Introduction to my unpublished book
Around 10 years ago I tried to find a publisher for a book I had been working on for some years. I found a literary agent who said he thought my thesis fascinating and that the scientific aspects of my ideas could make an interesting and commercially successful book. However, he said it needed a major rewrite to make it comprehensible to a 12 year old and suggested that I sought a collaborator who understood what I was saying and had a better feel for how to present it. I have not been able to find a collaborator and my own attempts at a rewrite have been unsatisfactory.
One of the problems with my history analysis is that I attempt to answer all the reason that critics had for rejecting Velikovsky’s history revision proposals. I don’t think all his ideas are correct, but I think many are. The difficulty I have is that all my history revision ideas are dependent on my catastrophe chronology. Consequently, it is virtually impossible to present a history revision suggestion without reference to my chronology which is probably why my papers on history revision have been rejected by the SIS editorial panel. I hope that the publication of the synopsis of my book as a Forum topic will show SIS members where my history revision ideas come from.
The synopsis of my book makes it clear that I think cosmic activity has been a major influence on the history of mankind from the Biblical “beginning” until virtually the start of the scientific era.
Synopsis
The World Turned Upside Down - A history of the World derived from ancient traditions, myths and contemporary texts
Chapter 1 - Introduction. This raises the problem of climate change in the past and outlines my ideas about the history of the Solar System I quote Immanuel Velikovsky who reported in his World Ages section of Worlds in Collision that the Chinese say that 10 World Ages perished from the beginning of the World until Confucius. My paper in SIS Workshop 2011:1 sets out the essential elements of my ideas about the first 6 World Ages and I date the end of the 7th and 8th World Ages to when the World was inverted both early and again late in King David’s life and the end of the 9th and 10th World Ages to 2 final inversions in the 7th century BC.
Chapter 2 - Velikovsky. This gives a précis of Velikovsky’s ideas, as presented in his published works because the whole analysis evolved from his theories.
Chapter 3 - History's reliability explains that our knowledge of history is not accurate for many reasons, not least because virtually all copying of ancient texts was done by religious orders who edited out references to the actions of Pagan Gods. It is emphasised that all modern translations of ancient texts have been made by scholars who have no experience of catastrophe and think that any reference to cosmic events are apocryphal.
Chapter 4 - The Collapse of Rome shows how the collapse of the Roman Empire was due to climate change. Edward Gibbon in his Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire says that the fall of the Roman Empire can justly be dated to the disastrous period that followed a catastrophe on the 21st of July in 365 AD. Gibbon says that at the time of the event many Romans feared that the World was sinking and that people were persecuted afterwards for supposedly being able to control the order of the planets.
Chapter 5 - A Tippi-top World describes Peter Warlow's theory of pole reversal and axis shift detailed in his book, The Reversing Earth, published by J M Dent & Sons in 1982. It mentions some of the historical and geological evidence he uses to support his view that the Earth has been inverted in the past.
Chapter 6 - The Electric Universe describes the plasma cosmology, Electric Universe theories of Wal Thornhill and other physicists. The theory is not new, but space probes and modern telescopes have provided additional support for it. The Electric Universe theory explains how the planets’ orbits were disturbed in the past and how electromagnetic forces helped them achieve their current, gravity dictated orbits. Other aspects of the Electric Universe, such as aurora displays, thunderbolts, discharge scaring and planet formation are mentioned.
Chapter 7 - The Dark Ages The persecution of pagans and heretics makes up a major part of the chapter and the general lack of information on the period is ascribed to the serious editing by churchmen of, to use Gibbon's words, the "licentious freedom of speech of the school of Plato". A number of axis shift events are identified from the writings of Bede, Gildas and Dr Short as well as Gibbon. The chapter concludes with extracts from Bishop Malalas of Antioch’s account of the disasters suffered by the Earth during the 6th century AD.
Chapter 8 - Dr Thomas Short’s record contains extracts from Dr Thomas Short’s book, A General Chronological History of Air, Weather, Seasons, Meteors etc. in Sundry Places and Different Times. This book was published in 1749 AD, long before James Hutton proposed his Principle of Uniformitarianism. Dr Short’s main interest was in diseases and plagues, the symptoms and treatments of which he records through the ages. In the 18th century many people believed that comets, meteors and other astronomical happenings somehow caused outbreaks of plague. Dr Short meticulously recorded any mention of astronomical sightings or happenings by his sources in his attempt to show that there was no clear evidence that they caused plagues.
Chapter 9 - Catastrophic Flooding in China is about the history of China. Flooding is linked to both the start and end of many Chinese dynasties. The belief that Chinese emperors ruled with the "mandate of heaven" is emphasised. Terrors in the heavens were sent to warn the Emperor. If he ignored the warnings and disaster follows he was deposed or killed, having lost the "mandate of heaven". Chinese census returns, including the Ho-nan province figures for 609 and 643 AD that show a decline in population of almost 90%, are quoted to emphasise the magnitude of the death toll.
