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The Archaeology of Ancient Sicily

History of exploitation of marine resources in Sri Lanka goes back to the prehistoric period. Remains of various marine animals had been found from many coastal and inland archaeological sites. One of such marine animal class is Mollusc, which have a broad value in archaeological studies and oldest evidence in Sri Lanka is dated to be 37,000 BC. In environmental archaeological approach, mollusc study is developed as a sub research area, known as Archaeomalacology. In Sri Lankan archaeology, such approaches are still not widely concerned for studying the man – environment relationship.

This study is mainly concerning about selected main two molluscan classes, Gastropoda and Bivalvia. Continuous use of both shells and flesh of marine mollusc species from prehistoric period to current period can see in Sri Lankan society, which can study with traditional and historical sections with economy, technology, Socio – cultural backgrounds. Results of this study provide an overall picture of mollusc utilization in Sri Lanka. Some animals are highly use in whole culture and in other hand various animals are use in regional maritime cultures. If outlined, individual species as Pearls oyster (Pinctada vulgaris) and Chank (T .pyrum) have a historical and archaeological record from more than 2,400 years in Sri Lanka. Such species create way to study cultural interactions of Sri Lanka and above said sections. Sri Lankan marine mollusc food group is dominating by bivalves, 60% of all studied species and remainder is gastropods. Nutrient or food needs of coastal communities is providing by these animals. Aesthetic, ornamental, medicinal, construction, religious values of marine mollusc is also studied with archaeomalacological remains from prehistoric, protohistoric, historic monastic complexes and habitation sites, and living cultural societies. Shallow water fishing practices as in lagoons, estuaries, and littoral areas begin in Mesolithic period and deep water is from protohistoric Indian cultural transmissions. Ethnography of current traditional maritime communities and active fishing groups are adding vital evidences for this study. Value of linguistic for ethnobiology is specifically identified because of clear regional variations in maritime communities. Shell deposits have archaic formation and utilizations on its shells and floor show the cultural and socio-economic changes in regions.

The value of understanding the marine mollusc utilization pattern can be expressed with regard to, development of archaeology through animal studies, regular changes in maritime cultures, formation pattern of the archaic shell middens and the identification of activity areas.

Megalithic culture of ancient Kutch.

Very less has been investigated about ancient megalithic culture of Kutch during the pre Harappan and Harappan times. Few known places have been investigated some of them are Goniasar , Juni Rayan, Zura Kotadi, Guntali Desalpar, Meghpar Khander vari wadi, Todio timbo, Sarli Tombo, Juna Kotada near Roha and Dholavira. But very little work has been done on the subject and the places. One of such an outstanding place is Jangania near NALIYA in Abadasa, where graves are specifically shaped according to the shape of body.

Generally it is a belief that there are very few such places but it has wide distributed in ancient time in Kutch, and so also need to put more interest in the subject and also in investigations of such cultures.

During our last geo-archaeological expedition in 2007 we visited few megalithic structures in kutch. Namely famous Dholavira and three new places namely Todio (Timbo), Timbo SARLI and Old Kotada near Roha. If photo below is not seen clearly an attachment picture “Ancient Megalithic Structures.jpg” is added to this email. As we see in composed photograph below DHOLAVIRA has similar circular structures (Bottom Rt Corner). we also discovered similar Megalithic structures underground in megalithic places namely Todio (Timbo) (Bottom Lt Corner), Timbo SARLI (Upper Lt Corner). and Old Kotada near Roha (Upper Rt Corner).

So not only few known places do have such hidden culture but is widely distributed all over kutch during ancient time. we have some explanation of our recorded expedition and also a time table below for the ancient Megalithic structures. so we can compare the timings of those structures to relate with the ancient Civilisations in the Kutch during pre Harappan and Harappan times.

Megalithic Civilisation found in ZURA (KOTADI) of KUTCH – Megalithic SAMADHIs (Graves) of Zura Kotadi and potteries and bones

Zura (Jhura) is situated North West of BHUJ (23:24N – 69:39E) is known place for its Geology and History as it says Zura – (Fall due to seismic activity at Jhura) of the Kutch.

But its Geology is also associated with its archaeology and civilisation in that area. Though not much known of the place but local people are aware of the story of those places but far away from the knowledge of Archaeological importance as the area remained unexplored.

2km South and SE region of the Village is the Place called “KOTADI” as many civilisation names. Area has big elevated area TIMBO having stone wall around but hidden underneath. On exploration many of the Pottery found in the area including toys parts and pottery of two different varieties – Red as usual as also black – as in the area of RAMVAV and LAKHAPAR region civilisation in VAGAD – RAPAR area.

Rivers in this region all flows from South West to North EAST- from slops of the Jhuran Mountain slopes towards the Banni planes where there used to be a lake of the water of the rivers Sarasvati and sindhu waters in the Rann of KUTCH.

