Webinars

Why don’t we still use Egyptian hieroglyphs? What happened to Mesopotamian cuneiform?

Writing originated more or less at the same time and in the same manner by approximately the middle of the fourth millennium BC all along the great rivers of the world, with the Chinese script along the Wuang-Ho River, the Indian script along the Indus River, the Egyptian hieroglyphs along the Nile, and the Mesopotamian cuneiform signs along the Tigris and the Euphrates.

However, the alphabetical letters, as we use them today, have an extended history that dates back to the latter part of the second millennium BC. They most probably developed in the eastern part of the Mediterranean (present Syria and Lebanon). The more complicated writing systems in the Ancient Near East, such as the Egyptian hieroglyphs and the Mesopotamian cuneiform, could no longer effectively serve the trade processes and required a simpler alphabetical system to improve the communication system for everyday use in this geographical gateway area.

Special guest Dr. Fanie Vermaak returns to Ancient Origins Premium to present on the history and fates of ancient languages and scripts.

Dr. Fanie Vermaak is a professor in Ancient Near Eastern Studies at the University of South Africa. With an initial background in theological studies (also ordained minister of the Dutch Reformed Church) he focuses on various cultural activities in the Ancient Near East, specializing in Sumerian and Egyptology.

Vermaak studied Theology and various Semitic Languages at the Universities of the Free State (Bloemfontein) and Stellenbosch, South Africa.  He specialized (PhD) in the cuneiform (Sumerian) studies of the Ur III period (2100-2000 BC) on the activities of the temple administrators of Southern Mesopotamia and published also extensively in this regard. He extended further studies with the various ancient gateways of the Near East towards also the outside world so far as the Indus Valley. Vermaak is also the chairperson of the Ancient Egypt and Near Eastern Society (AENES) who is responsible for the monthly evening lectures for the public sector (15 years). He served eight years on the national academic society called Southern African Society for Near Eastern Society. He is a founding member of the International Society of Cuneiform Studies. Fanie often acts as a Middle East analyst on various media and has a special interest in the ancient and modern Near East or Middle East.

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What was the ultimate fate of Alexander’s body? Was it hidden in plain sight all along?

Two impressive artifacts have both independently been associated with the lost tomb of Alexander the Great; an Egyptian sarcophagus from Alexandria now in the British Museum, and a large, sculpted fragment of an ancient Macedonian tomb discovered in the foundations of St Mark’s Basilica in Venice.

The Alexandrian tradition regarding the sarcophagus can be shown to date back at least 500 years. St Mark’s in Venice was built to accommodate the mummy, supposed to be that of St Mark the Evangelist, brought from Alexandria in 828 AD. But this mummy and its tomb appeared in Alexandria at the same time (391 AD) as Alexander’s body and tomb disappeared— and in the same location. Therefore, the Macedonian tomb fragment has been used to support a theory that Alexander’s mummy was re-labelled as St Mark’s remains, due to paganism being made illegal by the Roman emperor in that year.

Recently, a startling new connection between the ‘Star-Shield block’ in Venice and the sarcophagus in the British Museum has been recognized: the block precisely fits the sarcophagus as part of an outer tomb casing both in height and in length, a fact obscured until now by damage to both objects. Since the fit is accurate to within the limits of measurement, it is highly improbable that it has come about by chance. Rather, this new evidence confirms the overall theory regarding the fate of Alexander’s tomb and greatly enhances the possibility that the skeleton of the mummy that still lies in St Mark’s is actually Alexander the Great!

Andrew Michael Chugg read Natural Sciences at Trinity College in the University of Cambridge in the UK, graduating with honors. He has appeared as an Alexander expert on BBC Radio, and in several National Geographic TV documentaries. He has also written various books on Alexander including The Quest for the Tomb of Alexander the Great and Alexander’s Lovers. He recently completed a project to reconstruct the highly influential account of Alexander’s reign by Cleitarchus, which was written in Alexandria in the second quarter of the third century BC, but which has been lost since the time of the Roman Empire. The entire reconstruction was published in a single 700-page volume in 2015. Andrew is currently working on an account of the largest and most important tomb ever found in Greece in the Kasta Mound at Amphipolis, and on a scientific analysis of the Pharos lighthouse in Alexandria, the Seventh Wonder of the ancient world.

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Thomas Mills returns to continue his fascinating presentation on the Hopi with evidence of the links between the Hopi Creation Story and the Egyptian hieroglyphs, and then he moves on to the Ceremonial Cycles.

