Did the Shang Chinese Dynasty Teach the Ancient Meso-American Olmecs?

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Dr. Mike Xu, at Texas Christian University, has put forward a provocative theory – that around 1200 B.C., the Shang Chinese not only crossed the Pacific ocean to reach the Americas, but that they traded with and taught the inhabitants there, the Olmecs. With the help of chinese scholar Chen Hanping, they were actually able to read many Olmec glyphs, because they were practically identical to the Shang Chinese characters with the same meaning.

In addition to similarities in the writing of the two cultures, other cultural and archaeological similarities include unique jade artifacts, the use of batons as symbols of rank, the worship of mountains, an identical north-south alignment of settlements, feline dieties, and deliberate cranial deformations.

This Olmec mask seems to portray a classically Asian face. Could this be evidence of trans-oceanic contact between the Shang and the Olmecs?

Another Olmec mask, showing distinctly Asian features.

Why is the possibility of Shang Chinese contact and trade with the Olmecs pertinent to the Book of Mormon? First, the Olmec civilization was contemporary with the Jaredites of the Book of Mormon. They may even have been the Jaredites of the Book of Mormon. Second, if a fleet of Chinese ships made it to the Americas in 1200 B.C., it’s entirely likely they carried with them horses for cavalry, and perhaps even an elephant or two for heavy-lifting or for use as war-machines (a common practice in ancient China). That would make their mention in the Book of Mormon not only possible, but entirely reasonable.

Ancient Americans Never Invented the Wheel? – The Myth, Debunked

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A 2000-year old pre-Columbian wheeled artifact displayed at the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art in Santiago, Chile.

The notion that the pre-Columbian inhabitants of the New World never invented the wheel is accepted as indisputable by mainstream scholars, and this “fact” often used by critics of the Book of Mormon as “proof” that it is a modern-day creation, rather than an ancient record of the Nephites and others in the Americas.

The scientific evidence, however, does not support this misguided notion.  Wheeled artifacts found in ancient tombs across central and south America dating back over 2000 years have proven that the wheel was, indeed, invented by the inhabitants of pre-Columbian America.

The collective response to the discovery of these wheeled artifacts has been to universally dismiss them as “just toys,” or “funerary artifacts.”  In other words, the discredited idea that ancient Americans never invented the wheel has now been replaced with, “Perhaps they invented the wheel, but they were too stupid to know how to utilize it in any really useful way.”  It also ignores the fact that most toys are usually miniature versions of something found in the real world.

Wheeled dog, from Veracruz, El Salvador, ca. 450-650 AD

This ethnocentric snobbery assumes that a culture that invented the concept of “zero” and built the most advanced astronomical observatories of its era, a people who created magnificent stone cities and pyramids that rivaled anything that ancient Egypt had accomplished, was unable to figure out that small wheels could be adapted to large wheels which could be used to move heavy loads from one place to another?

Here’s how the typical history of the wheel reads: “A Sumerian pictograph from ca. 3500 BC shows a sledge equipped with wheels. It is also shown in Uruk pictographs, c 3400 BC, and on the Royal Standard of Ur. Early wheels were solid and unwieldy, made of a single piece of wood or three carved planks clamped together by transverse struts. Spoked wheels appeared about 2000 BC, on chariots in Asia Minor. The wheel was not used in pre-Columbian America, except in Mexico, where small pull-along toys in the form of animals were made in terra-cotta.”

Illustrations of pre-Columbian artifacts, some clearly appearing like wagons or riding devices

The notion that wheels were never used be pre-Columbian Americans is based primarily on the simply fact that no large wheels, or wheel fragments, have ever been found in the ancient ruins of meso-America.  That, however, may simply be a result of wheels being made out of wood, which would presumably disintegrate with age over the course of 2000 years in the moist, jungle environment.

Incidentally, most criticisms focused on the Book of Mormon’s reference to the wheel center primarily on its reference to “chariots” in Alma 18:9, Alma 20:6, and 3Nephi 3:22.  (An earlier reference to chariots in the Book of Mormon is attributed to Jesus speaking to the Nephites, and one would presume that he is referring to chariots in the Old World.)

