Customer Reviews

Voices of the Rocks : A Scientist Looks at Catastrophes and Ancient Civilizations

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
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1 star:		(2)

 

 

Dr. Robert Schoch's Voices of the Rocks is a scientific expose demonstrating a logical shift from the classical uniformitarian view of the ancient world to one frought with periodic catastrophe. By a combination of hard scientific observation and a more face-value interpretation of mythology and folklore, Dr. Schoch redates the Great Sphinx and pushes back the long held dates of the dawn of civilization. He also attempts to address some mysteries from ancient times. Although, how all those cities burned down at the end of the Bronze Age is still open to debate, Dr. Schoch's hypothesis is intriguing. This is an insightful, information-packed book perfect for the reader who is more inclined to science and less to flights of fancy. I am, however, surprised that Graham Hancock endorsed this book as some of his work is criticized here.

In contemplating that Homo Sapiens may be at least one million years old, and yet recorded civilization only 5000 to 6000 years old, the author William S. Burroughs referred to that wide gap of history, "a long question mark". Dr.Schoch's book, however, while absolutely fascinating, sheds little light on the "long question mark". This book is heavy on catastrophes and little about ancient civilizations. Dr.Schoch starts the book by defending his theory that the Sphinx may be twice as old as conventionally thought, then a little about the antiquity of the Lascaux caves and an interesting bit about the possibility that the Magdalenian culture of ancient Europe and Asia Minor culminating in Catal Huyuk may have inspired the myths of Atlantis. All quite interesting and worthy of more in depth analysis; but Dr.Schoch merely throws these theories out with little information on their merits or pitfalls,(though he does go to some lengths to defend his theories about the possible older age of the Sphinx.) Far from being paradigm shifting, well over 75% of the book is an apologia for orthodox scientific thinking in regard to catastrophism and possible pre-historic civilizations. Dr.Schoch even resorts, disappointingly, to calling theories he doesn't agree with, (Hapgood, Velikovsky, Sitchin), as "blather"...the old tried and true tactic of the True Faith: label the heretics as lunatics. This is paradigm shifting? Still, the passages in the book about what happens when large extraterrestrial bodies hit are hair-raising and well worth the price of the book. But paradigm shifting? Hardly...

Prior to the publication of this book, Robert Schoch was best known outside of academic geology as the scientist John Anthony West called in to investigate the idea, by way of Schwaller de Lubicz, that the Sphinx shows signs of water erosion that indicates an age far greater than orthodox Egyptologists are currently willing to consider. As detailed in Chapter Two of "Voices of the Rocks," Schoch came away from his examination convinced both that the Sphinx and its enclosure had been subject to extensive precipitation-induced weathering and that this weathering could only have occurred if the stone had originally been carved at least as far back as 7000-5000 BC, if not earlier, as compared to the previously accepted date of 2700 BC. Anyone looking for a real resolution to the scientific debate that Schoch started with these conclusions will be dissatisfied, as Schoch fails to acknowledge the inconsistencies in his findings (which can be found in Paul Jordan's "Riddles of the Sphinx," among other places), or viable alternative hypotheses, such as one I have seen mentioned on the web that accounts for the Sphinx' characteristic weathering via a model involving its burial in waterlogged sand. Nevertheless, it is this conclusion that Schoch uses as a springboard to consider the possibility of lost civilizations of greater antiquity than Egypt or Sumer, and (more importantly) the concomitant possibility that such civilizations were destroyed by worldwide cataclysms triggered by cometary impacts.

The book is sprinkled throughout with genuine, if most often highly speculative, science, and this distinguishes Schoch's efforts from those of pseudoscientific cranks like Graham Hancock or Rand Flem-Ath. So, for example, Schoch visits the superficially strange underwater "monolith" near Yonaguni, but unlike many (and, most likely, unlike Hancock, who is currently writing a book that will deal with Yonaguni and other underwater "monuments") he concludes that the structure is most likely a product of natural forces of erosion, as evidenced by the processes that can be observed on the beaches of Yonaguni now. Similarly, the notion of "polar shift" first proposed by Charles Hapgood and currently championed by Flem-Ath and Hancock is dealt with summarily here. In these parts of the book, it is refreshing to see a genuinely scientific approach being taken to questions that to date have been given only the most sensationalized and credulous of treatments.

