Secret HistoryS


Attention

Erdogan's nemesis is dead, but the problem remains

Murad Sadygzade
RT
Tue, 22 Oct 2024 17:37 UTC
Gulen
© Chris Post/APFethullah Gulen
Though Fethullah Gulen is gone, his movement is likely to remain a tool of Western influence on Türkiye.

Turkish Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, whom Ankara's authorities accused of orchestrating the failed 2016 coup attempt, has passed away at the age of 83 in the United States, where he had spent the final years of his life. His death was reported by Turkish media and Herkul, a website associated with the preacher and his movement.

According to Herkul, which had published Gülen's sermons and speeches for many years, he passed away on Sunday evening in a hospital where he had been receiving treatment. In his final years, Gülen struggled with a series of serious health issues, including kidney failure and diabetes, which significantly weakened him.

Residing in Pennsylvania for many years, Gülen was a figure of immense interest not only in religious circles but also in Türkiye's political landscape, where his movement was seen as a national security threat after the attempted coup. The Turkish government had repeatedly demanded his extradition, accusing him of creating a "parallel state" and engaging in subversive activities against the Turkish leadership.

Comment: See also:

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Info

Iraq excavation uncovers 478 artifacts including cuneiform tablets, and cylindrical seals

Oguz Buyukyildirim
Arkeonews Net
Tue, 15 Oct 2024 22:42 UTC
Iraq Excavation
© Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH)
The Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH) announced that 478 artifacts were uncovered during an excavation expedition in the historic province of Babylon.

The Director of the Excavations Department accompanied the Missions Follow-up Committee to site 19/3 in Sector 38 of Al-Fayyadiya district to examine the work of the archaeological mission in the Babil governorate, according to a statement released by SBAH.

Under the direction of archaeologist Quhtan Abbas Hassan Aboud, the mission has uncovered information that provides fresh insights into ancient Mesopotamian life and culture.

During the visit, the head of the committee received a detailed explanation from the mission leader regarding the findings of the excavation. The Al-Fayadiya district's 19/3 excavation site is separated into two sectors, A and B. There are two layers of archaeological stratification in Sector A, which is 6 dunums (roughly 6,000 square meters) in size.
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Archaeology

Advanced technology discovered under Neolithic dwelling in Denmark

Justin Jackson
phys.org
Thu, 10 Oct 2024 20:19 UTC
neolithic railroad denmark
© Radiocarbon (2024). DOI: 10.1017/RDC.2024.79(a) Reconstruction drawing of the house. (b) Overview photo of the cellar feature (seen from the east, about the same orientation as the reconstruction drawing). (c) Detail photo of the cellar wall, marked by red lines, seen from the west. Drawing and photos: Museum Lolland-Falster
Railroad construction through a farm on the Danish island of Falster has revealed a 5,000-year-old Neolithic site hiding an advanced technology — a stone paved root cellar.

Archaeology researchers from the Museum Lolland-Falster, along with Aarhus University, Denmark, have analyzed the site in a paper, "Stone-Paved Cellars in the Stone Age? Archaeological Evidence for a Neolithic Subterranean Construction from Nygårdsvej 3, Falster, Denmark," published online in the journal Radiocarbon.

The emergence of the Funnel Beaker Culture around 6,000 years ago brought the Scandinavian region's first switch to agriculture and domesticated animals (sheep, goats, cattle), leading to a more sedentary lifestyle. With the new way of life came the region's first construction of houses, megalithic tombs (dolmens), and landscape-altering structures, a huge shift away from the highly mobile hunter-gatherer strategy of the Late Mesolithic.

Excavations at the site, Nygårdsvej 3, uncovered two phases of house construction. Both structures were built using a common Funnel Beaker Culture design (the Mossby-type), where interior posts provide support for a large double-span roof. Phase one included 38 post holes, while phase two had 35, indicating that a significant amount of architectural planning was involved.
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Info

Archaeologists unearthed ruins of 7th century BC Phrygian religious site

Leman Altuntaş
Arkeonews Net
Thu, 10 Oct 2024 19:38 UTC
Midas Castle Site
© Anadolu University
Archaeologists unearthed ancient ovens and hearths, thought to be belonging to Phrygian who inhabited the region around the seventh century BC, during excavations at Midas Castle in Eskisehir in northwestern Türkiye.

It was determined that the hearths and ovens unearthed were used by the Phrygians to bake bread with the meat of cattle and sheep sacrificed for religious rituals.

Archaeological excavations at the Midas Castle in Yazılıkaya Midas Valley in the Han district of Eskişehir started again after 71 years with the cooperation of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Anadolu University.

Since 2022, important findings were reached in the 26-hectare (88-acre) Midas Castle area during the excavations carried out under the direction of associate professor Yusuf Polat, a faculty member of the Department of Archaeology at Anadolu University.

Head of the excavation Assoc. Prof. Dr. Polat said that this year they mainly worked in the area called 'Agdistis sanctuary' in the upper part of the rocky plateau.