North, South, East, and West have not always been located where they are today. There was an important reason why they have changed, what happened in the past, and what our ancestors wanted us to know about Earth’s delicate balance in space and our future at the present time.

Has East always been East? If it was not, would ancient civilizations have left us clues where it was located in the past? Thomas uses his knowledge of the Ceremonial Cycles entrusted to him by the Hopi, to explain Stonehenge, the Pyramids, the Mayan Temples, and many other unexplained ancient sites located around the planet, to establish the timeline of their construction. He then uses this knowledge to find north and compares north to Charles Hapgood’s four North Pole locations in the past 100,000 years with amazing results—thus dating the sites and proving the Hopi Creation Story.

In the early ‘70s Thomas O. Mills had just turned 21 and was forced to quit his job to move to the Hopi Cultural Center to help his mother manage the new center.  Now, 50 years later he is sharing his vast knowledge of the Hopi via webinars, YouTube, and his two books. In his first book,  The Book of Truth, A New Perspective On The Hopi Creation Story , he traces the Hopi story back to Egypt and puts new light on the murals, temples, and pyramids from that point of view, a view that rings true today. In his second book,  Stonehenge, If This Was East , Mills uses his knowledge of the Hopi Ceremonial Cycles to find ancient east at a number of unexplained ancient sites around the world.

To be caught up, don’t miss the first half of this enlightening and enjoyable webinar:

The Hopi Creation Story: Links to Egyptian Hieroglyphs and Stonehenge

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A man with a quest is a man on a mission and woe to anyone who interferes!

Dr. Micki Pistorius, psychologist and editor of our Premium Ancient-Origins site, fuses her two professions, archaeology and psychology in this webinar.  In the epic Iliad of Homer, Odysseus was considered the wisest of the Achaean Warriors-Kings. Odysseus is an old friend of Micki’s and he agreed to co-present and enlist the help of Greek mythological heroes to enlighten us on the complexities of men’s perspectives on relationships.

Leonidas, King of Sparta and the Hero of the Battle of Thermopylae against the Persian forces, is the epitome of testosterone, the fuel of a man. Meet the fierce, fearless Warrior in full battle mode. However, like Icarus who exhibited hubris and flew too close to the sun, when captains of industry and high-flying businessmen have too much testosterone, they crash and burn—spectacularly.

There is a dangerous duet between the Rescuer and the Damsel in Distress. Theseus and Ariadne embody the successful partnership between a man and an autonomous woman, based on respect; Hercules rescues Hesione from the sea monster but abandons the helpless maiden, whilst Perseus falls into the trap of Rescuer when he succumbs to Andromeda, the typical Damsel in Distress. Micki explores the neuro-psycho-dynamics of the Rescuer-Damsel relationship by examining various neurotransmitters and brain structures at play.

A Man with a Quest is a Man on a Mission and woe to a woman who interferes. Achilles followed his destiny and chose eternal fame as the archetypical Warrior in history, over a family life. Prince Paris of Troy was presented three choices by three Goddesses.  By forsaking his quest for the love of a woman, he sold out and destroyed a dynasty. Aeneas, the Hero who escaped the sacking of Troy fled to Carthage and had a dalliance with Queen Dido, but she tried to waylay him in his quest to found Rome, with disastrous consequences. Pay heed to Odysseus’ comments on ‘Happily Ever After”.

Lastly, we learn from wise Odysseus about the Seasoned Warrior and his Ageless Goddess, who weathered the storm and no longer seek young love like Apollo’s dolphins frolicking in the waves, but who have found a deeper love, like the undercurrent of Poseidon’s oceans.

Dr. Micki Pistorius is a South African psychologist, author, and journalist who resides in Mauritius. After completing her BA degree, she worked as a journalist in printed and television media for eight years, when she was elected in the University of Pretoria’s psychology program. She completed her doctorate’s degree in psychology and was immediately appointed as psychological profiler in the South African Police Service, specializing in profiling serial killers. After resigning from the SAPS, she returned to journalism and worked for a television production company, writing scripts, and producing documentaries for a few years. Then she opened her private practice as psychologist. She continued training and presenting lectures on international podia. Micki never gave up on her calling as a writer and authored seven books, and her autobiography, 'Catch me a Killer' became a best seller. By 2010 her passion for ancient antiquity inspired her to complete an Honors degree in Biblical Archaeology.

Get the book on Amazon | Visit Heroes-Warriors.com

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