Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. The first large-scale study of ancient human DNA from sub-Saharan Africa opens a long-awaited window into the identity and origins of prehistoric populations.
Whole-genome sequences of Sub-Saharan tribal DNA shows that the ancestors of the hunter-gatherers interbred with one or more archaic human populations, and contributed archaic genetics that diverged from modern humans around 1.2 to 1.3 million years ago, possibly the now "extinct" Homo erectus, who's DNA is not shared by modern Asians or Caucasians (Europeans).
Phoenicia was a sea-faring civilization, that included the coastal areas of today's Lebanon, northern Israel, and Southern Syria from about 1550 BC to 300 BC. The Phoenician writing system became widely used, spread by their merchants across the Mediterranean, where its alphabet evolved and was assimilated by many other cultures.
Dabke is a folk dance native to the Eastern Mediterranean, the Palestinian Dabke jumps may have origins in ancient Canaanite fertility rites, where the Phoenicians were probably the first teachers of the dance to the rest of the world. Generally speaking, ancient dances were often connected with religious rituals, a link that was common up to the 16th century and still continues in some countries. Robert Sepehr is an author, producer and independent anthropologist.
Walter Bower wrote his compendium of Scottish history, Scotichronicon, in the 1440s. He referenced his chronicle from ancient texts and oral history, and what he recorded was astounding. According to Bower, the Scottish people were not an amalgam of Picts, Scots and other European peoples, but were in fact Egyptians, who could trace their ancestry directly back to a pharaoh's daughter and her husband, a Greek king.The queen's name was Scota – from where comes the name Scotland. The Greek king was Gaythelos – hence Gaelic, and their son was known as Hiber – which gives us Hibernia.
The story goes back further and was even included in The Declaration of Arbroath. This seminal document - written in 1320 by the Barons and noblemen of Scotland - was a letter imploring the Pope to intervene on their behalf during the Wars of Independence. The text refers to "the ancients" who "journeyed from Greater Scythia … and the Pillars of Hercules … to their home in the west where they still live today".
According to tradition, this royal family was expelled from Egypt during a time of great uprising. They sailed west, settling initially in Spain before travelling to Ireland and then on to the west coast of Scotland.
This same race of people eventually battled and triumphed over the Picts to become the Scots – the people who united this country.
Scota, Egyptian Queen of the Scots, by Ralph Ellis, claims to prove that this origin myth was no made-up story but the actual recording of an Egyptian exodus that did indeed conclude in Scotland. Using Manetho's text, Ellis establishes that Scota was really Ankhesenamun, daughter of Akhenaton and Nefertiti, and wife of Tutankhamen. He also finds that far from being a Greek king, Gaythelos was a pharaoh himself – Aye.
Ellis in not alone, anthropologist Robert Sepehr puts forth a powerful argument involving genetics, linguistics, and archeology which refutes the obsolete notion put forth by academia and the controlled media.
An analysis of artifacts retrieved from Bronze Age burial sites reveals that Denmark and ancient Egypt traded with one another 3,400 years ago, and possibly practiced similar religious rituals.
Scientists from the National Museum in Denmark and the Institute of Archaeo-materials Research in France used a technique called plasma mass spectrometry to examine the chemical composition of trace elements in glass that had been excavated by archaeologists in the late 19th century.
One such relic had been found in the Danish grave of a wealthy woman, lying in a hollowed-out oak trunk and wearing a belt disc, a string skirt with tinkling, shining small bronze tubes, and an overarm bracelet made of two pieces of amber and a single blue glass bead. A similar piece of jewelry, retrieved from another grave, was a necklace made with four pieces of amber and a blue bead. The analyses revealed that the chemical composition of the cobalt blue beads matched glass that had been made in ancient Egypt.
In fact, the researchers say the glass originated from the same workshops that had manufactured the blue glass inlays found in Tutankhamen's gold death mask. The beads likely came to Denmark from Egypt by way of Greece. Conversely, amber from Nordic countries was exported southward during this period. Jewelry made from amber was found among the items in the burial chambers of Tutankhamen and other pharaohs.
The Danish and French researchers believe there was a religious significance attached to the Danish jewelry. A common trait of both glass and amber is that sunlight penetrates their surfaces. When a Danish woman in the Bronze Age took a piece of jewelry made of amber and blue glass with her to the grave, the scientists say, it might have constituted a prayer to the sun to ensure that she would be re-united with it and share her fate with the sun on its eternal journey.