The conventional wisdom holds that without the wheel, there couldn’t possibly have been chariots in pre-Columbian America.  Peruse this passage from Ekholm’s “Wheeled Toys in Mexico” for a slightly different perspective:

“The next wheeled toy to be considered is one of a number dug up by Charnay in 1880 at a site known as Tenenepango, located on the slopes of the volcano Popocatepetl, just southeast of Mexico City. Charnay’s illustration of one of these objects, described as a wheeled chariot, is copied in Plate X,XVI c. Thus a good example of a wheeled toy has been in the literature for many years, but it has seldom been seriously considered…”

For more information on wheeled artifacts found in Central America, read:

Wheeled Toys in Mexico, by Gorden F. Ekholm

Additional Evidence of Wheeled Toys in Mexico, by Robert H. Lister

Tula and Wheeled Animal Effigies, by Richard A. Diehl and Margaret D. Mandeville

 

Ancient Sealed Metal Books Discovered in Jordan Are Likely Christian

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A hidden cache of ancient metal books found in Jordan may be Christian artifacts. Photo by David Elkington. (Click to enlarge)

 

The books are comprised of sheets of metal, bound together by rings of metal. Pressed into the pages, which are not much bigger than a credit card, are images, symbols and words that appear to refer to the Messiah and, possibly even, to the Crucifixion and Resurrection. Even more intriguing, many of the books are sealed on all four sides by metal rings, which has some scholars comparing these artifacts to the so-called “sealed books” mentioned in the Old and New Testaments (Isa.29:11, Rev. 5:1) and the Book of Mormon (2 Nephi 27: 7-10, 17).

Are these books an example of the "sealed books" mentioned in the scriptures? Photo by David Elkington.

The books were reportedly found some five years ago in a cave in an area of Jordan known to have been a refuge for early Christians in the early years of the church. The books have been dated through metallurgical tests to the first century AD, based on the form of corrosion which has taken place, which experts believe would be impossible to achieve artificially. If the dating is verified, the books would be among the earliest Christian documents, predating the writings of St Paul.
Philip Davies, emeritus professor of biblical studies at Sheffield University, said there was powerful evidence that the books have a Christian origin, since they seem to portray a picture map of Jerusalem. “As soon as I saw that, I was dumbstruck,’ he said. ‘That struck me as so obviously a Christian image. There is a cross in the foreground, and behind it is what has to be the tomb [of Jesus], a small building with an opening, and behind that the walls of the city. There are walls depicted on other pages of these books too and they almost certainly refer to Jerusalem.

A sample of the writing found in the Jordanian metal books. Photo by David Elkington. (Click to enlarge)

It is a Christian crucifixion taking place outside the city walls.”

Some of the books are "sealed" by metal rings. Photo by David Elkington.

The text of the books may refer to the Messiah and the crucifixion, among other things.
Dr Margaret Barker, a former president of the Society for Old Testament Study, said: “The Book of Revelation tells of a sealed book… Other texts from the period tell of sealed books of wisdom and of a secret tradition passed on by Jesus to his closest disciples. That is the context for this discovery.”

 

Update, April 2011: Could this be a portrait of Jesus?

Is this a portrait of Jesus Christ? Photo by David O'Neill. (Click to enlarge.)

From the Daily Mail (UK):  “From the same cave where the stash of 70 metal books was found in Jordan, and incredible development. The image is eerily familiar: a bearded young man with flowing curly hair. After lying for nearly 2,000 years hidden in a cave in the Holy Land, the fine detail is difficult to determine. But in a certain light it is not difficult to interpret the marks around the figure’s brow as a crown of thorns.

The extraordinary picture of one of the recently discovered hoard of up to 70 lead codices – booklets – found in a cave in the hills overlooking the Sea of Galilee is one reason Bible historians are clamouring to get their hands on the ancient artefacts.

If genuine, this could be the first-ever portrait of Jesus Christ, possibly even created in the lifetime of those who knew him.

The cave where the booklets were discovered. Photo by David O'Neill.

The tiny booklet, a little smaller than a modern credit card, is sealed on all sides and has a three-dimensional representation of a human head on both the front and the back. One appears to have a beard and the other is without. Even the maker’s fingerprint can be seen in the lead impression. Beneath both figures is a line of as-yet undeciphered text in an ancient Hebrew script.

Astonishingly, one of the booklets appears to bear the words ‘Saviour of Israel’ – one of the few phrases so far translated.”

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1372741/Hidden-cave-First-portrait-Jesus-1-70-ancient-books.html#ixzz1nFPsBAkH

Previously Unknown Ancient Civilization Found In Western Brazil

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According to the just-published findings of researchers Martti Parssinen, Denise Schaan, and Alceu Ranzi, they’ve discovered the remnants of a previously unknown civilization in the western Amazon basin dating to 900-1400 AD.  The study, which was funded by the Academy of Finland and authorized by the Brazilian government looked at some 200 sites with over 210 geometric structures, distributed over an area almost 250 km across.  The remnant sites feature earthworks, “shaped as perfect circles, rectangles and composite figures  sculpted in the clay rich soils of Amazonia, and appear to be defensive and/or ceremonial enclosures, formed by excavated ditches and adjacent earthen walls.” according to the study.