About 1 Km East of that KOTADI area is the place of the Mystery graves. I would say rather SAMADHIs as I have explained it before as they are the SAMADHIs is a sitting posture and are kept open on the east side of those as are kept in Samadhi rules as explained by Mahant Shree Kishordasji.

Many of such Samadhi are about some distance from the civilisation area as in the Case of GADHVARI VADI civilisation (Meghpar)- one of samadhi was in KHANDERVARI VADI.

Specimens collected from the region confirms those civilisation and Megalithic Samadhis in the region says those to be 2000 BC.

Similar type of Mystery graves of Mystery Shapes (shapes are given to the body shapes) are also in JANGADIA – ABADASA NALIYA -LAKHPAT way. those are also Megalithic times graves.

I would prefer to say those Megalithic SAMADHIs as that can not be defined as an ordinary graves. I also took an expert opinions from Mahant shree Kishordasji of kabir Mandir BHUJ as he is well known personality of the subjects regarding SAMADHIs. We went together there to identify those, and local observation showed that those places has become an open spaces now as a result of environment and weather. and shows skull bones opened from the top side and not the Limb bones. so Those are defined as Sitting SAMADHIs. and east side of those SAMADHIs kept open as seen shadows towards east in the Evening pictures.

prominent for the region’s prehistoric population. Circular graves dating to c. 3000 BC are dotted . stone piled up a round -shaped chamber the site of the first archaeological excavation when several circular, collective tombs like those were excavated. The excavation of a settlement confirmed the importance of the locale and for this reason the period c. 2500-2000 BC.

They are typical of burial mounds of about 2000 BC where the cremated remains of the community’s elders would have been buried. “Carbon dating should confirm that the burial mound dates to about 2000BC,” This means the Bronze Age graveyard dates back . They have already found a piece of pottery containing the remains of burnt shells. “It is possible that the enclosure could date as far back as 3000 BC,” “But we need to find more pottery that has decoration so we can provide a more accurate date to the site.”

Megalithic tombs research has a long history, inextricably linked with the development of archaeology itself. In the beginning (2400 b.c.-1200 A.D.) interest in for such interest consisted primarily of superstitious awe and religious inspiration. Beyond this, the curiosity of unknown prehistoric individuals can only be imagined.

However, many terms describing megalithic architecture were first recorded. During the Culture History and subsequent periods the Some felt that the chronology only needed minor adjustments and that new tomb excavations and large catalogs would explain the evolution of the tombs. Surprisingly the advent of C14 dating in the fifties, which revolutionized archaeology in many parts of the world, had little effect on dating tombs, C14 dates began to hint at the real antiquity of the tombs, but ceramic analysis continued to play the major role.

the relative chronology. Difficulties in various regional ceramic typologies were isolated and efforts have been made to overcome incongruencies between the typological method used for ceramics, problems in C14 dating, and theories on megalithic tomb evolution. and related pottery contributed. The origin of megalithic tombs , graves has been a matter of debate for centuries. The Eastern Tomb Origin Theory is currently not persuasive. The western origin is tainted by the diffusionists’ mind-set. It is contradicted by radiocarbon dates and the evolutionary trajectory of French tombs. The Autochthonous Theory is supported by a logical, chronological evolution of tomb types and their spatial distribution

The origin of megalithic tombs is an autochthonous development. This network was held together by a common ideology expressed through the building of monumental burial architecture which, Megalithic tomb construction expanded at different rates , The local and regional tomb types were derived from local traditions, local religious interpretations and customs tied to an interregional ideology.

CHRONOLOGICAL MODEL OF MEGALITHIC CHAMBER EVOLUTION

3600-2990/2860 B.C./2860-2400/2300 b.c. 3550/3500-3100 B.C.

3600-3290 B.C./2860-2610 b.c. [3550/3500-3100 B.C.

3600-3530 B.C./2860-2800 b.c. [3550/3500-3400 B.C.] Primeval-dolmen (urdolmen, normally parallel to long-mound)

3550-3460 B.C./2850-2750 b.c. Transitional dolmen (parallel/perpendicular to long-mound)

3550 B.C./2815 b.c. Top-entrance urdolmen 3530 B.C./2800 b.c. Half-height front-entrance urdolmen and square-dolmen 3500 B.C./2780 b.c. Extended-dolmen with axial capstone

3480-3290 B.C./2760-2610 b.c. [3400-3100 B.C.] Multiple side-stone dolmen (perpendicular to long-mound)

3480 B.C./2760 b.c. Rectilinear and polygonal extended-dolmen 3450 B.C./2740 b.c. Rectilinear and polygonal grand-dolmen

3400-3100/2970 B.C./2700-2490/2400 b.c. [3250-3100 B.C.] Passage-graves

3400-3290 B.C./2700-2610 b.c. Transitional chambers with passage

3400 B.C./2700 b.c. Large polygonal- and rectilinear-dolmen/protopassage-graves with angled/corner entrance and passage

3360-3100/2970 B.C./2650-2490/2400 b.c. [3250-3100 B.C.] Passage-graves*

3360 B.C./2650 b.c. Primeval passage-graves 3290 B.C./2610 b.c. Extended passage-graves 3240 B.C./2570 b.c. Grand passage-graves