Although similar religious motifs can emerge independently of one another, the apparent importance of the single blue bead has led the researchers to speculate whether Nordic religious practices were influenced by Egypt, where the color blue was associated with the sun deity Amun-Ra. One of Horus' titles was "Horus of the blue eyes".
The eye of Horus, the so-called Wedjat Eye, is always blue. In the Book of the Dead, the eyes of the god Horus are described as "shining," or "brilliant," whilst another passage refers more explicitly to "Horus of the blue eyes". The rubric to the 140th chapter of said book, states that the amulet known as the "Eye of Horus," (used to ward-off the "Evil Eye"), must always be made from lapis-lazuli, a mineral which is blue in color. It should be noted that the Goddess Wadjet, who symbolized the Divine Eye of Horus, was represented by a snake (a hooded cobra to be precise), and her name, when translated from the original Egyptian, means "blue-green".
Interestingly, the ancient Scandanavians claimed that anyone who was blue-eyed (and therefore possessed the power of the Evil Eye), had "a snake in the eye," and blue eyes were frequently compared to the eyes of a serpent. In the ancient Pyramid Texts, the Gods are said to have blue and green eyes. The Graeco-Roman author Diodorus Siculus, says that the Egyptians thought the goddess Neith had blue eyes.
The latest news of the progress of the explorations of what is now regarded by scientists as not only the oldest archaeological discovery in the United States, but one of the most valuable in the world, which was mentioned some time ago in the Gazette, was brought to the city yesterday by G.E. Kinkaid, the explorer who found the great underground citadel of the Grand Canyon during a trip from Green River, Wyoming, down the Colorado in a wooden boat, to Yuma, several months ago.
According to the story in the Gazette by Mr. Kinkaid, the archaeologist of the Smithsonian Institute, which is financing the explorations, have made discoveries which almost conclusively prove that the race which inhabited this mysterious cavern, hewn in solid rock by human hands, was of Oriental origin or possibly from Egypt tracing back to Ramses. If their theories are borne out of the translation of the tablets engraved with hieroglyphics, the mystery of the prehistoric peoples of North America, their ancient arts, who they were and whence they came, will be solved. Egypt and the Nile and Arizona and the Colorado will be linked by a historical chain running back to ages which staggers the wildest fancy of the fictionist.
A Thorough Investigation
Under the direction of professor S.A. Jordan, the Smithsonian Institute is now prosecuting the most thorough explorations, which will be continued until the last link in the chain has been forged. Nearly a mile underground, about 1480 feet below the surface, the long main passage has been delved into, to find another mammoth chamber from which radiates scores of passageways, like the spokes of a wheel. Several hundred rooms have been discovered, reached by passageways running from the main passage, one of them having been explored for 854 feet and another 634 feet.
The recent finds include articles which have never been known as native to this country and doubtless they had their origin in the Orient. War weapons, copper instruments sharp edged and hard as steel, indicate the high state of civilization reached by these strange people. So interested have the scientists become that preparations are being made to equip the camp for extensive studies and the force will be increased to thirty or forty persons. Before going further into the cavern, better facilities for lighting have to be installed, for the darkness is dense and impenetrable for the average flash light. In order to avoid being lost, wires are being strung from the entrance to all passageways leading directly to large chambers. How far this cavern extends no one can guess, but it is now the belief of many that what has already been explored is merely the “Barracks”, to use an American term, for the soldiers, and that far into the underworld will be found the main communal dwellings of the families and possibly other shrines. The ventilation that blows through indicates another outlet to the surface.
Mr. Kinkaids Report
Mr. Kinkaid was the first white child born in Idaho and has been an explorer and hunter all his life. Thirty years having been in the service of the Smithsonian Institute. Even briefly recounted, his history sounds fabulous, almost grotesque.
“First, I would impress that the cavern is almost inaccessible. The entrance is almost 1486 feet down a shear canyon wall. It is located on government land and no visitor will be allowed there under penalty of trespass. The scientists wish to work unmolested, without fear of the archaeological discoveries being disturbed by curio or relic hunters. A trip there would be fruitless and the visitor would be sent on his way.
