashed but are genuinely curious. They are still reachable.
Technorati Tags: 12th planet, anunnaki, Heiser, nibiru, open letter, seal, Sitchin, VA243
6January2012
Posted by MSH under: Ancient Sites; archaeology; Cult Archaeology.
Here’s an interesting story about an amateur researcher (an architect by profession) who suggested in a recent article that there may be ruins of a famous ancient Mayan city … in Georgia (the one famous for peaches and iced tea). Turns out an archaeologist he quoted in his book actually read his material and was pretty irked.
I’d love to see more of this (“unintentional peer review”). Other than Dan Brown in the wake of the DaVinci Code, it’s rare that scholars read any of this sort of amateur research. If they did, more of these sorts of enthusiasts would get called out. Most of the time they’d get embarrassed, but I believe that every once in a while they might get some help thinking differently about a topic (presuming the data are real). It’s even more interesting since the offended archaeologist had to read it in the Examiner (the online newspaper that sounds like the Onion at times but isn’t as funny).
Technorati Tags: Brasstown Bald, city, geogria, Mayan, native americans
2January2012
Posted by MSH under: Announcement.
As is my custom, the first post of the new year summarizes the stats from last year. Here they are:
Visits to the blog: 340,559
Page Views: 875,611
PaleoBabble had significant jumps in both statistical categories from 2010. Thanks to all of you who stop by and read!
28December2011
Posted by MSH under: Ancient Legends; archaeology; Cult Archaeology; Giants.
I’ve blogged before about giant human skeletons that aren’t giant human skeletons. The first two examples I blogged about were hoaxes, created with image editing software (see here and here). The Remnant of the Giants blog recently had an interesting post about a presumed giant human skeleton discovered in Belgium in 1643. Turned out the giant was a mammoth. This is typical, both in the ancient world (as chronicled by Adrienne Mayor) and, as this article points out, in modern times as well.
Technorati Tags: bones, giant, Giants, human, human skeleton, mammoth
28December2011
Posted by MSH under: Ancient Sites; archaeology.
Many readers have no doubt heard about the recent reports of the discovery of a ritual bath underneath the western wall of the Jerusalem temple mount, along with four First Century AD coins. You can read about the discovery here in the press release from the Jewish Antiquities Authority. The coins were struck by the Roman procurator of Judea, Valerius Gratus sometime between 17-18 AD. According to the press release, “This means that Robinson’s Arch, and possibly a longer part of the Western Wall, were constructed after this year – that is to say: at least twenty years after Herod’s death (which is commonly thought to have occurred in the year 4 BCE).”
Readers may recall that some time ago I blogged about the possibility that the precise location of the Jerusalem temple being incorrect. I referred readers to the work of Ernest Martin, kept alive for consideration by his estate here. I noted that Martin’s work raises some serious questions about the precise temple location that seem to simply get ignored or (in my experience at an academic conference) somewhat ridiculed, as opposed to cogently addressed and refuted. I’m no expert on the Temple Mount, but I am familiar with the issues that need to be addressed and wonder why no systematic refutation has been offered (counter-arguments have been offered, but those arguments were also addressed by Martin in detail — and that is where the subject died, or became something to be dismissed). At any rate, it would be nice to suppose that this new discovery might bring Martin’s work back into the discussion since he proposed that this part of the Temple Mount (in mainstream thinking; in Martin’s view he refers to it as the Haram esh-Sharif) was built well after Herod’s death (which Martin has at 1 BC, contrary to the accepted 4 BC – the issue is of significance due to the precise astronomical dating of Jesus’ birth if one takes Rev 12:1-6 as astronomical signage for the birth).
At any rate, I offer here a recent summary of the new discovery from David Sielaff, trustee of Martin’s work. I hope you will all find it of interest.
Technorati Tags: archaeology, coins, discovery, haram esh sharif, herod, Jerusalem, Martin, temple