3320-3100/2970 B.C./2630-2490/2400 b.c. [3250-3100 B.C.] Complex Chambers

3320 B.C./2630 b.c. Side-chamber passage-graves 3300 B.C./2620 b.c. End-chamber passage-graves 3290 B.C./2610 b.c. Double passage-graves 3260 B.C./2580 b.c. Triple passage-graves 3240 B.C./2570 b.c. Dual-passage chambers 3210 B.C./2560 b.c. Single chamber double passage-graves

3400-2860 B.C./2700-2300 b.c. Gallery-graves

3400 B.C./2700 b.c. Primeval gallery-graves with front- or side entrance 3290 B.C./2610 b.c. Extended gallery-graves with front- or side entrance 3240 B.C./2570 b.c. Grand gallery-graves with front- or side-entrance

From:- YOURS Dr.BHUDIA-Science Group Of INDIA.

http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/venustransit_2004/

President:’Kutch Science Foundation’.

Founder :’Kutch Amateurs Astronomers Club – Bhuj – Kutch’.

Life Member:’kutch Itihaas Parishad’.

kutchscience@yahoo.co.in, kutchscience@hotmail.com,

http://uk.geocities.com/wildlifeofkutch/

http://www.geocities.com/kutchscience

http://profiles.yahoo.com/kutchscience2000

http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/scienceclubofindia

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Do visit our ABOVE Clubs/Groups of Science Groups of India.

                            DWARKA AND THE MAHABHARATA

Every Indian, either living in India or living outside India, knows about the two epics that dominates the Indian psyche and the psyche of the terra firma. These epics are the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. The Mahabharata has exercised a continuous and pervasive influence on the Indian mind for millennia. The Mahabharata, originally written by Sage Ved Vyas in Sanskrit, has been translated and adapted into numerous languages and has been set to a variety of interpretations. Dating back to “remote antiquity”, it is still a living force in the life of the Indian masses.   With more than 74,000 verses, long prose passages, and about 1.8 million words in total, the Mahabharata is one of the longest epic poems in the world. The Mahabharata has a total length of more than 90,000 verses.

Everything about the Mahabharata is huge, from its sprawling length, to the enormous breadth of its vision. The longest of all epics is like an encyclopedia, a world all on its own. At its core is the powerful and moving story of the Pandava and Kaurava cousins who ultimately fight the greatest war of all, Kurukshetra. But that is not all, the Mahabharata is full of mythic stories, vast time spans of history, detailed geography and a massive body of spiritual teachings.

The author of the massive epic is Rishi Vyas, who, according to the text itself, spent three years creating it, rising every morning, and working on it every day. His abode was Vyas Gufa, a cave high in the Himalayas, which is still visited today by travelers on their way to Mansarovar.

In Mahabharata’s Musal Parva, the Dwarka is mentioned as being gradually swallowed by the ocean. Krishna had forewarned the residents of Dwaraka to vacate the city before the sea submerged it. The Sabha Parva gives a detailed account of Krishna’s flight from Mathura with his followers to Dwaraka to escape continuous attacks of Jarasandh’s on Mathura and save the lives of its subjects. For this reason, Krishna is also known as RANCHHOR (one who runs away from the battle-field). Dr. SR Rao and his team in 1984-88 (Marine Archaeology Unit) undertook an extensive search of this city along the coast of Gujarat where the Dwarikadeesh temple stands now, and finally they succeeded in unearthing the ruins of this submerged city off the Gujarat coast.

The first archaeological excavations at Dwaraka were done by the Deccan College, Pune and the Department of Archaeology, Government of Gujarat, in 1963 under the direction of H.D. Sankalia. It revealed artifacts many centuries old.

Marine Archaeology Unit (MAU) jointly by the National Institute of Oceanography and the Archaeological Survey of India. Under the guidance of Dr. Rao, a great marine archaeologist, a team consisting of expert underwater explorers, trained diver-photographers and archaeologists was formed. The technique of geophysical survey was combined with the use of echo-sounders, mud-penetrators, sub-bottom profilers and underwater metal detectors. This team carried out 12 marine archaeological expeditions between 1983 to 1992 and articles and antiquities recovered were sent to Physical Research Laboratory for dating. By using thermo-luminescence, carbon dating and other modern scientific techniques, the artifacts were found to belong to the period between 15th to 18th century B.C. In his great work, The Lost City of Dwaraka, Dr. Rao has given scientific details of these discoveries and artifacts.

Between 1983 to 1990, the well-fortified township of Dwaraka was discovered, extending more than half mile from the shore. The township was built in six sectors along the banks of a river. The foundation of boulders on which the city’s walls were erected proves that the land was reclaimed from the sea. The general layout of the city of Dwaraka described in ancient texts agrees with that of the submerged city discovered by the MAU.