The story of how I found the cavern: I was journeying down the Colorado river in a boat, alone, looking for mineral. Some forty two miles up the river from El Tovar Crystal canyon, I saw on the east wall, stains in the sedimentary formation about 2000 feet above the river bed. There was no trail to this point, but I finally reached it with great difficulty. Above a shelf, which hid it from view of the river, was the mouth of the cave. There are steps leading from this entrance some thirty yards from what was at the time the cavern was inhabited, the level of the river. When I saw the chisel marks on the wall inside the entrance, I became interested, secured my gun and went in. During that trip I went back several hundred feet along the main passage, till I came to the main crypt in which I discovered the mummies.
One of these I stood up and photographed by flashlight. I gathered a number of relics, which I carried down the Colorado to Yuma, from whence I shipped them to Washington with details of the discovery. Following this, the explorations were undertaken”.
The Passages
“The main passageway is about 12 feet wide, narrowing to 9 feet toward the farther end. About 57 feet from the entrance, the first passages branch off to the right and left, along which, on both sides, are a number of rooms about the size of ordinary living rooms of today, though some are 30 to 40 feet square.
These are entered by oval shaped doors and are ventilated by round air spaces through the walls into the passages. The walls are about 3 feet 6 inches in thickness. The passages are chiseled or hewn as straight as could be laid out by any engineer. The ceilings of many of the rooms converge to a center. The side passages near the entrance run at a sharp angle from the main hall, but toward the rear they gradually reach a right angle in direction”.
The Shrine
“Over a hundred feet from the entrance is a cross-hall, several hundred feet long, in which was found the idol, or image, of the peoples god, sitting cross-legged, with a Lotus flower or Lily in each hand. The cast of the face and the carving shows a skillful hand, and the entire is remarkably well preserved, as is everything in this cavern. The idol most resembles Buddha, though the scientists are not certain as to what religious worship it represents. Taking into consideration everything found thus far, it is possible that the worship most resembles the ancient people of Thibet. Surrounding this idol are smaller images, some beautiful in form, other crooked necked and distorted shapes, symbolical, probably, of good and evil. There are two large cacti with protruding arms, one on each side of the dais on which the god squats. All this is carved out of hard rock resembling marble.
In the opposite corner of this cross-hall were found tools of all descriptions, made of copper. This people undoubtedly knew the lost art of hardening this metal, which has been sought by chemists for centuries without result. On a bench running around the workroom was some charcoal and other material probably used in the process. There is also slag and stuff similar to matte, showing that these ancient peoples smelted ores, but so far, no trace of where of how this was done has been discovered, nor the origin of the ore. Among other finds are vases or urns and cups of copper and gold made very artistic in design. The pottery work includes enameled ware and glazed vessels.
Another passageway leads to granaries such as are found in the Oriental temples. They contain seeds of various kinds. One very large storehouse has not been entered, as it is twelve feet high and can be reached only from above. Two copper hooks extend on the edge, (continued on page 7) which indicates that some sort of ladder was attached. These granaries are rounded and the materials of which they are constructed, I think, is a very hard cement. A grey metal is also found in this cavern which puzzles the scientists, for it’s identity has not been established. It resembles platinum. Strewn promiscuously over the floor everywhere are what people call “Cats eyes” or “Tiger eyes”, a yellow stone of no great value. Each one is engraved with a head of a Malay type.”
The Hieroglyphics
“On all the urns, on the walls over the doorways and tablets of stone which were found by the image are mysterious hieroglyphics, the key to which the Smithsonian Institution hopes yet to discover. These writings resemble those found on the rocks about this valley. The engraving on the tablets probably has something to do with the religion of the people, Similar hieroglyphics have been found in the peninsula of Yucatan, but these are not found in the Orient. Some believe that these cave dwellers built the old canals in the Salt River valley. Among the pictorial writings only two animals are found. One is of prehistoric type”.
The Crypt
“The tomb or crypt in which the mummies are found is one of the largest of the chambers, the walls slanting back at an angle of about 35 degrees. One these are tiers of mummies, each one occupying a separate hewn shelf. At the head of each is a small bench on which is found copper cups and pieces of broken swords. Some of the mummies are covered with clay and all are wrapped in a bark fabric. The urns or cups on the lower tiers are crude, while as the higher shelves are reached, the urns are finer in design showing an inter-stage of civilization. It is worthy of note that all the mummies examined so far have proved to be male, no children or females being buried here. This leads to the belief that this interior section was the warriors barracks.
