Baalbec; Source

Karnak Sun Temple and Abu Simbel, Egypt

Scientists and astronomers of the day who lived in these cities studied the Sun, Moon, stars and the planets. They sited many ancient temples on geometrically significant latitudes. They knew about winter and summer solstices. On the winter solstice day, December 22, the sun is at its southernmost position, and it moves northwards with each sunrise until the summer solstice, June 21. Solar Temple of Amen-Ra at Karnak (Thebes) in Egypt built during the time of the Pharaohs some time after 2000 B.C. near the present day Luxor has been located in such a way as to align with the summer solstice sunrise and is considered the day of the “manifestation of Ra” (sun god). 

In 1257 BCE, Pharaoh Ramses II had two temples carved out of solid rock at a site on the west bank of the Nile at Luxor and known today as Abu Simbel. 

Temple of Ramses II at Abu Simbel

At the center of the temple is a darkened sanctuary filled with golden jeweled decorations. Connecting to the outside from the sanctuary is a long narrow hallway. 

In those days of yore, the priests and other important persons would gather along the corridor, while Pharaoh stood in the darkened inner sanctuary. As the sun sank, it shone down the long corridor of Amen-Ra and flooded the sanctuary with light and Pharaoh was suddenly swallowed up in the blinding brilliance. The sun god Ra and the god Pharaoh became one. Brilliant.

Source

For most of the year, the inner sanctum of the main temple at Abu Simbel is shrouded in darkness and this 3000-year phenomena is enacted twice every year on February 22, a day celebrating the king’s birthday, and again on October 22, a day celebrating his coronation. For twenty minutes the sun shines on the holy statues of Ramses II, Amon Ra (the sun god), and Ra-Harakhty, god of the rising sun. Ptah, god of the under-world and darkness, seated at the far left of the row of gods.

Source

The Coricancha Temple of the Sun at Cusco, Peru

Ancestors of the Inca people lived in Peru, South America. Incas were highly sophisticated in mathematics, astronomy and agriculture.

Ruins at Machu Pichu, Peru; Source

Some 4,000 priests and their attendants once lived within the extraordinarily crafted Temple of the Sun of Coricancha that served as the main astronomical observatory for the Incas.

Source

Koricancha means “courtyard of gold” and the temple is made of gold paneled walls, life-size gold figures, solid-gold altars, and a huge golden sun disc. The sun disc reflected the sun and bathed the temple in light. During the summer solstice, the sun shines directly into a niche where once the Inca chieftain sat. After the Spanish Conquest much of the structure was torn down and reassembled as the Church of Santa Domingo.

Stonehenge, England

Stonehenge, an ancient construction of huge stone slabs arranged in circular patterns, the earliest of which are dated between 2950 – 2900 BC, is situated on the Salisbury Plain in southern England. In ancient times, this was used for astronomical observations for the conduct of religious rites and ceremonies. Stonehenge was used to observe the Sun and to mark the time and day of the summer solstice when the Sun is in its northern-most position in the sky. Besides, it was also used to predict the solar and lunar eclipses.

Source

Newgrange Structures, Ireland

The ancient Irish associated the dead with the Sun. A multitude of structures, such as megaliths, stone circles, graves and religious sites, seem to be aligned with solar events, for example with solstices and equinoxes. The famous passage grave is at Newgrange.

Newgrange is part of a complex of monuments along the River Boyne constructed during the Neolithic Age over 5,000 years ago. Once considered a passage tomb, it is now recognized as an ancient Temple, a place of astrological, spiritual and religious importance.     

Above the entrance to the passage at Newgrange is an opening which allows sunlight to penetrate the chamber on the shortest days of the year, around December 21, the winter solstice.

At dawn, from December 19th to 23rd, a narrow beam of light penetrates the roof-box and reaches the floor of the chamber, gradually extending to the rear of the chamber and widens within the chamber as the sun rises higher so that the whole room becomes dramatically illuminated.

Long Meg and Her Daughters is the name of a Bronze Age stone circle in the English county of Cumbria. It primarily consists of 51 stones (of which 27 remain upright) set in an oval shape. At the stone circle Long Meg and Her Daughters, there is an alignment to the winter solstice sunset.