Explaining that they obtained important results in the study around the rock altar dated to the Phrygian period, Polat gave the following information:
'For the first time, thanks to the extensive excavations carried out in front of a Phrygian altar, we have determined the existence of places where the preparations for the rituals performed in front of the altar were carried out, where there were hearths, with a simple stone foundation and wooden construction. According to the first determinations we made, in the sanctuary dated to the 8th-7th century BC, that is, the Middle Phrygian Period, at the same time, Lydian ceramics of the 7th-6th century BC, and ceramics and finds belonging to the Roman Period dated to the 1st and 2nd centuries in the upper layers were found.'
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Attention

'Colonization of the soul': What made a European power fear this language?


RT
Thu, 03 Oct 2024 14:25 UTC
alphabet/book
In the aftermath of the Second World War, the colonial system started to collapse. Many countries in Asia and Africa gained independence in accordance with the principles of self-determination stated in the UN Charter of 1945 and a UN declaration adopted in 1960. However, decades of dependence on European powers and their policies had significantly altered the destinies of Afro-Asian peoples and disrupted historical processes that had existed prior to the colonial era.

This is particularly evident in Arab-African relations, which thrived throughout the Middle Ages. Arabic language, culture, and traditions had begun spreading on the African continent in the 7th century AD, shortly after the emergence of Islam.

France's war against the Arabic language

In the 19th century, many European powers, including France, colonized Africa. From the outset, France waged a fierce campaign against Islamic culture and the Arabic language, striving to eliminate it from social and academic life and replace it with French. Colonial administrator Colonel Paul Marty, who served in Tunisia and Morocco and was an expert in the Arabic language, wrote about this in his book Le Maroc de Demain (The Morocco of Tomorrow), published in 1927.
"We must rigorously combat any attempt to provide education in Arabic, any intervention from Sharia scholars, and any manifestation of Islam. Only this way will we attract children, only through our own schools."
French authorities even prohibited their compatriots in the occupied territories from communicating with the locals in any language other than French. This policy aligned with Paris's broader educational and linguistic agenda. Following the fall of the Second French Empire in 1870, the Third Republic implemented free, compulsory, secular education under reforms carried out by French Prime Minister Jules Ferry (known as the Jules Ferry Laws). Expanding the use of the language throughout the territories was also French colonial policy.
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Info

Indian archaeologists unearthed over 4,000-year-old war chariots in Royal Tombs, in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh

Oguz Buyukyildirim
Arkeonews Net
Mon, 07 Oct 2024 15:25 UTC
Ancient Tomb India
© PIB Culture/Twitter
In July 2018, India's state-owned Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) team unearthed war chariots, swords, and helmets more than 4,000 years old at Sinauli in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Researchers have recently dated the discovery, which comprises royal burials along with chariots, weapons, and ritual artifacts, to approximately 4,000 years before the present, or 2000 BCE.

The discovery of chariots in the Indian subcontinent is a first, according to the researchers. Researchers say that similar weapons were also possessed by people in this subcontinent when the Mesopotamians used chariots, swords, and even helmets in battle in 2000 BC.

The archaeological site of Sinauli has been subject to archaeological excavations since 2005 and has revealed the existence of a necropolis with more than 120 burials, some of which belonged to high-status individuals, probably warriors or leaders.

The most striking aspect of the excavation was the discovery of three complete war chariots. The archaeologists also found a slew of, a torch, an antenna sword, highly decorated coffins, helmets, and an impressive variety of copper artifacts The astonishingly well-preserved remains are similar to those found in the late Harappan phase.

Studies have shown that the artifacts from Sinauli are associated with the Ochre-Colored Pottery (OCP) Culture, which flourished between 2000 and 1500 BCE in the area where the Yamuna and Ganges rivers converged. This period roughly corresponds with the late phase of the Indus Valley Civilization.
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Info

300 Nazca geoglyphs discovered in groundbreaking AI study

Harry baker
Live Science
Mon, 23 Sep 2024 19:00 UTC
Scientists used AI to find 303 never-before-seen geoglyphs in Peru's Nazca Desert, including abstract humanoid figures, ancient ceremonies, "decapitated heads" and a "killer whale holding a knife."
Killer whale Glyphs
© Masato SakaiA 72-foot-long "killer whale holding a knife" was one of the standout geoglyphs identified in the new study.
Scientists have discovered more than 300 never-before-seen Nazca Lines in Peru — including alien-looking humanoid figures, decapitated heads, potential historic ceremonies and a surprisingly well-armed orca.

The staggering new haul was unearthed in just six months with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) and almost doubles the number of known geoglyphs in the region.

The Nazca Lines are a group of large human-carved geoglyphs located in a roughly 170-square-mile (440 square kilometers) area of Peru's Nazca Desert. The ancient artworks were likely created between 200 B.C. to A.D. 500 by members of the pre-Incan civilization, known as the Nazca (or Nasca), who removed the upper layers of the desert's red-tinged surface pebbles to reveal sections of lighter soil in a wide range of different shapes and sizes.