Among the discoveries no bones of animals have been found, no skins, no clothing nor bedding. Many of the rooms are bare but for the water vessels. One room, about 400 by 700 feet, was probably the main dining hall for cooking utensils are found here. What these people lived on is a problem, though it is presumed that they came south for the winter and farmed in the valleys, going back north in the summer. Upwards of 50,000 people could have lived in the cavern comfortably.
One theory is that the present Indian tribe found in Arizona are descendants of the serfs or slaves of the people which inhabited the cave. Undoubtedly a good many thousands of years before the Christian era a people lived here which reached a high state of civilization. The chronology of human history is full of gaps. Prof. Jordan is much enthused over the discoveries and believes that the find will prove of incalculable value in archaeological work.
One thing I have spoken of may be of interest. There is one chamber the passageways to which is not ventilated and when we approach it a deadly, snaky smell struck us. Our lights would not penetrate the gloom and until stronger ones are available, we will not know what the chamber contains. Some say snakes, but others boo-hoo this idea and think that it may contain a deadly gas or chemicals used by the ancients. No sounds are heard, but it smells just the same.
The whole underground institution gives one of shaky nerves the creeps. The gloom is like a weight on ones shoulders and our flashlights and candles only make the darkness blacker. Imagination can revel in conjectures and ungodly day-dreams back through the ages that have elapsed till the mind reels dizzily in space.
An Indian Legend
In connection with this story, it is notable that among the Hopis the tradition is told that their ancestors once lived in an underworld in the Grand Canyon till dissension arose between the good and the bad, the people of one heart, the people of two hearts. (Manchoto) who was their chief, counselled them to leave the underworld, but there was no way out. The chief then caused a tree to grow up and pierce the roof of the underworld and then the people of one heart climbed out. They tarried by Palsiaval (Red River), which is the Colorado, and grew grain and corn. They sent out a message to the temple of the sun, asking the blessing of peace, good will and rain for the people of one heart. That messenger never returned but, today at the Hopi village, at sundown can be seen the old men of the tribe out on the housetops gazing towards the sun, looking for the messenger. When he returns, their land and ancient dwelling place will be restored to them. That is the tradition.
Among the engravings of animals in the cave is seen a image of a heart over the spot where it is located. The legend was learned by W.E. Rollins, the artist, during a year spent with the Hopi Indians. There are two theories of the origin of the Egyptians. One is that they came from Asia: another is that the racial cradle was in the upper Nile region. Heeren, an Egyptologist, believed in the Indian origin of the Egyptians. The discoveries in the Grand Canyon may throw further light on human evolution and prehistoric ages.”
The Smithsonian Says they have no record of this happening and stories of a massive cover up have be around since the story made print in 1909. I guess one must pose the question as to why this finding must be suppressed for over 100 years. Perhaps solid proof of things that proved lies in the history of our word, or a alien base kept hidden for who knows how long before it’s discovery in 1909. In a world that fears solid proof more each day, we man never know.
The muses inspired Hesiod to write the 800-line epic poem called Works and Days. In it, Hesiod tells a Greek creation story that traces the lineage of mankind through 5 successive “ages” or “races”.
Golden Age – The Golden Age is the only age that falls within the rule of Cronus. It is said that people lived among the gods, and freely mingled with them. Peace and harmony prevailed during this age. Humans did not have to work to feed themselves, for the earth provided food in abundance. They lived to a very old age but with a youthful appearance and eventually died peacefully. Their spirits live on as “guardians”. Plato in Cratylus (397 e) recounts the golden race of men who came first. He clarifies that Hesiod did not mean men literally made of gold, but good and noble. He describes these men as daemons upon the earth. Since δαίμονες (daimones) is derived from δαήμονες (daēmones, meaning knowing or wise), they are beneficent, preventing ills, and guardians of mortal men.
Silver Age – The Silver Age and every age that follows fall within the rule of Cronus’ successor and son, Zeus. Men in the Silver age lived for one hundred years under the dominion of their mothers. They lived only a short time as grown adults, and spent that time in strife with one another. During this Age men refused to worship the gods and Zeus destroyed them for their impiety. After death, humans of this age became “blessed spirits” of the underworld.
Bronze Age – Men of the Bronze Age were hard. War was their purpose and passion. Not only arms and tools, but their very homes were forged of bronze. The men of this age were undone by their own violent ways and left no named spirits but dwell in the “dank house of Hades”. It came to an end with the flood of Deucalion.