Long Meg and daughters; Source

Chichen Itza – Yucatan’s Most Famous Ancient Maya city

In the land of the ancient Maya Civilization at Mexico, you can find a famous Sun temple at Chichen Itza. Chichen Itza is renowned for the Mayan treasures constructed during the height of Mayan civilization.

Temple of the Sun, Yucatan, Mexico; Source

More than 2000 years ago the Mayan people lived in the present day Yucatan peninsula of Mexico and Guatemala. They had a very rich scientific and cultural life. Mayan life literally centered on astronomy, mathematics, and the calculation of time and calendars. Mayans based their calendar not only on the Sun and the Moon, but also on rising and setting of the planet Venus.

Of the numerous ruins at Chichen Itza, El Castillo pyramid is the most awe inspiring structure. This enormous 36-metre-tall pyramid is dedicated to the deity of Kukulcan and is delicately supported by nine terraced platforms. The pyramid is a sophisticated calendar that determined important astronomical events for centuries and could predict the occurrence of eclipses up to 2050 AD. Mayans used temple features and shadows to locate and identify celestial and heavenly bodies.

El Castillo Pyramid in Chichen Itza; Source

Sun Temple at Colorado Built By Native Americans – The Anasazis

The Anasazi lived along rugged canyons along the Utah/Colorado border in the Four Corners area. This area of the United States is where the four states of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah meet. They beat the arid heat of the desert by building water harvesting structures.

The structures at Hovenweep reflect fully developed artistic and spiritual beliefs of the Anasazis. They tracked the movement of the sun’s rays along the interior walls of the Hovenweep castles throughout the year through an arrangement of portholes on the walls which served as a kind of virtual solar calendar. They knew how the  beam of sun light would shine through the portholes on various walls on various occasions/days such as the summer/winter solstice.

Mesa Verde Sun Temple at Colorado; Source

You can also find daggers of light appearing on the petroglyphs etched into the sandstone under a north-facing rocks as the sun rises, marking the summer solstice and the fall and spring equinoxes. The Anasazis used their understanding of the solar cycle to plan their sowing and harvesting time-lines.

By Mr Ghaz, January 19, 2011

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Mysteries of the Inca: A Mighty Pantheon

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Wiraqocha, revered as the creator of the cosmos, seems to have played little part in the everyday running of the Inca universe. This task was shared out among a pantheon of gods and goddesses, with Wiraqocha’s son Inca the most prominent of them.

Image Credit

Having established everything under its rightful name and in its rightful place, Wiraqocha, also referred to as “ Instructor of the World,” seems effectively to have retired. The Incas, for their part, honored their maker but do not appear actively to have worshipped him: no significant ceremony seems to have been held in his name. For all intents and purposes, the rule in Inca heaven was not Wiraqocha but his son Inti, god of the sun. Inti’s splendor lit up the day and made life possible, warming the Earth and enabling the crops to grow. Ealie Andean civilizations-much as others worldwide-had worshipped the sun for these reasons, but for the Incas, Inti had a special status.

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They believed that the son of Wiraqocha was a father in his turn successive rival rulers. Who were known as the Inca, regarded themselves as Inti’s son. His cult was thus at the center not only of religious life but of state ideology: his power underwrote the authority of the Inca Empire. Made, appropriately enough, of gold, Inti’s idol has not been seen for centuries: it is believed to have been hidden at the time of the conquistadors’ invasion. Some reports suggest that it was later seized and tossed into the furnace to be melted down with the rest of the Incas’ gold, but its fate seems destined to remain obscure. The chroniclers agree, however, that Punchao (“Day”), as this figure was called, was the statue of a little boy in a seated position. Gold spools adorned his ears; a sunburst radiated out around his head and shoulders; and lion and serpent figures lay around his body.

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His hollow stomach was the receptacle in which the internal organs of dead kings were burned and stored, underlining the identification between Inti and the Inca economy: in addition to richly endowed temples in every urban center, vast areas of cultivable land in the countryside were consecrated to Inti, who also had his own storehouses, workshops, mines, and metal foundries in which many thousands must have found employment.

