Damien Marie AtHope - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Drafts by Damien Marie AtHope

Y-chromosomal Adam “The former-Adam is estimated to have lived around 202,000 years ago, the rev... more Y-chromosomal Adam

“The former-Adam is estimated to have lived around 202,000 years ago, the revised one is thought to be about 338,000 years old.”

“In human genetics, the Y-chromosomal Adam (more technically known as the Y-chromosomal most recent common ancestor, shortened to Y-MRCA), is the patrilineal most recent common ancestor (MRCA) from whom all currently living humans are descended. He is the most recent male from whom all living humans are descended through an unbroken line of their male ancestors. The term Y-MRCA reflects the fact that the Y chromosomes of all currently living human males are directly derived from the Y chromosome of this remote ancestor.”

“The analogous concept of the matrilineal most recent common ancestor is known as “Mitochondrial Eve” (mt-MRCA, named for the matrilineal transmission of mtDNA), the most recent woman from whom all living humans are descended matrilineally. As with “Mitochondrial Eve”, the title of “Y-chromosomal Adam” is not permanently fixed to a single individual, but can advance over the course of human history as paternal lineages become extinct. Estimates of the time when Y-MRCA lived have also shifted as modern knowledge of human ancestry changes. For example, in 2013, the discovery of a previously unknown Y-chromosomal haplogroup was announced, which resulted in a slight adjustment of the estimated age of the human Y-MRCA.”

“By definition, it is not necessary that the Y-MRCA and the mt-MRCA should have lived at the same time. While estimates as of 2014 suggested the possibility that the two individuals may well have been roughly contemporaneous, the discovery of the archaic Y-haplogroup has pushed back the estimated age of the Y-MRCA beyond the most likely age of the mt-MRCA. As of 2015, estimates of the age of the Y-MRCA range around 200,000 to 300,000 years ago, roughly consistent with the emergence of anatomically modern humans. Y-chromosomal data taken from a Neanderthal from El Sidrón, Spain, produced a Y-T-MRCA (time to Y-MRCA) of 588,000 years ago for Neanderthal and Homo sapiens patrilineages, dubbed ante Adam, and 275,000 years ago for Y-MRCA.”

“Estimates on the age of the Y-MRCA crucially depend on the most archaic known haplogroup extant in contemporary populations. As of 2018, this is haplogroup A00 (discovered in 2013). Age estimates based on this published during 2014–2015 range between 160,000 and 300,000 years, compatible with the time of emergence and early dispersal of Homo sapiens.”

Mitochondrial Eve

“In human genetics, the Mitochondrial Eve (more technically known as the Mitochondrial-Most Recent Common Ancestor, shortened to mt-Eve or mt-MRCA) is the matrilineal most recent common ancestor (MRCA) of all living humans. In other words, she is defined as the most recent woman from whom all living humans descend in an unbroken line purely through their mothers and through the mothers of those mothers, back until all lines converge on one woman. In terms of mitochondrial haplogroups, the mt-MRCA is situated at the divergence of macro-haplogroup L into L0 and L1–6. As of 2013, estimates on the age of this split ranged at around 155,000 years ago, consistent with a date later than the speciation of Homo sapiens but earlier than the recent out-of-Africa dispersal.”

“The male analog to the “Mitochondrial Eve” is the “Y-chromosomal Adam” (or Y-MRCA), the individual from whom all living humans are patrilineally descended. As the identity of both matrilineal and patrilineal MRCAs is dependent on genealogical history (pedigree collapse), they need not have lived at the same time. As of 2015, estimates of the age of the Y-MRCA range around 200,000 to 300,000 years ago, roughly consistent with the emergence of anatomically modern humans. The name “Mitochondrial Eve” alludes to the biblical Eve, which has led to repeated misrepresentations or misconceptions in journalistic accounts on the topic. Popular science presentations of the topic usually point out such possible misconceptions by emphasizing the fact that the position of mt-MRCA is neither fixed in time (as the position of mt-MRCA moves forward in time as mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) lineages become extinct), nor does it refer to a “first woman”, nor the only living female of her time, nor the first member of a “new species.”

Trialetian culture (16,000–8000 years ago) the Caucasus, Iran, and Turkey, likely involved in Göb... more Trialetian culture (16,000–8000 years ago) the Caucasus, Iran, and Turkey, likely involved in Göbekli Tepe. Migration 1?

Haplogroup R possible time of origin about 27,000 years in Central Asia, South Asia, or Siberia:

Mal’ta–Buret’ culture (24,000-15,000 years ago)
Afontova Gora culture (21,000-12,000 years ago)
Trialetian culture (16,000–8000 years ago)
Samara culture (7,000-6,500 years ago)
Khvalynsk culture (7,000-6,500 years ago)
Afanasievo culture (5,300-4,500 years ago)
Yamna/Yamnaya Culture (5,300-4,500 years ago)
Andronovo culture (4,000–2,900 years ago)

I think people have a wrong idea of what hunter-gatherer societies can do. There were many different types of hunter-gatherers, some very complex and some not. People seem to think they all were similar and not complex, which is in error.

Haplogroup migrations related to the Ancient North Eurasians: I added stuff to this map to help explain.

“The human fossil remains of Afontova Gora 2, an Ancient North Eurasian genetic-related male burial with Y-DNA haplogroup Q1a1-F746, dated to 17,000 years ago, showed close genetic affinities to Mal’ta 1 (Mal’ta boy). Afontova Gora 2 also showed a greater genetic affinity for the Karitiana people (an indigenous people of Brazil) than for the Han Chinese.” ref

People reached Lake Baikal Siberia around 25,000 years ago. They (to Damien) were likely Animistic Shamanists who were also heavily totemistic as well. Being animistic thinkers they likely viewed amazing things in nature as a part of or related to something supernatural/spiritual (not just natural as explained by science): spirit-filled, a sprit-being relates to or with it, it is a sprit-being, it is a supernatural/spiritual creature, or it is a great spirit/tutelary deity/goddess-god. From there comes mythology and faith in things not seen but are believed to somehow relate or interact with this “real world” we know exists.

Both areas of Lake Baikal, one on the west side with Ancient North Eurasian culture and one on the east side with Ancient Northern East Asian culture (later to become: Ancient Northeast Asian culture) areas are the connected areas that (to Damien) are the origin ancestry religion area for many mythologies and religious ideas of the world by means of a few main migrations and many smaller ones leading to a distribution of religious ideas that even though are vast in distance are commonly related to and centering on Lake Baikal and its surrounding areas like the Amur region and Altai Mountains region.

To an Animistic Thinker: “Things are not just as they seem, they may have a spirit, or spirit energy relates to them”

To a Totemistic Thinker: “Things are not just as they seem, they may have a spirit, or spirit energy relates to them; they may have religio-cultural importance.”

“Ancient North Eurasian population had Haplogroups R, P, U, and Q DNA types: defined by maternal West-Eurasian ancestry components (such as mtDNA haplogroup U) and paternal East-Eurasian ancestry components (such as yDNA haplogroup P1 (R*/Q*).”

“Homo floresiensis ( /flɔːrˈɛziːˌɛn.sɪs/), also known as “Flores Man” or “Hobbit” (after the fict... more “Homo floresiensis ( /flɔːrˈɛziːˌɛn.sɪs/), also known as “Flores Man” or “Hobbit” (after the fictional species), is an extinct species of small archaic humans that inhabited the island of Flores, Indonesia, until the arrival of modern humans about 50,000 years ago. The remains of an individual who would have stood about 1.1 m (3 ft 7 in) in height were discovered in 2003 at Liang Bua cave. As of 2015, partial skeletons of fifteen individuals have been recovered, including one complete skull, referred to as “LB1”. Homo floresiensis is thought to have arrived on Flores around 1.27–1 million years ago. There is debate as to whether H. floresiensis represents a descendant of Javanese Homo erectus that reduced its body size as a result of insular dwarfism, or whether it represents an otherwise undetected migration of small, Australopithecus or Homo habilis-grade archaic humans outside of Africa.”

