CONNECTIONS

One of the advantages of having a place where the different findings on ancient archaeology are collected is that it enhances the possibility of finding common features. In the field of cultural anthropology, the study of human cultures and thereby of human development, the aspect of intercultural relationships is highly important. Until now, this site has been focussing on the material, the stones, but ultimately it is, of course, also a study of cultures. At this point we want to include the available data on the relations between the different sites, and thereby the different cultures. Since the known research done on the different sites concentrates on material specific for these sites, the amount of data on connections is limited. The summary below could also serve as a guide for further investigation.
 

Yonaguni and Peru

The possible connection between Yonaguni and Peru has already been investigated here. For completeness, a few more examples are shown below:

 
A stretched, flying, bird   Two dolphins and a lion
     
     
 
A hare (?)   A man or woman


Peru and the Bahama's

Most of the finds in the Bahama's are the result of underwater research, but on Cat Island indications have been found of imaging work very similar to that in Peru. The material from Cat Island is presented in a separate gallery, from which the following examples are taken (on the left), and compared with similar one from Peru (on the right).

 
Two, rather grim, faces   A grim face left on the wall
     
     
 
Two lions   A lion and two dolphins
     
 
A lying god   A lying god

These examples show considerable stylistic paralles, to such a degree that a cultural connection is a reasonable possibility. On the limited examples available, one would rate the similarities between Peru and the Bahama's greater that those between Peru and Yonaguni.


Toolmarks at Peru, Yonaguni, Andros, Bimini, and Ponape

The toolmarks, square-like indentions into the rock material of the constructions, have been treated in more detail for the sites in Peru and Andros elsewhere, see the gallery. Below just one or two (if available) examples from each site are given.
 

 
Sacsayhuaman, Peru   Tiahuanacu, Peru
     
     
 
Yonaguni, Japan   Yonaguni, Japan
     
     
 
Ponape Island, Micronesia   Andros Island, Caribbean
     
     
 
Bimini Island, Caribbean   Bimini Island, Caribbean

These pictures speak for themselves. Funnily enough, the presence of "toolmarks" on all of these sites might in some sense also count against them: the phenomenon might be so universal, that it does not say anything about the given particular examples. Barring this last objection, the presence of the toolmarks in these sites seems to point to some link. More on this after the next series of pictures.


Stone colour and texture

In the gallery on glaced stones in Peru, one of the pictures from Quenko showes clearly that the top stone material, the one that that looks to be glaced, has a colour that differs from the base material, see here. Below, some pictures have been gathered from this site and other places where a similar phenomenon has been found. Also note the texture of the stone, that also has similarities in these examples, and does not at all look like stone that has been gotten his final shape by cutting and chipping away at the base material. It remarkable looks like it has been moulded or melted.

 
A bluish top layer at Quenko, Peru   A bluish toplayer at Ollantaytambo, Peru
     
     
 
The same sort of colour combinations at Yonaguni, Japan   Yonaguni; look here especially at the texture
     
     
   
Tinian, Marianas Islands    
     
Again, the similarities are obvious. These similarities should be added to the ones of the toolmarks of the previous gallery. As stated elsewhere for the case of artificiality, these coinciding similarities strengthen each other, and make the case for a connection consideribly stronger then the separate results (taking them separately corresponds to 1 + 1 = 2, while the coinciding similarities strengthen each other as in 1 + 1 = 2,5 or 3).


Conclusion

The material presented above does not prove a cast-iron case for a connection between the sites, and their respective cultures. However, in view of the fact that the material is limited to mere stone, the case seems to have a considerable strength, somewhere between the 50-50 and 80-20 points. It is also clear that the uncertainty could be reduced dramatically by only a limited amount of research, if this research were concentrated on this question. One could think of things from just more and more detailed photographic material, to analysis of the stone material involved, especially on the surface effects.

On the basis of the material presented, the most exciting possibility is that of a three-fold link between Yonaguni, Peru, and the Bahama's. If this can be established, the probability of a common ancestrial civilization rises considerably. The where and when of this culture is a secondary matter, and has to viewed independently of the first question. One cannot say: we don't have yet found a place for a culture predating the known ones, so it cannot have existed. If the known data says there is a considerable probability that a common ancestrial culture has existed, one has to do research on this basis, if only because it is by principle impossible to prove the non-existence of anything (this is one of the rules of good science, known from antiquity as the rule that one cannot prove the non-existence of black swans: one might encounter one at any time in the future).

To follow the line of investigation of this site, go to the Ancient Maps page, and if already past this, go to Ancient civilizations.