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Inti was married to Mama-Quill, the goddess of the moon, Who’s waxing-waning rhythms formed the basis for the Inca calendar. As in many other cultures, the moon was seen as essentially gentle and feminine, in contrast to the fiery ferocity of the masculine sun. She had her own temple complex in Cuzco ans was served by her own designated priest nesses. Just as the Inca king was believed to be the son of Inti, so his queen was deemed to be the daughter of Mama-Quilla.

Heaven, Earth, and Sea

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A more intimidating presence in the heavens was that of the thunder god Inti-Ilapa, imagined as a fearsome warrior in the sky. He held a terrifying club in one hand and in the other swung a sling whose whip crack was believed to be the cause of the rolling thunder. The flash of lightning was said to be the glittering of his garments as he soared across the sky: where bolts struck the Earth it was believed that a stone from his sling had landed. Yet he had his more benign side; it was Inti-Ilpa who drew water for the rain from the Milky Way, a starlit river, and whose iridescent costume created the colors of the rainbow.

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The name of the goddess Pachamama translates literally as “Earth Mother” and she stood for those same values of fertility and nurture that the name would suggest today. She was particularly associated with agriculture, and sacrifices were offered to her for a successful harvest. Another goddess, Mamacocha, was indentified with lakes and the sea; as would be expected. She was especially revered by coastal communities.

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The Incas didn’t sacrifice humans much if at all, unlike the other Mesoamerican cultures like the Aztecs or the Mayas. They had sacred mountains and rivers. They were polytheistic. They had priests who would perform religious ceremonies. They also had statues in their houses. They had animal sacrifices. They also burned offerings to their gods and goddesses.

Government

                Their capitol was Cuzco. They had 4 different districts. They had 20 million people total at their height. They had a massive empire. When they conquered a tribe they would let them join their empire but required taxes and tributes. People would pay taxes by working on roads or other things that needed to be done. They had a road system that allowed their troops to move faster and for messages to be carried more quickly through the empire. They only had 1 leader. They titled their emperor the Inca. They were brought to an end by in tribe wars and disease.

Technology and Inventions

                They Incas had a bridge system that went across canyons and were made of grass rope (you can actually make very strong rope out of only grass and weeds). They also had medicines and simple tools. They had a total of 14,000 miles of roads. They had irrigation and agricultural terraces. They used knot tying to keep records. They understood mathematics.

Trade and Occupation

                The Incas used llamas for many things including wool, milk, and transportation. They had architects, warriors, farmers, silver miners, messengers, cloth weavers, priests, surgeons, and stone masons. Their currency was cacao beans and sea salt. They also bartered goods with others.

Geography

                The Incan Empire was located in the southern part of South America (Argentina). They had mountainous terrain that was rugged and rocky. They didn’t have very good farmland. They had huge canyons. They existed from around 1100-1530 A.D.

Communication

                The Incas spoke Cachua and Quechua. They had runners who brought messages to other parts of the empire. They had a system of math and record keeping using knots.

Architecture

                The Incans had stone fitted buildings. They didn’t use mortar on their buildings because the stones were cut well enough that mortar was unneeded. They also had stairways.

Daily Life

                The Incans wore bright and colorful clothing that was made of llama wool. They had leather sandals and feathered headdresses. They ate chocolate from cocoa beans, maize, llama and alpaca meat, beans, and potatoes. They had jaguar statues in their homes.

UFO believers ascertain that there is evidence in ancient texts that clearly describes ancient aerial battles taking place in ancient time. Did ancient cultures have somehow the power of flight before the invention of aircraft? The ability to fly has always been a dream of mankind for hundreds of years and we have only perfected the use of planes, jets, and even space craft in the last 100 years. But is it possible that the ability to fly is actually a lost ancient secret that our ancestors somehow knew about existed. Skeptics disagree about the knowledge of flight in ancient times, but there are interesting anomalies around the world that clearly show they knew something about it the power of flight.

Archaeologists discovered a small gold trinkets dating back to the pre-Inca era around 500 A.D. that strikingly resemble small jet fighters. I first thought to represent local insects when scientists studied these pre-Colombian gold artifacts; they discovered that the design was unlike any insect they had ever seen. Some researchers took upon themselves to build a small model and launch it in the air and discover to their amazement that it actually flew like a modern airplane glider. In Egypt for example there inside a tomb discovered in 1898 was found a small wooden airplane, a glider that actually flies just like the real thing even without a modern engine attached. Why would someone design a perfectly accurate airplane 2000 years ago that could fly? And why did it take us 2000 years later to learn to fly again?

