MYSTERIES AND SECRETS
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Sunday, September 4, 2011
RONGO RONGO
Se conoce con el nombre de rongorongo a un supuesto sistema de escritura descubierto en la isla de Pascua en el s. XIX, tallado primordialmente con puntas de obsidiana y elaborado a partir de dientes de tiburón, en su mayoría sobre tablillas de madera.
Los habitantes de la isla de Pascua la llamaron también kohau rongorongo. La traducción corriente del término kohau es madera que sirve a fabricar el casco de las canoas, y rongo rongo es ‘gran mensaje’ o ‘gran estudio’. También fue traducido como ‘líneas de recitación’ o ‘báculos recitadores’.
Hay autores que dicen que esta forma de escritura es la única escritura estructurada en toda Oceanía, aunque falta todavía un desciframiento fiable para comprobarlo. Los símbolos o los glifos vienen tallados a lo largo de ranuras hechas con antelación al grabado en los artefactos y son de una altura media entre 9 y 14 mm. Parecen representar gráficamente figuritas de seres antropomórficos en diversas posturas, otras criaturas de fantasía que se asemejan a las aves, a las plantas y a otros animales terrestres y acuáticos, objetos celestes, así como también objetos geométricos, pequeños anzuelos, entre otros.
Los signos que componen los textos están mayormente bien estilizados, tienen casi la misma altura y vienen alineados sin aparente división (espacios blancos o signos de puntuación) entre ellos, formando un tipo deescritura continua, típica de algunos sistemas de escritura antiguos, p.ej. los textos antiguos de la literaturagriega o ciertas muestras del idioma etrusco. Las inscripciones terminan cuando aparece algún "nudo", algunaprotuberancia natural u otra irregularidad (por ejemplo fragmentos carcomidos, quemados por el fuego, arruinados por la humedad) sobre la superficie de los objetos o como es de esperar, cuando el espacio físico sobre ellos se agota. El tamaño y la forma de las tablas, cuya edad está aún por determinar con exactitud, son dispares.
Se dice que las tablillas se deben leer a partir de la primera línea del rincón izquierdo del recto y continuar de manera lineal hasta el fin del renglón y luego darle la vuelta para seguir con el próximo. (Sin embargo, el texto inscrito encima del Bastón de Santiago resulta una excepción). No obstante, no está bastante claro si todas las tablillas contienen un documento de carácter unitario o si alguna de ellas podría servir de depósito o colección de documentos diferentes, siendo por tanto su punto de partida de
INTENTIONAL SKULL DEFORMATION
(KV 55 Wiki ref.) is now said to be Akenaten -
based on DNA testing which indicated he was was the son of Amenhotep III and the father of Tutankhamun, and that his `age-at-death' was consistent with Akenaten's estimated demise.
c-scan comparison of his skull (top two), from KV 55, compared with Tutankhamun's (bottom two).
Images - Zahi Hawass et al
Queen Nefertiti
UNDATED: In this handout photo from the Discovery Channel, the X-ray skull of a mummy believed to be Nefertiti is shown. Facial reconstruction experts used this and other X-rays to create a three-dimensional digital skull of the mummy, which, along with additional scientific methods eventually became the digital face. The Discovery Channel announced June 2003 the possible discovery by Egyptologist Dr. Joann Fletcher of the long-lost co-regent of Pharaoh Akhenaten from the late XVII dynasty, about 3,000 years ago. As part of the cable network's new initiative Discovery Channel Quest, Fletcher and a team of experts used state of the art digital technology to reconstruct the mummy's face. (Photo by Discovery Channel/Getty Images) Discovery Channel
The intentional skull deformation was prevalent in different cultures all around the world. Some did intentionally manipulate the skulls for cosmetic reasons, some for religious reasons and some to elevate their status in their communities.
Friday, August 19, 2011
END TIMES
Since the advent of modern science in the 18th century, the discovery of deep time, and the age of the Earth, the concept of an "End of Days" has been replaced in contemporary discourse with questions about the ultimate fate of the universe. Most scientists believe that the "end time" will finally one day occur hundreds of billions of years from now with the heat death of the universe.
HOW RELIGION SEE THE END TIMES
JUDAISM
In Judaism, End Times are usually called The End of Days (aḥarit ha-yamim, אחרית הימים), a phrase that appears several times in the Tanakh. Though the idea of a messianic age has a prominent place in Jewish thought, it is not a pre-ordained event but rather brought about by religious observance and good deeds
CHRISTIANS
Some Christians in the first century believed that Jesus would return during their lifetime, because Jesus had said to his followers to be alert or be ready at all times.
CATHOLICS
Catholicism mainly adheres to the Amillennial school of thought, promoted by Augustine of Hippo in his work "The City of God". Augustine claims a non-literal fulfillment of prophecy. Catholics may also refer to Matthew's Gospel, Chapter 24, Verse 36, in which Christ is quoted as saying:
"But of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone."
PROTESTANTS
Millennialists concentrate on the issue of whether the true believers will see the tribulation or be removed from it by what is referred to as a Pre-Tribulation Rapture. Amillennialists believe that the end times encompass the time from Christ's ascension to the Last day, and maintain that the mention of the "thousand years" in the Book of Revelation is meant to be taken metaphorically (i.e., not literally, or 'spiritually'), a view which continues to cause divisions within evangelical Christianity
MIKOS
Miko are known by many names; Fairchild (1962:119–122) lists 26 terms for "shrine attached miko" and 43 for "non shrine attached miko". Common names are ichiko 市子 (lit. "market/town child") "female medium; fortuneteller", reibai 霊媒 (lit. "spirit go-between") "spirit medium", and itako いたこ "(usually blind) female shaman".
English has diverse translation equivalents for Japanese miko. While "shrine maiden" is frequently used, other equivalents are "female shaman" (aka "shamaness" or "shamanka"), "(spirit) medium", "prophet", "priestess", "witch", or "sorceress". Some scholars prefer the transliteration miko over translations, and contrast Japanese "mikoism" with East Asian "shamanism". Fairchild explains:
Women played an important role in a region stretching from Manchuria, China, Korea and Japan to the Ryukyu Islands. In Japan these women were priests, soothsayers, magicians, prophets and shamans in the folk religion, and they were the chief performers in organized Shintoism. These women were called Miko, and the author calls the complex "mikoism" for lack of a suitable English word. (1962:57)