Customer Reviews

Voyages of the Pyramid Builders

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Contrary to other reviewers, I found the book to be relatively well written and organized. True, there isn't much new/revolutionary information presented in the book and there are even a few question marks, but overall it is a very interesting book to read. On the downside, the author presents an absolute pile of data to prove his point and, in doing so, assumes the reader knows (or can remember) where all the places that he mentions are actually located, when and by whom they were built, and what they looked like.

Unfortunately, other than a map of Sundaland (the speculative "sunken" landmass in southeast Asia), the book did not include a single map, drawing, chart, or photo. (It appears the ten pages of color photos of various pyramids that were tossed in the middle of the book was an afterthought.)

I kept referring to other books (primarily Reader's Digest's Mysteries of Ancient Americas published in 1986) to locate where a specific pyramid was located and what it looked like in order to understand Schoch's brief description. Also, Mysteries of Ancient Americas had photos/descriptions of the boats and artifacts (and even the corn) that Schoch described in his book. Somebody once said that a picture is worth a whole lotta words. Unfortunately, Voyages of the Pyramid Builders takes the whole lotta words approach.

I suspect the publisher (Tarcher/Penquin) eliminated all maps/drawings/b&w photos in order to cut costs down to an absolute bare minimum. It is a shame because if the book had been published in a much larger format with all the necessary maps, drawings, charts and photos, it certainly would've been a real winner.

The title's provocative phrase "The True Origins of the Pyramids..." does not indicate a proposed alternate civilization of pyramid-builders; instead, it is about the possible common historical origins of the various pyramid-builder (and other) civilizations around the world.

Schoch, a geologist, is perhaps best known for his re-dating of the Sphinx back to 4700-7000 BC, based on weathering and climactic patterns. (This book has an Appendix where Schoch replies cogently to various critics of his Sphinx theory and cites some additional support.)

The main premise in this book is that there are enough distinct threads of evidence to support the theory that the proto-civilization for many of the notable cultures of the past (such as the ancient Egyptions, Mayans, and so on) was based in a time when the sea-levels were much lower in a region called "Sundaland". This region is now mainly underwater due to glacial melting since the last Ice Age and stretches from Indochina to Borneo and Timor.

Schoch uses a myriad of types of circumstantial evidence such as commonality of flood myths, linguistic comparisons, genetics, geologic, tree-ring data, archeological remains, ancient math and astronomical knowledge, and so forth to piece together support for his theory. Some of it is robust, some of it is a bit tenuous, but all in all, I find it worth considering.

In pulling together these disparate trails of evidence into a prehistorical timeline, I do not think Schoch has reached beyond plausibility; indeed, I consider some of mainstream archeology to be more ardently ideological and consist of far more speculative story-telling than what Schoch proposes here.

This book is a worthwhile read for someone interested in the idea that civilization did not spring up suddenly in the last 5-6,000 years. To me, it is far more parsimonious that the homo sapien mind of 10,000, 20,000, or even 40,000 or more years ago - a mind which was identical in capability to ours - had societies and cultures which acted as significant sources of knowledge and influence on the later cultures we know historically. Whether Sundaland was indeed the site of one of these proto-civilizations is something that will likely never be provable to a high degree of certainty, but perhaps this book will at least stir more investigation.

Robert Schoch has done an admirable job in collating data from the Earth's odd corners. This book is one of the best ever books on ancient navigation, and also on catastrophism. Interdisciplinary and of wide scope, it's better and more focused than his earlier popular work, _Voices of the Rocks_ (ISBN: 0609603698).

Schoch isn't the first to raise the prospect of an ancient megalith building, seafaring civilization. He's not the first to come around to a catastrophic way of looking at the past, in historic or prehistoric times. But his presentation and credentials lend much higher credibility and a higher profile to such ideas.

From the work with proxy data in tree rings etc, to anthropological studies around the world, to exploration of the continental shelf, this scientist has produced what is easily the best of a problematical genre, as well as being a work of popular science. So much debris has been penned regarding the origin of the Great Pyramid, alleged astrological links with ancient structures (Tiahuanaco, Stonehenge, Giza, etc), and precolumbian navigation (those works written from a political rather than scientific or linguistic perspective), this book by Schoch is a new light in an ancient sky.

