ARTICLE: Comets Devastated Early Americans

[Zkribbler]

One scientist has opined that the erosion marks on the Sphinx were caused by heavy rains, which would make it at least 10,000 years old, when rain used to fall along the Nile.

Lost civilizations....fascinating.

[Gatekeeper]

^^^Heh. Then another scientist postulated that, perhaps, the Sphinx had been carved out of pre-existing rock formation. That might explain the water-like erosion marks (which are different from wind-caused erosion marks).

But, yes, our past is most fascinating. I hope we keep learning more and more about it!

Gatekeeper

[Dauphin]

If we are taliking Sphinx theories, one is that the head was originally of a lion and was actually much larger. The current human face being carved out by much later generations and an egocentric pharoah.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Odin



The people who think it was climate only are stupid, there were no mass extinctions of the megafauna at the beginings of other interglacials.

I'm glad we can agree that it was not simply either one factor or the other -- it's always more complicated when dealing with such widespread phenomena such as extinction of megafauna.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Odin


Which were isolated from humans, which proves my point.

Not if we can someday find evidence that Egyptians colonized the subartic before the mammoth became extinct.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Oerdin


It's pretty clear that climate change along with human predation caused the extinction of most of the North American mega fauna as well as a good chunk of the North Eurasian mega fauna. Biologists have done a lot of studies and have should that relatively low rates of prediation by humans of species already under stress (from habitate loss or disease) can result in extinction spirals in aninal populations. It's also interesting that these animals survived longest on Islands which humans didn't reach until very late times. Franz Joseph Island in the Russian artic and Santarosae (the ice age mega island off the coast of California which is now 50% below sea level and the remaining mountain tops form Channel Islands National Park) both had dwarf mamoth species which survived long after the mainland species had died out but which also disappeared as soon as humans colonized the islands.

I know, some of this is truly interesting stuff. I am almost done reading a book titled After the Ice by Steven Mithen.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Zkribbler
One scientist has opined that the erosion marks on the Sphinx were caused by heavy rains, which would make it at least 10,000 years old, when rain used to fall along the Nile.

Lost civilizations....fascinating.

Of course sandstorms could do the exact same thing without the need for Noah or any great flood. I find the people advancing religious ideas tend to be more religious then they are scientist.

[Berzerker]

If we are taliking Sphinx theories, one is that the head was originally of a lion and was actually much larger.

The "cusp" between Virgo and Leo was about 12-13,000 years ago. If this period of flooding gave rise to the Great Flood legend we find virtually everywhere, then the Sphinx could have had the head of a woman (Isis) and body of a lion to mark the celestial time of the Flood. If it was a lion, then maybe the Flood occured closer to 14,000 years ago in the Age of Leo. More and more I'm convinced the Sphinx represents the celestial "age" of the Flood.

Of course sandstorms could do the exact same thing without the need for Noah or any great flood. I find the people advancing religious ideas tend to be more religious then they are scientist.

No they cant, different means of erosion leave different markings. If you look at other structures at Giza dated to around 2600 BC, wind erosion is prevalent but the Sphinx shows evidence of erosion from rain, not wind. But we also know the Sphinx was buried up to the neck for much of the time since Cheops/Khufu, so the body was protected from wind erosion.

I just think its peculiar that we now know there was massive flooding marking the end of the ice age and this period was in Leo. And I believe the Sphinx is very close to the 30th parallel facing due east. These are astronomically significant...

[Sandman]

The article seems like a jumble of various views, put together in an unscientific manner. It's not particularly convincing.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Berzerker
No they cant, different means of erosion leave different markings. If you look at other structures at Giza dated to around 2600 BC, wind erosion is prevalent but the Sphinx shows evidence of erosion from rain, not wind.

Hm, what does erosion from rain looks like and how does one ascertain of it?

Raindrops come down randomly, so it seems reasonable that "erosion by rain" just causes a layer to be removed evenly. Sort of like taking a sand blaster to something.

[dannubis]

vertical vs horizontal erosion lines is one of the most important signs. i say the documentary too and as far as the sphinx goes, it convinced me.

the rest was interesting but hypothetical stuff

[Dauphin]

Water can dissolve or chemically interact with rock. I would guess that sand wouldn't do that.

[Zkribbler]

both had dwarf mamoth species which survived long after the mainland species had died out

I find the phrase "dwarf mammoth" to be particularly amusing. Are they anything like jumbo shrimp?

[Odin]

The water erosion could of been there origionally, and was covered with masonry when the Sphinx was built. There was a show on the Discovery Channel that said basically that reasearchers are pretty sure it was built by the son of the Pharoh that built the Great Pyramid.

[BeBMan]

So what's the excuse for today's Americans?

*runs*