Map of the region (Click to enlarge)

 

Denise Schaan, professor of Archaeology at the Universidade Federal do Para‘, who has mapped 269 earthworks in the area, suspects they are ceremonial platforms which “could only have been built by large, coordinated populations.”

William M. Denevan, Professor Emeritus of Geography at the University of Wisconsin, estimates that up to 9 million people may have lived in the region as late as the 15th century.

The lowlands of the western Amazon basin were once believed by archaeologists to be incapable of sustaining a large agrarian population due to its climate and soil, however, archaeologist Augusto Oyuela-Caycedo of the University of Florida has released findings which indicate that the region presented a significantly different landscape a thousand years ago.  He claims that large portions of the region were once gentle grasslands where the inhabitants raised corn and other domesticated crops.

Geoglyphs visible from the air. Photo by Diego Gurgel. (Click to enlarge)

According to co-author Alceu Ranzi, who has been studying geoglyphs for over 30 years, the earthworks have been hidden by the jungle for over 700 years, and it is only because of the recent deforestation occurring in the western Amazon basin coupled with advances in satellite imagery that the earthwork geoglyphs were discovered.  Many of the structures are huge, with circular or rectangular ditches as wide as 12 meters, and 4 meters deep, and up to a mile in length.

Due to their sheer size, Ranzi says that a casual observer could be standing in the center of many of of these sites and not be able to discern it.  It is only with the help of aerial and satellite photography that scientists have been able to find, catalog, and study the geoglyphs.  Ranzi also asserts that perhaps only about 10% of the total sites have been found thus far.

Map of the earthenworks, by Rafael Nascimiento (Click to enlarge)

It is perhaps significant to note that almost like clockwork, practically every year, a new “lost civilization” is discovered in South or Central America, and the media goes into a frenzy. With each new discovery, the history of the region is rewritten, and sometimes, written for the first time. Yet, all one has to do is mention LDS-related archaeological studies, and many of the same archaeologists would have us believe that they know all there is to know about the ancient civilizations that once inhabited this hemisphere.  Curiouser and curiouser!

Now, compare what you have just read (above) to the following, from The Book of Mormon, Alma 48:18-20…

  • 18 Now behold, the Lamanites could not get into their forts of security by any other way save by the entrance, because of the highness of the bank which had been thrown up, and the depth of the ditch which had been dug round about, save it were by the entrance.
  • 19 And thus were the Nephites prepared to destroy all such as should attempt to climb up to enter the fort by any other way, by casting over stones and arrows at them.
  • 20 Thus they were prepared, yea, a body of their strongest men, with their swords and their slings, to smite down all who should attempt to come into their place of security by the place of entrance; and thus were they prepared to defend themselves against the Lamanites.

Read the paper “Pre-Columbian Geometric Earthworks in the Upper Purus: A Complex Society in Western Amazonia” in Antiquity Magazine, at the Western Institute for Study of the Environment Colloquium, or peruse the original PDF.

Article on Ranzi & Brazillian Geoglyphs at Treehugger.com, his book on Paleoecology of the Amazon, and a video interview with him in Portugese.

Popul Vuh Discovery Promises to Rewrite Mayan History

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It’s a 2200-year old lost city called “El Mirador,” and it is considered by archaeologists to be the cradle of Mayan civilization.

An important artifact discovered in the city of El Mirador is what appears to be a carved relief depicting the Popul Vuh. The Popul Vuh is the Mayan story of creation, and researchers have always been struck by the many eerie parallels between the Popul Vuh and certain aspects of the Old Testament’s version of the story of creation. Those parallels were almost universally dismissed by scientists as the product of cross-cultural contamination by the Catholic priests who accompanied the Spanish Conquistadors as they conquered much of central and south America.

Artist's conception of El Mirador in ancient times

In fact, for the past 100 years or more, this “cross-cultural contamination” theory has been a favorite weapon in the arsenal of anti-Mormons when attacking the evidence which supports The Book of Mormon.Their first line of attack is typically to claim “there is no evidence.” Then, when presented with the evidence, their fall-back position has always been, “The evidence is tainted, faked, or misinterpreted.” Unfortunately for them, the credibility of this particular piece of evidence is going to be extremely hard to attack.