Researchers had already found around 430 Nazca Lines since the mysterious shapes were rediscovered by airplane passengers in the 1920s. Most of these geoglyphs were identified in the last 20 years thanks to advancements in satellite imagery. However, the rate at which new lines are being discovered has started to slow, and researchers suspect that any remaining shapes are too faint to be easily spotted by the human eye.
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Music

Unknown Mozart composition discovered in Germany

Shannon Power
Newsweek
Fri, 20 Sep 2024 19:36 UTC
bust of Mozart
© Sean Gallup/Getty ImagesA bust of Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart stands in the garden of Bertramka Villa, taken on January 22, 2006, in Prague, Czech Republic
A previously unknown piece of music by one of the world's most celebrated composers has been uncovered.

The 12-minute piece by Austrian composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, is called Ganz kleine Nachtmusik and was likely written when he was a teenager sometime in the mid-to late-1760s.

Leipzig Municipal Libraries revealed the good news in a statement and that the piece will have its debut on Saturday at the Leipzig Opera.

The piece of music was a copy or a transcription of the original music, so likely not handwritten by Mozart himself and found in the Music Library of the Leipzig Municipal Libraries.
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Better Earth

Neanderthals' social isolation may have sped up their extinction

Laura Baisas
Popular Science
Wed, 11 Sep 2024 00:11 UTC
neanderthal
© CopyrightThe remains of a 45,000 year old nicknamed Thorin was uncovered in a French cave system.
The teeth from a Neanderthal nicknamed Thorin were found in a cave in France. He lived about 40,000 to 45,000 years ago in an isolated community of the now extinct hominins. Ludovik Slimak Share Using DNA extracted from some roughly 45,000-year-old bones, scientists have found a new Neanderthal lineage that likely did not have a lot of interaction with others from its species. The remains belong to a man archeologists nicknamed "Thorin" after Thorin Oakenshield, one of the dwarfs from JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit. This Neanderthal Thorin lived in a small community in the present day Rhône Valley, France.

A new genetic analysis revealed that Thorin's community was isolated from other groups and diverged from more well-studied Neanderthals about 100,000 years ago. The findings are described in a study published September 11 in the Cell Press journal Cell Genomics and could shed light on the reasons behind this species' extinction.

"Until now, the story has been that at the time of the extinction there was just one Neanderthal population that was genetically homogeneous, but now we know that there were at least two populations present at that time," study co-author and University of Copenhagen population geneticist Tharsika Vimala said in a statement.

Comment: For further insight, check out the following prescient article from 2011: The Golden Age, Psychopathy and the Sixth Extinction

See also :

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Better Earth

Europe's Trypillia neolithic mega-sites were matriarchal, with sophisticated technologies, and low-levels of social inequality

Sergio Prostak
Sci.News
Tue, 02 Jul 2024 21:05 UTC
Trypillian
© Kenny Arne Lang Antonsen / CC BY-SA 4.0.Reconstruction of the Trypillian giant-settlement Maidanetske, Ukraine. The Trypillia culture flourished in western/central Ukraine, Moldova and eastern Romania for over two millennia from the end of the Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age (5400-2700 BCE).
The Trypillia culture is a Neolithic European culture that arose in Ukraine between the Seret and Bug rivers, with extensions south into modern-day Romania and Moldova and east to the Dnieper River, in the 5th millennium BCE.

Also known as the Cucuteni-Trypillia culture, it is characterized by advanced agriculture, developed metallurgy, pottery-making, sophisticated architecture and social organization.

Trypillian society was matriarchal, with women heading the household, doing agricultural work, and manufacturing pottery, textiles and clothing. Hunting, keeping domestic animals and making tools were the responsibilities of the men.

Comment: Interesting Engineering provides further insight into the Trypillia with another recent study:
6,000-year-old sites challenge history

By employing geomagnetic techniques, researchers unveiled structures beneath the earth's surface, discovering Trypillia megasites that span over 100 hectares.

The Trypillia megasites, identified as the first planned cities in history, bore no resemblance to contemporary urban centers.

[...]

In a recent publication by the Swiss Neue Zürcher Zeitung, researchers describe the astonishing remnants of what may have been "the largest city in the world," discernible today only through aerial shadows and scattered pottery shards. This site in Ukraine dates back to 4000 BCE, making it the oldest urban settlement ever discovered.

[...]

The Trypillia megasites, recognized as the earliest planned cities, had nothing in common with modern-day urban centers. According to U-krane, they were circular or oval, with houses organized in concentric rings, interrupted by boulevards or wide corridors.

"These are the first planned cities of humanity," says NZZ, noting that the most remarkable site surpasses the size of Monaco and is comparable to Central Park.

Evidence leads researchers to believe that the houses were made of wood and clay and might have been burned down in an ancient conflict. Interestingly enough, however, no grave sites have been found.

"Individual graves are something with which the group of burying people represents their role to others. This reflection of social structures does not exist here," says Müller. "If there are no graves marked in an archaeologist-friendly way, that does not mean that a cult of the dead did not exist," he adds.
For clues as to why these cities were eventually abandoned, see: See also: Mysterious 25,000-year-old circular structure built from bones of 60 mammoths discovered in Russia's forest steppe

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