transcripts, bibliography, past media reports, archaeoastronomy in cinema

archaeoastronomy in cinema: Apocalypto (scheduled for release 8 December 2006)

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 11:30:00 -0600

©2006 Touchstone Pictures. Mel Gibson's production company, Icon Distribution, Inc., describes Apocalypto as "a heart-stopping mythic action-adventure set against the turbulent end-times of the once-great Mayan civilzation." Starring Rudy Youngblood, a Comanche and Cree Indian from Texas, as hero Jaguar Paw, and Mexican Dalia Hernandez as his wife Seven, Apocalypto depicts human sacrifice and the power of celestial events over daily life in what was the most advanced civilization in the western hemisphere prior to the New World's colonization by Europeans more than five centuries later. Spoken dialogue is entirely Mayan Yucatec, a modern derivative of the ancient Maya dialect. The filming location is on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, not regarded as the true Mayan homeland by most archaeologists. And, some are critical of the film for suggesting the Maya practiced mass human sacrifice. The Aztec are believed to have done so, but most scholars say the Maya limited their sacrifices to chosen members, one at a time. See our updates page for more on the controversies and some news links. Watch online teaser, now playing in theaters. Fair use disclaimer for images.

archaeoastronomy in cinema: National Treasure (2004)

Sun, 10 Sep 2006 17:57:00 -0600

©2004 Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. Aerial shot of Independence Hall. Ben Gates (Nicholas Cage) examines $100 bill.
Based on the shadow cast by the pinnacle of Independence Hall's steeple at 3:22 PM EDT, Ben Gates (Nicholas Cage) pinpoints a hollowed brick on the landmark's exterior within which Ben Franklin's colored spectacles are hidden. That time of day arises from a series of clues involving a 1780's painting of the Hall engraved on the back of the hundred dollar bill with the steeple's clock reading 2:22. The hero's sidekick proudly advises Cage to offset the telltale observation moment for daylight saving. However, the screenplay seems to ignore the reality that solar spotlighting for any particular minute of the day progressively changes throughout the year. The date on which to view the shadowplay clue doesn't appear to have mattered in the story line. Incidentally, according to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing the clock reads 4:10 rather than 2:22, a reversal of the hour and minute hands. Fair use disclaimer for images.

archaeoastronomy in cinema: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Sun, 10 Sep 2006 17:56:00 -0600

©1981 Paramount Pictures. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) arrives in subterranean Map Room. The 1930's archaeologist translating instructions to find the Well of the Souls. Using the Crystal atop the Staff of Ra, Jones refracts sunbeam to pinpoint Well's location. Fair use disclaimer for images.

archaeoastronomy in cinema: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Sun, 10 Sep 2006 17:55:00 -0600

©1968 Turner Entertainment Co., a Time Warner Company. Extra-terrestrial intelligence proven by lunar monolith. Huge black monolith aligns with heavenly bodies. Enigmatic, black monoliths on prehistoric earth, buried in the Tycho crater on the moon and floating in space near Saturn's moon Iapetus conspire to doom a manned mission to the ringed planet, culminating in astronaut David Bowman's fateful encounter with a huge, but proportionally dimensioned monolith to the one found buried on the moon, at 2 hours 1½ minutes into the film. Fair use disclaimer for images.

archaeoastronomy in cinema: Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)

Sun, 10 Sep 2006 17:54:00 -0600

©1959 Twentieth Century Fox. Sunbeam emerges from gap in Mount Scartaris, Iceland. Actors James Mason, Arlene Dahl, Pat Boone and Peter Ronson. Sunbeam illuminates entrance to adventure on opposing range. The way in to the downward journey is spotlighted by a solar beacon approximately 46 minutes into the film. Fair use disclaimer for images.

The Anubis Caves: Mithraic Religion in the Oklahoma Panhandle

Sat, 02 Sep 2006 19:00:00 -0600

DIRECT LINK TO PDF DOWNLOAD: by Carl Lehrburger, 2006, in Ancient American magazine, Issue 69, 11:26-30, 1.7 MB, 5 pages, illustrated

AncientLight

Sun, 18 Sep 2005 00:01:00 -0600

DIRECT LINK TO PDF DOWNLOAD: by reporter Dana Coffield, Denver Post, September 18, 2005, page 34A, 1 MB, 1 page, illustrated in black and white, with commentary by Scott Monahan on Phil Leonard pro-active follow-up to dispel a falsehood purported by a Forest Service archaeologist regarding what turned out to be a non-existent study.

Academic or Fringe?: Pre-Columbian Celtic Colorado event on campus today irks some CU Academics

Tue, 16 Nov 2004 00:01:28 -0700

DIRECT LINK TO PDF DOWNLOAD: by reporter Erin Wiggins, Colorado Daily (University of Colorado at Boulder student newspaper), November 16, 2004, pages 4 and 6, 276 KB, 1 page, illustrated in black and white

Rewriting Ancient history: European visitors may have left their mark on the New World before 1492

Sat, 12 Jul 1986 00:01:00 -0600

DIRECT LINK TO PDF DOWNLOAD: by S.J. Guffey, Associated Press (as reprinted in the Sacramento Union), July 12, 1986, page B1, 428 KB, 1 page, illustrated

