ANCIENT ASTRONOMICAL RECORDINGS REGARDING THE PLANET VENUS Ev Cochrane For whatever reason, the planet Venus was worshipped by ancient peoples the world over from a very early time. Thus it is that Venus figures prominently in the earliest myths, art, and religious literature of most ancient cultures. A survey of this material reveals hundreds of anomalies in the ancient descriptions of Venus' appearance and behavior. It is described as a bearded star, a dragon-like star, a star with a tail, a witch-star, etc.(1) Ancient myths relate that Venus once fell from the sky as a comet-like object or as a witch-like being.(2) Very early representations of the planet (or the planet- goddess Inanna) depict it as a comet or in otherwise impossible positions vis a vis other astronomical bodies.(3) How are we to understand this ancient testimony? Inasmuch as such traditions are known at all, it is to various specialists in one field or another. The descriptions of Venus in ancient Babylon, for example, are rarely compared with those of other cultures, and thus the various anomalies in the ancient traditions have thus far remained unnoticed and unappreciated by the scholarly world as a whole. Inasmuch as any serious attempt has been made to understand the ancient descriptions of Venus, it has typically been from the vantage point offered by the current, mundane appearance/behavior of the planet. Confronted with repeated references to Venus' horns in the Babylonian astronomical texts, for example, early archaeoastronomers supposed that the ancient Babylonians must have observed the phases of Venus. This interpretation prompted a vigorous debate between several of the greatest figures in cuneiform decipherment.(4) An entirely different interpretation was offered by Immanuel Velikovsky in 1950. Velikovsky suggested that the widespread traditions of disaster associated with a comet-like Venus should be understood as not-so-veiled references to real events. Indeed, Velikovsky maintained that Venus only recently participated in a series of spectacular cataclysms, the most violent of which was around 1450 BC. Since the publication of Worlds in Collision, various scholars have offered the Ammizaduqa tablets as proof against Velikovsky's thesis. Perhaps the most serious attempt to make this case was Peter Huber's discussion in 1977, entitled "Early Cuneiform Evidence for the Existence of the Planet Venus." (5) It is against this backdrop that I long ago became familiar with the controversy surrounding the ancient observations of Venus. And despite the fact that I do not subscribe to the particular chronology of Velikovsky, the fact is that the researches of Talbott and myself were originally inspired by the writings of Velikovsky, and like him we have been forced to the conclusion that Venus only recently settled into its current orbit. Thus it is that the ancient astronomical records of the Babylonians and other peoples have come to play a significant role in our own research as well. If it could be shown that the planet Venus was moving on an irregular orbit in these texts, this would offer support for our thesis that Venus was moving upon a radically different orbit in prehistoric times. What then are the Venus-tablets of Ammizaduqa? These texts take their name from the next to last king of the first dynasty of Babylon. By all accounts, these are the oldest astronomical texts in the world and thus they have long demanded the attention of scholars. Originally found during the excavation of Ninevah, apparently part of King Assurbanipal's great library (destroyed in 612 BCE), the so-called Venus tablets of Ammizaduqa are known from twenty or so different extant copies. (6) The existing tablets are held to date from c. 8-700 BCE, but are regarded as copies of much older documents. According to the various authorities who have investigated these texts--Kugler, Langdon, Fotheringham, Schiaparelli, van Waerden, etc.--the tablets consist of observations from the reign of Ammizaduqa (c. 1900-1500 BC depending on which chronology is preferred) to which omens and sundry other information were subsequently added. Although these tablets were first discovered in the 1850's, it was the subsequent (1912) discovery by Franz Kugler that one line mentioned the eighth year of Ammizaduqa that brought these tablets to the forefront of scientific consciousness. If these texts dated to the time of Ammizaduqa, it was reasoned, and if it was possible to retrocalculate the positions of Venus as set forth in the tablets, then at last modern historians had their yardstick by which to establish on a firm basis the chronology of the ancient world. Or so it was thought. As we will see, despite dozens of attempts by some of the leading names in the field, no secure chronology has emerged as a result of such retrocalculations. The reason is very simple: The data as described in these tablets do not accord with modern values for the period of Venus.