As Schoch recounts, Homo Erectus was crossing miles of open sea 800,000 or more years ago. But we're supposed to believe that crossing open sea was abandoned thereafter in the SW Pacific for at least 750,000 years, then abandoned again for at least another 47,000 years, and Australia was settled just twice during that nearly one million year period.

My reservations about this book involve Schoch's use of the conventional pseudochronology of the ancient Near East. But had he been interested in anything else, his book wouldn't stand a chance. As it is, the book's enemies will continue to forge links for their Marley-banshee chains. Recommended.

VOYAGES of the PYRAMID BUILDERS

Authored by

Robert M. Schoch, Ph, D.
with
Robert Aquinas McNally
© 2003
Tarcher / Putnam of Penguin Putnam Inc.

Review by
Dr. Colette M. Dowell, N.D.


Voyages of the Pyramid Builders, is a truly tantalizing comprehensive body of scholarly research addressing ancient origins of man's complexity of global migration and the art of pyramid building. Robert M. Schoch, Ph.D., along with the help of Robert Aquinas McNally, has astonishingly compiled research and data that engages and teaches the reader about many diverse disciplines of studies. These collaborated studies portray a new compelling theory of ancient civilizations intertwining ancestral relationships, traveling around the world building pyramidal structures. Pyramids are an ideology of many peoples throughout many millenniums. Nearly on every continent there stands some form of pyramids. What instigated these ancient people to travel the extreme distances over land masses and water through out the millenniums and how did they accomplish this? Why would they bring along with them the tradition of building temples constructed like pyramids? Many questions are still in need of answers, but as time progresses many unsolved mysteries will be understood and our minds will be enriched with a greater understanding of our past. " Science is less a body of knowledge than an attitude, a willingness to lift the sacred veil and look behind it. That is what Voyages of the Pyramid Builders does. It offers the challenge of a fresh look and the thrill of exploring the new and unexpected."

Shoch is a very curious, serious and studious scientist. He is not a person whom constructs theories and molds data like clay to form a false model to substantiate his claims, nor does he hold to any unrealistic views on any subject matter that would indoctrinate his own theoretical studies. He is pure; he does not seek admiration for his research and does not display a narcissist idiopathy of unfounded hypothetical scientific surrealism. Schoch is an Educator, a Scientist, a Professor, a real demure person who wants to share his personal curiosities that led him to study the higher realms of Science, Philosophy and Sacred Texts. Voyages of the Pyramid Builders is an indication of the immense knowledge and spirit Schoch possesses and his ability to integrate the two as a driving force enabling him to coordinate evidence between historical events and modern day scientific analyses. His willingness and dedication has led him to uncover truths as mysterious pieces of a very shattered puzzle that have either been lost in time, or have never been discovered and realized in the first place.

Schoch's understanding of early sea faring and land migrating civilizations building sacred monuments and temples such as pyramids across land masses and major oceans to other continents is clearly based from gathering data from a multitude of fastidiously documented and undocumented research from highly diverse, academically and non academically accredited individuals. Schoch does point out, however, at times it was difficult to determine the reality of truth of some historical information as some earlier researcher's were apt to do about anything to gather acclaimed fame and monies. These individual's credibility were in question and it was important to understand underlying truths. Interestingly, while Schoch furthered his research, he did find evidence and truth to some of the questionable data and it proved to be worth the effort of investigation. Because he is a highly educated and well rounded scientist, he is able to weed through the incredulous and stay within reality. Schoch handles inconsistencies very well and is able to convey the important principle findings both scientifically and symbolically by explaining logical reasons and certainties, and by demonstrating the difference of reality and the irrational. He does not predispose himself or others to a false belief system. He presents scientific documented historical facts combined with long lists of myths and legends in a circumscribing way a person can actually read, follow and understand. As he says, he suspects, questions and suggests.

Schoch uses discernment and decorum while he engages in debates that are necessary for a balanced compromise between the so called orthodox teachings of higher academic realms and the unorthodox view of the age of new paradigms. He approaches adversarial stumbling blocks with integrity, grace and a skilled intellect. Schoch has enveloped vast amounts of complimentary and contradictory data and evidence, yielding a voluminous body of interwoven eccentric thoughts and theories. Yet with tact and poise, he writes a wonderfully articulate book on a very curious subject. Schoch unfolds and exposes our ancient people's past civilizations and their possible valiant journeys throughout the world.