“This hominin was at first considered remarkable for its survival until relatively recent times, initially thought to be only 12,000 years ago. However, more extensive stratigraphic and chronological work has pushed the dating of the most recent evidence of its existence back to 50,000 years ago. The Homo floresiensis skeletal material at Liang Bua is now dated from 60,000 to 100,000 years ago; stone tools recovered alongside the skeletal remains were from archaeological horizons ranging from 50,000 to 190,000 years ago. Other earlier remains from Mata Menge date to around 700,000 years ago. The first specimens were discovered on the Indonesian island of Flores on 2 September 2003 by a joint Australian-Indonesian team of archaeologists looking for evidence of the original human migration of modern humans from Asia to Australia. They instead recovered a nearly complete, small-statured skeleton, LB1, in the Liang Bua cave, and subsequent excavations in 2003 and 2004 recovered seven additional skeletons, initially dated from 38,000 to 13,000 years ago.”

Ancient North Eurasian (ANE) Ancient Beringian/Ancestral Native American (AB/ANA) Eastern Hunte... more Ancient North Eurasian (ANE)

Ancient Beringian/Ancestral Native American (AB/ANA)

Eastern Hunter-Gatherer (EHG)

Western Hunter-Gatherers (WHG)

Western Steppe Herders (WSH)

Scandinavian Hunter-Gatherer (SHG)

Early European Farmers (EEF)

Jōmon people (Ainu people OF Hokkaido Island)

Neolithic Iranian farmers (Iran_N) (Iran Neolithic)

Amur Culture (Amur watershed)

Haplogroup R possible time of origin about 27,000 years in Central Asia, South Asia, or Siberia:

Groups partially derived from the Ancient North Eurasians
“Eastern Hunter-Gatherer (EHG) is a lineage derived predominantly (75%) from ANE. It is represented by two individuals from Karelia, one of Y-haplogroup R1a-M417, dated c. 8.4 kya, the other of Y-haplogroup J, dated c. 7.2 kya; and one individual from Samara, of Y-haplogroup R1b-P297, dated c. 7.6 kya. This lineage is closely related to the ANE sample from Afontova Gora, dated c. 18 kya. After the end of the Last Glacial Maximum, the Western Hunter-Gatherers (WHG) and EHG lineages merged in Eastern Europe, accounting for early presence of ANE-derived ancestry in Mesolithic Europe. Evidence suggests that as Ancient North Eurasians migrated West from Eastern Siberia, they absorbed Western Hunter-Gatherers and other West Eurasian populations as well.”

“Caucasian Hunter-Gatherer (CHG) is represented by the Satsurblia individual dated ~13 kya (from the Satsurblia cave in Georgia), and carried 36% ANE-derived admixture. While the rest of their ancestry is derived from the Dzudzuana cave individual dated ~26 kya, which lacked ANE-admixture, Dzudzuana affinity in the Caucasus decreased with the arrival of ANE at ~13 kya Satsurblia.”

“Scandinavian Hunter-Gatherer (SHG) is represented by several individuals buried at Motala, Sweden ca. 6000 BC. They were descended from Western Hunter-Gatherers who initially settled Scandinavia from the south, and later populations of EHG who entered Scandinavia from the north through the coast of Norway.” ref

“Iran Neolithic (Iran_N) individuals dated ~8.5 kya carried 50% ANE-derived admixture and 50% Dzudzuana-related admixture, marking them as different from other Near-Eastern and Anatolian Neolithics who didn’t have ANE admixture. Iran Neolithics were later replaced by Iran Chalcolithics, who were a mixture of Iran Neolithic and Near Eastern Levant Neolithic.”

“Ancient Beringian/Ancestral Native American are specific archaeogenetic lineages, based on the genome of an infant found at the Upward Sun River site (dubbed USR1), dated to 11,500 years ago. The AB lineage diverged from the Ancestral Native American (ANA) lineage about 20,000 years ago.”

“West Siberian Hunter-Gatherer (WSHG) are a specific archaeogenetic lineage, first reported in a genetic study published in Science in September 2019. WSGs were found to be of about 30% EHG ancestry, 50% ANE ancestry, and 20% to 38% East Asian ancestry.”

“Western Steppe Herders (WSH) is the name given to a distinct ancestral component that represents descent closely related to the Yamnaya culture of the Pontic–Caspian steppe. This ancestry is often referred to as Yamnaya ancestry or Steppe ancestry.”

“Late Upper Paeolithic Lake Baikal – Ust’Kyakhta-3 (UKY) 14,050-13,770 BP were mixture of 30% ANE ancestry and 70% East Asian ancestry.” ref

“Lake Baikal Holocene – Baikal Eneolithic (Baikal_EN) and Baikal Early Bronze Age (Baikal_EBA) derived 6.4% to 20.1% ancestry from ANE, while rest of their ancestry was derived from East Asians. Fofonovo_EN near by Lake Baikal were mixture of 12-17% ANE ancestry and 83-87% East Asian ancestry.”

“Hokkaido Jōmon people specifically refers to the Jōmon period population of Hokkaido in northernmost Japan. Though the Jōmon people themselves descended mainly from East Asian lineages, one study found an affinity between Hokkaido Jōmon with the Northern Eurasian Yana sample (an ANE-related group, related to Mal’ta), and suggest as an explanation the possibility of minor Yana gene flow into the Hokkaido Jōmon population (as well as other possibilities). A more recent study by Cooke et al. 2021, confirmed ANE-related geneflow among the Jōmon people, partially ancestral to the Ainu people. ANE ancestry among Jōmon people is estimated at 21%, however, there is a North to South cline within the Japanese archipelago, with the highest amount of ANE ancestry in Hokkaido and Tohoku.”

Genetic origins of the Minoans and Mycenaeans

“Mycenaeans (Mycenaean Greece or the Mycenaean civilization: was the last phase of the Bronze Age in Ancient Greece) differed from Minoans (Minoan civilization: was a Bronze Age Aegean civilization on the island of Crete) in deriving additional ancestry from an ultimate source related to the hunter-gatherers of eastern Europe and Siberia, introduced via a proximal source related to either the inhabitants of either the Eurasian steppe or Armenia. Modern Greeks resemble the Mycenaeans, but with some additional dilution of the early Neolithic ancestry. Our results support the idea of continuity but not isolation in the history of populations of the Aegean, before and after the time of its earliest civilizations.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5565772/

Dnieper–Donets culture “The Dnieper–Donets culture (ca. 5th—4th millennium BCE) was a Mesolithic... more Dnieper–Donets culture

“The Dnieper–Donets culture (ca. 5th—4th millennium BCE) was a Mesolithic and later Neolithic culture which flourished north of the Black Sea ca. 5000-4200 BCE. It has many parallels with the Samara culture, and was succeeded by the Sredny Stog culture. There are parallels with the contemporaneous Samara culture to the north. Striking similarities with the Khvalynsk culture and the Sredny Stog culture have also been detected. A much larger horizon from the upper Vistula to the lower half of Dnieper to the mid-to-lower Volga has therefore been drawn. Influences from the Dnieper–Donets culture and the Sredny Stog culture on the Funnelbeaker culture have been detected. An origin of the Funnelbeaker culture from the Dnieper–Donets culture has been suggested, but this is very controversial. The Dnieper–Donets culture was contemporary with the Bug–Dniester culture. It is clearly distinct from the Cucuteni–Trypillia culture.”

“From around 5200 BCE, the Dnieper-Donets people began keeping cattle, sheep, and goats. Other domestic animals kept included pigs, horses, and dogs. During the following centuries, domestic animals from the Dnieper further and further east towards the Volga–Ural steppes, where they appeared ca. 4700-4600 BCE. From about 4200 BCE, the Dnieper–Donets culture adopted agriculture. Domestic plants that have been recovered include millet, wheat, and pea. Evidence from skeletal remains suggest that plants were consumed. The presence of exotic goods in Dnieper-Donets graves indicates exchange relationships with the Caucasus. In later times the deceased in the Dnieper–Donets culture were sometimes buried individually. This shift has been suggested as evidence of a shift towards increasing individualism. Dnieper–Donets burials have been found near the settlement of Deriivka, which is associated with the Sredny Stog culture.”