(7) Lost in the debate over the chronological significance of these early observations is the question why Venus would have been the subject of such intense scrutiny in the first half of the second millennium, much less why it was associated with typically dire omens? On this subject, Abraham Sachs, the dean of Babylonian cuneiform texts, offers nary a clue: "The list of Venus dates, to which omen predictions were secondarily appended, was copied and recopied for many centuries, and, in fact, we have it only in the form of much later copies made in the eighth and later centuries BC (and with partly corrupt details) embedded in one of the tablets of a standard collection of astronomical and meteorological omens. How, when, and why omen predictions--...--were attached to the Venus dates are questions that we cannot begin to answer in the present state of our knowledge." ("Babylonian observational astronomy," Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. A, 276, 1974, pp. 43-44). Sachs elsewhere added: "It is astonishing to find that somebody or other, for the whole of King Ammisaduqa's 21-year reign at so early a period, observed and recorded the Venus dates. Who was this observer? Did he have some reason to observe only Venus, or is it by chance that we do not have preserved his record of the dates of the other planets visible to the naked eye? Why just the reign of King Ammisaduqa? We have, alas, no answers to any of these questions either." (Ibid., p. 44). As the various omens attached to the Venus-intervals confirm, the ancient Babylonians believed that Venus was capable of having an adverse influence on the affairs of men. The much older Sumerian hymns surrounding the planet- goddess Inanna present a similar picture. There the planet-goddess was invoked as follows: "You make the heavens tremble and the earth quake.... You flash like lightning over the highlands; you throw your firebrands across the earth." (8) Yet another hymn describes the planet-goddess as follows: "Like a dragon you have deposited venom on the land... Oh foremost one, you are Inanna of heaven and earth! Raining the fanned fire down upon the nation.. . Devastatrix of the lands...At the sound of you the lands bow down." (9) As puzzling as these ancient Babylonian beliefs appear to the modern mind, strikingly similar views prevailed in the New World. There, too, the Maya and Aztecs regarded the planet Venus as an agent of disaster and impending doom. An early chronicler, Fray Sahugan, offered the following portrait of the native's anxiety at the appearance of Venus: "And when it [Venus] newly emerged, much fear came over them: all were frightened. Everywhere the outlets and openings of [houses] were closed up. It was said that perchance [the light] might bring a cause of sickness, something evil when it came to emerge." (General History of the Things of New Spain, 1950-1970, book 7, chapter 3). Brundage summarized the Mesoamerican conception of Venus as follows: "It is curious that the Mesoamerican peoples thought of the Morning Star so consistently as malign. He was to them, whether they were Aztecs or Mayan, the very father of calamity. The dates of his heliacal rising were forecast so that the dooms ahead could be adequately read and prepared for." (The Phoenix of the Western World, 1982, p. 177) The obsession of the various Mesoamerican peoples with the observation and recording of Venus' movements is legendary. An Augustinian monk at the time of the Spanish conquest wrote as follows: "So accurately did they keep the record of the days when it appeared and disappeared that they never made a mistake." (Quoted from A. Aveni, "Venus and the Maya, " American Scientist 67, p. 274). Of Venus, the Mexican friar Motolina observed that the Mexicans "knew on what day it would appear again in the east after it had lost itself or disappeared in the west...; they counted the days by this star and yielded reverence and offered sacrifices to it." (Quoted in A. Aveni, "Venus and the Maya," American Scientist 67, p. 274.) Various aspects of Mesoamerican culture appear to trace to their obsession with worshipping Venus. Here Brundage wrote as follows: "The true role of the planet Venus in the development of the Mesoamerican cultures is not understood. It might not be far wrong to look upon the Mesoamerican's great skill in numeration as a child of that planet and to state that their intellectual life pulsed to its periods. Certainly a significant portion of their mythology involved that planet." (B. Brundage, The Phoenix of the Western World, 1981, p, 173.) Despite the fact that Venus has no obvious relationship to the seasons, the ancient Maya developed a most sophisticated calender which was designed to track the planet's movements across the sky. Certainly one of the greatest achievements of the Maya, this calender could only have been developed after many generations of careful observation and reflects a profound knowledge of the planet's behavior. On the Venus-calender employed by the Maya, Aveni commented as follows: "All astronomical calenders are derived from celestial observations, and a calender as accurate as the one the Maya devised must have depended upon long term, precise observation." (Ibid., p. 279). Sir Eric Thompson, with reference to the incredible accuracy of the Venus calender as reflected in the