The creation of magnificent architectural forms such as pyramids, stupas, and complexes, embrace the sacred and fundamental survival concepts of our very early ancient civilizations. Voyages of the Pyramid Builders combines pre-history civilizations, The Old World, the New World and the world in between, to update us into modern civilization's new understanding of our ancient history. Schoch forensically configures and traces the multifaceted events and elements, meticulously explaining and displaying many ancient culture's journeys and explorations reaching far into outer worlds from where their own homeland existed. In most instances for these adventurers, there was great adversity and hardships to overcome. Schoch writes Voyages of the Pyramid Builders in such a way as to take you back into the lives of early ancient peoples and their cultures and to have you gain a certain awareness of what these people's lives were like and what they must have been exposed to. I will not tell you all of the whos, whats, wheres, whens, hows, and whys, because that is part of the excitement and joy of discovery in Voyages of the Pyramid Builders. Schoch invites you into a big ocean of knowledge and encourages you to swim, he does not demand for you to dive and splash in.

When I started reading a passage the text was so alluring I found myself reading and reading and I kept wanting to read so I could get on to the next passage. I was enthused and intellectually stimulated by the different topics discussed and presented in a manner that is way colorful and very intriguing. I felt like I was touring through a museum of a particular collection of science and antiquities. I had my own personal guide narrating about the unique character in each display that followed from room to room. By time I transitioned through all of the great halls and corridors, I perceived and appreciated everything. Voyages of the Pyramid Builders is filled with interesting and unusual stories of extraordinary events and demonstrative expressions.

While I was reading and even when I laid the book to rest, I traveled all over the world in different millenniums, like a time machine in my mind. I met many people and learned about their age old cultural idiosyncrasies as well as their commonalities. There were Chinese, Japanese, Nubians, Sumerians, Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Europeans, Olmecs, Toltecs, Aztecs, Meso Americans, Paleo Indians, Nordic types, Southern types, the Unknown types, affectively almost all peoples and cultures you could possibly fathom, even Sundalands. I learned about the many types of water faring vessels from river reed rafts to ancient ocean liners and how they provided for each separate civilization. I read about the importance of copper and tin, the Bronze age and metal smiths, gold, coins and jewelry. I enjoyed the discussions of different aspects of pottery with variable colored glazes, shapes, markings and kiln firing. I learned the reason why some species of gourds were grown, then dried, and their uses and how they alone contributed important clues to the similarities and unsimilarities of different cultures. Also, how two different colors of purple and the differences in the way the colors were produced from varied species of mussels indicated important data distinguishing separate cultures. Descriptions of clothing with hides, fibers and fabrics with specific designs became full of life, identifying diffuse ancient civilizations and various characters from hunting, agricultural, sacred and political sectors. I learned more distinctions between myths, prayers, rituals, and human burials, and what they embodied and conveyed. I read about so many interesting, diverse and bizarre subjects unknown to me, I was never bored.

I didn't have to be an anthropologist, archaeologist, geologist or paleontologist to understand how much genetic information is available from excavation sites. Or how cataloging the variance in measurements of skulls, fossilized bones and different plant life transcends and blends to help scientists determine the origins of diverse individual ancestries. Schoch writes with the ability to format the information for you, so you can realize the definite difference in the race of people whom inhabited specific locals at specific times. I even received lessons in astronomy with defining terminology to help me understand other components necessary in the deciphering of mythical, biblical and legendary historical events. I now have a greater overall comprehension for certain theosophical and philosophical writings I had not acquired before. "Voyages," even breaks down language barriers. Linguistic specialists helped position particular cultures in time and location, adding to the greater understanding of the movements of peoples.

"Voyages," reads as if most of the major shifts in populations were perpetuated by multiple successive catastrophic events. The celestial and terrestrial events occurred during marked geological times. Different methods of dating like tree rings, and ice core samplings helped distinguish time frames as well as particular events that might have transpired to create such immense population shifts and earth changes. I learned about fire blazing dragons and brilliant flashes of light that in divination brought about a need of redemption and salvation for the survival of the massive populations. Sacrificial rituals that at points seem so gruesome are brought into perspective as reasoning in hopes of acquiring back a culture's once supreme and prime existence after magnanimous disasters had struck the region creating major tragedies and destruction.