Heroic Age – The Heroic Age is the one age that does not correspond with any metal. It is also the only age that improves upon the age it follows. In this period men lived with noble demigods and heroes. It was the heroes of this Age who fought at Thebes and Troy. This race of humans died and went to Elysium.
Iron Age – Hesiod finds himself in the Iron Age. During this age humans live an existence of toil and misery. Children dishonor their parents, brother fights with brother and the social contract between guest and host (xenia) is forgotten. During this age might makes right, and bad men use lies to be thought good. At the height of this age, humans no longer feel shame or indignation at wrongdoing; babies will be born with gray hair and the gods will have completely forsaken humanity: “there will be no help against evil.”
There is a fascinating history of morning dew being used in early chemistry, called alchemy. It was found to be remarkably medicinal, and was even used by the father of modern medicine and chemistry Paracelsus.
The health benefits of drinking morning dew are legendary and secretive. Even the Rosicrucian Order is named after dew. ROS means dew, CRUCIS means crucible or flask. This is why the proper symbol for the Rosicrucian Order is a picture of a rose flower with dew droplets on the petals.
The Order of the Golden Dawn is a secret society which was formed by members of the Rosicrucian Order who split off to form their own group. The name was chosen because it represents their primary source or main ingredient for their Elixir of Life and Philosopher's Stone which can turn lead to gold.
There is also another society called the Order of the Morning Star, which refers to the planet Venus which shines like a bright star and rises only just before sunrise, which happens to be when morning dew is falling at it's highest levels. The Latin word Lucifer, corresponding to Greek Phosphorus, means "Light-Bringer", and is associated with Venus's morning appearance.
From the manuscripts of these secret societies, we find a recipe for an Elixir of Life which was believed to cure every disease and be a veritable panacea, or 'cure all'. Dew was seen as the collector of moon light, and was represented by the metal silver. Sea salt was seen as he collector of sun light because over 80% of the earth is sea water exposed to the sun. By simply dissolving natural unprocessed sea salt in morning dew until it reaches it's saturation point and can hold no more, then digesting for a few weeks at 120°F (named by the alchemists the bath of Belneo Mary and abbreviated B.M.), a black powder forms and precipitates.
The black powder is removed and dried, then heated until it turns gray. It is then placed in new morning dew water, and again heated for several weeks until it lightens further. After several cycles of these digestions and calcinations of the material, it becomes snow white. It can then be heated on a silver plate, and will melt like wax.
It is a powerful medicine, and extremely potent. Only 5 drops per day would be prescribed to cure even the most wicked of disease, and also wonderfully improves the mental, emotional, and psychic functioning.
But the alchemists also found that this white liquid is able to dissolve gold and silver like ice in warm water, if the metal be in thin leaf form. And once digested, the metal solution becomes blackened, then goes through color changes to end as a beautiful red if gold is used, or white if silver was used. By this method a stone is made which is able to perform the seemingly impossible feat of transmutation of lead to gold or silver.
What is even more incredible is the fact this "stone" will begin to glow like a hot coal if made from gold and simply digested 7 times with the white dew/salt which dissolves it and putrefies it. And if made from silver, it begins to glow with a white fluorescent light.
However, a few of the old texts indicate the alchemists did not mean gold and silver as we know them, but instead meant antimony for gold, and bismuth for silver.
Some also wrote that both the white and red stones should be combined to produce the true completed Philosopher's Stone, which will glow with a distinct ruby red gleam instead of the soft 'hot coal' orange glow of the red stone when it's alone. This stone is also heavier than lead because it contains bismuth, and thus fits well with the descriptions written down by the alchemists for the past eight centuries.
Khem was an ancient name for the land of Egypt; and both the words alchemy and chemistry are derived from it. Egypt, likely because of the color of its fertile soil, was called "the black empire" and is referred to in the Old Testament as "the land of darkness."
Alchemy has long been known as "the black art," not in the sense of evil but in the sense of that darkness which has always enshrouded its secret processes.
The Chaldeans, Phoenicians, and Babylonians were familiar with the principles of alchemy, as were many early Asian races. It was practiced in Greece and Rome; was the master science of the Egyptians. According to the fragmentary writings of those early peoples, alchemy was to them no speculative art.
During the Middle Ages, alchemy was not only a philosophy and a science but also a religion. Those who rebelled against the religious limitations of their day concealed their philosophic teachings under the allegory of gold-making. In this way they preserved their personal liberty and were ridiculed rather than persecuted.