Chapter 10 - Old Testament Prophets says that Biblical Prophets were active only at times of danger from other planets. The period from Joshua to Elisha is examined. Catastrophic events during the time of King David are covered as well as events at the time of Elijah and Elisha. The chapter concludes with the death of Tutankhamun and the subsequent successful invasion of Egypt by foreign supporters of the son of his elder brother.
Chapter 11 - Later Old Testament Prophets is about the time of the Old Testament prophets Amos and Isaiah and the series of 8th century BC cosmic events described by Velikovsky in his book, Worlds in Collision. The analysis differs from Velikovsky on a number of points. The self-sacrifice of rulers in an attempt to appease God at the time of a planetary approach is highlighted and some history revision is suggested to fit the Biblical record.
Chapter 12 - The Iliad Event covers the Phaethon / Iliad event that destroyed the Mycenaean and Minoan Bronze Age civilisations and says that the Book of Isaiah tells of the terrible destruction of this cosmic event which ended the 9th World Age. It explains that Sargon must have ruled Assyria at the time as Regent for his son-in-law, Sennacherib, because both are reported as ruling at the start of a new World Age. Sargon was killed shortly afterwards when the Scythians invaded and Sennacherib was murdered by a son in a “mandate of heaven” killing at the time of the next synodical overtake by Venus. Homer’s report on the cosmic action is analysed and other reports identified; elements of Plato’s Atlantis story are linked to the event.
Chapter 13 - The Neo-Assyrian and Babylonian Eras is about the 10th World Age, the cosmic event that ended it and the following 100 years up to the start of the reign of Darius the Great of Persia around 522 BC. It confirms that Velikovsky was right in saying that the Egyptian monument records of the pharaohs Seti and Ramesses II are the Egyptian account of the dispute for control of the Assyrian Empire after its fall and that the treaty between Ramesses II and an Asian king was made with the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar in the 21st year of the new World Age. The Biblical account is compared with the Egyptian and Babylonian accounts and the record dated by the cosmic events, the dating being fixed by Daniel's report of planetary approaches in the 1st and the 3rd years of Belshazzar, king of Babylon. The building of the Great Pyramids is attributed to the pharaohs, Apries and Amasis, who were both grandsons of the pharaoh, Necho, whose war annals are attributed to Ramesses II.
Chapter 14 - Europe before the Dark Age returns to Europe and covers its history up to the Dark Ages. It is explained how the Beaker people re-populated Northern Europe after the Biblical Flood ended. Their discovery of tin and copper together in Cornwall led to the development of bronze weapons which were greatly superior to anything available before. Stonehenge is shown to have been built as an observatory watching out for threats from the heavens. The chapter covers the foundation of Rome; the invasions of Italy by the Gauls when climate change forced them to migrate south and the years of warfare that Velikovsky wrote about in his book, Peoples of the Sea. It also mentions the report of Pliny the Elder that the Egyptian obelisk that the Emperor Augustus erected in Rome in 8 BC as a clock was inaccurate for about 30 years. Pliny queried whether the Sun had changed its course or the whole Earth had been displaced from its centre.
Chapter 15 - The Crusades says they were the result of the Church expecting the end of the World. The expectation that the World would end at the Millennium and at other times is explained by anticipation of catastrophe at the approach of Mars. Poor harvests and starvation contributed to the many periods of warfare and anarchy experienced in Europe during the Middle Ages. It suggests that it was climate change as much as religious zeal that encouraged the peasant hordes to participate in the first crusade. The fall in the population at the time of the Black Death is attributed to climate change as well as to plague.
Chapter 16 - The Americas covers American history, or rather the lack of it. It explains how changes in the location of the North Pole caused the polar ice-cap to change location on a number of occasions. It suggests that a recent advance of the ice could have been in the 14th century AD. America was shifted closer to the North Pole on a number of occasions and the consequential climate change destroyed successive Central and South American cultures. The child sacrifices of the Inca, who are believed to have been carrying their people’s request to the Gods that the World should not be turned over again, are mentioned.
Chapter 17 - The Pacific looks at the history of the Pacific. The migrations of the Polynesians are shown to be due to sea level changes caused by axis shifts. The Australian aborigines’ memory of the flooding of their hunting grounds between Australia and New Guinea is mentioned as is the continent sized land mass that once lay to the north east of Australia. Japan's history is covered and sea level changes that isolated the provinces from central control are shown to be the reason for the evolution of the Samurai culture and the Shogunate ruling system.
Chapter 18 - India covers Indian history and explains how the early Harappan cultures were destroyed by the inversion catastrophes of the 7th century BC. It mentions the flowering of various other Indian civilisations and their collapse as the river valleys of the Indus and Ganges were flooded when the sea level rose. It explains how the Gupta dynasty prospered at a time when both Western Europe and China were in great distress and why the Turk invaders had no trouble conquering a largely depopulated North in the 12th century AD. It mentions cities lost to the jungle and discusses how priests achieved their dominant position in Indian culture. It also explains why the population of lowland India was still relatively small when Europeans first arrived.
Chapter 19 - Literacy of the Patriarchs returns to the Bible and discusses Professor Yahuda's thesis on the origins of the Hebrew language and P J Wiseman's analysis of the structure of the Book of Genesis. The conclusion is that the Patriarchs kept written records that were passed down to Moses and that the Book of Genesis was written by Moses using these tablet records of the Patriarchs.