“Certain Dnieper-Donets burials are accompanied with copper, crystal or porphyry ornaments, shell beads, bird-stone tubes, polished stone maces or ornamental plaques made of boar’s tusk. The items, along with the presence of animal bones and sophisticated burial methods, appear to have been a symbol of power. Certain deceased children were buried with such items, which indicates that wealth was inherited in Dnieper-Donets society. Very similar boar-tusk plaques and copper ornament have been found at contemporary graves of the Samara culture in the middle Volga area. Maces of a different type than those of Dnieper-Donets have also been found. The wide adoption of such a status symbol attests to a change in the politics of power. The physical remains recovered from graves of the Dnieper–Donets culture have been classified as “Proto-Europoid“, with large and more massive features than the gracile Mediterranean peoples of the Balkan Neolithic. Males averaged 172 cm in height, which is much taller than contemporary Neolithic populations. Its rugged physical traits are thought to have genetically influenced later Indo-European peoples.”

“Dnieper-Donets pottery was initially pointed-based, but in later phases flat-based wares emerge. Their pottery is completely different from those made by the nearby Cucuteni–Trypillia culture. The importance of pottery appears to have increased throughout the existence of the Dnieper–Donets culture, which implies a more sedentary lifestyle. The early use of typical point base pottery interrelates with other Mesolithic cultures that are peripheral to the expanse of the Neolithic farmer cultures. The special shape of this pottery has been related to transport by logboat in wetland areas. Especially related are Swifterbant in the Netherlands, Ellerbek and Ertebølle in Northern Germany and Scandinavia, “Ceramic Mesolithic” pottery of Belgium and Northern France (including non-Linear pottery such as La Hoguette, Bliquy, Villeneuve-Saint-Germain), the Roucadour culture in Southwest France and the river and lake areas of Northern Poland and Russia.”

“Direct democracy or pure democracy is a form of democracy in which the electorate decides on pol... more “Direct democracy or pure democracy is a form of democracy in which the electorate decides on policy initiatives without elected representatives as proxies. This differs from the majority of currently established democracies, which are representative democracies. The theory and practice of direct democracy and participation as its common characteristic constituted the core of the work of many theorists, philosophers, politicians, and social critics, among whom the most important are Jean-Jacques Rousseau, John Stuart Mill, and G.D.H. Cole. The strength of direct democracy in individual countries can be quantitatively compared by the Citizen-initiated component of direct popular vote index in V-Dem Democracy indices. A higher index indicates more direct democracy popular initiatives and referendums”

“Damien, you should run to be a politician”

My response, I appreciate your support. I am an anarchist; I will never be a politician. I want to empower the people, not the government, over the people. I support direct democracy.

“Hi Damien, mind if I ask – how direct do you want your democracy? How to prevent the tyranny of the majority?”

My response, Well, we can’t vote on human rights as people own themselves. We vote on things. The problem now is human rights are on the menu. So, this current democracy has no boundaries from oppression.

“I agree. Human rights are self-evident and should not be on the menu!”

My thoughts on Religion Evolution with external links for more info: (Pre-Animism Africa mainly,... more My thoughts on Religion Evolution with external links for more info:

(Pre-Animism Africa mainly, but also Europe, and Asia at least 300,000 years ago),
(Animism Africa around 100,000 years ago),
(Totemism Europe around 50,000 years ago),
(Shamanism Siberia around 30,000 years ago),
(Paganism Turkey around 12,000 years ago),
(Progressed Organized Religion “Institutional Religion” Egypt around 5,000 years ago),
(CURRENT “World” RELIGIONS after 4,000 years ago)
(Early Atheistic Doubting at least by 2,600 years ago)

Proto Religion: Superstition around 1 million years ago, to Pre-Animism 300,000 years ago, & then Animism Religion 100,000 years ago

Prehistory: related to “Anarchism and Socialism,” the division of labor, power, rights, and recourses

Pre-animism 300,000 years old and animism 100,000 years old: related to “Anarchism and Socialism”

Totemism 50,000 years old: related to “Anarchism and Socialism”

Shamanism 30,000 years old: related to “Anarchism and Socialism”

Paganism 12,000 years old: related to “Anarchism and Socialism” (Pre-Capitalism)

Paganism 7,000-5,000 years old: related to “Anarchism and Socialism” (Capitalism) (World War 0) Elite and their slaves!

Arcane Capitalism: Primitive socialism, Primitive capital, Private ownership, Means of production, Market capitalism, Class discrimination, and Petite bourgeoisie (smaller capitalists)

Paganism 5,000 years old: progressed organized religion related to (Kings and the Rise of the State)

Paganism 4,000 years old: related to “Anarchism and Socialism” (First Moralistic gods, then the Origin time of Monotheism)

Mesopotamia “Mesopotamia is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphr... more Mesopotamia

“Mesopotamia is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Mesopotamia occupies most of present-day Iraq and Kuwait. The historical region includes the head of the Persian Gulf and parts of present-day Iran, Syria, and Turkey.”

“The Sumerians and Akkadians (including Assyrians and Babylonians) dominated Mesopotamia from the beginning of written history (c. 3100 BCE or 5,121 years ago) to the fall of Babylon in 539 BCE or 2,560 years ago, when it was conquered by the Achaemenid Empire. It fell to Alexander the Great in 332 BCE or 2,353 years ago, and after his death, it became part of the Greek Seleucid Empire. Later the Arameans dominated major parts of Mesopotamia (900 BCE – 270 CE).”

“Around 150 BCE or 2,171 years ago, Mesopotamia was under the control of the Parthian Empire. Mesopotamia became a battleground between the Romans and Parthians, with western parts of Mesopotamia coming under ephemeral Roman control. In 226 CE, the eastern regions of Mesopotamia fell to the Sassanid Persians. The division of Mesopotamia between Roman (Byzantine from 395 AD) and Sassanid Empires lasted until the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia of the Sasanian Empire and Muslim conquest of the Levant from Byzantines.”

“A number of primarily neo-Assyrian and Christian native Mesopotamian states existed between the 1st century BCE and 3rd century BCE, including Adiabene, Osroene, and Hatra. Mesopotamia is the site of the earliest developments of the Neolithic Revolution from around 10,000 BCE or 12,021 years ago. It has been identified as having “inspired some of the most important developments in human history, including the invention of the wheel, the planting of the first cereal crops, and the development of cursive script, mathematics, astronomy, and agriculture“. It has been known as one of the earliest civilizations to ever exist in the world.”

City-States seem to likely start in Mesopotamia

“As time went on, many small villages became the first cities, one of them being Eridu, according to the Mesopotamians themselves. Scholars, however, consider Uruk to be the first city in history. Other Sumerian cities include Ur, Lagash, Adab, Kish, Larsa, Nippur, Kullah, and Adab among others.”

“In 4000 BCE or 6,021 years ago. came the first villages and the beginning of towns. By 3,500 BCE or 5,521 years ago, the Sumerian city-states began forming, all centered around temples to the gods. By this time, Sumerian people had invented writing, the wheel, irrigation and water control, and sailboats. One of the names for Mesopotamia is the “cradle of civilization,” as the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers was the birthplace of civilization as we know it.”

“Sumer’s city-states were first ruled by priest-kings, known as Ensi. As society grew more complex, however, and city-states began battling over land and water rights, a secular kingship began, with the rule of a city-state in the hands of a Lugal, or strong man. The Lugal supervised wars and oversaw important trade with other lands. Trade brought in goods such as metal ores that were unobtainable in Sumer itself. It was probably the necessity of record-keeping in long-distance trade that spurred the development of cuneiform writing.”