There are many tales and legends of earlier flights dating back thousands of years ago from different cultures scattered around the world. There is an ancient mythical story of Emperor King Cheng Tang in China some 4000 years ago, who was at war and wanted to smite his enemies and so he ordered the construction of a flying chariot to reach the province of Honan. It is written that once the aircraft was constructed, tested flight worthy, used on its mission, the Emperor ordered its destruction for fear that such a powerful instrument such as this could be used against him in the future and on any one else as a lethal weapon.

Could this be where the story of UFOs is originating from? Is it possible that an ancient culture more advanced than other civilizations of mankind existed at the same time? Scientist just discovered that it is possible that Homo sapiens and Neanderthals were living at the same time and perhaps interacting with one another before the Neanderthals as a species went extinct. The question can be put simply is what happens when an advance culture meets a primitive one during exploration? The inexperience culture will perceive these new men like gods who possess awesome power and have skills that they do not have. Having secret knowledge would seem like magic to them and the ancient cultures would surely remember them and document their encounter in stone hieroglyphics, and stories passed down through the generations, and monuments, and temples, so that everyone remembers that they met perhaps Gods from the sky.

Found in Peru’s pre-Incan civilization records dating back to 2000 BC are mythological stories of gods who traveled in space ships from the star system Pleiades. The pre-Incan civilization was imparted with totally accurate astrological information about how our planet, the Sun, and the stars worked. Another well-documented close encounters with extraterrestrials dates back to the Sumerian culture of 4000 BC.

In the area known as a Iraq today, ancient Sumerians recorded an astonishing history that matches the book of Genesis in the Bible, but the Sumerians go on to claim that they were given secret knowledge about astronomy and math from beings who came from the stars. The Sumerians believe these extraterrestrials came from the Sirius star system, the planet Mars, and the Pleiades star system. The Sumerians believed these supernatural beings wanted to reproduce with them and help them travel to the stars. The Sumerians description sounds very similar to the tales of Fallen Angels descended to the Earth and wanted to mate with human women.

Current research shows that in ancient writing dating back before the time of the Bible that the Earth inhabitants were engaged in some kind of war up in the sky and on the ground. Some in the UFO community believe that the biblical story of God’s angels turning on one another and battling it out on the surface of the Earth and in the sky could literally be true.

The stories of Angels, UFOs, and even airships could have been passed down over hundreds of years, if not thousands of years before they were actually written in the Bible. Is it possible that ancient cultures had somehow master the ability to fly an aircraft the same way we do today? Where did the ancient cultures discover their advanced knowledge of astronomy and aerodynamics? Some researchers in the scientific community believe that legends and myth often have their bases in reality and truth. The world is full of unexplainable anomalies and it appears that ancient cultures knew far more than we give them credit for.

T.S.Garp © Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved.

Incas had a powerful army with 40,000 soldiers.  After conquering a territory, those who cooperated with them were treated well.  They allowed those people to rule themselves.  Inca empire can more aptly be called confederation of tribes.  But they were all governed by principles of the Incas.  Quechua, the language spoken by the Incas were imposed on the people they conquered.  Punishment was severe.  Theft, murder and illicit sex were dealt with severely.  Death penalty was very common.

Incas worshiped six major gods, the sun, the moon, earth, thunder, lightning and the sea.  But sun was considered supreme god.  For them heaven was represented by the condor, underworld by the deadly anaconda and they considered puma as their brother who resided on the earth.  

Incas followed a hierarchical structure.  The ruler or the high priest, also called as Sapa, was at the top.  Sapa’s family members acted as his councilors.  Temple priests, architects and regional army commanders were next in the hierarchy.  Lower classes included artisans, farmers and herders.  Taxes were levied in the form of gold.  Women were respected and had authority in the Inca hierarchy.  