Dresden Codex, observes: "Bearing in mind the variability of the planet's synodical revolution and the hindrances to accurate observation caused by cloudy weather in the rainy season and morning mists in the dry season, the accuracy attained is almost unbelievable. It was based on boundless patience and undoubted cooperation of astronomers of different places and different generations." ("Maya Astronomy," Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. A. 276, 1974, p. 87). But what was the original impetus for the development of this unique calender? The answer appears to be that the calender was designed in order to anticipate the dire consequences associated with the various phases of Venus. Here Aveni writes as follows: "Its function was likely the same as well--to serve as a warning table for the apparitions of Venus." (A. Aveni, Skywatchers of Ancient Mexico, 1980, p. 184). Here once again is the very same--to the modern mind-- irrational belief that we found in Babylon: Why would the greatest astronomers of the New World, accustomed to observing the planet Venus for countless generations, ascribe to it a malignant influence? If Venus has always moved upon its currently peaceful, perfectly orderly orbit, what is there to fear? What disasters could possibly be related to this star? And why Venus, rather than the Sun or Moon, which are much brighter and have recognizable influences on the affairs of man? Certainly it is difficult to account for the origin of such bizarre conceptions in one culture, let alone in two different cultures separated by the Atlantic Ocean and several millennia. While the Dresden Codex traces the movements of Venus with great precision-- according to Thompson, it is accurate to within two hours over a period of 500 years--it has long been a source of puzzlement that the various intervals associated with Venus do not accord with their present values. Why this is so remains unclear. Stephen McCluskey summarized this situation as follows: "The Venus Almanac of the Codex Dresden employs an integral 584-day synodic period known as a Venus Round to produce an astronomical almanac for the planet, forecasting omens related to the 236-day period of visibility as the Morning Star, the 90-day period of invisibility, the 250-day period of visibility as the Evening Star, and the 8-day period of invisibility, after which the planet reappears in the east as the Morning Star. These intervals are only approximations to the true periods of visibility but for unknown reasons (either numerological, astronomical, or mythological) have been accepted as canonical." ("Maya Observations of Very Long Periods of Venus," JHA 14, 1983, p. 92). Of the values recorded in the Dresden Codex for the four intervals of Venus, Aveni wrote as follows: "It is puzzling that the 90-day interval in the table is so different from the true disappearance interval [about 50 days] and that the morning and evening star intervals are represented as being unequal. Were the Maya priests who drew up the table deliberately attempting to emphasize the ritualistic or astrological importance of the planet rather than the accurate astronomical observations which surely they must have made in composing the rest of the table?" (A. Aveni, Skywatchers in Ancient Mexico, 1980, p. 187.) Nor were these particular values peculiar to the Dresden codex, other Maya codices preserving the same four values. (See A. Aveni, Skywatchers of Ancient Mexico, 1980, p. 194). Various reasons have been proposed for why the Maya selected these values as canonical. Some have pointed to an attempt to record commensurations in the movements of Venus and the Moon (90 days=three lunar synodic months; 236 days= =8 lunar synodic months and 250 days= 8 and a half lunar synodic months. See the discussion in A. Aveni, "The Real Venus-Kukulcan in the Maya Inscriptions and Alignments," p. 315.) Other explanations have been offered as well, with no consensus emerging as of yet. To date, most attempts to understand the curious values assigned Venus by the Maya have focussed upon their fascination with numbers and the desire to develop commensurations between the various celestial bodies. No one, to the best of my knowledge, has considered the possibility that the canonical values assigned Venus might have reference to a different orbit of the planet itself. This possibility was first raised by William Douglas in 1982. Writing in Kronos, a Velikovsky-forum, Douglas called attention to the fact that the ancient Babylonians likewise recorded a 90-day disappearance interval for Venus during superior conjunction. This fact had also been noticed by Aveni, who wrote as follows: "It is curious that the Babylonians also counted a three-month disappearance interval." (Skywatchers in Ancient Mexico, 1980, p. 327). In his article in Kronos, Douglas compared the values obtained from the Dresden Codex with those from various sections of the Ammizaduqa tablets. Here are his results: 245 90 245 7 587 (Section II of Ammizaduqa) 240.2 90 249 7 586.66 (Section I of Ammizaduqa) 236 90 250 8 584 (Mayan canonical values) 263 50 263 8 584 (Current Values) [Column one