Scientists at Zurich-based DNA genealogy center, iGENEA, have reconstructed the DNA profile of King Tut, his father Akhenaten and grandfather Amenhotep III.
Researchers discovered that King Tut belonged to a genetic profile group known as haplogroup R1b1a2. More than 50 per cent of all men in Western Europe belong to this genetic group as do up to 70 per cent of British men. But among modern-day Egyptians, less than 1 per cent of residents belong to this haplogroup, according to scientists.
King Tut and Europeans share a common ancestor genetically who lived in the Caucasus region, the blue-eyed race spreading out with agricultural about 9,500 years ago.
The geneticists were not sure how Tutankhamun’s paternal lineage came to Egypt from its region of origin, though it is clear that technology such as chariots and domesticated horses was introduced from a foreign source.
Along with the discovery, researchers made another announcement this week: they will conduct testing to find which modern-day European is the closest living relative of King Tut. “The offer has only been publicized for three days but we have already seen a lot of interest,” Roman Scholz, lead director at the DNA genealogy center in Zurich, Switzerland.
Dating almost 6,000 years to the Pre-dynastic period of ancient Egypt, this figure is of a man, with a shaven head and a long pointed beard.
There is little detail on the figure but what there is, is concentrated on the face, his eyes are inlaid with light green stones and are the most arresting part of the figure.
This is already typical of Egyptian art - they are obsessed with the eyes and more attention is usually given to them than almost any other aspect of a person. Louvre, Paris, France.
Archaeologists in Egypt have recently unearthed a beautiful 5,000+ year-old wooden statue, complete with gold wrapping paper and precious lapis lazuli stones as striking blue eyes, dated from Egypt's pre-dynastic era (3,700-3,200 BC), before the age of pharaohs, among the oldest such artifacts ever found to date.
Although part of the African continent, North Africa is academically considered part of the Middle East, with primarily sea-faring Caucasoid populations inhabiting and ruling the region surrounding the mediterranean and the Nile. Looking at this population map, one can see why. The Sahara desert is a massive natural barrier that has seperated North African from Sub-Saharan African populations for many millenia.
The map below shows the distribution of Cro magnon archeological sites where fossil discoveries have been made.
It shows the distribution in Europe as occurring in France, in the Pyrenees, along the Atlantic coast of Portugal, in southern coast of Spain on either side of the Straits of Gibraltar, in northern Morocco on the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts and along rivers.
What a visual check of the map makes clear is that Cro Magnon sites hug the Western shores facing the Atlantic Ocean for Europe and northern Africa. And as referenced above, the number of sites thin out as one moves eastward.
The Cro Magnon civilization came from the West, and arrived in "waves". They had developed their culture somewhere west from the Atlantic, and arrived fully developed when encountering Neanderthal occupied Europe.
Atlantis was likely located in the Atlantic Ocean generally across from the same areas that were heavily populated by Cro magnon.
Occultist Madam Blavatsky asserts a land connection in ancient days between Atlantis and North Africa:
What is now N.W. Africa was once connected with Atlantis by a network of islands, few of which now remain. (SDii790)
When examining the scientific evidence, the conclusion is clear. Cro Magnon came from somewhere in the Atlantic, not sub-Saharan Africa, possibly the fabled Atlantis from which the Atlantic is said to have received its name. Of course science can not place their origin, as their origin is not there any more. It sank below the rising sea levels, which have been rising since the ice age ended.
Dating almost 6,000 years to the Pre-dynastic period of ancient Egypt, this figure is of a man, with a shaven head and a long pointed beard.
There is little detail on the figure but what there is, is concentrated on the face, his eyes are inlaid with light green stones and are the most arresting part of the figure.
This is already typical of Egyptian art - they are obsessed with the eyes and more attention is usually given to them than almost any other aspect of a person. Louvre, Paris, France.
Archaeologists in Egypt have recently unearthed a beautiful 5,000+ year-old wooden statue, complete with gold wrapping paper and precious lapis lazuli stones as striking blue eyes, dated from Egypt's pre-dynastic era (3,700-3,200 BC), before the age of pharaohs, among the oldest such artifacts ever found to date.
The female statue to the left is from the early pre-dynastic period (4000-3600 BC).