Incas are credited with building excellent roads across the Andes from Ecuador to Chile.  These roads were paved with flat stones.  They also constructed barriers to protect travelers from falling down the cliff.  Tunnels and bridges along the roads indicate their expertise in engineering.  Incas have also built huge forts and structures by placing gigantic stones together.  Each of these stones weighs several tons.  Their architecture continues to puzzle modern day scientists.  These exist even today in near perfect condition.  Famous Inca fortress (Sacasahuman) in Cuzco is a good example.  The sun temples built during the times of the Incas are major tourist attractions.  Incas also built aqueducts to ensure adequate water supply.  The drainage system was well planned.  The concept of terraced farmlands was popularized by Incas.  This brought agriculture into the lives of the people living in the Andes mountains.  Corn, tomatoes, cotton, peanuts, cocoa and potatoes were cultivated.  Llamas and alpacas were raised for labor and meat.  Incas were also experts in medicine and surgery.  

People under the Inca rule were happy.  The system made sure that there was enough for every one.  There was prosperity and a sense of well being among the people.  

Incas were conquered by European invaders in the 16th century.  By 1535, the Inca society was completely overthrown by Spanish invaders lead by Pizzaro.

An Inca period tunic (Image via Wikipedia)

Ancient Egyptian society presented women with many inequalities, most notably in the professional life, and public life, where women were excluded as much as possible, as well as the domestic life where women were burdened with most of the responsibilities. The professions available to Egyptian women were merely a few, and were most often then not very significant or important. In Egypt women held none of the important offices of state and, apart from queens regnant and certain priestesses, wielded very little political power.1 Women were not deemed worthy of holding powerful and influential jobs, and by restricted them from obtaining any of these positions they were kept from acquiring any substantial amount of power. Professions that were mainly in the public were off-limits to women. It is an uncomfortable fact that no women could aspire to be a king’s scribe, an army general, a governor of a city or province, or an ambassador to foreign lands.2 Women were kept out of the public life as much as possible, and prohibiting them from having a profession in the public was one way this was accomplished. Women were responsible for taking care of all domestic duties. Besides looking after her children, she had to keep her home clean and her linen laundered, to prepare food and drink and to go to market.3 Women had the tough task of taking care of the children, and providing the family with everything they needed to sustain life. Egyptian women were seen as inferior to men and had significantly less political and public power, yet were responsible for all domestic duties.

In Ancient Greece, women were given much less rights and inclusion in the professional and public life, where they held insignificant jobs, if any at all, could not travel freely and were given all the responsibility in the domestic life. There were few professions open to Greek women, most of which were similar to their domestic responsibilities. Poorer women, even citizens, went out to work, most of them pursuing occupations that were an extension of women’s work in the home.4 Women rarely held jobs, and only in extreme cases of poverty where one family member could not provide enough to take care of the entire family would the woman obtain a job related to her household duties, since that was considered the women’s “field”. As well, women were not allowed to roam freely in public. Citizen women were perpetually under the guardianship of a man, usually the farther or, if he was dead, the male next-of-kin.5 Women were not allocated the same amount of freedom as men were and were only allowed out in public if they were accompanied by a man. They spent the majority of their time performing their many endless domestic duties. They concerned themselves with the care of young children, the nursing of sick slaves, the fabrication of clothing, and the preparation of food.6 Women were continuously on-call taking care of all the responsibilities which were related to domestic life. In ancient Greece, women had little chance of obtaining a job, going out in public alone was unheard of, and they were accountable for all domestic responsibilities.

In the Inca civilization, women had few options in their professional life, did not have the same rights as men in public life, and were burdened with the majority of domestic duties. In the Inca civilization the only jobs performed by women were ones related to their household duties. They spun fibre into yarn and wove cloth to provide clothing for the family and to pay taxes.7 Women did not generally have a profession, except for occasionally fabricating things which could be used as payment for taxes. Women were also sheltered from the public life. She had no direct ability to rule and could never become Sapa Inca (head of state, or ruler).8 Professions that were very public were restricted to women, which kept them less involved in public life, and gave them less of an opportunity to acquire power. All women in the household were required to work together to complete all domestic duties. Her daughters help her feed the chickens and guinea pigs, milk their own cow, and clean the house.9 Women were required to take care of most of the work that was needed in and around the home. In the Inca society, women were not treated as equals, having fewer options in professions, less involvement in public life, and most of the household responsibilities.

