Ancient Skies

Magazine Overview

Title: Ancient Skies
Issue: Volume 9, Number 6
Date: January-February, 1983
Publisher: Ancient Astronaut Society
Country: USA
Price: $2.00

This issue of "Ancient Skies" explores the remarkable, often overlooked, scientific and technological achievements of ancient civilizations, challenging the modern tendency to minimize their accomplishments. The magazine presents evidence of sophisticated engineering, urban planning, and scientific understanding that predates conventional historical timelines.

Novelties in Antiquity by Andrew Tomas

The lead article by Andrew Tomas, drawing from his book "We Are Not the First," argues that ancient peoples possessed a high degree of scientific knowledge, comparable in some aspects to modern achievements. Tomas highlights examples such as:

• Traffic Management: Ancient Romans used one-way streets and traffic policemen, while Babylon had street signs and Nineveh enforced 'no parking' rules with severe penalties. Antioch pioneered street lighting, and the Aztecs used colored strips to divide traffic lanes.
• Engineering Marvels: Heron of Alexandria, Egypt, built a steam engine embodying turbine and jet propulsion principles and invented a speedometer. The ancient cities of Mohenjo Daro, Harappa, and Kalibanga in Pakistan and India showcased advanced town planning with straight streets, rectangular blocks, and superior water and drainage systems, using kiln-fired bricks that are still manufactured today.
• Climate Control: While central heating is a modern invention, ancient Koreans had 'spring-rooms' warmed by hot air circulating through vents under floors, a technology dating back 4,000 years. Ancient Romans also employed heating systems.
• Textiles and Art: The prehistoric city of Catal Huyuk in Turkey yielded carpets of exceptional quality. The artistry of ancient Egypt is noted, with jewelry and architecture from earlier dynasties (5th-12th dynasties) being superior to later periods.
• Water Management: The Suez Canal's history is traced back to Pharaoh Necho (609-593 BC), with its construction and dredging occurring over centuries. In Egypt, King Menes diverted the Nile River around 3100 BC to build his capital, Memphis.
• Sanitation: Advanced sanitation, including private toilets with central drainage systems and ceramic pipes, was common in the city of Knossos, Crete, 4,000 years ago.
• Advanced Construction: The palace of Minos featured ventilated rooms with air-conditioned chambers, excellent bathrooms, and toilets, described as large as England's Buckingham Palace.
• Ancient Navigation and Transport: Roman ships from Lake Nemi, restored in the 1920s and 30s, were large luxury liners with accommodations for 100 passengers, featuring mosaic floors, cypress paneling, and modern plumbing. Chinese chronicles mention large ships carrying hundreds of passengers. The Great Wall of China, 2,414 kilometers long, was built by three million workers over thirty-seven years. The Peruvians constructed extensive highways and tunnels. The first cart and boat were built by the Sumerians in the fourth millennium BC.
• Scientific Understanding: The cave paintings of Ajanta in India employed luminous paints that created a three-dimensional effect. A twelfth-century temple in Halebid, Mysore, features soapstone columns with polished strips that create optical illusions. The 'swinging towers' of Ahmadabad, Hujerat, demonstrate advanced acoustic principles.

Tomas concludes that the source of modern science lies far in the past, with figures like Heron and Daedalus serving as predecessors to modern engineers and cyberneticians.

To the Editor

Rudolf Kutzer from West Germany corrects two points from a previous article on Easter Island:

• The Pukao (hats) were carved from red stone, not painted red.
• The weight of the Pukao is up to ten tons, not three.
• The Moai statues do not stand upright but lie on or in the rock of Rano Raraku, with two others lying horizontally at the volcano's base. The largest Moai would have weighed over 300 tons if fully worked from the rock.

In Memoriam: Prof. Dr. Hans Schindler Bellamy

This issue is dedicated to the memory of Prof. Dr. Hans Schindler Bellamy, who passed away on December 12, 1982, in Vienna, Austria. Bellamy was a prolific author and supporter of the ancient astronaut theory, writing numerous books including "The Calendar of Tiahuanaco" and "The Atlantis Myth." His English-language books, published in the 1940s, are out of print but available in some libraries. He was an active supporter of the Ancient Astronaut Society, presenting lectures and contributing articles. The magazine includes a poignant farewell quote from Bellamy to his family and friends.

Leprechaun-Like Creatures in Mayaland?

This section features photos of a relief found at the base of Structure 33 at Yaxchilan, Mexico, depicting strange "little people" observing a Mayan warrior. The text suggests that hieroglyphics accompanying the relief might tell the story if decipherable.

Coming Events

Announcements for the Tenth Anniversary World Conference of the Ancient Astronaut Society (August 6-7, 1983, Rosemont, Illinois) and a Member Expedition to Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Easter Island (September 2-25, 1983).

Malta's Pre-Historic Genius by Joseph S. Ellul

Joseph S. Ellul, an amateur archaeologist and resident of Malta, presents evidence for advanced engineering and construction in Malta during the pre-Biblical flood era. Ellul argues that the Temple of Hagar Qim was built before the flood, which he attributes to the opening of the Isthmus of Gibraltar.

Key points from Ellul's article include:

• Construction Techniques: Maltese builders used oval room designs, constructed horizontal arches, and employed a corbelling method for domes, later transitioning to arched domes. They used mortar to seal stone blocks and achieved remarkable acoustic effects in underground chambers like the Hypogeum.
• Astronomical Alignment: The main temples of Malta were built in astronomical alignment with the Sun's Equinox, Solstices, or the Moon's Major Standstill.
• Cart Ruts: Ellul describes a network of 'cart ruts' cut into the hard rock surface of Malta, suggesting they were designed for wheeled vehicles. He details their characteristics, including a specific groove at the bottom of the rut indicating wheel rim width, and a uniform gauge of 57 inches between ruts. He concludes these ruts were made by a specific type of wheeled vehicle, not sledges, and were cut to level sloping ground and accommodate turns. The existence of these ruts, some leading to cliffs, suggests they predate Malta becoming an island.

Ellul's work is supported by observations and measurements, with members of the Ancient Astronaut Society's 1982 expedition to Malta having visited these sites.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring theme throughout this issue is the re-evaluation of ancient history through the lens of advanced technology and scientific knowledge. The magazine consistently promotes the idea that ancient civilizations possessed capabilities far beyond what is traditionally acknowledged. The editorial stance is one of advocating for the ancient astronaut theory, presenting evidence from archaeology, historical texts, and comparative studies to support the notion that ancient peoples had contact with or knowledge derived from advanced extraterrestrial or highly sophisticated terrestrial sources. The magazine aims to challenge conventional historical narratives and encourage readers to "Come Search With Us!" for these hidden truths.