“While the archeological record reveals the life of common Sumerians, the Sumerian King List provides some detail of Sumer’s kings. The King List, a cuneiform document that lists and briefly describes all the kings of the region beginning with Etana of Kish, who ruled c. 3100 BCE or 5,121 years ago. A scribe in the city of Lagash wrote the document around 2100 BCE or 4,121 years ago at the instigation of a king who wished to legitimate his rule by connecting his name with the known kings and their great deeds.”

“Sumer’s city-states warred with each other continually for land, water rights, and other natural resources. One king might create a larger alliance, but no one managed to rule them all until Eannutum of Lagash, who managed to subdue most of the city-states of Sumer under his rule. Lugalzagesi of Umma then held that proto-empire together until he was overthrown by Sargon the Great circa 2234 BCE or 4,255 years ago. Sargon, a Semite rather than a Sumerian, originated from northern Mesopotamia.”

“The Akkadian Empire dominated Sumer for the next 150 years. Sumer, however, would rise again during the Sumerian Renaissance of 2047-1750 BCE or 4,068 years ago. Sumer’s civilization provided the world with many firsts: first legal codes, court system, schools, proverbs, moral and ethical ideas, mathematical systems, libraries, bronze, writing, astrological signs, our division of time into hours and minutes and many technological innovations.”

Divine right of Kings

“Historically, many Notions of rights have been authoritarian and hierarchical, with different people granted different rights and some having more rights than others. For instance, the right of a father to receive respect from his son did not indicate a right for the son to receive a return from that respect. Analogously, the divine right of kings, which permitted absolute power over subjects, provided few rights for the subjects themselves.”

Pre-Christian conceptions of the Divine Right of Kings

Divine Right of Kings and Zoroastrianism (Iranian world)

The Indo-Iranian languages (also Indo-Iranic languages or Aryan languages) constitute the largest and southeasternmost extant branch of the Indo-European language family.

“Khvarenah “Ahura Mazda the god reportedly gives divine kingship to Ardashir.” Khvarenah is an Iranian and Zoroastrian concept, which literally means glory, about the divine right of the kings. This may stem from early Mesopotamian culture, where kings were often regarded as deities after their death. Shulgi of Ur was among the first Mesopotamian rulers to declare himself to be divine. In the Iranian view, kings would never rule, unless Khvarenah is with them, and they will never fall unless Khvarenah leaves them. For example, according to the Kar-namag of Ardashir, when Ardashir I of Persia and Artabanus V of Parthia fought for the throne of Iran, on the road Artabanus and his contingent are overtaken by an enormous ram, which is also following Ardashir. Artabanus’s religious advisors explain to him that the ram is the manifestation of the khwarrah of the ancient Iranian kings, which is leaving Artabanus to join Ardashir.”

Roman Empire (Italic languages)

Italic languages form a branch of the Indo-European language family, whose earliest known members were spoken on the Italian Peninsula in the first millennium BCE.

“The Imperial cult of ancient Rome identified Roman emperors and some members of their families with the “divinely sanctioned” authority (auctoritas) of the Roman State. The official offer of cultus to a living emperor acknowledged his office and rule as divinely approved and constitutional: his Principate should therefore demonstrate pious respect for traditional Republican deities and mores. Many of the rites, practices, and status distinctions that characterized the cult to emperors were perpetuated in the theology and politics of the Christianised Empire.”

Christian conceptions of the Divine Right of Kings

“In European Christianity, the divine right of kings, divine right, or God’s mandation is a political and religious doctrine of political legitimacy of a monarchy. It stems from a specific metaphysical framework in which a monarch is, before birth, pre-ordained to inherit the crown. According to this theory of political legitimacy, the subjects of the crown have actively (and not merely passively) turned over the metaphysical selection of the king’s soul – which will inhabit the body and rule them – to God. In this way, the “divine right” originates as a metaphysical act of humility and/or submission towards God. The Divine Right has been a key element of the legitimation of many absolute monarchies.”

“Significantly, the doctrine asserts that a monarch is not accountable to any earthly authority (such as a parliament) because their right to rule is derived from divine authority. Thus, the monarch is not subject to the will of the people, of the aristocracy, or of any other estate of the realm. It follows that only divine authority can judge a monarch, and that any attempt to depose, dethrone or restrict their powers runs contrary to God’s will and may constitute a sacrilegious act. It is often expressed in the phrase by the Grace of God, which has historically been attached to the titles of certain reigning monarchs. Note, however, that such accountability only to God does not per se make the monarch a sacred king.”

This series idea was addressed in, Anarchist Teaching as Free Public Education or Free Education in the Public: VIDEO

Our 12 video series: Organized Oppression: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of power (9,000-4,000 years ago), is adapted from: The Complete and Concise History of the Sumerians and Early Bronze Age Mesopotamia (7000-2000 BC): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szFjxmY7jQA by “History with Cy“

Show #1: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (Samarra, Halaf, Ubaid)

Show #2: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (Eridu: First City of Power)

Show #3: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (Uruk and the First Cities)

Show #4: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (First Kings)

Show #5: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (Early Dynastic Period)

Show #6: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (King Lugalzagesi and the First Empire)

Show #7: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (Sargon and Akkadian Rule)

Show #8: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (Naram-Sin, Post-Akkadian Rule, and the Gutians)

Show #9: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (Gudea of Laga...

Most gods can be explained or linked to mythology, not fully reality; it was people giving human ... more Most gods can be explained or linked to mythology, not fully reality; it was people giving human or animal attributes to the nature around them. I think this was motivated by animistic beliefs and their way of explaining natural phenomena as having a supernatural/spirit nature. Thinking that to the scientifically minded would at best be seen as wishful thinking, beliefs to gain a sense of control in a world they are powerless in.

Dragon-Serpent Slayers?

“A dragonslayer is a person or being that slays dragons. Dragonslayers and the creatures they hunt have been popular in traditional stories from around the world: they are a type of story classified as type 300 in the Aarne–Thompson classification system. They continue to be popular in modern books, films, video games, and other forms of entertainment. Dragonslayer-themed stories are also sometimes seen as having a chaoskampf theme—in which a heroic figure struggles against a monster that epitomises chaos.”

“A dragonslayer is often the hero in a “Princess and dragon” tale. In this type of story, the dragonslayer kills the dragon in order to rescue a high-class female character, often a princess, from being devoured by it. This female character often then becomes the love interest of the account. One notable example of this kind of legend is the story of Ragnar Loðbrók, who slays a giant serpent, thereby rescuing the maiden, Þóra borgarhjörtr, whom he later marries.”

“There are, however, several notable exceptions to this common motif. In the legend of Saint George and the Dragon, for example, Saint George overcomes the dragon as part of a plot that ends with the conversion of the dragon’s grateful victims to Christianity, rather than Saint George being married to the rescued princess character.”

“In a Norse legend from the Völsunga saga, the dragonslayer, Sigurd, kills Fáfnir—a dwarf who has been turned into a dragon as a result of guarding the cursed ring that had once belonged to the dwarf, Andvari. After slaying the dragon, Sigurd drinks some of the dragon’s blood and thereby gains the ability to understand the speech of birds. He also bathes in the dragon’s blood, causing his skin to become invulnerable. Sigurd overhears two nearby birds discussing the heinous treachery being planned by his companion, Regin. In response to the plot, Sigurd kills Regin, thereby averting the treachery.”

“The Meteorological or Naturist School holds that Proto-Indo-European myths initially emerged as explanations for natural phenomena, such as the Sky, the Sun, the Moon, and the Dawn. Rituals were, therefore, centered around the worship of those elemental deities. This interpretation was popular among early scholars, such as Friedrich Max Müller, who saw all myths as fundamentally solar allegories.”