The ASI conducted a second round of excavations in 1979 under S.R. Rao’s direction. He found a distinct pottery known as lustrous red ware, which could be more than 3,000 years old. Based on the results of these excavations, the search for the sunken city in the Arabian Sea began in 1981. Scientists and archaeologists have continually worked on the site for 20 years.

The UAW began excavations at Dwaraka again from January 2007. Dr. Tripathi said: “To study the antiquity of the site in a holistic manner, excavations are being conducted simultaneously both on land [close to the Dwarakadhish temple] and undersea so that finds from both the places can be co-related and analyzed scientifically.”

The objective of the excavation is to know the antiquity of the site, based on material evidence. In the offshore excavation, the ASI’s trained underwater archaeologists and the divers of the Navy searched the sunken structural remains. The finds were studied and  documented.   

On land, the excavation is being done in the forecourt of the Dwarakadhish temple. Students from Gwalior, Lucknow, Pune, Vadodara, Varanasi and Bikaner are helping ASI archaeologists. In the forecourt, old structures including a circular one have been found. A small cache of 30 copper coins was discovered.

“Within the past few months, the engineers began some dredging operations there and they pulled up human fossil bones, fossil wood, stone tools, pieces of pottery and many other things that indicated that it indeed was a human habitation site that they had. And they were able to do more intensive sonar work there and were able to identify more structures. They appeared to have been laid out on the bank of a river that had been flowing from the Indian subcontinent out into that area. ( That river was the legendary saraswati river ) According to the news releases, they have done a radiocarbon testing on a piece of wood from the underwater site that is now yielding an age of 9,500 years which would place it near the end of the last Ice Age. There were actually two radiocarbon dates: one about 7500 years old and another about 9500 years old. The 9500 year old one seems to be the strongest one. That’s the one they are going with. This was announced by Minister Joshi ( Murli Manohar Joshi was the Indian Minister for Ocean Technology then ). Mahabharata was then a reality and it was not a cock and bull story concocted by Ved Vyas.

Ved Vyas also described the city of Dwarka in great details. The poets described Dwarka as a city so golden that it cast its radiance on the ocean for miles around it. Dwar means door, and Dwarka is a city of many doors or a gateway. It was an island, connected to the mainland by many bridges, and legend says that Krishna asked Vishwakarman, the architect of the gods to build him a city more beautiful than any before it.

Krishna chose a remote location, far beyond the reach of Jarasandh. He picked distant Dwarka on the western coast of India, far from Mathura, and spent a year putting his plans into action. He built on the sunken remains of a previous kingdom, Kushasthali, which itself was built on older ruins, all underwater. Krishna reclaimed a hundred miles of land from the sea and called in Vishwakarman, the architect of the gods to give him a city that was the envy of the world.

The Mahabharat and the Bhagwat Puran and other texts, describe the wonders of Dwarka. The most expensive and luxurious materials were used. In those days of unbelievable riches, it was quite common to use precious stones, gold and silver as construction material. Royalty and rich nobles invariably used gold, those who could not afford it used silver or metal.

Dwarka was a city of rose and gold. The palaces and many of the mansions were built of gold, over which pink lotus domes towered, topped by soaring golden spires. The floors were made of emeralds. Precious stones studded the walls and crystal arches curved overhead, inlaid with gold. The houses were beautifully decorated and sculptures adorned the walls. Even the cowsheds were made of silver, brass and iron.

Seen in this beautiful picture is lord Krishna coming to the island city of dwarka

Dwarka was a very well planned city, following the highly developed science of town planning. The architect, Vishwakarman, first mapping out the highways, lanes, gates and parks. He sectioned off plots and divided the city into six zones, residential and commercial. He planned out the port and created the bridges and gateways and the fortifications. Everything was laid out in detail before the construction began.

Like many kingdoms of the time Dwarka had a passport system. Its citizens were issued with a clay seal which had to be presented when they entered or left the massive gates. The seal of Dwarka was a mythical three headed dog and seals matching the description have been found in the undersea ruins today.

In the Newspaper The Hindu dated 23 Feb 2007 an article was published which I reproduce here vervatim.” CHENNAI: Ancient structural remains of some significance have been discovered at Dwaraka, under water and on land, by the Underwater Archaeology Wing (UAW) of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Alok Tripathi, Superintending Archaeologist, UAW, said the ancient underwater structures found in the Arabian Sea were yet to be identified. “We have to find out what they are. They are fragments. I would not like to call them a wall or a temple. They are part of some structure,” said Dr. Tripathi, himself a trained diver.

Thirty copper coins were also found in the excavation area. The structures found on land belonged to the medieval period. “We have also found 30 copper coins. We are cleaning them. After we finish cleaning them, we can give their date,” he said.

