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Nearly 4500 years later, in 3150 BC, still another cometary object smashed
into the earth, this time in the eastern Mediterranean. The cataclysm caused
by this cometary impact, with massive waves radiating outward in all
directions from the location of the impact, devastated coastal civilizations
all around the Mediterranean (for example, Dead Sea levels rose 300 feet at
this time). While less destructive in a global sense than the seven cometary
impacts of 7640 BC, the 3150 BC impact gave rise to a large number of flood
myths, such as those associated with Sodom and Gomorrah, and Noah's ark.
Following this catastrophic event, the oldest societies with written records
- Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Indus Valley - emerged without any cultural
antecedents. Seemingly out of nowhere there rapidly appeared a uniform code
of laws, the wheel, and keen knowledge of astronomy.
It is certainly not a coincidence that these three centers of sophisticated
culture emerged simultaneously in different geographic locations. Rather it
is indicative of the 'seeding' of advanced culture into these areas by a
pre-impact civilization. Evidence presented in Uriel's Machine points to the
likelihood that the highly advanced astronomical and mathematical
information were transferred from the early megalithic culture of
northwestern Europe to the regions of both Egypt and Mesopotamia, whence it
later influenced the sacred geography of the Greeks. In support of this
matter, the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry (that which was in effect until
1813) speaks of the achievements of a Pre-Flood people, who were advanced in
the sciences of Mathematics and Astronomy, who foresaw the coming of the
flood, and who transferred this information to the early Egyptians. A
Mediterranean account of an extraterrestrial impact also occurs in the
Sibylline Oracles, which refer to a 'star' falling into the sea and causing
the rapid onset of a long period of winter temperatures. Additionally, the
Book of Enoch, a part of the Dead Sea Scrolls, contains the tale of a man
who had been warned about the effects of cometary impacts and taught
survival skills by a people from the far northwest of Europe. Astronomical
data in the Book of Enoch indicates latitude between 52 and 59 degrees
north, the same general location as the astronomically advanced megalithic
culture. Specific directions are also given in the Book of Enoch concerning
how to build an astronomical observation device (a horizon declinometer or
stone ring) that can be used to recreate calendars and thereby assist in the
re-establishment of agriculture following a great flood. To read more about
the seven cometary impacts of 7640 BC and the early megalithic responses to
them, refer to Uriel's Machine by Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas.
Lastly, between 3113 BC and 1198 BC, there were the pass-by and eventual
impact of the cometary object (called Proto-Encke) which destroyed the
legendary island of Atlantis, located approximately 250 miles west of the
Straits of Gibraltar. In his dialogues, Critias and Timaeus, Plato states
that Atlantis sank beneath the waters following a great cataclysm 9000 years
before his time. Until recently, the notion of a sunken island in the
Atlantic was considered preposterous yet recent geological, oceanographic,
climatological and biological studies have conclusively shown that numerous
islands did indeed exist in the Atlantic and other parts of the world in
Paleolithic and Neolithic times.
However, a more perplexing mystery concerning Plato's account was the time
he had given for the sinking of Atlantis, 9000 years previous to his own
life. While it is true that adding 9000 years to the 400 years separating
Plato's time from the time of Christ and then adding 2000 years which have
elapsed since then, gives an approximate date of 9500 BC for the cataclysm,
there are definite archaeological problems with this date. The cultural,
architectural and scientific developments which Plato attributed to the
Atlanteans were simply too advanced for this era of time. Additionally, if
such a highly developed civilization had existed so close to mainland Europe
and Africa in early Neolithic times it would have left at least some
indications of its presence - which it has not. This matter has caused many
scientists to criticize or deny the possibility of Atlantis ever having
existed.
Yet, to resolve the dilemma, we only need to consider the crucial matter of
how the ancient Egyptians recorded time. In actuality, the Egyptians used
four different calendars simultaneously; these being solar, lunar, stellar
and genealogical versions. Eudoxus of Cnidos, an early Greek pioneer of
astronomy who studied in Egypt, tells how the priests of various temples
employed a lunar calendar which recorded months as years. Herodotus, Manetho
and Diodorus Siculus also wrote that the Egyptian priests and astronomers
meant months when they spoke of years. Given this fact, and reducing Plato's
9000 years by a factor of 12, places the cometary impact and sinking of
Atlantis at around 1200 BC. A comprehensive study of the time period from
3113 BC to 1198 BC will reveal that numerous cultural groups left records of
the pass by and eventual impact of the comet.