"Independent Inventionism," and "Diffusion," are two separate terms and concepts that are dealt with in great detail determining the similarities and unsimilarities in humankind's mixed past. The commonality of research that both terms have brought forth have actually help substantiate there is a deep seeded relationship between pyramid building cultures and their peoples There is so much sense written in "Voyages" that the scenarios played out in the reconstruction of our ancient past and migrations are very rational. The chronologies and methodologies used in explaining and defining terms and theories keeping the information flowing in a forward manner are very understandable.

The photographs are awesome and depict well the architecture Schoch describes. You are transported in time during the great epochs of the people who built and worshiped them. You feel the culture and experience a form of exuberance, possibly similar to the feelings that might have been evoked in earlier generations. "All of the world's pyramid traditions see these monumental structures as world mountains that represent the cosmos." In ways the monuments almost seem to be standing alone, a form of isolation from their lost and misunderstood past. But, Voyages of the Pyramid Builders, brings forth new information with new found bodies of research to bring back to life the lost knowledge and wisdom held within the structures, and the minds of their builders. Modern people need to grasp the importance and significance in respecting the monuments and their builders, as the monuments are representative of our own past heritage and world history. They serve as universities educating us of our past and present day circumstances and may hold the key to help construct a more positive foundation of mind and spirit in preparation for future humanity.

Voyages of the Pyramid Builders contains many credits to many individuals for their contributions and an extreme bibliography as well as a comprehensive index. "Voyages," is an excellent resource for referencing material on many subjects. Robert M. Schoch, Ph.D., and Robert Aquinas McNally are to be praised for their magnificent combined efforts in producing a finely thought out and provocative book. Voyages of the Pyramid Builders is challenging and its authors have set new standards of integrity and ethics in writing bodies of work relating to our ancient past. No doubt "Voyages," will serve as a serious cornerstone for referencing, future discoveries, and ethical bodies of research.

At first glance, this book might be mistaken for "Chariots of the Gods" hokum -- it's about pyramids, it suggest prehistoric connections between widely scattered civilizations, and it has an entire chapter on planetary catastrophes. However, this is a very serious effort. Granted, it raises a lot more questions than it answers, and can be a little monotonous in spots. But as a former geology major, I didn't spot any pseudo-science (which is not surprising, given that the primary author has a Ph.D. in Geology from Yale) and I found much food for thought.

Sure, if it turns out that the whole theory of cultural diffusion is wrong, (similarities in disparate civilizations are due to migration and interconnection rather than parallel developoment) this book will be little more than an amusing footnote in the history of science. But then, plate tectonics was once a crackpot theory. This is a serious book that deserves to be read.

VOYAGES OF THE PYRAMID BUILDERS by Robert Schoch is the geologist famous for re-dating the Sphinx (with John Anthony West) thousands of years earlier than Egyptologists had determined. However, Schoch is not much of a writer, and even with a co-author, this book is about as exciting as your college physics textbook. The problem is over-research. I get the feeling the Schoch is so used to writing academic papers that he feels that every single fact must be documented and footnoted. In the popular press, the reader is willing to go along with some ideas as long as they are documented now and then.

Once you get past the format, it's not hard to apprehend Schoch's primary theme. He believes that the pyramid structure has not popped up all over the globe by accident, but that ancient mariners brought the ideas with them. He won't date the time of this migration, but it sounds quite a bit like an Atlantean diffusion. Schoch finds pyramids in China, India, Africa, the Mid-east and the Americas. There also are the mounds in North America.

Schoch is convinced that the American pyramids came from China, although his reasoning here is not easy to follow. When even the Mayan legends themselves speak of settlers from the East, Schoch opines that the settlers actually came across the Pacific and worked their way east to the Yucatan. This I find completely unbelievable, especially in light of the underwater findings that have been sighted near Cuba. Clearly the migration was from east to west. Another problem is that Schoch sees pyramids where I can only make out conical towers. He claims that many Indonesian structures are pyramids, but they don't even resemble the stepped or triangular structures to me.

His last chapter refutes those who refute his Sphinx dating. It's dry in the extreme, but he certainly has the academic goods on his detractors. As a skilled geologist, he can easily rebuff Egyptologist Mark Lehner's absurb peeling and scaling theory.

This is a book to skim. It drags where it should inspire and reiterates what we already know. As for ancient boat migration, all he had to do was refer to Thor Heyerdahl's Ra and Kon-Tiki experiments. There's some good information here, but much of it is material you'll want to skip.