Dwaraka is a coastal town in Jamnagar district of Gujarat. Traditionally, modern Dwaraka is identified with Dvaraka or Dvaravati, mentioned in the Mahabharata as Krishna’s city. Dwaraka was a port, and some scholars have identified it with the island of Barka mentioned in the Periplus of Erythrean Sea. Ancient Dwaraka sank in sea and hence is an important archaeological site.” My idea is not to go in the discussion of how the city went under the sea but the fact is that this city is now approximately under water of the Arabian sea some 135 feet below water. This city has been mentioned in the Mahabharata and that this city has been found, dated, and mapped. The probable date of this city is between 9500 to 7500 years before present which will put it as 7500 to 5500 years BC.

Mahabharata was not a fictional epic but a reality is also evident from the works of many scholars who have done extensive work in this area, and by getting all the facts together what comes out of the whole is the fact that the near about exact dates of the major happenings in the epic has also been identified. This at least proves that the Vedic civilization is a much older phenomenon than perceived by many western scholars till date.

 There is a striking inscription which has been found  in  the  Jain Temple  at  Aihole prepared by  one Chalukya King Pulakeshi.  It says, according  to  scholars,  that  the  temple   was     constructed   in 30+3000+700+5  = 3735 years, after the Bharat War and 50+6+500 =   556 years of Shaka era in Kali era. Today Shaka era is 1910.  Hence  1910- 556  =  1354  years  ago the temple was constructed.  Thus the year of inscribing this note is 634 AD.  At this time 3735  years  had  passed from the Bharat War. So the date of the War comes to 3101 BC.  This is also the date of Kali Yuga Commencement. Naturally, it is evident that relying on the beginning of Kaliyuga Era and holding that the War took place just before the commencement of Kaliyuga,

The verse inscribed is :

Trinshatsu Trisahasreshu Bhaaratdahavaditaha | Saptabda  Shatayukteshu

Gateshwabdeshu Panchasu | Panchashatasu Kalaukale Shatasu Panchashatsu

cha | Samatsu Samatitasu Shakaanamapi Bhoobhujaam ||

The verses has been interpreted by considering the  clauses  of  the verse.  It  says “3030 years from the Bharat War” in the first line, ( Trinshatsu Trisahasreshu Bhaaratdahavaaditaha) where the first  clause of  the  sentence  ends.  in the second line, the second clause starts and   runs   up to   the   middle   of   the   third   line   thus ( Saptabda…..Kalaukale) This means 700+5+50 = 755 years passed in the Kali Era. It is clear from the former portion of the verse that 3030 years passed from the Bharat War and 755 years  passed  from Kali  Era.   Kali  Era started from 3101 BC.  755 years have passed so 3101-755 = 2346 BC is the year when 3030 years  had  passed  from  the Bharat  War.   So 2346+3030 = 5376 BC appears to be the date of Bharat War.

The Greek Ambassador Magasthenis has recorded that 138 generations have  passed  between  Krishna  and Chandragupta Maurya. Many scholars have taken this evidence, but taking only 20 years per generation they fixed  the date of Krishna as 2760 years before Chandragupta. But this is wrong because the record is not of ordinary people to take 20 years per  generation. In the matter of general public, one says that when a son is born a new generation starts. But in the  case  of  kings,  the name  is  included in the list of Royal Dynasty only after his coronation to the throne. Hence, one cannot allot 20 years to one  king.  We have  to  find  out  the average per king  by  calculating on  various INDIAn Dynasties. I have considered 60 kings  from  various  dynasties and calculated the average of each king as 35 years. Here is a list of some of important kings with the no. of years ruling.

      Chandragupta Mourya      330-298 B.C.     32 years.

      Bindusar                         298-273 B.C.     25 years.

      Ashok                            273-232 B.C.     41 years.

      Pushyamitra Shunga       190-149 B.C.     41 years.

      Chandragupta Gupta       308-330 A.D.     22 years.

      Samudragupta                330-375 A.D.     45 years.

      Vikramaditya                  375-414 A.D.     39 years.

      Kumargupta                   414-455 A.D.     41 years.

      Harsha                          606-647 A.D.     41 years.

                                                ———

                                                327 years.

      The average is 327/9 = 36.3 years.

Multiplying 138 generations by 35 years we get 4830 years before Chandragupta  Mourya.  Adding  Chandrgupta’s  date 320 B.C. to 4830 we get 5150 B.C. as the date of Lord Krishna.

Megasthenis, according to Arian, has written that  between  Sandrocotus  to  Dianisaum  153 generations and 6042 years passed. From this data, we get the average of 39.5 years per king. From this we can calculate  5451  years  for  138  generations.  So Krishna must have been around 5771 B.C.

Pliny gives 154 generations and  6451  years  between  Bacchus  and Alexander.  This  Bacchus may be the famous Bakasura who was killed by Bhimasena. This period comes to about 6771 years B.C.

Thus Mahabharata period ranges from 5000 B.C. to 6000 B.C. and Dwarka fits into this scenario perfectly.