Andaman Islands “The Andaman Islands (/ˈændəmən/) are an archipelago, made up of 200 islands, in... more Andaman Islands

“The Andaman Islands (/ˈændəmən/) are an archipelago, made up of 200 islands, in the northeastern Indian Ocean about 130 km (81 mi) southwest off the coasts of Myanmar‘s Ayeyarwady Region. Together with the Nicobar Islands to their south, the Andamans serve as a maritime boundary between the Bay of Bengal to the west and the Andaman Sea to the east. Most of the islands are part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a Union Territory of India, while the Coco Islands."

“The Andaman Islands are home to the Andamanese, a group of indigenous people made up of a number of tribes, including the Jarawa and Sentinelese. While some of the islands can be visited with permits, entry to others, including North Sentinel Island, is banned by law. The Sentinelese are generally hostile to visitors and have had little contact with any other people. The Indian government and coast guard protect their right to privacy. The climate is typical of tropical islands of similar latitude. It is always warm, but with sea breezes. Rainfall is irregular, usually dry during the north-east monsoons, and very wet during the south-west monsoons.”

“The oldest archaeological evidence for the habitation of the islands dates to the 1st millennium BCE. Genetic evidence suggests that the indigenous Andamanese peoples share a common origin, and that the islands were settled sometime after 26,000 years ago, possibly at the end of the Last Glacial Period, when sea levels were much lower reducing the distance between the Andaman Islands and the Asian mainland, with genetic estimates suggesting that the two main linguistic groups diverged around 16,000 years ago. Andamanese peoples are a genetically distinct group highly divergent from other Asians.”

Andamanese People

“The Great Andamanese are an indigenous people of the Great Andaman archipelago in the Andaman Islands. Historically, the Great Andamanese lived throughout the archipelago, and were divided into ten major tribes. Their distinct but closely related languages comprised the Great Andamanese languages, one of the two identified Andamanese language families. The Great Andamanese were clearly related to the other Andamanese peoples, but were well separated from them by culture, language, and geography. The languages of those other four groups were only distantly related to those of the Great Andamanese and mutually unintelligible; they are classified in a separate family, the Ongan languages.”

“They were once the most numerous of the five major groups in the Andaman Islands, with an estimated population between 2,000 and 6,600, before they were killed or died out due to diseases, alcohol, colonial warfare, and loss of hunting territory. Only 52 remained as of February 2010; by August 2020, there were 59. The tribal and linguistic distinctions have largely disappeared, so they may now be considered a single Great Andamanese ethnic group with mixed Burmese, Hindi, and aboriginal descent. The Great Andamanese are classified by anthropologists as one of the Negrito peoples, which also include the other four aboriginal groups of the Andaman islands (Onge, Jarawa, Jangil, and Sentinelese) and five other isolated populations of Southeast Asia. The Andaman Negritos are thought to be the first inhabitants of the islands, having emigrated from the mainland tens of thousands of years ago.”

“The Andamanese are the various indigenous peoples of the Andaman Islands, part of India‘s Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the union territory in the southeastern part of the Bay of Bengal. The Andamanese are a designated Scheduled Tribe in India’s constitution. The Andamanese peoples are among the various groups considered Negrito, owing to their dark skin and diminutive stature. All Andamanese traditionally lived a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, and appear to have lived in substantial isolation for thousands of years. It is suggested that the Andamanese settled in the Andaman Islands around the latest glacial maximum, around 26,000 years ago.”

“The Andamanese peoples included the Great Andamanese and Jarawas of the Great Andaman archipelago, the Jangil of Rutland Island, the Onge of Little Andaman, and the Sentinelese of North Sentinel Island. Among the Andamanese, a division of two groups can be made. One is more open to contact with civilization, and the other is hostile and resistant to communicating with the outer world. At the end of the 18th century, when they first came into sustained contact with outsiders, an estimated 7,000 Andamanese remained. In the next century, they experienced a massive population decline due to epidemics of outside diseases and loss of territory. Today, only roughly over 500 Andamanese remain, with the Jangil being extinct. Only the Jarawa and the Sentinelese maintain a steadfast independence, refusing most attempts at contact by outsiders.”

“The oldest archaeological evidence for the habitation of the islands dates to the 1st millennium BCE. Genetic evidence suggests that the indigenous Andamanese peoples share a common origin, and that the islands were settled sometime after 26,000 years ago, possibly at the end of the Last Glacial Period, when sea levels were much lower reducing the distance between the Andaman Islands and the Asian mainland, with genetic estimates suggesting that the two main linguistic groups (Great Andamanese and Onge/Jarawa) diverged around 16,000 years ago. It was previously assumed that the Andaman ancestors were part of the initial Great Coastal Migration (South-Eurasians or Australasians) that was the first expansion of humanity out of Africa, via the Arabian peninsula, along the coastal regions of the South Asia towards Insular Southeast Asia, and Oceania.”

“The Andamanese were considered to be a pristine example of a hypothesized Negrito population, which showed similar physical characteristics, and was supposed to have existed throughout southeast Asia. The existence of a specific Negrito-population is nowadays doubted. Their commonalities could be the result of evolutionary convergence and/or a shared history. Recent genetic studies conclusively demonstrate Negrito groups do not share a common origin to the exclusion of other Asians. The four major groups of Andamanese. By the end of the eighteenth century, there were an estimated 5,000 Great Andamanese living on Great Andaman. Altogether they comprised ten distinct tribes with different languages. The population quickly dwindled to 600 in 1901 and to 19 by 1961. It has increased slowly after that, following their move to a reservation on Strait Island. As of 2010, the population was 52, representing a mix of the former tribes.”

“The Jarawa originally inhabited southeastern Jarawa Island and have migrated to the west coast of Great Andaman in the wake of the Great Andamanese. The Onge once lived throughout Little Andaman and now are confined to two reservations on the island. The Jangil, who originally inhabited Rutland Island, were extinct by 1931: the last individual was sighted in 1907. Only the Sentinelese are still living in their original homeland on North Sentinel Island, largely undisturbed, and have fiercely resisted all attempts at contact. The Andamanese languages are considered to be the fifth language family of India, following the Indo-European, Dravidian, Austroasiatic, and Sino-Tibetan. While some connections have been tentatively proposed with other language families, such as Austronesian, or the controversial Indo-Pacific family, the consensus view is currently that Andamanese languages form a separate language family – or rather, two unrelated linguistic families: Greater Andamanese and Ongan.”

Until contact, the Andamanese were strict hunter-gatherers. They did not practice cultivation, and lived off hunting indigenous pigs, fishing, and gathering. Their only weapons were the bow, adzes, and wooden harpoons. The Andamanese knew of no method for making fire in the nineteenth century. They instead carefully preserved embers in hollowed-out trees from fires caused by lightning strikes. The men wore girdles made of hibiscus fiber which carried useful tools and weapons for when they went hunting. The women on the other hand wore a tribal dress containing leaves that were held by a belt. A majority of them had painted bodies as well. They usually slept on leaves or mats and had either permanent or temporary habitation among the tribes. All habitations were man made.”

“Some of the tribe members were credited with having supernatural powers. They were called oko-pai-ad, which meant dreamer. They were thought to have an influence on the members of the tribe and would bring misfortune to those who did not believe in their abilities. Traditional knowledge practitioners were the ones who helped with healthcare. The medicine that was used to cure illnesses were herbal most of the time. Various types of medicinal plants were used by the islanders. 77 total traditional knowledge practitioners were identified and 132 medicinal plants were used. The members of the tribes found various ways to use leaves in their everyday lives including clothing, medicine, and to sleep on.”

“Anthropologist A.R. Radcliffe Brown argued that the Andamanese had no government and made decisions by group consensus. The native Andamanese religion and belief system is a form of animism. Ancestor worship is an important element in the religious traditions of the Andaman islands. Andamanese Mythology held that humans emerged from split bamboo, whereas the women were fashioned from clay. One version found by Alfred Reginald Radcliffe-Brown held that the first man died and went to heaven, a pleasurable world, but this blissful period ended due to breaking a food taboo, specifically eating the forbidden vegetables in the Puluga‘s garden. Thus Catastrophe ensued, and eventually the people grew overpopulated and didn’t follow Puluga‘s laws, and hence there was a Great Flood that left four survivor...