refers to the value for Venus visibility as morning star. Column two is Venus' invisibility during superior conjunction. Column three is Venus' visibility as evening star. Column four is Venus' invisibility during inferior conjunction. Column five is the total of the four intervals.] Here Douglas draws attention to the remarkable similarity between the Maya values from the Dresden Codex and those from Section I of the Ammizaduqa tablets. Three of the values differ by less than one day, only the visibility as morning star differing by four days. In his article, Douglas suggests that these numbers represent objective values and apparently have reference to a former orbit of Venus. Significantly, a leading expert on the Venus-tablets of Ammizaduqa raised the same possibility in order to explain the various anomalies presented by those ancient records. Thus, John Weir, author of the book "Venus Tablets of Ammizaduqa", wrote as follows: "However, Solution 1702-1681 B.C., in common with all the solutions, has an observation classified as 'seemingly impossible'. While a revision of the sequence of lunar months would probably help to narrow the gap between the text and the computation, some other factor is required to explain it fully. This could be a modification in the shape of the Venus orbit. The periods of invisibility seem to be following a pattern which would be consistent with that assumption. If this is correct, the 'seemingly impossible' observation would be explained as the combined effect of the clock-time error on the lunar month sequence, and the orbital modification on the Venus observations." (J. Weir, "The Venus Tablets: A Fresh Approach," JHA 13, 1982, p. 46). Thus Douglas' intriguing hypothesis is by no means outside the realm of possibility. Weir's proposal, needless to say, has not found favor with other scholars of ancient astronomical lore. Most scholars would much prefer to explain away the anomalies in the ancient Babylonian records by referring them to errors in copying and faulty viewing conditions, unaware that similar anomalies exist in the Maya records. What then is our position with respect to these ancient records? >From the standpoint of Talbott and myself, it is certainly possible that Venus had already settled into its current orbit by the time of these earliest astronomical observations. It is equally likely, however, that the ancient's preoccupation with Venus and difficulty in recording its "real/modern" values reflects a situation in which the planet was still settling into its current orbit. Perhaps the most we can say with confidence is that the anomalies presented by the ancient records are consistent with the mytho-historical record pointing to radical changes in the orbit of Venus in relatively recent times. By themselves the ancient astronomical texts are probably too fragmentary to warrant this conclusion, although further analysis may decide the issue one way or another. Can we imagine any circumstances which would allow us to determine more precisely whether these ancient records describe Venus on a different orbit, or whether they merely represent an attempt on the part of ancient skywatchers to mark a commensuration between the movements of Venus and some other aspect of nature? Many thousands of cuneiform tablets currently lie rotting within museum cellars, each waiting for a translator to come along and rescue its contents from oblivion. Perhaps some of these texts will further clarify the mystery surrounding these ancient observations. Or perhaps new evidence will come to light which will allow us to understand the origin of the Mayan canonical values. If, as we suspect, these canonical values--like the sacred count of 260 days-- trace back to the Pre-Classic period (2000 B.C.-250 A.D.) and thus well into antiquity, the case for their objective nature gains in credibility. If the canonical values of the Maya are found to be of more recent origin, say the Post-Classic Period (900 A.D.-1521), the case for their objective nature is seriously undermined. Finally, and probably most likely of all, perhaps ancient observational records will surface from some other culture-- ancient China, for example--which will confirm or deny the objective nature of the 90-day disappearance interval associated with Venus during superior conjunction. If these ancient records pertaining to Venus aren't conclusive with regard to establishing the catastrophic thesis of Talbott and myself (or Velikovsky, for that matter), they nevertheless represent a fundamental challenge to the conventional interpretation of these texts. Here we would cite the following problems: (1) If the 90-day disappearance interval does not represent an objective value, how it possible to explain this coincidence in the records of peoples as astronomically proficient and culturally disparate as the Babylonians and Maya? (2) How is it possible to explain Venus' ominous reputation in both cultures? (3) If the Venus-tablets of Ammizaduqa date from the 18th century B.C.