Mahabharata   mentions   the   ancient   tradition   as   ‘Shravanadini Nakshatrani’, i.e.,  Shravan Nakshatra was given the first place in the Nakshatra- cycle (Adi-71/34 and Ashvamedh  44/2)  Vishwamitra  started

counting  the Nakshatras from Shravan when he created ‘Prati Srushti’. He was angry with the old customs.  So he started  some  new  customs. Before  Vishvamitra’s  time Nakshatras were counted from the one which was occupied by the sun on the Vernal  Equinox.   Vishvamitra  changed this fashion and used diagonally opposite point i.e.  Autumnal Equinox to list the Nakshtras. He gave first place to Shravan which was at the Autumnal  Equinox  then.   The period of Shravan Nakshatra on autumnal equinox is from 6920 to 7880 years B.C.  This was Vishvamitra’s period at  the  end  of  Treta yuga.  Mahabharat War took place at the end of Dwapar yuga.   Subtracting  the  span  of Dwapar  Yuga  of  2400 years we get 7880 – 2400 = 5480 B.C. as the date of Mahabharat War.

Recently Dr. S.B. Rao, Emeritus Scientist of the National Institute of Oceanography,  Dona  Paula, Goa, 403004, has discovered under the sea, Dwaraka and dated it as between  5000  to  6000  BC.   This  news  has been  published by all  the  leading newspapers on 22nd October 1988.

 Many works of the Vedic and Puranic tradition contain a sufficient number of clues in the form of astronomical observations which can be used to determine the approximate date of Mahabharata and thus establish the historical authenticity of the events described in this great epic. Notable among these works are the Parashar Sanghita, the Bhagvat Puran, Shakalya Sanghita, and the Mahabharat itself. Aryabhatta, one of the greatest mathematicians and astronomers of India in the fifth century AD, examined the astronomical evidence described in the Mahabharata in his great work known as the “Aryabhattiya”. According to the positions of the planets recorded in the Mahabharata, its approximate date was calculated by Aryabhatta to be 3100 BC implying that the great war described in the Mahabharata was fought approximately 5000 years ago, as most Hindus have always believed.

A number of British scholars of the 19th century, especially Friedrich Max Muller, tried to interpret this astronomical evidence to prove that the observations recorded in Hindu scriptures are imaginary. As an amateur astronomer, I propose to examine the astronomical evidence presented in the Bhagvat Puran and Max Muller’s criticism of this evidence in light of the advances made in astronomy in the past fifty years. Max Muller, in the preface to his translation of the Rig Veda, examines the astronomical observations described in the Bhagvat Puran and concludes that these observations are “imaginary”, apparently because they did not agree with the prevalent views of the European, primarily British, Indologists of the nineteenth century about the time of the Mahabharata.

Carl Segan, a renowned astronomer at Cornell University, who hosted the public television series “Cosmos” in 1985, pointed out that Hindus were the only ones who came anywhere close to correctly estimating the real age of the universe. Unlike many cultural traditions which treat science and religion as antithetical to each other, the Hindu tradition encourages the study of physics and metaphysics both for a comparative understanding of the true nature of the cosmic mystery surrounding and pervading the universe.

Everything about the Mahabharat is huge, from its sprawling length, to the enormous breadth of its vision. The longest of all epics is like an encyclopaedia, a world all on its own. At its core is the powerful and moving story of the Pandava and Kaurava cousins who ultimately fight the greatest war of all, Kurukshetra. But that is not all, the Mahabharata is full of mythic stories, vast time spans of history, detailed geography and a massive body of spiritual teachings.

 In the end I would like to invite my readers to a 9.35 minutes video on www.disclose.tv which will precisely show case the antiquity of this great civilization. The link is given below. Copy and paste on the address bar of your browser and press enter.

http://www.disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/1134/Dvaraka_Giant_Underwater_City_found_in_India/

Bibliography:

http://www.tginvents.com/tushar/MahabharatDating2.htm

http://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/ancient/mahabharat/mahab_sarasvat.html

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=1a6vMAGTUhI

.Hinduunity.org

http://www.hinduism.co.za/oldest.htm

Michael Cremo, Researcher of Ancient Archaeology

and Author, Forbidden Archaeology

http://www.epicindia.com/magazine/Culture/the-lost-city-of-dwarka

http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/23/stories/2007022301242200.htm

http://www.disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/1134/Dvaraka_Giant_Underwater_City_found_in_India/

In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte had himself anointed and crowned Emperor of France. The furniture style known as Empire is a style of majestic grandeur that Napoleon felt fitting to honor his glory. He considered himself the greatest world ruler since Julius Caesar. The Empire style is the last of the great French styles that widely influenced furniture design throughout the world. During his rule, Napoleon conquered Italy and Egypt. He was overwhelmed by his conquest of these countries. He brought back to France archaeological wonders of Egypt, the long-forgotten ancient empire. He was proud of his conquest of Italy and Egypt and proudly considered himself as the first worthy successor to Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar. Furniture designed in this period was meant to imitate the designs of these great empires. Napoleon commissioned the greatest artist of Europe to create architecture and decoration that would equate the grandeur of Greece, the glory of Rome and the massiveness of Egypt.