With Power comes Responsibility Education should be empowering to the learners involved. Facts a... more With Power comes Responsibility

Education should be empowering to the learners involved. Facts and critical thinking education helps ensure this. YOU are a good person? If you or I were a good person, how would others know? Would we find the answer in the thinking and behaviors offered? Words alone can mean little, especially if ones actions tell otherwise. It is then we logically address this difference and its disvalue. Words can have power if backed up by equally value-heavy behaviors.

One can claim solidarity and yet follow few showing little solidarity? How when they have a mass of followers but don’t behave as if solidarity with them is important, so their behaviors are telling on them and to me it is shameful.

“Most anarchists endorse social solidarity – the idea that it is natural for humans to live and work together in mutually beneficial groups or communities and for people to have an altruistic concern for each other.” ref

Revolutionary Solidarity:

“The concept of solidarity is not only used and abused by the various reformist syndicalist and humanitarian movements and even power itself, it is also sadly emptied of any content by many anarchists. Solidarity lies in action. Action that sinks its roots in one’s own project that is carried on coherently and proudly too, especially in times when it might be dangerous even to express one’s ideas publicly.”

We rise in Solidarity

I welcome all good humans and see my efforts to help change others, helping them see the values leftists support. I do outreach to non-leftists and non-anarchists and have converted many to my thinking because I offer friendship. I am not saying all must be like me, but there are many who don’t welcome any unless they think exactly like them. This is, to me, counter-solidarity and ensures we don’t fight for what we claim. There will be no revolution without solidarity, which is a value we not only express but also in our behaviors, and this behavior inspires others. I feel this is discouraging to a message of solidarity. How can we have an anarchist society in the future if the loudest voices are not ones actually practicing solidarity? I feel any revolution that leaves solidarity as a less value is insuring failure or more war like we have now.

Liberty, Equality, Solidarity Toward a Dialectical Anarchism

“Liberty, understood in light of equality and solidarity, is a revolutionary doctrine demanding anarchy, with no room for authoritarian mysticism and no excuse for arbitrary dominion, no matter how “limited” or benign.”

Pottery moved from southern China 20,000 years ago, then to Siberia by 14,000, then to the Middle... more Pottery moved from southern China 20,000 years ago, then to Siberia by 14,000, then to the Middle East 10,000 years ago, and then to Europe by around 9,000 years ago "ceramic Mesolithic."

My general thinking in relation to my Axiology assumptions: Intrinsic Value: (such as human right... more My general thinking in relation to my Axiology assumptions:
Intrinsic Value: (such as human rights)
Extrinsic Value: (such as relating to its accuracy, truth, quality, what value that is produced, Its use-value, or an added level of its agreeableness or desirability to it)
Systemic Value: (such as how things may improve or worsen in relation to time. Things like rape rightly motivate our outrage, not simply for the harm of the moment of the violation. No, most thinkers mildly inclined towards ethics could see. Such an awareness or expanded effort to understand it could realize the tragic harm or strain it can have throughout a lifespan. It is this and even more, like how it puts more fear or stress on others who hear of this, see this, or are personally/emotionally connected to them. Too many people under such assault to one’s dignity that rape is. And for those victims of such oppression, too often, it brings all kinds of potential body shame or self-hatred. Yet it doesn’t end there, and others just seem to stop caring altogether. I feel for them all. Not to mention, I am sure I would miss some that others could add. Etc., Etc., Etc.)
Learning Axiology Value and Disvalue: Intrinsic Value, Extrinsic value, and Systemic Value

*Intrinsic Value: The value of things in themselves, independent of their usefulness or consequences. Humans have dignity or intrinsic value. Things are not dignity beings, and thus do not/can not have intrinsic value. Things can have extrinsic and Systemic Value, but this is Value is for others, like humans, not intrinsic to itself. A rock can only have extrinsic or systemic value, but never intrinsic value. Is cutting down a tree murder? No, it is not a dignity being. A tree is a large plant. It is not the same to cut off a tree limb as to cut off a human’s arm. Once a person is born, they have 100% intrinsic value. They as all of us have the same 100% intrinsic value until we die. Not even becoming a mass murderer will change this intrinsic value that is related to the dignity beings we are. The disvalue extrinsically or disvalue systemically are in one being a mass murderer.

*Extrinsic value: (thing/idea is valued for their consequences or usefulness). Humans have intrinsic value as who they are, this only ends when they die. While they are alive, their thoughts and actions have extrinsic value if good and extrinsic disvalue if bad.

*Systemic Value: the value of things in relation to their contribution to a larger system or context and relates to the role or function of something within a broader framework or structure. We look down on rape not simply due to the violation but the lifelong harm. So, the lifelong psychological harm of rape relates to Systemic disvalue.

I used part of the definitions I offer above from the Framework of Formal Axiology; There are three primary value dimensions in Axiology: Systemic Value, Extrinsic Value, and Intrinsic Value

Justice ethics vs. Care ethics You must choose one over the other because to have the most just... more Justice ethics vs. Care ethics

You must choose one over the other because to have the most justice, you will simultaneously have the least care. Choose the most care is to have the least justice. Sometimes, justice has to outweigh care, and sometimes, care has to outweigh justice.

MORAL FEAR (fight or flight “justice perspective” or similar to consequentialist ethics/utilitarian ethics)

MORAL LOVE (tend and befriend “voice of care perspective” or similar to “care ethics (ethics of care)/reciprocity (reciprocal altruism) ethics”)

Moral fear and Moral love (which together motivate my axiological ethics)?

Harm is often a violation of trust and a violation of expected trust makes bad things even worse like if I told you a child was killed, you would feel it was terrible but if I further told you it was the child’s doctor that murdered the child out of anger. You would be more angered as doctors are expected to care for people not harm them. And if you think that is bad what if I further told you the doctor who killed the child was her mother would you hold her even mone in contempt as mothers also are expected to care and not kill children, so a violation of trust is terrible and even makes things worse. Therefore, we can see why people that hold places of trust should never abuse them, and that we should hold them accountable if they do violate such trust by harming others. Morality first, that is morality should be at the forefront in all I do. I hope I am always strong enough to put my morality at the forefront in all I do, so much so, that it is obvious in the ways I think and behave. To better grasp, a naturalistic morality one should see the perspective of how there is a self-regulatory effect on the self-evaluative moral emotions, such as shame and guilt. Broadly conceived, self-regulation distinguishes between two types of motivation: approach/activation and avoidance/inhibition. one should conceptually understand the socialization dimensions (parental restrictiveness versus nurturance), associated emotions (anxiety versus empathy), and forms of morality (proscriptive versus prescriptive) that serve as precursors to each self-evaluative moral emotion.

My quick definition of Axiology?

Axiology is a philosophy (value theory) and a social science/science of value (formal axiology) mainly involving the “what, why, and how” of “value” the way epistemology approaches “knowledge” as in what is of value/good/worth/beneficial/ or useful? Why is the thing in question of value/good/worth/beneficial/or useful? How should the value/good/worth/beneficial/ or useful be interacted with? Real Morality is an emergent aspect limited to a sphere of social dynamics (social) result in human progress and social evolution understood in mental processes of high cognitively developed beings (biological) with developed psychological quality of awareness (psychological) and the so-called moral facts and the values that support or motivate them is limited to the realm of possible harm psychological or physical (actual external world or experiential internal world). I would like to offer my understanding of how I see the layout of morality, values, morals, and ethics as I see them. I see the term “morality” proper as the main moniker to a philosophic group (values, morals, and ethics) or a main heading that involves the subheadings of values, morals, and ethics.