According to John Anthony West it was not until the second half of the twentieth century that "guerilla scholarship" became a noticeable, if uncoordinated force in modern science. Guerilla scholarship of course, refers to the alternative camp or those that challenge orthodox views in science, archeology, anthropology, etc. If this book doesn't fall into the guerilla scholarship or alternative camp category it comes really close.

Author Dr. Robert Schoch is of course the archeologist who some years ago, along with John Anthony West, shocked the scientific community and infuriated Dr. Zahi Hawass, Egypt's Director of Antiquity, by claiming that the Sphinx's construction predated Khufu, its alleged builder, by 3,000 years or more. While the controversy surrounding those claims has resulted in numerous books, both, pro and con, with no real accepted conclusions, in this book Schoch tries to develop the hypothesis that all of the pyramids constructed around the world have a common origin in Sundaland, which was inundated under 250 feet of water after the last ice age. If somebody could come across a pyramid or two (2), that predated the great pyramid, under that 250 feet of water it would certainly help Schoch's case, but be that as it may, Schoch, while not proving his hypothesis, does present a pretty convincing argument in support of his speculation.

Schoch begins with a discussion in review of the theories for the age of Giza and other pyramid type structures around the world. He then provides very convincing evidence for his claim that humans traversed both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans eons before Columbus's 1492 voyage, which is the orthodox view of the first contact with the new world. He discusses how early humans might have accomplished this as well as their possible motives for doing so. Schoch concludes with where they came from, arriving at the common roots in Sundaland 10,000 years ago.

This book probably has some of the longest, impossible to pronounce names, of people and places of any book that I have ever read; and a few maps of various parts of the world, particularly Europe, the Middle and Far East, and South America, would have helped a great deal in developing a mental picture of what was being related. All that aside, the book challenges the mind and causes one to think. I was particularly intrigued by Schoch's explanation as to how Moses was able to convince the pharaoh to allow him and his followers to leave Egypt, as well as Schoch's perfectly plausible explanation of what parted the waters of the Red Sea and subsequently drowned the pharaoh's army when the waters rushed back in.

While maybe not as convincing as Schoch's earlier work, "Voices of the Rocks", Schoch presents convincing arguments and if you are a "guerilla scholar" you're going to love this book.

Dr.Schoch did a great job to present a theory of formation of early global civilization. I find it is very possible for the spreading of this culture and people through sea traveling more than five thousand years ago. In China, a recent surprising archeological discovery shows drawings of big ships, penguins and kangaroos etc. dated at least five thousand years. It is hard to imagine they could "creat" these kinds of animals without traveling to Australia and Antarctica. I believe there was a very early civilization with higher level of technical and scientific knowledge than people originally thought.

I also believe that the origin of this old civilization is probably from East or Southeast Asian area due to the fact that all the earlist civilizations are near the major rivers running into or near the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean. None were alonged the Atlantic Ocean. I suspect that some of earlist settlers might have traveled along the coast to find more fertile lands closed to the major rivers. But I have reservation for the idea of existance of Sundaland.

I received a review galley of this book in early 2003 and then a bound version of the book proof, sans photos and photo captions, sent by the publisher for review. Because both pre-publication versions seemed confusing and had so many errors, I decided to wait for a final copy before reviewing the book. Then, in October 2004, the primary author of the book, geologist Robert Schoch, appeared at the ARE's Annual Ancient Mysteries Conference, where he presented his newest evidence of ancient civilizations. The presentation was weak and had major technical (computer) problems. Following this event, I finally gave Voyages a thorough read. Schoch is an Associate Professor in Boston University's undergraduate "General Studies" program.

Schoch appeared on the "ancient mysteries" scene in the 1990s after John Anthony West asked him to come to Giza, Egypt and look at weathering patterns (erosion) on the Sphinx and Sphinx enclosure that West believed might prove the Sphinx was carved 12,000-years-ago or so. When Schoch announced that his "research" showed the Sphinx was started somewhere around 6,700-9,000-years ago, Schoch was hailed as a shining light on the ancient mysteries-alternative history scene. Voyages is about far more than the Sphinx, but it contains an "update" on all the Sphinx erosion research. The update is in an Appendix at the end of the book. What is revealed in this update can make sense of Egyptologist Zahi Hawass's skepticism about Schoch.