The earliest three-dimensional representations of humans from ancient Egypt, this nearly 6,000 year old example is made from bone, the large and striking blue eyes are lapis lazuli precious stones.
Archaeologists using DNA testing said they have identified a mummy as Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt's most powerful female pharaoh. "We are 100 percent certain" that the mummy is that of Hatshepsut, Egypt's antiquities chief Zahi Hawass told The Associated Press.
The mummy was discovered in 1903 in the Valley of the Kings, but it was left in place until being moved recently.
Archaeologists then took the mummy to the Cairo Museum for testing, said Hawass, setting up a DNA lab in the basement of the Museum. The study was funded by The Discovery Channel, which is set to air an exclusive documentary on the find.
The key clue turned out to be a molar. The royal tooth was found in a beautiful jar bearing the queen's insignia and containing some of her embalmed organs. The tooth was found to perfectly fit a gap in the mummy's jaw.
The Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt
The mummy identified as Hatshepsut died in her 50s, Hawass said. He said she probably had diabetes and may have also suffered from liver cancer. When the mummy was discovered, the left hand was positioned against her chest, which is a traditional sign of royalty in ancient Egypt. The archeological team is still conducting DNA testing that they hope will conclusively confirm the find.
The Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt
Molecular geneticist Yehia Zakaria Gad said DNA samples were taken from the mummy's pelvis and femur, so that more genetic tests can be run that compare the mummy to the queen's grandmother, Amos Nefreteri, who was previously identified. Gad said preliminary results are "very encouraging."
Hatshepsut ruled Egypt in the 15th century B.C. and was known for dressing like a man and wearing a false beard. When her reign ended, all traces of her disappeared. Her 22-year rule ended in 1453 B.C. and was the longest among ancient Egyptian queens.
Ziggurats ("to build on a raised area") were massive structures erected in the ancient Mesopotamian valley and western Iranian plateau, having the form of a terraced step pyramid of successively receding stories or levels. Ziggurats were built by the Sumerians, Babylonians, Elamites, Akkadians, and Assyrians, each part of a temple complex which included other buildings.
Sun-baked bricks made up the core of the ziggurat with facings of fired bricks on the outside. The facings were often glazed in different colors and may have had astrological significance. Kings sometimes had their names engraved on these glazed bricks. The number of tiers ranged from two to seven; Herodotus describes shrines at the top.
Access to the shrine would have been by a series of ramps on one side of the ziggurat or by a spiral ramp from base to summit. The Mesopotamian ziggurats were not places for public worship or ceremonies. They were believed to be dwelling places for the gods and each city had its own patron god/goddess.
Only priests were permitted on the ziggurat or in the rooms at its base, and it was their responsibility to care for the gods and attend to their needs. The priests were very powerful members of Sumerian society.
An example of a simple ziggurat is the White Temple of Uruk, in ancient Sumer. The ziggurat itself is the base on which the White Temple is set. Its purpose is to get the temple closer to the heavens, and provide access from the ground to it via steps.
The Mesopotamians believed that these pyramid temples connected heaven and earth. In fact, the ziggurat at Babylon was known as Etemenankia or "House of the Platform between Heaven and Earth".
One practical function of the ziggurats was a high place on which the priests could escape rising water that annually inundated lowlands and occasionally flooded for hundreds of miles. Another practical function of the ziggurat was for security. Since the shrine was accessible only by way of three stairways, a small number of guards could prevent non-priests from the shrine on top.
Each ziggurat was part of a temple complex that included a courtyard, storage rooms, bathrooms, and living quarters, around which a city was built. There are 32 known Mesopotamian ziggurats; Four in Iran, and the rest mostly in Iraq.
Image from the movie 300: Rise of an Empire
It has been suggested that the ziggurat was a symbolic representation of the primeval mound upon which the universe was thought to have been created. The temples of the Sumerians were believed to be a cosmic axis, a vertical bond between heaven and earth, and the earth and the underworld, and a horizontal bond between the lands. Built on seven levels the ziggurat represented seven heavens and planes of existence, the seven planets and the seven metals associated with them and their corresponding colors.
There is archeological evidence supporting a direct link between Mesopotamian ziggurats and the pyramids of Egypt.
From Egypt, it crossed the ocean to the pre-Colombian societies of Central and South America, which explains similarities between Mesopotamian ziggurats, Mesoamerican pyramids, and pyramids under or on islands of the Atlantic.
