VERY MYSTERIOUS

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 lectura un asunto pendiente. Observando la fragmentación del texto en secuencias desiguales, hay razones para creer que algunas tablillas retienen esa función. Fischer dice que la tablilla Mamari tiene la apariencia de ser un encadenamiento de varias secuencias de distintas clases^{nota 1} Al parecer, Fischer estaba en lo cierto, pues al analizar estructuralmente el texto C, llamado «tablilla Mamari»,¹ se observan grupos de secuencias que se repiten en ambos lados del artefacto. Esas distintas secuencias, compuestas en mayor grado de elementos idénticos o semejantes, podrían testificar a favor de «listas», «estribillos» o «fórmulas», tan arraigados y comunes en el folclore antiguo de Rapanui. Varios estudiosos dan cuenta de la posibilidad de listas incluidas en varios objetos rongo-rongo en consideración de glifos delimitadores sin valor fonético del tipo 380.1 (3/52), véase Barthel (1958), Horley (2007:28). Verbigracia, esos glifos señalarían el inicio o el fin de oraciones paganas relacionadas con prácticas mágicas, destinadas a capturar prisioneros de guerra y posiblemente tramitar venganza y muerte a los malhechores; no faltarían tampoco secuencias toponímicas u onomásticas insertadas entre dichos delimitadores. Es de esperar que los glifos rongo-rongo organizados e incrustados en tales grupos secuenciales, reflejen parte de la cultura pre-cristiana pascuense. Sería descabellado pensar que el escriba derrochara talento, material precioso y escaso —madera— y tiempo para grabar un galimatías de símbolos y bobadas parecidas en la superficie de la tablilla 'Mamari'.

INTENTIONAL SKULL DEFORMATION

La cultura paracas o cultura de Paracas es una cultura arqueológica del Antiguo Perú originada a finales del periodo formativo superior, alrededor del 500 a. C. alrededor de la península de Paracas. La península en cuestión se sitúa entre los ríos Ica y Piscoen el actual departamento de Ica. Desde aquel punto de partida, los paracas lograron dominar aproximadamente desde el rio Cañete, al Norte hasta Yauca, al Sur, teniendo como centro a la ciudad de Ica.

Las deformaciones craneanas se realizaron para colocar un llauyo, y regir las clases sociales.

(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.

Here are some examples.

END TIMES

The end time, end times, or end of days is a time period described in the eschatological writings in the three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) and in doomsday scenarios in various other non-Abrahamic religions. In Christianity, the End Times are often depicted as a time of tribulation that precedes the Second Coming of the Christian "saviour" or a "hoped-for deliverer", Jesus, the Christian Messiah, who will usher in the fullness of the World to Come and Kingdom of God and bring an end to suffering and evil and all things wrong with the current world. In Islam, Yawm al-Qiyāmah "the Day of Resurrection" or Yawm ad-Din "the Day of Judgement", Allah's final assessment of humanity, is preceded by the end of the world. In Judaism the term "End of Days" is a reference to the Messianic era and the Jewish belief in the coming of Mashiach and the Olam Haba. Various other religions also have eschatological beliefs associated with turning and redemption.
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

The Japanese word miko or fujo "female shaman; shrine maiden" is usually written 巫女, compounding the kanji fu, miko, or kannagi 巫 "shaman" and jo, onna, or me 女 "woman; female". In Chinese, wunü 巫女 (or the reverse nüwu 女巫) means "female shaman; witch; sorceress". Miko was archaically written 神子 (lit. "kami/god child") and 巫子 ("shaman child").
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)

THE STARCHILD SKULL

The Starchild skull was found 80 years ago in a remote cave in Mexico. A teenage American girl from El Paso was visiting her family in the Copper Canyon region, about 100 miles south of Chihuahua, and discovered the remains of two individuals lying on their back, covered by just a few inches of dirt. One of the skeletons was small, like that of a child, and had a oddly shaped skull.

THE PERUVIAN SKULLS

Skulls are humanity's foremost symbol of death, and a powerful icon in the visual vocabularies of cultures all over the globe.
Many strangely "deformed" hominoid skulls have been discovered in Mexico and Peru. One of them, the Starchild skull found in Mexico, is currently the subject of scientific scrutiny and DNA testing.
Thirteen crystal skulls of apparently ancient origin have been found in parts of Mexico, Central America and South America, comprising one of the most fascinating subjects of 20th Century archaeology.

Dated over 2,000 years old, this skull is an extreme example of binding and elongation. Cranial binding is the shaping of the skull when a child is very young, usually an infant. This wrapping is often done with rope or cloth by itself or against a wooden board. This results in the misshaping, flattening or, in this case, elongation. This wrapping, or binding, is thought to be the oldest form of body modification, dating back 9,000 years. This particular skull is from Peru, but this practice has occurred in other regions as well. Additionally, this skull is trephinated, which has mostly healed.