As far as I can tell, Schoch's research on the Sphinx erosion consists of two areas of inquiry. The first area of inquiry is a simple eyeballing of the erosion. That is, he looked at the erosion marks and their depth. Second, Schoch examined data collected by Thomas Dobecki, who performed seismological testing around the Sphinx and other areas in Egypt. Schoch concluded that erosion under the Sphinx (subsurface), as measured by the seismological testing of Dobecki, supported his position that the Sphinx was begun in the 6,700-9,000-year-ago range.

During 2004, Zahi Hawass appeared on a new History Channel documentary where he directly addressed the erosion. In the show, the ARE's John Van Auken first led the show's host, Josh Bernstein, to the erosion at the Sphinx. The erosion is definitely the most compelling evidence to date that indicates the Sphinx is far older than 4,600 years, the approximate timeframe traditional Egyptology gives for its construction. In the next scene, Bernstein led Zahi Hawass to same spot and asked Hawass why geologists say that the erosion is far older than 4,600 years. In what was probably a carefully planned rebuttal, Hawass holds up a single finger and says, "one geologist. Only one geologist says that."

In the show, Bernstein is clearly surprised and appears momentarily confused by the reply and, apparently just asks Zahi what he planned to ask anyway, "How do you explain it then?"
In his often-used but effective blunt appraisal technique, Zahi stated, "He's wrong!" Zahi explained that the particular pattern of erosion was already present when the Sphinx enclosure was carved and that many other geologists support that position. The erosion was already in the sub-surface rock when the Sphinx was carved. He stated that many other areas of Giza showed the same patterns, but this proof was not shown.

In the Giza update in Voyages, I had hoped that Zahi's rebuttal with the "one geologist" would be shown to be wrong. But Schoch writes, "A number of scholars have argued that my research is what is wrong. According to them, I have misinterpreted the evidence." Among those who argue against Schoch are archaeologist Mark Lehner, geologist K. L. Gauri (from the Univ. of Louisville), geologist James Harrell, British authors Ian Lawton and Chris Ogilvie-Herald (both of whom would normally embrace alternative views), and fellow Boston University geologist Farouk El-Baz. As to geologists who support Schoch's position, in short, it doesn't seem there are any. Schoch states that two geologists partly agree that the type of weathering Schoch sees at Giza is there, but they disagree with Schoch on the much older dates. All-in-all, it remains a disappointing and unsettled issue. When an archaeological debate is held between experienced archaeologists and geologists, one could ask, "Who holds the most cards?" My bet would usually be on the archaeologists' side. Still, my belief is that a lot is yet to be discovered in Egypt that will eventually show the presence of a much older culture.

Despite these drawbacks, the publisher's synopsis of the book basically hails Schoch as a modern-day Thor Heyerdahl, who risked his life several times to show that ancient sea voyages could be made from Africa and South America. Hyerdahl believed that the ancients traveled widely and basically brought specific elements of culture (pyramid building) from one region of the world to another and he proved his case by actually doing what the ancients did. Heyerdahl's efforts stand in stark contrast to what most "alternative theorists" do. That is, the vast majority of writers speculate from the comfortable confines of a hotel, a college office, or their study. I found the comparison to Heyerdahl disconcerting, especially after making several dangerous expeditions myself. I can say that there is a wide gap between armchair speculation and actual diving into dangerous waters-a comparison that will become more appropriate at the end of this review.

In general, I found the book to be a puzzling and confusing blend of simultaneous attempts to be scientific and provocative. While obviously trying to attract general readers interested in alternative history, the author tries to assert some sort of level of scientific authority. The effort fails. The best example I can give of this is when Schoch gives dates for various events. In a brief series of paragraphs, he writes, "Then, according to the conventional story, between 13,700 B.C. and 12,000 B.C. (equivalent to 11,000 and 10,000 B.C. in uncorrected radiocarbon years)..." "Dated to circa 9500 B.C. (radiocarbon 8,000 B.C.), Folsom..." "Radiocarbon dating indicated that the site belonged to circa 1,500-11,000 B.C. (circa radiocarbon 9500 B.C.)..." "...Monte Verde was occupied in 12,700 B.C. (radiocarbon 10,500 B.C.), over 1000 years before Clovis." Then, after several pages of giving dates in both corrected and uncorrected radiocarbon years, the practice suddenly stops. For example, he writes, "At Monte Verde, Dillehay's team found charcoal radiocarbon dated to 31,000 B.C. ..." Then the practice restarts and stops again. But the reader has no way of knowing exactly whether Schoch is speaking of corrected or uncorrected dates when he only gives dates based on radiocarbon dating.