The Empire style furniture is massive, in grand scale and very masculine. It has a severe, heavy, masculine look with no carving. The wood carving which is very common in the previous styles of Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI is generally replaced with wood veneers polished to a high sheen. To equalize the bareness of wood veneer, metal gilts are used to adorn the furniture. A good clue to identifying the Empire style is the vulgar use of ormolu mounts. Ormolus are gilt-metal decorations usually in different decorative motifs. These are usually drawn from antique sources or patriotic inspiration. There are motifs derived from Egyptian archeology. Falcon, sphinxes, cobras, obelisks, winged lions are just some of these Egyptian inspired decorations. Napoleon’s fascination with his conquest of Egypt and later on the excavation of ruins by the French Egyptologists created so much interest in everything related to Egypt.

There are also motifs derived from ancient Greek and Roman design. Vases, lamps, torches, heads of Greek gods, ram’s head and cornucopias are among the many Greek and Roman inspired decorations incorporated into the Empire style of furniture. French Patriotism grew stronger during Napoleon’s rule and it was evident in the many patriotically inspired decorations which included laurel wreaths, eagles, swords, lances, rifles, drum and bugles. The use of legs that are shaped like animals or sphinxes is very typical to the Empire style. The graceful cabriole legs of the previous styles have been replaced with the massive, more often overstated and vulgar use of legs that are shaped like animals.

The following are the general characteristics of the Empire style of furniture:

1. It has heavy masculine look.

2. Wood veneers polished to high sheen are used instead of the ornate wood carving usually associated with the previous French furniture styles.

3. The excessive use of large, often badly cast ormolu mounts.

4. Wood back chairs with upholstered seats. These include the barrel armchair which is a very typical Empire style chair.

5. The use of designs inspired by classical Greece.

6. Mirror-back console table. This is usually used by the ladies to check their no-longer floor-length hemlines.

7. The use of motifs inspired by ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece.

8. The use of Patriotic and military motifs and the use of letter “N”, Napoleon’s name initial.

In conclusion, it is relatively easy to recognize the Empire style of furniture with its massive appearance and overbearing ormolu mounts which usually depicts Egyptian, Greek and Roman themes. This style is a step backward from the simple but elegant Louis XVI style.

Business Card Design – How to Stand out and Get Noticed

One of the most powerful, yet over looked weapons in your marketing arsenal is your business card. If designed properly this little 3 x 2.5 piece of paper will not only let people know how to contact you it will also tell them why they should contact you. In order to be effective and get you more business your Business card must stand out, and get noticed.

How a distinctive business card resulted in a $5,000 Sale

A friend of mine and his wife recently went furniture shopping. By the end of the day they had gone to 8 stores and had 8 Business cards. 7 of the Business Cards were your garden variety white cards with one or two color writing on them.

One card was a little different. The salesman, we will call him Bob, had decided to make his card stand out a little by putting his picture on it along with a couple of color pictures of his furniture. Bob’s business card made an immediate impression.

The next day they flipped through the all the business cards that they had received the previous day. They immediately remembered Bob from his business card. They went to Bob’s store and spent over $5,000! All because of a business card.

5 Tips to make your Business Card Stand out

1 – Use Full Color Printing

In the old days full color printing (4 color printing) was extremely expensive. You could pay over $200 /1000 for high quality full color cards. Prices have dropped and you can now get beautiful full color cards printed for about the same price as a plain two color card.

2 – Use a Tagline

A “tagline” is a one sentence benefit statement. Think of your Business card as a “Mini Billboard”. Pretend that you are writing a classified ad for a newspaper. You only have a small amount of space to describe your product or service in an intriguing way … what would you write to describe it? For example: A Realtor could say “Helping Build dreams one home at a time”

3 – Put a picture on it!

I highly recommend that you put a picture on your business card. Studies have shown that people are more likely to hold on to a Business card with a photo on it. It could be your picture, a picture of your product, or a combination of both. Picture cards get attention!

4 – Don’t use Business Card “Templates”

There are websites you can go to online where you can choose from pre-made business card designs called templates. The problem with this is that the more people who use these templates the more you card starts to look like everybody else’s. You want to have a business card that stands out from everybody else’s, not one that gets lost in the crowd.

5 – Let a Professional Design It

Unless you are a professional graphic designer designing your own card is like performing root canal on yourself. Its going to take a lot of time and you may not be happy with the results. Leave the designing to the professionals and use you time doing what you do best … selling your product or service!

Copyright Jack Bastide All rights Reserved

National Archaeological Museum is the largest among the more than twenty museums in Athens. 7 Whys and Wherefores That Will Affect the Form of Your cheap shoulder bags It is also has the richest collection. It is the largest antique museum, the important place of interest in Athens. It was under instruction from 1866 to 1889, collected many unearthed cultural relics during every period with high value all over the Greece.

