Gobekli Tepe - Temples Communicating Ancient Cosmic Geography

Figure 1: Floor plans of three
sub-circular buildings at Gobekli Tepe
(Line drawing by Paul D. Burley)

During the 1960s archeologists from the University of Chicago surveyed a prominent ridge in southern Turkey. They found little of interest. In 1994 archeologist Klaus Schmidt visited the same ridge after reading notes the University of Chicago prepared of their survey. What Schmidt is unearthing on a rounded crest – Gobekli Tepe (Potbelly Hill) - of the ridge is stunning.

Since the early 1900s the human transition from hunter-gatherer to farmer was understood to have occurred over several thousand years, culminating in development of cities by about 6000 BCE in Sumer, the area located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in south-central Iraq. However the architecture of Gobekli Tepe is evidence of social organization and monumental construction that are far earlier than expected. Five-ton megalithic (mega: large, lithic: of rock) limestone pillars stand 18 feet above the floor of sub-circular structures, completed with stone and clay mortar walls and founded on bedrock below the surrounding ground surface. Floor plans of three of these buildings are shown in Figure 1. The pillars include bas relief of various animals – mostly predatory – such as wild boars, lions, foxes, scorpions, frogs, vultures, and other birds. The purpose of the structures remains unknown, but Schmidt interprets them as temples associated with an early organized religion in which animals were deified.

Iowa meteorite crater confirmed

Recent airborne geophysical surveys near Decorah, Iowa are providing an unprecedented look at a 470-million-year-old meteorite crater concealed beneath bedrock and sediments.

The aerial surveys, a collaboration of the U.S. Geological Survey with the Iowa and Minnesota Geological Surveys, were conducted in the last 60 days to map geologic structures and assess the mineral and water resources of the region.

“Capturing images of an ancient meteorite impact was a huge bonus,” said Paul Bedrosian, a USGS geophysicist who is leading the effort to model the recently acquired geophysical data. “These findings highlight the range of applications that these geophysical methods can address.”

Archaeological crusade: US tries to save ancient treasures

TORONTO — The fictional archaeologist Indiana Jones has long enthralled movie audiences, taking on assorted villains in quests to find mythical treasures, with some limited help from the government.

Minus any bullwhips, the real-life U.S. State Department works with other federal departments in a journey to protect important archaeological sites and ancient treasures in the face of conflict, according to professional archaeologists Morag Kersel and Christina Luke in their new book "U.S. Cultural Diplomacy and Archaeology: Soft Power, Hard Heritage" (Routledge, 2012).

Coral Clocks

Uranium dating of coral tools used by the earliest settlers of the South Pacific island kingdom of Tonga offers unprecedented precision in reconstructing their history.

About 3,000 years ago, inhabitants of New Guinea set their sights east and headed out to sea, sparking an expansion of humanity across thousands of miles to islands scattered across the South Pacific. Archaeologists have been able to track the migration of these pioneers, a group called the Lapita, by their distinctive pottery. But now, researchers are using advanced chemistry involving the coral tools used by these early explorers to more accurately reconstruct their maritime peregrinations.

Piramide din intreaga lume

Piramidele, de fiecare data cand sunt mentionate, ne duc cu gandul la faraoni si la Egipt. Despre motivul pentru care au fost construite aceste piramide s-au scris si inca se mai scriu multe carti. In timp ce aceste mistere raman nerezolvate, in intreaga lume exista piramide antice si moderne care ne atrag datorita misticului care le inconjoara. Structura piramidelor ce nu se afla in Egipt nu imita in totalitate pe cea a piramidelor ridicate de egipteni, deoarece forma si stilul difera de la un loc la altul.

Piramidele din Egipt

Cu exceptia Marii Piramide din Egipt, mai exista peste 100 alte piramide de diferite marimi. Piramida lui Djoser a fost construita in timpul faraonului cu acelasi nume, intre anii 2630 si 2611 I Hr. ca un mare mausoleum pentru conducator. Mormintele fostilor faraoni erau plate, pline de namol, dar arhitectul lui Djoser, Imhotep, a venit cu idea pentru ceva mult mai atractiv si mai durabil: o piramida din trepte, alcatuite din calcar, de mai bine de 60m inaltime. Imhotep, un cunoscut vindecator, a fost venerat mai tarziu ca zeu al medicinei in cultura greco-romana.

Турция, Каппадокия: подземный город Деринкую и каньон Ихлара

 У меня еще есть про осеннюю Турцию ;) На этот раз - про экскурсионный тур, который мы взяли на один прекрасный день, чтобы посмотреть несколько интересных каппадокийских объектов, расположенных довольно далеко от базы в Гореме.

Окаменелые останки огромной древней птицы найдены в Перу

Речь идет, скорее всего, о гигантском пеликане, высота которого достигала 1,8 метра. "Найденные ископаемые останки даже сохранили следы кожи, это сенсационная находка, так у нас нет задокументированных данных о чем-либо похожем ни в одной стране", - сказал палеонтолог Клаус Хеннингер.

МЕХИКО, 16 мар — РИА Новости, Дмитрий Знаменский. Сенсационную находку сделали перуанские палеонтологи: на юге страны ими обнаружены окаменелые останки древней птицы, жившей примерно 35 миллионов лет назад, сообщают в пятницу местные СМИ.

Canalul care leagă Dunărea de Marea Neagră a fost populat cu sirene

Fiinţele supranaturale, jumătate femei-jumătate peşte, au ajuns pe uscat, pe ramura nordică a Canalului Dunăre-Marea Neagră. Acestea pot fi văzute pe postamentele instalate pe marginea ramificaţiei Poarta Albă-Midia Năvodari, la intrările în oraşul Năvodari.

Statuile au înălţimea totală de 2 metri, sirenele fiind aşezate pe socluri amplasate de o parte şi de alta a podului de la intrarea în Năvodari. 

Cele 6 sirene par din bronz, dar sunt realizate din fibră de sticlă - comandă specială din Turcia. Ele completează un ansamblu de statui din care face parte şi Pescarul, sculptura amplasată în sensul giratoriu din centrul oraşului. 

Допотопный мир

«Потому тогдашний мир погиб, быв потоплен водою. А нынешние небеса и земля, содержимые тем же Словом, сберегаются огню на день суда и погибели нечестивых человеков» (2-е Петра 3:6-7)

В своих проповедях Иисус Христос говорил: «Но как было во дни Ноя так будет и в пришествие Сына Человеческого: ибо как во дни перед потопом ели, пили, женились и выходили замуж до того дня, как вошел Ной в ковчег, и не думали, пока не пришел потоп и не истребил всех, - так будет и в пришествие Сына Человеческого». (Матфея 24:37-39).

Биологи обнаружили под океанским дном необычную жизнь

Океаническая кора — это тип земной коры, которая находится на дне океана. Она образовывается вследствие столкновения тектонических плит, когда расплавленная лава соединяется с морской водой и застывает. Такая кора покрывает 60% земной поверхности и, как выяснилось, является естественной средой обитания для необычных микроорганизмов.

В 2004 году группа учёных во главе с геомикробиологом из Орхусского университета Марком Левером (Mark Lever) отправилась изучать океаническую кору, находящуюся в проливе Хуан-де-Фука. Левер отмечает, что этот объект заинтересовал не только геологов, но и микробиологов.