I've always found the practice of giving uncorrected radiocarbon dates a frustratingly dense and needlessly complicated method, particularly when the author appears to be writing for the general reader. Some years ago it was a standard practice in archaeology to cite the corrected dates (that is, the actual years using our common timeframe). For example, when an author says that something dates to an average of 9,500 B.C. it means 11,500-years ago. I've grown accoustomed to the newer practice of giving the actual radiocarbon results (uncorrected dates) and the actual date (corrected dates). But in this book the dates given are inconsistent and confusing, especially to readers who are unfamiliar with corrected and uncorrected dating.

In addition, the book has some glaring inconsistencies that appear because the details involved are never explained. For example, on page 86 Schoch writes, "Since the native languages of America fall into three distinct groups, it appeared that Asians crossed Beringia into North America in three waves." On page 88, Schoch writes, "Johanna Nichols, a linguist at the University of California at Berkeley, calculates that the development of more than 140 languages spoken by the native peoples of the Americas would take at least 20,000 to 30,000 years..." While I'm familiar with what Schoch is referring to, many general readers would not be. Also, the use of languages to calculate dates is a slippery form of science that is highly speculative, a fact that goes unacknowledged. Another example of inconsistency, and possibly a real misunderstanding by the author, is when Schoch attempts to disuss mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) research. He says that mtDNA is "short pieces of genetic material found outside the nucleus of the cell." That statement is partly true, but is highly misleading. Any discussion of mtDNA requires a much more detailed explanation because mtDNA is not "human DNA." It is unclear if Schoch genuinely knows what mtDNA is and what its implications are.

The essence of the book is the idea that a long-lost ancient people are responsible for the practice of building pyramids throughout the world. It's not a new idea, and its one that has had numerous proponents. Some of the evidence Schoch utilizes for this, especially in the New World, is rather dubious. He asserts that the amount of copper removed from the mines in the upper Michigan area, by the "Old Copper Culture," is far less than has been found thus far. This area of archaeological research remains controversial and, after viewing the accumulated evidence about it, I remain unconvinced either side has proven its case. Schoch also presents a discredited stone tablet, the "Newberry Tablet," as evidence. Schoch tells us that the color white symbolized comets to the ancients and that fact supports his overall idea, but is seems more like a loose association without support combined with poor reasoning. When Schoch tries to make a point, he uses few or no references for his assertions, which stands in stark contrast to the attempt in the book to appear scientific. For example, he cites several sea levels at various times in the past. But he gives these dates and sea levels as absolute fact without references or acknowledging the newest research that has actually found the ancient beach lines at different levels geologists have previously estimated. Geological estimates of ancient sea levels have been found to be inaccurate by modern archaeological research, but Schoch appears to utilize only the estimates that have been provided by groups of geologists some time ago. Yet none of these are referenced and the new research is either ignored or unknown to the author. For example, within the past 10 years alone, researchers have published at least a hundred findings on ancient sea levels in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea, both of which figure prominently in Schoch's thesis. What is interesting about these sea level measurements is that vary widely. Yet Schoch simply tells us what the sea level was at a point in the past.

Perhaps the most glaring inconsistency in the book is the discussion of Atlantis. Schoch begins by telling us that Plato's story of Atlantis is complete fiction used to relay a moral message to Greece in Plato's time. This, of course, is the mainstream academic view. Then he strangely asserts that author William Lauritzen's idea about Atlantis is correct: that "Sundaland offers the best fit with Plato's Atlantis." Sundaland, now located underwater off Indochina bordered by the South China Sea and Indian Ocean, is asserted by Schoch to be the source of the people who traveled the world in Ice Age-era times. These people, according to Schoch, are the source of world language and human genes. The flood story came from them as did the story of Atlantis, which, according to Schoch, was a fictional story. Overall, it is a completely unsupported theme and the two contradictory statements about Atlantis (it's fictional but it was Sundaland) is just too much. According to Schoch, it was the people of Sundaland who took the idea of pyramids everywhere around the globe. Schoch ends his book with this message the worldwide Sundaland-inspired pyramids give us: "Civilization is the gift of the ages...Build the future in a way that acknowledges, preserves, and respects the precious-and very ancient-inheritance we stand for." He uses the quotation marks in the sentences, but where the message came from is not cited.