Chapter 20 - The Exodus Event covers the Exodus event. It may be necessary to rehearse Velikovsky's arguments more thoroughly, but this chapter concentrates on the differences between the Exodus event and the axis shift events looked at in the earlier chapters. It describes how the Earth was thrown out of its orbit by Venus and forced into a much longer one. The length of the year more than doubled.
Chapter 21 - Patriarch Ages examines the Patriarchs' ages at death and makes it clear why Moses included and emphasised them in his book. Moses was an astronomer and the ages at death of his ancestors was the best record he could leave of the changes in the orbit of the Earth. An analysis of the Patriarchs ages is included to show how the Earth's orbit changed. The short time scale we are dealing with is highlighted.
Chapter 22 - Dating Methods is about various dating methods. It explains how Carbon 14 dating, calibrated to fit "known" historic dates and the tree-ring record of the long living bristlecone pine, gives erroneous readings. It says that catastrophic events can help date the development and the destruction of cultures. It shows how virtually all dating methods use climate change to establish the passage of time. It explains how all the “known” ages used to calibrate radio isotope dating are themselves only guesses and questions the accuracy of the guesses of Victorian scientists.
Chapter 23 - History Revision Starting with the fact that Egypt could not have been settled at the time of the Flood, it gives an explanation of how Egypt's history can be compressed into the necessary time scale. It says that most other ancient empires have to fall into line with any revision in Egypt's history. The Sumarians are shown to be a 1st millennium BC culture and the Gilgamesh story to be about a post-Flood axis shift event. Babylonian and Assyrian history is also re-assessed and the authenticity of their king lists questioned.
Chapter 24 - The Earth's Magnetism explains that the Earth's magnetic record is sealed into rock as it cools. Reversals of the Poles have been detected as have changes in latitude in different lava flows at the same site. The mid-ocean magma flow record of the latest magnetic field reversal is dated to the 7th century BC not to over 700,000 years ago as conventional geology maintains; the firing of Greek and Eutruscan pottery in the Southern Hemisphere provides the conclusive evidence. The effect of recent large movements of the tectonic plates on mountain uplift is discussed. The westward movement of the South American continent during and since the last magnetic field reversal is estimated at around 20 miles. It queries how much uplift the Andes experienced as a result of this 20 mile westward movement of the continent.
Chapter 25 - Sea levels and Maps The maps in Charles Hapgood's book, Maps of the Ancient Sea Kings, are analysed and it is explained how latitude data from before and after an axis shift of known magnitude enabled the mapmaker to plot accurate longitude positions. It suggests that the increased size of the islands shown in some of the maps was because the Equator was further south when they were drawn. The 16th century maps showing the Tropic of Cancer to the south of Cuba are mentioned and it is maintained that they must have been accurate at the time they were made, because navigators found Hispaniola by sailing west along its known latitude.
Chapter 26 - Polar Ice-Caps examines the maximum advance of the ice during the so called Ice Ages. It shows that the advance in all directions can be accounted for by axis shift changes in the position of the Poles and that all 18 identified advances of the ice in North America during the Pleistocene Age can be attributed to axis shift events during the past 4,000 years. One position of the North Pole plotted by Charles Hapgood in his book, Path of the Pole has the equator passing across Egypt. That was the time of the Biblical Flood.
Chapter 27 - The Solar System starts with a précis of Dwardu Cardona's interpretation of ancient mythology and Wal Thornhill's thoughts on how electromagnetic forces could have produced the effects described. The changes in the Earth's orbit are shown to be the consequence of the approach of the Sun little more than 4,000 years ago. The chapter includes some thoughts about how the orbits of the planets changed and how they came to be in their current, gravity dictated orbits, and on the process by which planets were formed; on how the dinosaurs could have lived on a low gravity World and why they died when its orbit changed and gravity increased.
Chapter 28 - Ancient Myths and Religions explains how difficult it must have been for people to pass on knowledge about the cosmic events that their ancestors had survived, but they themselves did not understand. It was probably a failure of language that changed the Gas Giants from heavenly bodies into Gods when they were no longer overhead. The evolution of religions during the time when firstly Venus threatened the Earth every 52 years and later Mars threatened it every 15 or 17 years is analysed. It is made clear that many different people tried to appease the God that controlled the movement of the planets. Some rulers sacrificed themselves, some sacrificed captives. Sometimes it seemed to work, so further sacrifices followed.
Chapter 27 - Testing the Analysis sums up the analysis and suggests various ways of testing it.
Appendices - Identify the chapters edited out of Livy’s books. - Analyse the Apis Bull burials in the Lesser Vaults at Saqqara. - Give a more detailed revised history of the Egyptian Third Intermediate Period. - List the cosmic events identified from the Exodus until 573 AD. - Date the reigns of the Kings of Judah and Israel by synchronisation with cosmic events. - Give the Manetho king lists in a single table split between World Ages. - Analyse the bodies found in the Egyptian Royal Caches. - Analyse the tombs in the Valley of the Kings - Discuss Sothis Dating.