In conclusion, women in ancient Egypt, Greek and in the Inca civilization were treated as inferior to males in all areas of life; professional, public and domestic. They were restricted for having positions in most, if not all powerful professions, which were deemed appropriate only for males. They were not accepted in public life as men were, and were restricted from have any positions which were highly public. Women were encouraged to concentrate their time in the domestic life. Their main role was in the home, where they were to tend to anything or anyone (child) who needed anything. They were mainly what are today refereed to as housewives, however, with much more pressure and many more responsibilities. Women were not equals and even in today’s society there are still minimal inequalities, however, when compared with ancient Egyptian, Greek and Inca civilization these small inequalities truly seem negligible.

1 Barbara Watterson, Women in Ancient Egypt (Gloucestershire: Alan Sutton Publishing Limited, 1991), 23.

2 Ibid., 53.

3 Ibid., 125.

4 Sarah B. Pomeroy, Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves (New York: Schocken Books, 1975), 73.

5 Ibid., 62.

6 Ibid., 72.

7 Barbara Somervill, Empire of the Inca (New York: Facts on File, Inc, 2005) 83.

8 Ibid., 64.

9 Ibid., 11.

The Mayan empire lasted from 1000 B.C. to A.D. 900. It reached it’s height at around A.D. 300. It was located in the tropical rain forests pf Guatemala and western Honduras. The terrain was rough and rocky jungles and mountain slopes.

RELIGION AND BELIEFS

The Mayans were a polytheistic culture. They believed in human and animal sacrifices. The sacrifices were performed be priests on top of temples to the gods. They loved jungle cats and thought that the world was created on August 11, 3114 B.C. (I bet it started as a joke). They also built some ceremonial cities. They also thought that you looked good if your head kept slanting along with your nose and you were cross eyed with sharp teeth (they would file them into points). As you can see people’s taste has changed a lot over time.

GOVERNMENT

The Mayan empire was made up of around 200 city states (a political power consisting of an urban city surrounded by farmland) which added up to about 12-16 million total people at its height. Different cities fought each other for prisoners to sacrifice. The empire had a warrior king. There were 2 different classes- the nobles (upper class) and the peasants (lower class). They also had some other “levels/importance” of people like king, priests, and some others.

ARCHITECTURE

The Mayans were such successful architects that they built 20 story buildings. They were made out of bricks and they used stone tools not metal ones. They built ziggurat like pyramids (different stories that got smaller as you went up a floor) that had temples on the top of them for human and animal sacrifice. They also built public squares/plazas and large palaces.

TECNOLOGY AND INVENTIONS

The Mayans were a very advanced civilization. They made 2 calendars- a solar calendar used for harvesting and planting crops with 365 days, and a religious calendar for marking ceremonies that had 260 days. They also could predict lunar eclipses. Their centuries had 52 years. They also had the ability to use the wheel but the rugged terrain and the wheel didn’t work so well together. Also they had a very advanced knowledge of astronomy. Their written language was a hieroglyphic style of writing.

Now you hopefully know a little bit more about the Mayan civilization than you did before.

That’s what attracted Francisco Pizarro, a Spanish conquistador. After arriving on the location, however, his group of men became horrified by the numbers and power of the Incas, and dreaded for their lives. Still, their craving for riches knew no bounds and they were willing to risk everything to get their hands on all that gold.

So Pizzaro formulated a plan that was stunning both in its audacity and in its brutality. He and his soldiers scammed the all-mighty emperor of the Incas, Atahualpa, into attending a conference with them. Then they performed a bloody ambush, murdering thousands of Atahualpa’s men so they could capture the emperor himself. It proved to be a masterstroke that threw the Incas into disorder, and eventually permitted the Spaniards to conquer the entire empire. The cities and defenses of this once glorious empire were diminished to ruins.

The most astonishing thing is that Pizarro even had the spirit to commence this conquest, never mind succeed at it. True, the Spaniards had more advanced weapons – crossbows and guns – but only enough for a handful of their soldiers. It remains an astounding fact that he overthrew a well-fortified empire of over 6 million warlike people – with just 150 men.

It comes in many different flavors and dazzling colors, something for everyone. There is white, golden, wheat, stout or strong, porter or double bock or even this fabulous green shade reserved for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.

Alex flickr.com

It is thought that beer was probably brewed even before civilization learned how to bake bread, with Noah probably having his own stash upon the ark according to Professor Linda Raley of Texas Tech University.

