longirostris
Active Member
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2007
- Messages
- 244
- Reaction score
- 171
What makes you think they are von Danikens theories. The flying saucer connection with the pyramids and other unusual objects from antiquity was around long before von Daniken jumped on the bandwagon.There were many others before him talking about the possible connection between unexplained phenomena and extraterrestrial visitors. Thats one of the reasons he was discredited, he was plagiarisng and ripping off everybody else's work and thoughts on unexplained phenomena. Andrew Tomas is one I can think of whose book "We are not the first" was released before von Danikens efforts. No doubt then, you read about his discovery of hundreds of miles of underground caverns and tunnels in central and south america. Trouble is they don't exist and never did. Eric would have been a good sub editor for a British tabloid. Give them what they want who cares about the truth.
I am not trying to "debunk" the Piri Reis map collection. The maps you are referring to are actually copies of even older maps. There is a point of view from some authors that some of the great maritime explorers like Columbus, Magellen, de Gama and others from this period actually had access to some of the maps that are in the Piri Reis collection and that the maps they had and used were copies of even older maps. There is even a map in the Piri Reis collection showing the profile of the coastlines and seas around the Mediterranean that matches a map made by US cartographers. The interesting thing is that the only way the cartographers could produce the map was by using satellite technology to take a photo from a point 100 miles above Cairo.
Does that mean that Admiral Piri Reis or the original drafters of the maps had access to satellite technology? I think not. Do I have an explanation for it, no I don't. Thats why this sort of stuff gets lumped into unexplained phenomena. Unfortunately it then becomes cannon fodder for the "ET was here" lobby.
It's funny because I used to eat this stuff up (read everything I could get) myself 30 years ago. Loved it, believed it, was convinced life was everywhere in the universe and ET would be coming or had definately visited. It was whilst "eating this stuff up" that I gradually came around and formed a view that life even though it is abundant on this planet could very well be and is most likely very rare in the universe. Even simple life forms such as single cell animals are likely to be extremely rare, what then the chances that those rare life forms actually evolve or develope into sentient beings actually capable of searching out other life forms or travelling across the vast expanses of the universe for whatever their purpose? Even rarer still.
On this basis and following "the life in the universe will be rare rationale", the likelihood (probability) that "ET" visited the Earth in antiquity and produced maps (for whatever reason) that could one day turn up as oddities in a Turkish Admirals personal collection, I would say is very small indeed. Does not mean it did not happen but equally the existence of the maps does not mean it did happen.
People need to temper their enthusiasm for trying to explain artifacts and oddities that defy a rational expanation. The fervour and gusto that people exhibit sometimes when discussing their opinions on unexplained phenomena is almost akin to religious zeal. Look at you. I make a comment about Erik von Daniken and you are all over me wanting me to disprove his theories. What about I chuck that one right back at you and ask YOU to PROVE "his"(sic) theories.
PS. I am surprised he could find a publisher that would publish any thing he wrote after the garbage he produced about the elaborate tunnel system that he found in Latin America somewhere. He took and published photos and described the whole system in great detail. I think that rubbish was in book 5 or 6, so I am blown away that any body would read him let alone publish him after that little fiasco. I know that was the last time I ever picked up an Eric von Daniken book.
You see, I was one of the zealots and he destroyed my faith. Thanks be to Eric. For he madeth me walk down another path to enlightenment.