Values, morals, and ethics, in a basic observational way, should be understood as falling under branches expressing different but similar thinking and behavioral persuasion. Values are the internal catalyst often motivating our thinking and behaviors. Such as a value of all human life, would tend to motivate you to not wantonly end human lives. Just as a lack of value for all human life, may tend to motivate you to not have an issue with the wanton ending of human lives. Morals to me, are the personal persuasion that you value, such as having a desire for truthfulness. Then we have ethics and we know this is a different branch of the morality tree, as there is business ethics/professional ethics but not really business morals or professional morals; other than one’s self-chosen persuasion which may be adopted from business ethics/professional ethics. Ethics are as I have expressed our social universal prescriptions/persuasions public morality whereas morals to me are personal morality. Therefore, we can hold others to universal ethics standards (public morality) and not our moral proclivities that are not universal on others, as morals are for us (personal morality). To me, true Morality summed up to me is largely the expression of axiological value judgments/assessments carried into an appropriate valueized action.

“Trickster tale, in oral traditions worldwide, a story featuring a protagonist (often an anthropo... more “Trickster tale, in oral traditions worldwide, a story featuring a protagonist (often an anthropomorphized animal) who has magical powers and who is characterized as a compendium of opposites. Simultaneously an omniscient creator and an innocent fool, a malicious destroyer, and a childlike prankster, the trickster-hero serves as a sort of folkloric scapegoat onto which are projected the fears, failures, and unattained ideals of the source culture.”

“In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story (god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation) who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherwise disobey normal rules and defy conventional behavior. Tricksters, as archetypal characters, appear in the myths of many different cultures. Lewis Hyde describes the trickster as a “boundary-crosser”. The trickster crosses and often breaks both physical and societal rules: Tricksters “violate principles of social and natural order, playfully disrupting normal life and then re-establishing it on a new basis.”

“Loki is a god in Norse mythology. He is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to the goddess Sigyn, and they have two sons, Narfi or Nari and Váli. By the jötunn Angrboða, Loki is the father of Hel, the wolf Fenrir, and the world serpent Jörmungandr. In the form of a mare, Loki was impregnated by the stallion Svaðilfari and gave birth to the eight-legged horse Sleipnir. Like other gods, Loki is a shapeshifter and, in separate sources, appears in the form of a salmon, a mare, a fly, and possibly an elderly woman named Þökk (Old Norse ‘thanks’).”

So many think a gun of war is needed to change things, but look at the many uprisings around the ... more So many think a gun of war is needed to change things, but look at the many uprisings around the world bringing change that guns are not used. I am for non-aggression, and I champion nonviolent actions and activism to inspire change. We are more powerful than we realize. I am a far leftist, and I don’t own any guns and am for reasonable gun rights and reasonable gun laws.

“Deep inside Manot Cave, about 35,000 years ago, Homo sapiens placed a boulder carved like a tort... more “Deep inside Manot Cave, about 35,000 years ago, Homo sapiens placed a boulder carved like a tortoise shell. And they kept returning to it. Archaeologists excavating a cave in northern Israel have uncovered a strangely incised rock, which they say is a rare example of Paleolithic art in the Levant – and possibly the earliest known evidence for ritual activity in the region. While modern-day Israel is dotted with prehistoric sites inhabited by early Homo sapiens populations as well Neanderthals and other hominids, evidence of art and symbolic activity in the Paleolithic is scarce in the region, to say the least. There are many theories as to why this is the case, but the fact is that nothing has even been found in the Levant that compares to the spectacular cave paintings and exquisite figurines found across Upper Paleolithic Europe or the 51,000-year-old depictions of pigs from Indonesia. There is, in fact, a lot of prehistoric rock art across Israel’s deserts, but it is notoriously difficult to date and most likely hails from the Neolithic and later periods.”

“So archaeologists are understandably excited about the find at Manot, but also cautious. The boulder displaying incised geometric patterns was uncovered in 2013, and was published only on Monday in the journal PNAS. The boulder was uncovered in the deepest recesses of Manot Cave, a site near Israel’s border with Lebanon that has already yielded a treasure trove of prehistoric artifacts and human remains. In the intervening decade, a team of researchers conducted a series of tests to confirm that the incisions were, in fact, human-made rather than the result of some strange natural phenomenon. They also dated the incisions to 37,000-35,000 years ago and puzzled over what the rows of polygons and chevrons carved into that dolomite boulder may have meant for our ancestors.”

“They were able to date the carbonate crust that covers the boulder, and found that it went back 35,000-37,000 years. They also found a ring of wood ash dated to the same period trapped in a nearby stalagmite, confirming that people were active in this remote part of the cave during that time, and were probably lighting the area with torches. Manot Cave was occupied in multiple phases throughout its history. The oldest human remains found there are from a skull that goes back 55,000 years and has been linked to the last major migration of Homo sapiens from Africa on the way to spread across Eurasia. The boulder is from almost 20,000 years later and can be linked to a population that probably migrated back from Europe to the Levant, says Prof. Omry Barzilai, an archaeologist at Haifa University and the third co-head of the Manot dig. A previous study of teeth found in the cave showed that 38,000-34,000 years ago, Manot was inhabited by Sapiens with strong Neanderthal features, in other words, hybrids; likely the result of earlier interbreeding with our Europe-based evolutionary cousins.”

“These people – or rather their ancestors – belonged to the stone complex known to modern researchers as the Aurignacian. They were responsible for the earliest animal depictions on the walls of European caves and the first so-called Venus figurines. Therefore, it makes sense that when some Aurignacians, for whatever reason, migrated back to the Levant, they retained at least a speck of the artistic flair of their European forefathers. So the facts are that some 35,000 years ago, these Levantine Aurignacians dragged a 30-kilogram boulder to the back of their cave (there are no other such rocks nearby, so it is assumed it came from some other part of the cave or its vicinity). They sculpted it carefully and returned to the spot often enough and in large enough numbers that their torches left detectable ash particles embedded in the nearby stalagmites.”

“In Turtle, we trust: Depictions of tortoises and turtles are not known from the European Aurignacian, but the animals seem to have had an important symbolic value for prehistoric populations, albeit in later periods. A similar chevron pattern appears on an engraved plaquette found at an open-air site at Ein Qashish, in the Jezreel Valley, and dating to around 25,000 years ago. At Hilazon Tachtit Cave, the Natufian people buried a shaman with at least 50 tortoise shells some 12,000 years ago. And the Neolithic inhabitants of Nevali Cori, in Turkey, decorated a bowl with the image of two humans dancing alongside a turtle. Ancient cultures across the world, from Hinduism to Mayan and Native North American religions, use the tortoise as a powerful cosmic symbol, often tied to creation myths, the researchers note. If the boulder at Manot really depicted a turtle, we can only guess at what meaning the cave’s inhabitants attached to the animal. Perhaps, its round shell represented the protective function of the cave, Barzilai and colleagues speculate. “This rock symbolizes the beginnings of religion,” posits Hershkovitz, the Tel Aviv anthropologist.”

The Hongshan Culture “As an important part of the Neolithic Age in Northern China, the Hongshan ... more The Hongshan Culture

“As an important part of the Neolithic Age in Northern China, the Hongshan Culture covers an area from the Wuerjimulun River valley of Chifeng, Inner Mongolia in the north to Chaoyang, Lingyuan and the northern part of Hebei Province in the south, and extends eastward to cover Tongliao and Jinzhou. Hongshan Culture is characterized primarily by the ancient painted potteries, the “Z”-stripped potteries, and the unique digging tools-stone spades and laurel leave-shaped two-holed stone knives. The potteries of Hongshan Culture fall into two types-clay potteries and sand-mixed potteries, both manually made. The clay potteries are mostly red, usually in the forms of bowl, basin, jar, and pots, etc., most of which are containers with small flat bottoms. Most of the clay potteries are decorated with black or purple stripes arranged mainly in parallel lines, triangles, scale-shaped patterns, and occasionally in “Z”-shaped pressed stripes. The stoneware of Hongshan Culture is made by grinding with the blades of stone knives finely ground and the edges and backs in curved symmetry, indicating a fairly developed agricultural economy of the culture. Within the area of Hongshan Culture, bones of oxen, lambs, pigs, deer, and river deer have been unearthed, though in small numbers. The oxen, lambs, and pigs, which are presumably domestic animals, vaguely indicate that the early inhabitants of Hongshan Culture lived a settled life supplemented by animal husbandry, fishery, and hunting.”