In this picture taken from the World Encyclopedia of Beer by Brian Glover the King of Ur and his nobles raise their glasses at a banquet during 2,500 B.C. in toast with what was believed to be beer.

• Babylonian clay tablets dating back to 4300 BC detailed recipes for beer. There were around 20 varieties produced at that time.
• It has been a vital part of ancient Assyrian, Egyptian, Hebrew, Chinese and Inca cultures also
• Records indicate that beer was sometimes used to pay workers for part of their wages
• In earlier cultures sometimes straws were fashioned for drinking to avoid the grain hulls left in the beverage
• Beer was brewed commercially by Egyptians and served in gold goblets to royalty, used for medicinal purposes and buried with the dead for their journey in afterlife

Different cultures favor different grains:

• Africa – millet, maize and cassava
• United States – persimmon
• Mexico – agave
• South America – corn
• Brazil – sweet potatoes
• Japan – rice (sake)
• China – wheat (samshu)
• Other Asian cultures – sorghum
• Russia – rye to make quass or kvass
• Egypt – barley
• Egyptian texts were found dating back to 1600 BC with 100 medical prescriptions requiring beer according to Professor Linda Raley, or over 600 prescriptions and remedies according to Brian Glover’s research. Either way there were a lot of prescriptions including beer.
• At one time in Egypt if a gentleman offered a lady a sip of his beer it was considered a marriage proposal
• Much earlier flavors consisted of balsam, hay, dandelion, mint, wormwood seeds, horehound juice, crab claws and oyster shells
• Romans gave beer the name “Cerevisia” which translates to Ceres the goddess of agriculture and “vis” meaning strength in Latin
• Brewers who produced unfit beer in ancient Babylonia were sentenced to be drowned in their own beer
• In the 1st century A.D. the Roman historian stated that beer was the “usual drink of the Germans and Gauls”.
• Ale was regarded so highly that according to Norse mythology Vikings would spend their days happily drinking beer in the warriors resting place, Valhalla, after being slain in battle
• In their travels Columbus and his crew found Indians making beer from corn and black birch sap

For even more information regarding the history of beer visit: BeerHistory.com

George Washington’s personal recipe

Our first president, George Washington penned the following recipe in 1757, which I found here.

“To Make Small Beer

Take a large Siffer [Sifter] full of Bran Hops to your Taste. — Boil these 3 hours then strain out 30 Gall[ons] into a cooler put in 3 Gall[ons] Molasses while the Beer is Scalding hot or rather draw the Melasses into the cooler & St[r]ain the Beer on it while boiling Hot. let this stand till it is little more than Blood warm then put in a quart of Yea[s]t if the Weather is very Cold cover it over with a Blank [et] & let it Work in the Cooler 24 hours then put it into the Cask — leave the bung open till it is almost don[e] Working — Bottle it that day Week it was Brewed.”

Thomas Jefferson and George Washington were both known to own their own breweries

The basics of brewing have not changed much over the centuries as shown pictured below. This woman brews beer for her family in Zambia.

The huge copper kettles pictured in Saku Brewery in Estonia accomplish the same goal, accept in greater quantities.

This article is not meant to extol the virtues of beer, while beer does contain properties which both lower cholesterol and provide us with antioxidants, it has been often time misused and consumed to the detriment of mankind. I would hope that anyone who enjoys an occasional drink both drinks in moderation and does not drive while drinking.

Legend once said that there existed cities that had more gold than anyone could fathom. When the Moors conquered Spain in the middle of the 12th century, seven bishops fled the city in fear of religious relics becoming sacked by the Muslims. They fled Spain to far away lands and founded the fabled cities. The cities began to prosper. The stories of these rich cities began to fuel expeditions in the hopes of acquiring riches beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. Rumors began to speculate that seven cities existed for each one of the bishops that had managed to escape. Many expeditions had been led to find these cities, but to no avail. One of the last expeditions had found that the existence of such cities may have been fed off of the lies of an explorer, Marcos de Niza, who had said there was a place where people had houses built of gold and ate from dishes of silver and gold. Many anthropologists believe that the adobe houses had mica flakes, which might have given the appearance of a gold like city. But whether or not these cities really existed is anyone’s guess.

