Hidden History: Lost Civilizations, Secret Knowledge, and Ancient Mysteries by Brian Haughton (beginner reading books for adults txt) 📕

and linguists. In his 1999 book, The Bronze Age Computer Disc, author Alan Butler postulated that the Phaistos Disc functioned as an incredibly accurate astronomical calendar/ calculating device. However, there is no explicit evidence that the Minoans had any detailed knowledge of astronomy, and even the Egyptian comprehension of astronomy at the time was not detailed enough to support Butler's hypothesis.

Not a single example of the stamped or printed method of writing on the Phaistos Disc has been found in the numerous excavations carried out on Crete over the past 100 years. This complete lack of comparative material has suggested to some that this disc is a forgery. Something that adds to the feeling of unease about the disc's authenticity is that specialists in Mediterranean and Near Eastern archaeology seem unwilling to get involved in the debate about the artifact. A thermoluminescence dating test

would certainly prove whether the object was made during the last hundred years, or if it did in fact date to the Minoan period. So far the Greek authorities have been unwilling to submit the disc to such a test. Consequently, the possibility that the object is a forgery made in the early 1900susing the limited knowledge of the Minoan culture available at the timeis perhaps a far-fetched, but by no means out of the question scenario. In connection with the hoax theory, an intriguing find was made in 1992 in the basement of a house in Vladikavkaz, Russia. This was a fragment of a clay disc, smaller in size than the Phaistos Disc, but apparently a copy of it, though the symbols on this disc were incised rather than stamped. There were rumours of a hoax, but the Russian disc mysteriously disappeared a few years later, and nothing has been heard since.

Despite the apparent thanklessness of the task, many researchers throughout the world still work diligently attempting to decipher the disc. But the extreme variations in the many purported translations have made scholars doubtful of any future success at decipherment, and indicate to many that while it remains an isolated example of its kind, the disc can never be properly understood. We can only hope that future archaeological excavations in Crete, or perhaps elsewhere in the Mediterranean, will turn up further examples of this mysterious script. Until then, the Phaistos Disc, now on display in the archaeological museum of Heraklion in Crete, will remain a unique enigma.

the Shroud of Turin

It is difficult to imagine a more controversial historical artifact than the Turin Shroud. On one side, there are those who believe the shroud to be the actual cloth that was wrapped around the body of Jesus after he was taken down from the cross. Skeptics on the other hand, of are of the opinion that the artifact is a medieval hoax. The vital matters of where, when, and how the image on the cloth was created are subjects of intense debate among historians, scientists, believers, and skeptics. Even the supposedly decisive radiocarbon dating carried out on the shroud in 1988 has ultimately failed to resolve the issue, due to doubts cast on the quality of the sample used in the tests.

Secondo Pia's 1898 negative of the image on the Shroud of Turin.

The Shroud of Turin is a large, woven linen sheet 14.4 feet long by 3.6 feet wide. The front and back of the cloth bear the image of a naked man with his hands folded across the body, who appears to have suffered injuries

consistent with crucifixion. The serene face of the man is bearded, the body at around 6 feet tall, is fairly tall, both for the first century A.D. or medieval times. The cloth contains dark red stains, resembling blood, and on one wrist (the other is not visible) there is a noticeable circular wound. Further wounds are apparent in the side, forehead, and legs. No representative of the church has made any claims about the shroud, but many people are convinced that the picture contained on it is an image of the crucified Christ.

Much of the history of the object is obscure. The first record of it as the Shroud of Turin is not until the 16th century. There are, however, earlier mentions of a cloth bearing the image of Christ. For example, the fourth century church historian Eusebius, Bishop of Caesarea, describes the existence of a miraculous image of Jesus, painted from life, which was supposed to be preserved in Edessa, Syria. A legend recorded by John of Damascus (c. A.D. 676-A.D.749), describes how King Abgar of Edessa, afflicted with an incurable illnes, sent a letter to Jesus asking him to come to Edessa and cure him. Jesus was unable to go, but instead miraculously impressed an image of himself on a piece of cloth and sent it to the king via Thaddeus (also known as Addai), one of the 72 disciples. When Abgar beheld the miraculous image (described by John as an oblong cloth), he was immediately cured. This holy relic became known as the Edessa Image, or to Orthodox Christians the Mandylion. Although the legend of the Edessa Image describes a facial image on a square or rectangular cloth, researchers (including author Ian Wilson) have suggested that the Edessa Image was folded in a manner that only displayed the face. In A.D. 944, on the arrival of the Edessa Image at Constantinople, Gregory Referendarius, the archdeacon of Hagia Sophia in that city, gave a sermon discussing the artifact. His description makes it clear that the Edessa Image was a full length burial shroud, bearing an image of a whole body and showing bloodstains believed to be from the wounds in Jesus's side. This artifact was subsequently deposited in the Palatine Chapel, where it remained until the city was ransacked and burned by the Crusaders in 1204. The Crusaders brought away a number of treasures from Constantinople, though whether the Image of Odessa was among them is not known. Nevertheless, many researchers believe that the cloth