Measure 1. Project: ISIS, the KGB, and 23

Project: Isis

We do so love our conspiracy theories here to The OddBlog, and this one's got it all: Russian black ops, UFOs, alien mummies, hidden planets, Egyptian tombs, and the KGB!

This one's a grand-daddy, so strap yourselves in for Project: ISIS (23).

Every year or so, some asshole predicts the entire world is going to end on April 23^rd!  It's always some halfwit doomsday cultist passing himself off as an Evangelical -- but, if you stop and think it through, what's the difference?  These doomsday Evangelicals are to 23 what the Church of Scientology is to Plan 9.

Dendera Zodiac Color Reconstruction

Dendera Zodiac Color Reconstruction

The Dendera Zodiac appears in the Egyptian Dendera Temple, dedicated to Osiris -- also known as the Temple of Hathor.  This is a colorized representation of what the Dendera Zodiac may have looked like in or around 50 BC, when the Temple was believed to have been in use.

© The Weirding, 2017

Ancient Egyptian Statue Moves of Its Own Accord

An ancient Egyptian statue on display for 80 years at Manchester Museum has suddenly started moving in a perfect circle - of its own accord! Campbell Price, Egyptian artifacts curator, was among the first to notice the strange movement of the statuette. He thought someone had moved it without telling him but, days later, noticed the statuette in a different position. Museum officials installed a camera which caught the movements on film.

Some suggest that the design of the statuette and the fact that it is placed on a glass surface account for the strange movement but others aren't as convinced. The statuette has been on display in the same place for 80 years and has never moved before. Ancient Egyptians believed such statues housed the spirits of the dead and the hieroglyphs on the back of the object include prayers for the man identified as the inspiration for the piece.
© C Harris Lynn, 2013

Great Sphinx' Protective Wall Uncovered

Archaeologists stumbled upon a protective wall around the Great Sphinx almost completely accidentally, while doing routine excavation work. The wall is said to have been built by King Thuthmose IV, following a dream in which the Sphinx spoke to him and said it was choking on the desert sand. So far, the team has excavated three walls, all built during the reign of King Thuthmose IV.

Discovery News has the full story.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

'Lost' Tomb Rediscovered

In the 19^th-Century, archaeologists found the tomb of Pthames, an army chief, treasurer, and royal scribe under Set I and Ramses II's 13^th-Century BC reign. Unfortunately, sandstorms buried the tomb and its location was lost to time. Now, Pthames tomb has been rediscovered and modern-day researchers are hoping the mummified remains and sarcophagi in the main chamber, which has yet to be located.

The search for the 3300-year-old "lost" tomb, over 200' in length, has taken five years. It was "lost" in 1885.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Prominent Egyptian Cuts Off Penis

A prominent, 25-year old Egyptian from the Qena province cut off his own penis to protest not being allowed to marry the woman of his choosing. After his father refused to allow him to marry a girl from a lower social caste, the unnamed man heated a knife and sliced off his own manhood. Doctors were unable to reattach the member.

Egyptian marriages are usually arranged and rarely involve love. Qena is one of the poorest provinces in Egypt, as well as one of the most conservative. It is home to the ruins of Luxor, which was once the site of Thebes, the capitol of Egypt in the New Kingdom. Many have referred to Luxor as "the world's greatest open-air museum."

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

The Tombs of Anthony & Cleopatra

Archaeologists think they are hot on the trail of the tomb bearing Anthony and Cleopatra's bodies. They have been excavating a series of tombs recently discovered near Alexandria and finds within those - including a mask thought to have belonged to Mark Anthony - suggest the star-crossed lovers' mummies may be nearby.

In one tomb, they uncovered a series of shafts in which they think the pair's bodies might be located. This is where they found the mask, as well as a bust of Cleopatra, and several coins with their images.

Also interesting, researchers say the coins bearing the images of both Mark Anthony and Cleopatra refute the claim that some experts have made, as to Cleopatra's beauty being exaggerated.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Our Drunken Ancestors

A US team under the leadership of the Professor of Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania, Patrick McGovern, used organic compounds and cutting-edge science to determine that liquid recovered from a vase some 5000 years old contained alcohol.  The container was excavated from Egyptian tombs dating back to around 3150BC.  They are the earliest jars, or amphora, discovered so far containing liquid.

Professor McGovern said the findings prove that our ancestors were using trial and error to develop medicinal concoctions, and that alcohol was a key ingredient in their treatments.  Other ingredients in the liquid are known medicinal components, including herbs and tree barks.  McGovern notes that alcoholic brews would have been particularly well-suited for dissolving these ingredients.

The professor is now collaborating with a team at the University of Pennsylvania's Abramson Cancer Center in testing the oldest alcoholic beverage in existence -- liquid found in China which dates back to around 7000BC.  He is hoping to recreate some of the compounds.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Australian Arrested for Attempted Smuggling of Ancient Egyptian Artifacts

Egyptian officials confirmed the arrest of a 61-year old Australian man in Cairo for attempting to smuggle ancient artifacts out of the country. The artifacts included a mummified cat, an ibis, and nearly 20 religious figurines. The man's name has not been released and he has yet to be formally charged with any crime; the accused is being detained for now.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Was Moses ON DOPE!?

An Israeli professor of cognitive psychology has forwarded the theory that Moses may have been under the influence of hallucinogens when he saw the burning bush and received the Ten Commandments atop Mt. Sinai.