Archaeological team theorizes early Celts left mark in Colorado

Sun, 02 Jun 1985 00:01:00 -0600

DIRECT LINK TO PDF DOWNLOAD: by reporter Bob Diddlebock, Rocky Mountain News, June 2, 1985, page 6, 552 KB, 1 page, illustrated in black and white

History on the Rocks documentary, 1985, KRMA-TV (PBS) Denver, by Scott Monahan

Tue, 07 May 1985 20:00:00 -0600

documentary excerpts, a two and one-half minute 3.8 MB QuickTime 6 (MPEG-4) web video trailer, and VHS ordering directions for the one hour program that premiered on Denver television May 7, 1985, introducing to the public the story of presumed Ogham finds in southeastern Colorado and the Oklahoma panhandle. Archived web page at archaeoastronomy.com

Cation-ratio varnish dating and petroglyph chronology in southeastern Colorado

Sat, 01 Jun 1991 00:01:00 -0600

DIRECT LINK TO PDF DOWNLOAD: by Lawrence L. Loendorf, Department of Anthropology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, June 1991, in Antiquity, 65:246-255, 252 KB, printed pages 254 and 255

official correspondence on the origins of the "Ogham in Colorado" controversy from 1977

Fri, 22 Apr 1977 00:01:00 -0700

DIRECT LINK TO PDF DOWNLOAD: correspondence to and from the Office of State Archaeologist and the federal Bureau of Land Management regarding BLM historian Dr. Don Rickey's preliminary disclosure of suspected Ogham inscriptions at Hackberry Springs in southeastern Colorado, site designation 5LA1115, documenting the co-ordinated official resistance toward Dr. Rickey's claims, passages selectively highlighted, with bridge narratives by Scott Monahan, 2.8 MB, 20 pages, illustrated

A New World Monument to Mithras

Sat, 15 Apr 2006 00:01:00 -0600

DIRECT LINK TO PDF DOWNLOAD: by Phil Leonard, 2006, in depth analysis of many of the regional petroglyphs, but mainly focussed on the Anubis Cave complex in the Oklahoma Panhandle, as having been the work of European explorers inspired by their worship of the pagan god Mithras. Iconography associated with the 7 grades of Mithraism and representations of key constellations associated with the secretive religion are identified. 18.5 MB, 78 pages, illustrated in color

The Anubis Caves: Evidence of Mithraism and Celtic Religion in the Oklahoma Panhandle

Thu, 01 Jun 2006 00:01:00 -0600

DIRECT LINK TO PDF DOWNLOAD: by Carl Lehrburger, 2006, in Ancient American magazine, Issue 68, 11:8-12, 1.8 MB, 4½ pages, illustrated

Pathfinder Petroglyphs and Possible Associations with Native American Mythology

Sun, 01 Jan 2006 00:01:00 -0700

DIRECT LINK TO PDF DOWNLOAD: by Carl Lehrburger, 2006, in Ancient American magazine, Issue 66, 10:15-19, 1.8 MB, 5 pages, illustrated

Ancient Colorado Rock Art Site Employs Animation to Mark Equinoxes: Astronomical Alignments Predate Anaszi Civilization

Thu, 01 Dec 2005 00:01:00 -0700

DIRECT LINK TO PDF DOWNLOAD: by Carl Lehrburger, 2005, in Ancient American magazine, Issue 65, 10:12-17, 1.2 MB, 6 pages, illustrated

Irish Inscriptions Confirmed by Archaeoastronomy

Mon, 01 Jul 1985 00:01:00 -0600

DIRECT LINK TO PDF DOWNLOAD: by Ida Jane Gallagher, 1985 in Epigraphic Society Occasional Publications, 15:24-25, 368 KB, 3 pages, with a single black and white photographic image of the backstone at Loughcrew Cairn T, County Meath, Ireland

An Ogam Consaine inscribed artifact from Windmill Hill, Wiltshire, England

Fri, 01 Oct 1982 00:01:00 -0600

DIRECT LINK TO PDF DOWNLOAD: by Dr. Barry Fell, October 1982, in short reports and letters to the editor of Epigraphic Society Occasional Publications, 10:110-111, and corrected follow-up 1986, 'Windmill Hill Amulets' in ESOP, 15:34-36, plus reprint of related 1987 magazine ad for Apple Computer featuring Castleton (VT) State College History and Anthropology Professor Warren Cook holding up a peripheral device that has an uncanny resemblance to a contemporary Apple MP3 product, 804 KB, 5 pages, illustrated in black and white

The Ogams of the Sun Temple

Tue, 01 Nov 2005 00:01:00 -0700

DIRECT LINK TO PDF DOWNLOAD: by David J. Eccott, 2005, including the astronomical petroglyph memorializing Venus, Jupiter and Saturn aligned in the Gemini constellation on Lughnasad 471 CE and the connection to Mithras worship, 1.6 MB, 24 pages, illustrated in color

Old News documentary transcript, revised mid 2006

Sat, 05 Aug 2006 00:01:00 -0600

DIRECT LINK TO PDF DOWNLOAD: updated narrative in text only format, displayable and printable in black, 168 KB, 25 pages

The Pawnee Americans

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 11:00:00 -0600

DIRECT LINK TO PDF DOWNLOAD: in Collections of the Kansas State Historical Society 1923-1925, Vol. 16, pp. 463-475, ethnography and archaeology suggestive of Skidi Pawnee link to ancient Celts in America, 1.2 MB, 13 pages