--which I would doubt--how is it possible to explain the fact that the Babylonians still hadn't figured out the true mean of the disappearance interval at the time of superior conjunction until well over a thousand years had elapsed? According to Neugebauer, the duration of invisibility "can be observed easily and quite accurately" (see the discussion in A History of Ancient Mathematical Astronomy, Vol. 2, 1975, p. 832). Are we to believe then, that after over a thousand years of careful observation of Venus, the Babylonians still had no real idea of the "true" value for its disappearance interval? Ev Cochrane/Editor-Publisher of Aeon, A Journal of Myth and Science 2326 Knapp, Ames IA, 50014 ev@eai.com The views presented here are those of Ev Cochrane alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of EAI and Iowa State University. (However, it wouldn't surprise me if both attempt to claim responsibility in the years ahead). /////90 MINUTE VIDEO DOCUMENTARY\\\\\ Kronia communications has completed a 90 minute video documentary on "Saturn Myth" author Dave Talbot's startling discoveries about destructive perturbations in the planetary arrangement of the solar system. "Remembering the End of the World" give a clear insight into the very different world that ancient peoples inhabited and told about in their myths and art. The video is profusely illustrated with computer animation and a beautiful gallery of archaeological photos and ancient art. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Direct inquiries about ordering to our toll free number 1-800-230-9347 Internet: http://www.kronia.com/~kronia email: inquiries@kronia.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ///// CONTEMPORARY VELIKOVSKIAN SCHOLARSHIP \\\\\ On Nov. 26, 1994, Portland, Oregon hosted an international symposium on ancient myth and modern astronomy dedicated to the pioneering work of Immanuel Velikovsky, author of "Worlds In Collision". Over 20 researchers spoke on the need for a reinterpretation of the archaeological, astronomical, geological and anthropological records in light of growing evidence that The Earth's recent history witnessed catastrophic encounters with a number of planetary and comet-like bodies. Kronia Communications is making the proceedings of that symposium available both on audio cassette and as ASCII text 3 1/2" diskettes. We also have a collection of representative text files from the pages of historic and ongoing Velikovskian journals including Pensee, Kronos, The Velikovskian, AEON, SIS Review and Catastrophe & Ancient History. A partial list of the contributors and their bios is below. Prices are as follows: 20 Cassette set of audio tapes from the International Symposium: "VELIKOVSKY- ANCIENT MYTH AND MODERN ASTRONOMY" $60.00 PROCEEDINGS on 3 1/2" IBM floppy- ASCII text, no illustrations $10.00 30 + ARTICLES from the above journals on floppy $10.00 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Direct inquiries about ordering to our toll free number 1-800-230-9347 Internet: http://www.kronia.com/~kronia email: inquiries@kronia.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ///////\\\\\\\ AEON is a journal of science devoted to the collection and exploration of archaeo-astronomical traditions and analysis of common patterns in ancient myths from around the world. Topics include: Reconstruction of standard archaeological dating systems Evidence for cataclysmic evolution and extinction Common elements in the myths of the planets, the Deluge and comet-like dieties associated with quakes, volcanos, tempests conflagrations, ice ages, plagues, mass destruction and migration in Egypt, India, Assyria, Akkadia, Chaldea, Medea, Minoa, Sumeria, Judea, Greece, Rome, Babylon, Persia, China, S.E. Asia, the Pacific, Scandanavia, the Americas and among contemporary native peoples. Please send all manuscripts and inquiries to: ----------------------------------------------------------------------- AEON, 601 Hayward St., Ames, IA, 50014. email: ev@eai.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ///////\\\\\\\ THE VELIKOVSKIAN is a journal devoted to Myth, History and Science. Topics have included: origin of the Moon, ice core dating evidence, the suppression of science, the nature of Venus' heat, gravity and electrical properties in space, ancient maps, "dark matter", calendar dating, planetary magnetic fields, the dating of ancient ruins, etc. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE VELIKOVSKIAN, 65-35 108TH St., Ste D15, Forrest Hills, NY 11375 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ///////\\\\\\\ SIS- THE SOCIETY FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDY REVIEW is a journal about chronology and catastrophism- the evidence for catastrophic events in archaeology, history, anthropology, and evolution. Other topics include: celestial mechanics, myth and tradition, historic dating, erratic events in the Solar System, meteors, ancient planetary dieties, problems and new interpretations in Greek, Persian, Hebraic, Egyptian, Babylonian history, etc. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SIS REVIEW, 10 Witley Green, Darley Heights, Stopsley LU2 8TR, Bedfordshire,England ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ///////\\\\\\\ SCIENCE FRONTIERS- William Corliss' bimonthly collection of digests of scientific anomalies in the current literature. Hundreds of short abstracts in many areas including: Archaeology, Astronomy, Biology, Geology, Geophysics, Psychology, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Esoterica ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE SOURCEBOOK PROJECT, P. O. Box 107, Glen Arm, MD 21057 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ///////\\\\\\\ Speaker Biographies - International Symposium "VELIIKOVSKY- ANCIENT MYTH AND MODERN SCIENCE" DWARDU CARDONA- Electrical engineer, founder Canadian Society of Interdisciplinary Studies, senior editor of AEON. Researcher and prolific writer on comparative mythology having published over 100 articles in various journals. VICTOR CLUBE- Dean of the astrophysics department at Oxford University, England. Co-author of two books, "Cosmic Serpent" and "Cosmic Winter", claiming that major cometary disasters have occurred within historic times, devastating early civilizations. His current work is aimed at alerting government agencies to such perils as comet Shoemaker/Levy and encouraging governments to mobilize the technologies necessary to identify potential cometary intruders and to provide terrestrial defenses against them. EV COCHRANE- Associate Editor Kronos; executive editor and publisher AEON; published many articles in Kronos and AEON from comparative mythology, to planet/comet catastrophism and biological evolution; currently finishing major work: "The Many Faces of Venus". VINE DELORIA- An American Indian activist, lawyer, historian, educator author screen writer and consultant. He is author of "Custer Died For Your Sins", "God Is Red", "Indians of The Pacific Northwest", "The Nations Within", and 10 other books on native peoples issues. He has served on the editorial boards of the American Historical Society, the National Geographic Society, the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, the Journal of International and Comparative Law, and over 15 other publications. He has over 5 honorary degrees, has authored 8 special government reports on Indian affairs., and has over 100 periodical articles including articles in Pensee and Kronos. ROBERT DRISCOLL- Graduated Caltech (physics) and Case Tech (mechanical engineering) (cum laude); author "Unified Theory of Ether, Field and Matter", 1964; member American Physical Society and his articles on physics have appeared in The Bulletin of the American Physical Society, Hadronic Journal, Physics Essays, AEON, author of numerous journal articles. CHARLES GINENTHAL- Editor-in-Chief, The Velikovskian;; contributor to Kronos, AEON, Meta Research Bulletin; author: "Carl Sagan and Immanuel Velikovsky" and "The Continuing Velikovsky Affair: The Second Generation". Charles is also working on a cosmology invoking electromagnetism as a counterforce to gravity in interplanetary and interstellar space. ROBERT GRUBAUGH- Structural Dynamicist 1967-1990 at TRW Ballistic Missiles Division, San Bernardino CA, Section Chief, Department Manager, Senior Staff Engineer- Analyzed trajectories in relation to stipulated orbital conditions; inventor of a rotational shock measuring device, now being used by the Japanese for earthquake measuring. RICHARD HEINBERG- Velikovsky's personal assistant and editor of his unpublished manuscripts. Heinberg's popular book, "Memories & Visions of Paradise" was hailed by Jean Houston (noted authority on the great religions) as "...a new classic in the study of the world's psyche." He is also the author of two other books and numerous articles on mythology, anthropology, and ecology. GUNNAR HEINSOHN- Masters Sociology 1971, Doctorate Social Sciences 1973, Doctorate Economics 1982, Freie Universitat, Berlin; tenured Professor, University of Bremen 1984. Author of over 15 books and 300 articles since 1969 in the fields of history, economics, theory and chronology of civilization, the separation of modern man from Neanderthal, Bronze Age Mesopotamian civilization, Greek city state economics, origins of Jewish monotheism, recontructions and revisions of Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Akhaemenid and Indus-Valley civilizations, the European witch hunts, and the 20th century Jewish Holocaust. EARL MILTON- BS 1956, MS inorganic chemistry 1958, doctorate gas phase spectroscopy University of Lethbridge, Montreal; staff University of Saskatchewan, photometrics of the aurora borealis; founding faculty member and head Centennial University at Lethbridge where he engaged in laboratory research on the aurora and stellar spectra and developed an all-electric theory governing cosmic and terrestrial events; currently completing manuscripts on astro-catastrophism including collaboration on an Encyclopedia of Quantavolution and Catastrophes; editor of "Recollections of a Fallen Sky, Velikovsky and Cultural Amnesia" and co-author of "Solaria Binaria: Origins and History of the Solar System" WILLIAM MULLEN- Recognized as one of the world's leading classicists, Dr. Mullen is currently Professor of Classics at Bard College. Undergraduate study- Harvard, Magna cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and Bowdoin prize for best undergraduate essay; Ph.D. University of Texas at Austin; Assistant Professor of Classics, University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Mullen is the author of "Choreia; Pindar, and Dance" (Princeton University Press, 1982), and articles on "Dithyramb" and "Choral Dancing," in the "INTERNATIONAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF DANCE," in addition to many other articles and published works. DONALD PATTEN- B.A. and M.A. degrees in geography from the University of Washington. Author of The Biblical Flood and the Ice Epoch (1966), The Long Day of Joshua and Six Other Catastrophes (1973), and Catastrophism and the Old Testament (1987). He is also a principal in the production of two videos, "Cataclysm From Space 2800 B.C." and "The Discovery of Noah's Ark." LYNN E. ROSE- Professor of philosophy, State University of New York at Buffalo; B.A. cum laude, Ohio State University, 1955, in ancient history and Classical Languages (Greek), Phi Beta Kappa; .M.A. in Philosophy, Ohio State University, 1957; Ph.D. in Philosophy, University of Pennsylvania, Author of over a half-dozen books on Classics and several dozen journal articles. DAVID TALBOTT- Founder and publisher of Pensee magazine's ten-issue series, "Immanuel Velikovsky Reconsidered," which helped to spark international interest in Velikovsky's work in the mid seventies. Author of "The Saturn Myth" (Doubleday, 1980), and founder of the journal AEON: A Symposium on Myth and Science. WALLACE THORNHILL- computer systems engineer with IBM and the Australian Government; postgraduate Astrophysics studies at Queen Mary College, University of London; papers on Venus and the origin of chondritic meteorites have been published in the UK Society for Interdisciplinary Studies (SIS) Review and the Proceedings of the National Australian Convention of Amateur Astronomers; Past committee member of SIS. ROGER W. WESCOTT- B.A. Princeton, (linguistics, summa cum laude); Ph.D. Princeton, linguistics 1948; Rhodes Scholar; anthropological field work in Nigeria; director African Language Program, Michigan State University.; Author of over 40 books and 400 articles; listed in Who's Who; Professor of Linguistics in the Humanities Division of the Graduate School and Professor of Anthropology in the Social Science Division of the College of Liberal Arts at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey; first holder of The Endowed Chair of Excellence in Humanities at the University of Tennessee.; current President of the International Society for the Comparative Study of Civilizations. SAMUEL WINDSOR- Windsor is a mechanical engineer previously employed by Boeing and by the Department of the Navy in building nuclear submarines. Currently working as a naval architect and marine engineer. His essays have appeared in the journals Catastrophism and Ancient History and AEON. TOM VAN FLANDERN- Phd 1969 Yale, celestial mechanics; former director U. S. Naval Observatory, Celestial Mechanics Branch; teacher of astronomy and consultant to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory; frequent contributor to scholarly technical journals and astronomy magazines. Author- "Dark Matter, Missing Planets, & New Comets". DUANE VORHEES- Doctorate in American Culture Studies from Bowling Green State University. His dissertation was "A Cultural and Intellectual Biography of Immanuel Velikovsky." Dr. Vorhees is currently with the University of Maryland, Asia Division, teaching American History, literature and related courses. He is the author of numerous articles in Kronos and AEON. IRVING WOLFE- B.A. English and Philosophy 1956, M.A. English 1958, doctorate Drama 1970 McGill University, Montreal; Professor of Drama, McGill University 1978 to present; author of over 25 articles and 50 papers on Velikovsky and the role of global catastrophe in the shaping of ancient and contemporary dramatic themes, in the formation of cultural amnesia, in the creation of world religions and other forms of collective behavior; frequent lecturer and consultant outside the university. NANCY OWEN- B.S Michegan State University, M.E. University of Texas; author "Astronomical Events on the Dates of the Dresden Codex" and "Archeoastronomy in Pre-Columbian America", contributed papers to Sobretiro de: Estudios de Cultura Maya Vol VIII, SIS Review, , Il Coloquio Internacional de Mayistas, ESOP, Memorias del Primera Coloqueo Internacional de Mayistas; presented papers at the Museum of Natural History, NY, AAAS- Mexico City. ERIC MILLER- Poet, playwright, writer; former Trustee of Island Campus (Pacific Institute for Advanced Studies); correspondent with and performed research for I. Velikovsky; author of "Passion for Murder: The Homicidal Deeds of Dr. Sigmund Freud" (1985 New Directions), "Venus Worship In Ancient China" (manuscript), "The Errors of Einstein" (manuscript). CHARLES RASPIL- B.A. Political Science. 1967, City College of NY; currently working as a Fair Hearing representative for the City of New York; published in Horus, The Velikovskian, Proceedings of the International Forum on New Science.