“More than 20 cirrus-shaped jade articles have been unearthed at the site of Hongshan Culture, and each of them represents two fundamental themes-cirrus-shaped angles and minor convexities. A combination of cirrus-shaped angles and minor convexities in different ways constitute the various patterns and designs of the cirrus-shaped jade articles of Hongshan Culture, which is best demonstrated by the enormous blackish-green jade dragon unearthed at Sanxingtala Township of Wengniute Banner. The dragon is 26 cm in height with the head of a swine and the body of a serpent, coiling like cirrus. Similar dragons were found later in Balin Right Banner and the Antiques Store of Liaoning Province. These cirrus-shaped jade articles can be classified into four types by analyzing their patterns and designs: decorative articles, tools, animals, and special ones, of which the hoop-shaped articles are among the typical pieces of the jade ware of Hongshan Culture. The association of the shapes of these jade articles with their cultural context indicates that the special articles and the tools were made to meet the needs of religious ceremonies. The discovery of cirrus-shaped jade dragon at Hongshan Culture strongly suggests Inner Mongolia as one of the essential sites to trace the worship for dragons by the Chinese people.”

“From religious relics of Hongshan Culture like the “Goddess Temple” and stone-pile tombs have been found at Dongshanzui of Kazuo County and Niuheliang at the juncture of Lingyuan County and Jianping County of Liaoning Province. The central part of Dongshanzui relics is the foundation of a large-scaled square structure built of stone. The overall layout of the bilateral symmetry of the foundation to a south-north axis, which is characteristic of the traditional Chinese architectural style, is the first of its kind ever discovered at the site of Neolithic Age. The pottery figures unearthed at the relics indicate that the sites used to be places for sacrificial ceremonies or similar activities. In the first place, archeological studies show that Hongshan Culture was developed on the basis of Xinglongwa Culture and Zhaobaogou Culture, and the inheritance and development in religious traditions between the three cultures are evident. No sites devoted exclusively to sacrificial rites have been found so far in Xinglongwa Culture and Zhaobaogou Culture. The discovery of Niulianghe Relics indicates that large-scaled centers for sacrificial rites had shown up by the end of Hongshan Culture. This is not only a breakthrough in the study of Hongshan Culture but a discovery of great significance to the exploration of the origin of the Chinese civilization.”

“Secondly, Hongshan Culture is credited with remarkable achievements in architecture, pottery-making, jade-carving, and pottery sculptures which are at higher levels than those of Xinglongwa Culture and Zhaobaogou Culture. The duet of square pottery molds unearthed at the relics of a house of Hongshan Culture at Xitai, Aohan Banner, which is the earliest mold for metal casting, shows that the early people of Hongshan Culture had mastered the technology of bronze casting. Next, hunting was in the dominant position in Xinglongwa Culture and Zhaobaogou Culture, while by contrast, agriculture played an essential role in the economy of Hongshan Culture. Judging from the position of Hongshan Culture in the archeological culture of ancient Northern China and China in the Neolithic Age, we can well assume that Hongshan Culture is one of the most advanced cultures among the ranks of its peers in both southern and northern China at that time when the smelting of bronze had made appearance, the earliest cities surrounded by ditches had shown up, and the division between urban and rural areas had taken shape. Religious activities characterized by worshiping dragon and jade and respecting the ancestors were in vogue. The conflicts among social groups and the subsequent fights for the unification of religious beliefs had become the fundamental social issue. This is another proof to the assumption that the people of Hongshan Culture had marched from the clan society into the historical phase of ancient kingdoms. Therefore, we can say that by laying a foundation for the development of the Chinese civilization of five thousand years and formulating and influencing the layout of the origin and the progress of the protocol-dominating culture of China, Hongshan Culture plays an extremely essential role in the evolution of the Chinese civilization.”

Anarchist Outreach? I do anarchist outreach to non-anarchists; I have had non-anarchists share a... more Anarchist Outreach?

I do anarchist outreach to non-anarchists; I have had non-anarchists share and like my stuff, even some of my anarchist stuff, as I explain the values and thinking in a way they feel they can relate to and thus become more open to anarchism.

What are a basic set of social rules, would you propose under your thinking of Anarchism, Damien?

My morality and, thus, by extension, my political thinking hinges on people owning themselves.

Housing, Food/Water, Basic clothing or other basic items to live, and Education are human rights and every good society would ensure no one was without them. We have self-ownership; the question is whether others respect that. Tax the rich into financial equality.

Why care?

Because we are “Dignity Beings” and others are just another fellow being of Dignity like me.

“I think (Atlantis, as a kind of creation myth, for racists) is a great topic. I’ve been posting ... more “I think (Atlantis, as a kind of creation myth, for racists) is a great topic. I’ve been posting about it quite a bit. My best advice is to look at Donnelly’s original 1882 and 1883 texts and then look at how they were used. I don’t read German, but I’m curious about how the German translation of Donnelly’s 1882 book was used, especially by Nazi authors like Alfred Rosenberg. Apparently, his 1883 book, “Ragnarok,” wasn’t translated into German until after the Welteislehre nuttiness based on the work of Hanns Hörbiger had died down. The Nazis loved Hörbiger. The role of Manly Palmer Hall in promoting Atlantis mythology is also significant. I think that’s pretty good. Some Atlantis authors—perhaps even Donnelly (I can’t remember and will have to check)—thought the Garden of Eden was on Atlantis. I think Robert Sepehr—a blatant racist—presents it in contrast to the “Out of Africa” model.” – John Hoopes

John Hoopes (Department of Anthropology, University of Kansas), who Graham Hancock thinks is “the most vehement and insulting of all archaeologists” and I think is great, addresses Pseudoarchaeology, Pseudohistory, and Pseudoscience

The fake story of Atlantis gave rise to much pseudo-scientific/pseudo-historical/pseudo-archaeological speculation.

The “Fake” Island of Atlantis

The lost city of Atlantis rises again to fuel a dangerous myth

The Strange and Dangerous Right-Wing Freakout Over Ancient Apocalypse

The Harmful Pseudoarchaeology of Mythological Atlantis

Why Archaeologists Are Not Looking For Atlantis

The legend of Atlantis has a dark, terrible history

Blog: Archaeology and Aliens: Teaching the Myth of Atlantis

Sun Ra, Pseudoarchaeoogy, and Atlantis

Ignatius Donnelly and the Politics of Atlantis

Atlantis and the Nazis | The Link Between the Legend & the Third Reich | Debunking Atlantis Ep. 3

Hidden Knowledge and Mythical Origins: Atlantis, Esoteric Fascism, and Nordic Racial Divinity

Atlantis, Expertise, and Utopia

Feedback on Stephanie Halmhofer’s The Harmful Pseudoarchaeology of Mythological Atlantis

American Antiquities And Discoveries In The West By Josiah Priest (1834)

Bible defense of slavery: and origin, fortunes, and history of the negro race

The Anti-universalist: Or History of the Fallen Angels of the Scriptures: Proofs of the Being…

Atlantis. Remarks on the political history of a myth

“The political contents of books concerning the myth of Atlantis are analyzed. Between the 19th and the 20th centuries, books on Atlantis became very popular in Europe and in the United States of America. Authors of these books believed that Atlantis had really existed in a very remote age of gold, which they identified with the origins of the human race. Authors of books on Atlantis were followers of irrationalism, a philosophical movement that emphasized instinct and will over and against reason. As a consequence, while exalting racism and preindustrial society, books on Atlantis strongly oppose progress, the industrialization process, and capitalism, which are, on the contrary, supported by Positivism and Darwinism. The present article demonstrates that books focusing on Atlantis contributed to the spread of the ideology later expressed by totalitarian regimes.”