In brief, I found the book to be frustrating and totally unconvincing. At times, the inconsistencies and reasoning is incomprehensible. The evidence for the major hypothesis is, at best, very weak, and the blend of science and wild speculation is strange. What should be done is to make actual visits to Sundaland and find this cradle of humanity under the water. Thor Heyerdahl would have attempted it if he proposed such an idea. If you like the idea that a known American scientist asserts that an ancient India culture was the actual cradle of civilization, human genes, and the fictional continent of Atlantis, you'll like this book.

I read the paperback edition of 2004 of the originally 2003 published, 2002 written book.

Using various scientific disciplines the author suggests an ancient globalization/diffusion, spreading from a partly submerged Sundaland (today's south-east Asian island nations world of Indonesia etc.) throughout the world, keeping the meme pool of pyramids with them - not only to Egypt, South Asia and the Americas, but also to Europe and China. The pyramids represent a connection to the repetitious events of comet strikes, resetting civilization. Also, the Sphinx would have been build around 6,000 B.C. by Sundaland migrants.

I have read my too big a share of too alternative authors and luckily this author isn't among them. Robert M. Schoch isn't embracing fundamentalists in either, the orthodox or the alternative camp.

I am used to reasonings instead of the debate class dualism of pro and contra. Accordingly, I am able to appreciate the author's line of reasoning, even though I don't have to agree with him 100%. I can acknowledge some of his theories as maybe unorthodox, but most certainly not disproved yet. Others of his findings sound very sensical indeed.

Even the general issues aside, rarely do I find a book this rewarding to read for the secondary information provided. Not only wasn't I aware of the following facts referenced in this book, I am actually very much concerned with the respective subject matters. That alone is worth an additional star. Examples of this knowledge depository: a pyramid on Vatican Hill destroyed in the 16th century; the concept of the "number" 0 as one of the many things introduced into Europe via the crusades; a southern African people called the Lemba being genetically more clearly Jewish than the Ethiopian Beta Israel; homo erectus already using vessels to cross to Australia; Norse inscriptions in Ontario using proto-Tifinagh ([pre-]Saharan) script; Maltese being an Arabic language in the Latin Alphabet. Finally, I found some elaboration on the nicotine and cocaine residues found in Egyptian mummies, even though the author remains partly cautious.

If you are interested further in pre-Columbian travels read the classic They Came Before Columbus: The African Presence in Ancient America by Ivan Van Sertima and it's follow-up Early America Revisited, or the controversial The Lost Treasure of King Juba: The Evidence of Africans in America before Columbus. For German speakers I highly recommend the 2006 "Bevor Kolumbus kam" by Rene Oth.

If you are interested in comet-induced flooding, especially the one of 3150 B.C., I recommend the no less controversial Uriel's Machine: Uncovering the Secrets of Stonehenge, Noah's Flood and the Dawn of Civilization. General comet consequences can be known from Rain of Iron & Ice (Helix Books). Another Biblical flood theory, regarding the Black Sea, can be found in "Noah's Flood: About The Event That Changed History".

The book's weakness maybe the author's urge to aver absolute truth, as exemplified in the title. For example, there have been many interpretations of the Noah-Ham sequence in the Bible, though I did appreciate yet another one (of an incest meme pool in the flood stories), just not to get rusty in the brain. On bulls getting venerated and/or sacrificed, read Ralph Ellis' alternative Hyksos series, starting with Jesus: Last of the Pharoahs, which harbors a convincing theory on that, embedded in otherwise mostly utterly unconvincing theories.

On the more ancient age of the Sphinx controversy read the 2006 update Before the Pharaohs: Egypt's Mysterious Prehistory. By the way, there ARE other scientists who jumped on the train of an older Sphinx. Some actually think, the Sphinx is even much older than even Schoch would like it to be. Personally, I believe, Schoch dates her at 6,000 B.C. only for the reason to make her fit his Sundaland theory. Which is yet another one of so many attempts to explain the Egyptian civilization by any other means than that Africans themselves accomplished it. To counter that, please read Maps of the Ancient Sea Kings: Evidence of Advanced Civilization in the Ice Age, which is on very very ancient maps (pre-Sundaland), centered on Egypt. Also, Civilization One: The World is Not as You Thought It Was will be of interest for the seekers of information on the ancients of the ancients.