In 3113 BC, the comet, known as Proto-Encke, collided with asteroids in the
asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars, resulting in the Taurid meteors
widely associated with the Bronze Age. As this comet then passed near to the
earth it caused massive geological and climatological influences, including
destroying an estimated half of the infrastructure of Atlantis. In 2193 BC,
the comet Proto-Encke, converging with the comets Oljato and Hale-Bopp,
again passed the earth and caused global seismic disturbances, enormous
tsunamis and massive socio-cultural changes. In 1628 BC, Proto-Encke and
Oljato returned again, causing further destruction. Finally, in 1198 BC,
Proto-Encke and Oljato were pushed closer to the earth by Halley's Comet;
Proto-Encke entered the planet's atmosphere and then impacted in the general
region of the island of Atlantis. The towering volcano of Mt. Atlas exploded
and Atlantis sank beneath the waves. To read more about these matters,
consult the books by Frank Joseph, The Destruction of Atlantis, and
Survivors of Atlantis.
According to the Egyptian priests that Plato's informant had spoken with,
Atlantis had a prosperous and sophisticated civilization before its demise.
Advanced in science, it was also in possession of knowledge concerning both
the geography and geomancy of the entire earth. Geomancy may be defined as
the discovery and mapping of power places on either regional or global
scales. Evidence is accumulating which indicates that this mysterious
culture had mapped a planet-spanning grid of these terrestrial power points
positioned with geometric regularity. This geomantic information, in various
forms, later left its imprint on the sacred geographies of numerous other
cultures. Globally occurring legends also tell of astronomer-sages who knew
of grand celestial cycles, the existence of past cataclysms and the
possibility of future ones. In anticipation of coming cataclysms and the
catastrophic effects they would have upon the earth, these astronomer-sages
journeyed to particular geomantic locations around the planet, where they
built temples which contained wisdom teachings and information about the
past and future cataclysms. Some of these geomantic power places would
become, thousands of years later, the sacred sites of megalithic and
succeeding cultures.
The Origin, Development, and Function of Megalithic Structures
Anthropologists and archaeologists study the locations where ancient people
first began living in communities and theorize why these particular places
were chosen as settlement sites. Conventional theories assume that sites
were selected for agricultural, commercial or military purposes. While such
explanations are plausible in many cases, they are not sufficient to explain
the location of all early settlement sites. Extensive archaeological
evidence indicates that many of humankind's earliest communal settlements
had religious and scientific orientations and were chosen for those purposes
with great care and precision. To understand this phenomenon, we must
examine two matters: 1) a relatively unknown characteristic of prehistoric
people, which is their sensitivity to and knowledge of the energies of the
living earth; and 2) the astronomical observation abilities of certain
prehistoric people which allowed them to predict and prepare for cosmic
catastrophes.
During their movements across the lands, the Neolithic nomads discovered
particular places of spirit and power in the form of caves, springs, hills
and mountains. They also sensed lines of subtle energy crossing the land and
specific points of more concentrated forces along those lines. These places
of power were often marked with large cairns of stones. Identified and
marked in this way, they could be seen from a distance even if their
energetic qualities were too distant to be physically sensed. Over the
thousands of years that early Neolithic peoples wandered across central and
northern Europe hundreds of these planetary power places were discovered and
physically marked. Legends of these fabled sites were woven into cosmogenic
myths from the Mediterranean to the Artic Seas.
Following the Pre-Boreal and Boreal periods (9500-6500 BC) came the Atlantic
period (6500-4000 BC) and the extraordinary innovations of plant
domestication and animal husbandry. No longer was it necessary for people to
wander the countryside in search of their food, now they could grow crops
and rear livestock in a fixed place of their choice. The vitally important
question is where did these early people choose to first settle? At this
stage in Europe's prehistory the population was very small (remember the
massive population decline caused by the cometary effects of 9500 and 7640
BC). There were no civilizations to feed necessitating cities near rich
agricultural lands, no commercial activities requiring access to trade
centers, and no requirements for strategic positions to hold off invading
armies. There were simply not enough people for these things. Not having
such settlement location requirements, what then were the primary factors
influencing early peoples' choices for permanent dwelling sites?
The first people making the transition from the hunter/gatherer existence to
a more settled life were the direct descendants of the nomadic wanderers who
had discovered and marked the locations of the terrestrial power places. In
searching for a settlement location, a previously nomadic family or group of
families might often choose a place that held mythic significance for their
ancestors, a place of spirit and power. These groups of families would grow
into larger groups and then into clusters of groups, thus leading to the
development of the earliest villages and towns. As these social centers
developed around the ancient nomads' sacred sites, the physical structures
marking the precise power point locations would be rebuilt and enlarged.
Such reconstructions reflect an increased use of the power places by the
growing local populations and, more importantly, an increased understanding
of how best to use the energies emanating from the Earth at these sites.
Over many thousands of years these power places would come to serve as the
pilgrimage locations of Megalithic, Celtic, Greek, and, finally, the
Christian cultures.
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© Martin Gray 2006
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