Petra

Founded in the first century BC, this ancient city is isolated amongst the mountains of Jordan. It stems from the Latin word paetra, which literally means rock. It had remained unseen for thousands of years until 1812. The seclusion of this city not only allowed it to be naturally protected, but it controlled the main commercial routes for trade, as well as creating an artificial oasis. Because of flash floods, the Nabataeans used dams and water conduits to control the water. At one point, the population of Petra reached 20,000. When Rome began to gain power, it gobbled up the thriving city, and annexed it in AD 106. Two and a half centuries later, and earthquake would devastate the city and disrupt its water supply. Petra would not have the means to rebuild itself, and by AD 363, the wondrous city of the mountains would be abandoned.

The Legend of Inca Gold

The Llanganates mountain range of South America is rumored to have Inca gold hidden by Spanish conquistadors. In the 16th century, two warring half-brothers, Atahualpa and Huascar, were feuding over control of the Incan empire. Francisco Pizarro captured Atahualpa. Pizarro told Athualpa he could go free if he was capable of paying a ransom worth a roomful of gold. However, Pizarro ended up killing Atahualpa despite his paying for his freedom. And legend has it that the Spaniards hid the gold in a secret cave. Apparently 50 years after the Incan ruler’s death, a man named Valverde became rich after being led to the gold by his Indian bride. When he died, he left detailed instructions to the whereabouts of the lost treasure (the Derrotero de Valverde). Until the 1850’s the location of the gold became a cold trail. A botanist named Richard Spruce reportedly found the gold using a map made by a man named Atanasio Guzman. In 1886, a treasure hunter, Barth Blake went in search for the treasure following on the trails of Spruce. He reported that a thousand men could not possibly remove all the treasures of the Incas. So he took what he could, and reportedly disappeared overboard on a trip to New York. Many others have also died trying to find the lost treasures, traversing through the dangerous mountain ranges. Legend also says that the Incans threw much of the gold into a lake when they discovered the death of their leader.

Well of Souls

Located beneath the Sakrah (foundation stone) in the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem is a natural cave. Islamics believe that Muhammed ascended to heaven from the stone, and that the Last Judgment will take place here. Jewish tradition believes that Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son here. It is said that the voices of the dead can be overheard mingling with the sounds of the Rivers of Paradise. Many also believe that the Ark of the Covenant lies hidden within this sanctuary. No one knows whether or not the Ark exists here since no archaeological digs can take place now. Although, in the 19th century, two explorers did try to find the existence of a chamber below the cave, and could find none. They concluded that the “sounds” people were hearing were nothing more than echoes resonating from a small fissure in the floor. If the Ark actually existed, it’s unlikely it could have survived the times, considering it was made of wood. But considering it was an object of Holy faith, and contained the Ten Commandments of God, many believe that anything is possible.

Army of the Dead

Posed to take battle at any moment are thousands of soldiers waiting for instructions from their dead king. Ying Zheng was only 13 when he became emperor. By the time he was 38, he had managed to unify warring kingdoms. He took on the name Qin Shi Huang Di (the First Emperor of Qin). In life, Emperor Qin was superstitious of death. He often took elixirs to “extend” his life. He ended up poisoning himself by ingesting mercury pills. The idea was that the mercury would make him immortal. If mercury was capable of absorbing gold, then a person who ingested could surely become a living god. When Qin ascended the throne, he had already begun construction on his tomb. More than 700,000 men worked on the tomb, but construction stopped a year after Qin’s death due to uprisings. Only 4 pits have been excavated. They are filled with terra-cotta soldiers, weapons, and chariots. The pits are estimated to contain over 8,000 figures, but no one really knows. Qin’s tomb itself has never been opened. What anthropologists and archaeologists know about it relies solely on the account of a court historian, Siam Qian. He suggested that Qin’s tomb contains great treasures, models of palaces, precious stones, and rarities of which have never been seen. His tomb is protected by rivers of mercury that replicate the area’s own rivers. Pearls are strewn about to represent the sun, moon, and stars. Tests have confirmed that mercury has been discovered in high concentrations. Remote sensing technology has also been used to probe the mound where it is thought Qin is buried. An underground chamber has been revealed, but further excavations are on hold considering the complexity of the burial. Who knows what lies inside the tomb of Qin’s burial.