DNA analysis on Native Americans began in the 1980s, but with rapid technological improvements, research intensified greatly in recent times. Although results from early studies showed the expected Siberian-Asia ancestry of the majority of modern Native American tribes, things took an unexpected turn in 1997.
At that point it was found that a percentage of modern Native Americans have an unusual type of DNA then known to exist only in a few locations in Europe and the Middle East. Subsequent research indicated that the European DNA was not the result of genetic mixing after Columbus. In addition, the same DNA was later found in the bone of an ancient American burial confirming that people carrying this unique DNA had entered America in ancient times.
The first research on living Native American tribes showed they were comprised of four distinct mtDNA haplogroups called A, B, C, and D. This means that the Native Americans are derived from four different lineages.
Based on the mutations found in the mtDNA, most researchers think that groups A, C, and D entered America from Siberia across Beringia.
Group B, they assert, probably came to America from the South Pacific or Japan via boats. It is believed the B groups began this migration not long after the A, C, and D groups arrived.
In 1997, a fifth mtDNA haplogroup was identified in Native Americans. This group, called "X," is present in three percent of living Native Americans, Haplogroup X was not then found in Asia, but was found only in Europe and the Middle East, primarily in parts of Spain, Bulgaria, Finland, Italy, and Israel.
Archaeologists and geneticists are certain that the presence of "X" in America is not the result of historic intermarriages. It is of ancient origin. In addition, the "X" type has now been found in the ancient remains of the Basque.
Among Native American tribes, the X haplogroup has been found in small numbers in the Yakima, Sioux, and Navaho tribes. It has been found to a larger degree in the Ojibway, Oneota, and Nuu-Chah-Nulth tribes. The X haplogroup has also been discovered in ancient remains in Illinois near Ohio and a few other areas near the Great Lakes. It has not (so far) been found In South or Central American tribes including the (modern) Maya.
The X haplogroup appears to have entered America in limited numbers perhaps as long ago as 34,000 B.C. Around 12,000 B.C. to 10,000 B.C. it appeared in much greater numbers.
It is important to note that not all Native American tribes have been categorized by mtDNA analysis and that relatively few ancient remains have been tested.
The Americas were settled early and many different racial groups came. Several different waves of migration probably occurred. The Initial wave seems to have occurred around 35,000 BC, around the same time that Cro magnon types show up in Western Europe.
The X type in ancient America appears to be linked to the Iroquois. This tribe, of course, was, according to Cayce, partly the remnant of Atlantean survivors from its final destruction in 10,000 B.C.
The finding of the X group In the north Gobi-dwelling Altasians is hailed as proof that all American migrations came from Siberia via the Bering Straits, yet it seems unlikely.
With the X type being present in the Middle East, Europe, the ancient Basques, and America, a migration from the Gobi to all of these areas is doubtful.
The B haplogroup, found only in aboriginal groups in Southeast Asia, China, Japan, Melanesia, and Polynesia, may represent the people of Mu. Both Chinese and Japanese archaeologists take the idea of Mu seriously, and the B haplogroup findings closely match the story Cayce told about the continent. Most of the people of Mu who escaped the destruction in 50,000 B.C. escaped to China, India, and Japan.
Some time later, descendants of these peoples could have traveled to America. While Cayce said that some people from Mu entered the Americas, he did not indicate the time period when the majority of them came. We only know that it was after 50,000 B.C. and prior to 28,000 B.C.
Cayce Indicated that the largest migration from Atlantis occurred just before 10,000 BC, many of these Atlantean survivors went to the Northeastern coastal areas of America and Canada becoming the Iroquois. The Atlanteans migrating to the Americas merged with the people already present in America by that time.
The Atlanteans became leaders of the tribes and had serious disputes among themselves that were reflected in ongoing violent conflict. This is confirmed by the Iroquois' ancient history that tells of constant battles resulting in distant displacements of entire tribes to ensure their survival.
Perhaps the most astonishing confirmation of Cayce's story of ancient America is the presence of haplogroup X. What is known is that the X haplogroup first showed up in America perhaps 34,000 years ago, but its main entry occurred in 10,000 B.C. These dates match Cayce's timeframe for Atlantean migrations as well as the occurrence of X in the specific tribes predicted by his statements.
The X group also appears to have shown up in ancient Iberia and in the Basques about the same time as well as in the Gobi. These dates match Cayce's story of the final two destructions of Atlantis and the resulting migrations.