The Popul Vuh discovered in the ruins of El Mirador - Mayan "creation myth" with eerie parallels to the Old Testament

With the discovery of El Mirador, and a Popul Vuh artifact dating to at least 200 BC, the “tainted by Catholics” explanation will have to be reexamined and possibly tossed on the ash-heap of incorrect scientific theories. In fact, according to Dr. Richard Hansen, the archaeologist interviewed for the CNN story, the discovery “will rewrite Mayan history.” Some archaeologists claim that there may be as many as a thousand pyramids or similar structures still completely undiscovered in Central America.

This is the first discovery of an original Popul Vuh. Until now, all we have had were manuscripts made in the 18th and 19th centuries, some of which have been lost, and then recovered. The first such manuscript was made in the nineteenth century by Don Felix Cabrera, and subsequently lost. Dr. C. Scherzer, an Austrian scholar, went looking for it in the Republic of Guatemala in 1854 or 1855, and was successful in tracing it to the University of San Carlos in the city of Guatemala, then to a convent at Chichicastenango, and finally to the San Carlos library. Scherzer made a copy of the Spanish translation of the manuscript, which he published at Vienna in 1856 under the title of “Las Historias del origen de los Indios de Guatemala, par el R. P. F. Francisco Ximenes.” The Abbé Brasseur published a French translation in Paris in 1861, with the title “Vuh Popol: Le Livre Sacré de Quichés, et les Mythes de l’Antiquité Américaine.”

Click here for a transcript of the CNN Report

Click here for more on the Popul Vuh at The Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum (BMAF)

Have We Found the Book of Mormon’s “Bountiful” at Wadi Al Sayq, Oman?

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For over a hundred and seventy years, critics of the Book of Mormon have said  that there couldn’t possibly be a place that matched the description of the land called “Bountiful” on the arid Arabian peninsula, as described by Lehi in 1Nephi 17:5-6 -

Wadi Al Sayq, Oman

“And we did come to the land which we called Bountiful, because of its much fruit and also wild honey; and all these things were prepared of the Lord that we might not perish. And we beheld the sea, which we called Irreantum, which, being interpreted, is many waters. 6. And it came to pass that we did pitch our tents by the seashore; and notwithstanding we had suffered many afflictions and much difficulty, yea, even so much that we cannot write them all, we were exceedingly rejoiced when we came to the seashore; and we called the place Bountiful, because of its much fruit.”

Map of the region in Oman where Wadi Al Sayq is located

That place is described as a rich, green garden spot with trees, abundant fruit, water, honey, and a mountain. This (above) is a photo of Wadi Sayq, on the southeastern coast of the Arabian peninsula in Oman. This lush and beautiful spot is not only located in precisely the right place, but it seems to have all of the goodies described in the Book of Mormon!

Among the features found at Wadi Al Sayq that seem to correspond to descriptions in the Book of Mormon:

  • There is evidence of habitation and use as a small seaport in ancient times. Fresh water flowed from freshwater springs and an ancient river.
  • Khor Kharfot is an extremely fertile site on the coast of Oman, which extends two miles into the Wadi Sayq.
  • Khor Kharfot is situated less than one degree from due east of Nehem (Nahom of the Book of Mormon?).
  • The valley leads to the ocean from the desert interior, and is the only wadi that flows from the high desert eastward toward the coast.
  • Sizable trees exist there, with evidence of ancient forests. These trees could have provided sufficient lumber to build a ship.
  • Khor Kharfot has the largest permanent flow of fresh water of any site on the coast.

    Google Earth Image, 16 43 53.72 N, 53 20 09.28 E (Click to enlarge)

  • A large mountain overlooks the west end of the beach, and cliffs rise above the ocean along the coast.
  • Iron (in the form of specular hematite) is available within a few days’ hike to the east, and flint is plentiful in the area.
  • Ancient ruins found at the site show that the region (though currently uninhabited) has been inhabited in the past.
  • The seacoast there is well suited to sailing, with seasonal winds in the fall blowing eastward.

For more information about this exciting development in the search for clues to the geography of the Book of Mormon, be sure to check out Exploring Nephi’s Bountiful, and Did the Nephites Remember Bountiful? both by Warren Aston at Meridian Magazine, as well as Lehi’s Trail and Nahom Revisted, an article at FARMS, also by Aston. 

Also, be sure to check out John Sorenson’s fascinating book, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon. (left)