Benny Shanon mentioned his own psychedelic experiences, taken as part of religious ceremonies, which led to religious-based hallucinations and allowed him to "see sound."  He also noted that the use of psychedelics in religious ceremonies is a time-honored tradition in many religions around the world.  In fact, concoctions made from the bark of the acacia tree, oft-mentioned in The Bible, have hallucinogenic effects comparable to those of ayahuasca, an hallucinogen still in use in religious ceremonies in the Amazon.

Like the acacia, ayahuasca is a plant with hallucinogenic properties.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Mt. Sinai is listed as "E 101st St, New York, NY 10029, USA" because Israel's current borders are rightfully unrecognized by the entire world outside of the US MIC (and Israel).  This may be the address of AIPAC/religious -backed, legal representatives.  Mt. Sinai absolutely never existed in North America; it is located in disputed areas in the Middle East.  I just had to include this to point-out the incredible overreach of the US military industrial complex (operating in this case under the name Google, Ltd.) and its continued terrorist activities.  That is fucking crazy. - 2018

Oldest Egyptian Footprint?

Until very recently, the oldest recorded evidence of human life in Egypt dated back to about 200,000 years ago. That was before they discovered a footprint at the Siwa Oasis which some experts have been quoted as saying could be as much as 2 million years old or older. They are now carbon dating the plants in the mud around the find to try and determine exactly how old the footprint is.

Of course, carbon dating is not 100% and mistakes have been made - some of which are very famous. Unfortunately, it is the best indicator available to researchers at this time. Regardless of initial results, if they are impressive enough, you can bet the data will be re-tested and eventually, a consensus reached.

The footprint could possibly predate the oldest living human fossil, that of Lucy, found in Ethiopia in 1974 - or so at least one hopeful scientist says. "It could be the most important discovery in Egypt," he said.

- Source: BBC

© C Harris Lynn, 2007-08

Hatshepsut Found!

Well, but, I mean, she's dead.

One of the mummies discovered by Randolph Carter in 1903 is apparently that of Hatshepsut, one of Egypt's three women rulers. Hatshepsut is said to have been more powerful than either of her two, more famous, compatriots, Nefertiti or Cleopatra, and is said to have dressed like a man and affected a fake beard.

Egyptologists made the claim at a packed press conference today in Cairo, and said a DNA lab has been set up close to the site, sponsored by the Discovery Channel. Some skeptics claim it is almost impossible to get DNA from a mummy, but the most pertinent evidence is a gap in the mummy's smile which apparently matches a tooth with Hatshepsut's name engraved upon it. The mummy also had her left arm folded, as befitting a member of royalty.

Hatshepsut's temple is one of the most revered of all the ancient Egyptian sites, wildly popular with visitors, and is said to have been the largest undertaking of the ancient empire. Hatshepsut's name and image was all but obliterated after her reign and it is believed to have been the work of her stepson, who succeeded her to the throne. It has been a while since I studied anything having to do with Egyptology, but if I remember correctly, she basically usurped the throne from him, as he was too young at the time, then refused to relinquish control - but I could be wrong about that! Going by memory here.

- BBC


© C Harris Lynn, 2007-2008

Joan of Arc Remains Fakery

Tests have shown that remains found in a Parisian Pharmacy attic in the early 1900s, purported to hold the remains of Joan of Arc, are faked. The remains actually came from mummified remains far older than the 15^th-Century (when Joan of Arc lived and was burned at the stake for heresy and witchcraft).

The mummified remains were of Egyptian mummies from the 3^rd to 6^th -Centuries, including a mummified cat bone. It was common practice for people to throw black cats into the pyres of supposed witches. The remains were recognized as sacred by the Church, but new tests have shown they could not have belonged to France's heroine, canonized in 1920.

Mummies were often used in medicines in Europe from Medieval times onward, generally to combat long periods, blood-related problems, and stomach pains. No one knows why the remains were considered to be from Joan of Arc - whether it was an honest mistake or (most likely) a hoax - but money is not thought to be the issue; actually, the most popular theory is that it was faked for religious purposes, possibly to increase the importance of beatification.

Great Pyramid Explained?

Ascent of the Great Pyramid

French architect, Jean-Pierre Houdin, said the Great Pyramid was actually built from the inside out, using a corkscrew ramp some 10-15 meters beneath the outer shell -- basically a pyramid within the Great Pyramid.

Using 3D technology, he gave what was said to be an impressive display of his findings.  He teamed up with a French 3D company, Dassault Systemes, which put 14 engineers on the project for 2 years.  Many were apparently swayed by the presentation and Houdin's belief in his theory, but all agree that it is still just another theory.

If correct, Houdin believes that as few as 4000 men could have built the structure, as compared to the 100,000 previously assumed.   As far as the curse of the Pyramids, Houdin brushed it off, saying, "What could happen to me, except that Khufu would thank me?"

New Finds at Necropolis

Archaeologists have reported on new findings at the Egyptian necropolis, Saqqara. Saqqara, the city of the dead, lies near Egypt's capital.

Findings include the tombs of a royal scribe and butler, as well as those of a priest and his female companion from the 12th Dynasty. The tomb of the scribe appears to be from the reign of Akhenaten, who ruled just before Tutankhamen.

At least one of the tombs contains paintings in orange and blue, depicting scenes with animals. Some of the others are mad of mud brick instead of limestone and have not stood up to the tests of time as well as the rest, but are still considered "really important."

Experts guess that less than 30% of Saqqara's treasures have been uncovered so far.

© C Harris Lynn, 2007-08