Now, the museum has more than 50 rooms including the hall and exhibition room, and has collected almost 20 thousand cultural relics. Most of the cultural relics reflect the part of Greek mythology. In every sense it is a complete collection of ancient relics museum. The most famous golden masks, vessels and decorations are exhibited in Mycenae relic display area that locates on the mid-way of antehall. Sculptures are exhibited on both sides of the middle way, and you can also find all kinds of weapons there. Further north still is bronze exhibition area. The two-tier postwar new built parquet circle is the pottery and earthen bottle display areas. The modeling of potterys and the pattern on bottles present the features of Greek art which is graceful and nicety. The museum has two floors which contain 50 showing rooms, filled with so many relics of every period that it is common to take half a day to finish visiting. Following the entrance, Mycenae display room comes into sight, which collects “Mask of Agam-emnon”. This golden mask was made by experts according to Agam-emnon’s face after his death, that is the best prove of momentary-powerful Mycenae culture. Except that you also can find the pottery and best product of Mycenaean Bronze Age, and other unearthed cultural relics from Peloponnese.

Furthermore, the Poseidon of atremision in Room 15, the Horse and Jockey Of a-remision in Room 21 and the standing figures arranged according to time period on the left side are collections one cannot miss. There are frescos portraying Greek daily life such as boxing boy and compass map which were excavated in the South of Santorini. They are buried because of a volcano eruption in 1500 BC, and what exhibited now are reproductions. Other showrooms exhibit some red and black bottles and jars, which covered with geometrical pattern and used by ancient Greeks in daily life.

In most rooms of museum there is no air-condition. Therefore we suggest that you’d better visit the museum in early morning, for the cool surroundings and avoiding crowdes. The Marks of many Cultural relics inside are not very clear, many of them even have no English Commentary, so you’d better buy a English Commentary note before entering to avoid the regret like that Entering the Golden Hill, came with no Harvest.

Pottery is the most significant symbol of the immortal ancient culture that passed down by human, and pottery is the best reflection for the progress of human culture, it also marked the culture descension and continuation of human beings.

A heap of pottery fragments has confused us about the Mayan’s previously living sites, but just like as geologist analyzing the different geological periods of the Earth had experienced, we can make use of the same technology of analysis too. The technology, known as “geological setting”, followed a unified principle of – materials which produced or formed former will deposited earlier. As a result, the pottery found in the deepest reactor bottom of the sediments is the oldest pottery.

In the areas of ceramic pottery makers who lived together, pottery relic piles of ceramic fragments were gradually formed, and mixed with other debris. These relic piles usually were found in exposed places, of which most perishable materials have disappeared. Aside from those relic piles that in rare dry climate or with covers, in those exposed relic piles only those hardly damaged objects could been found, such as stones, shells, bones, as well as ceramic flakes, some of them are valued with archaeological meanings and are most important for the recording of break-off ears.

These relic sites always near to the areas the maker lived in, the depth of which usually as deep as several rules. The cross-section of the sediment has displayed that it is no doubt that the Mayas who lived near to the accumulation site of debris has a long period of history of pottery making. The sediment layer just like the ceramic flakes could provides us a reliable and related order about pottery, but does not offer us with an absolute chronology of the ceramic pottery development.

This technology of judging the era according to the typical pottery of various pottery species had improved the Pueblo’s Indian culture in the southwestern United States greatly.

There aren’t many areas of the world that can claim to have been inhabited by people from as far back as the Neolithic period; but Amman in Jordan is one such location.

No visit to Amman is complete unless you take the time to explore these ancient roots. The city is the capital of Jordan, and while there are many modern sights to view, it is perhaps the ancient ones that draw the most attention from visiting tourists. It is this heady mix of sights that make Amman such a fascinating place to visit.

A classic example of this is the Roman theatre. It sits within the city and nestles alongside many modern buildings. Don’t miss the two museums that are on site as well; they provide another way to learn more about Amman.

You can also see what remains of the great Temple of Hercules. It is believed that the temple may not actually have been finished during the time it was built – back in 162 AD. But what remains today is still enchanting and takes you back to another age altogether.

The Citadel should definitely be the next stop on your list. This is actually one of the best places to take some pictures of the Temple of Hercules, so make sure you bring your camera along – you can also see the Omayyad Palace from here. Among other things, the Citadel also has a Byzantine church within it, a museum and a mosque.

Amman also benefits from the fact that all these outstanding – and quite humbling – sights are located very close together, making it is easy to walk between them all. The fact that the city is also situated high up gives you a great vantage point to look down below.

Another way to see some of the ancient sights and finds in Amman is to visit the many museums that are situated within the city. One of the best is the Jordan Archaeological Museum, which is on Citadel Hill. It offers exhibits which relate to many different ancient periods in time, which provide you with a better picture of the history of Amman. The museum itself has only been around since the 1950s, but it has established itself as a stunning and very worthwhile place to visit during any holiday to the city.

Once you arrive from your flights to Amman, it can prove beneficial to begin planning that all important itinerary before setting out to explore the many ancient sights the city has to offer.

Anthropology and Archaeology: A Changing Perspective