Schoch's approach occasionally falters. Immediately after determining that the Yonaguni "monument" shows erosion and weathering consistent with what is happening naturally on the beaches today, he mentions the fact that this does not altogether rule out the possibility that human hands did have a role in shaping it. In the concluding paragraphs of this chapter, Schoch's narrative suddenly veers away from his scientific perspective as he incorporates a manmade Yonaguni monument into speculative and nearly baseless notions of ancient civilizations existing on the now submerged coasts of Ice Age-era antiquity. Although the possibility of extensive neolithic cultures that have been erased by sea-level rises since the last Ice Age is a real one (see Stephen Oppenheimer's "Eden in the East" for a fair summary of the evidence for this), Schoch completely forgets that he has no evidence whatsoever for a human influence on Yonaguni, and plentiful evidence for natural processes.

Even with such slips, "Voices" is a worthwhile read for anyone looking for a more reasoned and less sensationalized perspective on the question of lost civilizations, the legend of Atlantis and the "facts" that might underlie it, and the possibility that cometary impacts have had profound effects on the course of human history.

Such moments are rare these days when one takes a book in the hand and is completely captivated by it after reading the first few pages : this is what happened with *Voices of the Rocks*. The author, a geologist and a professor, is one of this era's best academics. He articulates his vast knowledge, experience and research into our ancient past in an engaging and scholarly fashion. In this book he brings us beyond the limits of our need to think and to find answers. He explains the numerous theories available and then tries to work them out so we can truly understand the reason of each venue. At every page we feel the exciting moment of truth and of discovery, but only to fall back on our feet to the reality. This is a rollercoaster for the newcomer. The book also serves as a travelogue since we follow Professor Schoch in his travels from the sandy deserts of Egypt to the bottom of the ocean in Japan. This book does not answer questions but makes us wonder. A definite must for all.

Schoch uses his credability as a geologist as a springboard for proposing what caused the downfall of many ancient civilizations. This book provides interesting speculation, but few hard facts to back up his speculations. Chapters two and three are credible in regard to the dating of the Sphinx. Chapters four to six provide intersting speculation on comet/asteroid strikes, polar wanderings, etc. without credible evidence and often skips from one theory to another with little introduction. Chapter seven is pure speculation with theories from previous chapters treated as fact without proof that must be acted upon today, if not yesterday. The ending left much to be desired. At least he provides a list of sources.

i loved this book. it is accessible and informative for scientists and those who are just interested in science. the author made clear and convincing arguments to support his positions, which themselves were very interesting. the author evealuates catastrophes using sound scientific reasoning, which seperates this book from others that also deal with catastrophism.

As someone who is fascinated by the writings of Hancock, et al, it was refreshing to read a critical, yet openminded, account of these lost civilization theories. I could not put the book down, and I plan to re-read soon. Highly Recommended.

The first chapters of Schoch's book make an excellent read. These are the chapters that contain the geologist's views on egyptology. After that, the book becomes chaotic, a mishmash of unproven theories and possible consequences of things that haven't happened yet and may never happen at all. It's a sad thing really: half the number of pages would have been much better (that is, the first half!).

I was not impressed with this effort by Mr. Schoch. He seems to take a different stand depending on his mood. I would have expected more from a Yale Professor. Since I caught him on the Discovery Channel in a documentary concerning the underwater "Pyramid" off Yonaguni Island I will focus on this portion of his book. In the chapter concerning this debated monument Mr. Schoch states that it's origin is most likely natural in origin, and yet in his final paragraphs of this chapter he postulates a theory based on the idea that it is man-made.

The natural side of his theory on this monument includes erosion that "bores" holes through rocks with the shape of the resulting hole having sharp right interior angles (a perfect rectangle!). He would also have us believe that the strong current of the region has carved out and carried off what would, on land, amount to small boulders! Yet, this powerful eroding current is also supposed to have taken the care to produce inumerable right angles(exterior and interior) to form what others believe to be an ancient monument. He has also ignored the film evidence of careful, though eroded, carvings on this monument which are plainly visible! When asked about the monument onshore of the Island that is strangely similar to the sunken one, Mr. Schoch replied that it was probably a copy of the underwater one. This is the same type of thinking that has had scholars claiming that the clay tablets of Sumer are merely fanciful fairy tales even though they pointed out the outer two planets of our solar system thousands of years before we found them in the middle of this century.

Mr. Schoch is merely restating "approved" science irregardless of the evidence, and I have seen too much of that. In short, if you still believe that the Great Pyramid was the last one built, or that the pyramids were tombs, then this is your man, and your book! If, on the other hand, you feel the theory should fit the evidence and not the reverse then you would be happier looking in the direction of Sitchin or Alford

Dr. Schoch presents a well-formulated, convincing new theory that answers many scientific questions from a multi-disciplinary point of view. I enjoyed the book immensely.