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[Music]

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[Applause]

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welcome back to the ufo rabbit hole

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podcast i'm your host kelly chase

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today we dive into part two of what was

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once a single episode and is now

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apparently a trilogy that aims to put

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forth a rational approach to the

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question of whether or not the ufo

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phenomenon may have interacted and

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perhaps even intervened with humans in

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the distant past and if so what impact

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this interaction may have had on our

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species and the development of human

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civilization

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this idea referred to as the ancient

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astronaut theory and popularized by the

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show ancient aliens is one that emerges

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again and again as you begin to study

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ufology

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the evidence that the ufo phenomenon has

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played a clear albeit baffling role in

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human history is considerable something

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that we'll get into more in future

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episodes and is woven throughout our

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stories and art around the world

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spanning back as far into our past as

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these things appear

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there's something undeniably different

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about humanity

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as far as we're aware despite billions

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of years of evolution on this planet

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humans are the first species to appear

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with the capacity for what we define as

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intelligence

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we're seemingly the first species to

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create art to develop complex language

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to develop agriculture and to build

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cities

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we're the first species to not just

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wonder about who we are in the grand

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scheme of the cosmos but to develop

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complex frameworks and methodologies to

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begin to pursue the truth behind these

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mysteries ourselves

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i mean we went to the moon

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and yet our nearest cousins the

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chimpanzees highly intelligent though

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they may be are only fractionally closer

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to writing the declaration of

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independence than your average dog the

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differences between us are undeniable

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and profound

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and the reality is that we have no idea

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why we are so different

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the unique quality of our humanity is

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self-evident but where did it come from

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are we just very smart apes who through

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trial and error and no small amount of

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luck over millions of years just

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happened upon the path to math

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philosophy art agriculture and

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government

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or is there perhaps more to it than that

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could we have been given a boost some

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form of guidance or revelation from a

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more advanced intelligence

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the mysteries of our past certainly seem

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to raise this intriguing possibility

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so let's take some time to dive into the

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evidence surrounding the emergence of

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one of the most unique and astonishing

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of humanity's achievements the

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development of high civilization

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to see what clues there might be about

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this profound chapter in our history

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and what role if any the ufo phenomenon

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may have played in its emergence

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but before we go any further we need to

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stop for a minute to get some clarity

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around what civilization actually is

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after all if we're going to go look for

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clues about human civilization in the

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distant past we need to know what we're

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looking for right

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and the concept of civilization is one

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that may seem obvious but upon closer

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inspection is anything but

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we use that word in a lot of different

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ways in our everyday lives

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for some civilization is running water

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for others a place needs to have at

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least one michelin star restaurant to

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qualify

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and when we look at more technical

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definitions of civilization in an

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attempt to understand and trace its

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emergence things get even more

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complicated

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there are a lot of layers and a lot of

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history around the very idea of

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civilization that we need to unpack in

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order for us to take a more informed and

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nuanced look at the evidence and begin

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to understand what secrets may lie in

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our distant past

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the word civilization brings to mind so

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many of the things that make humans

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unique among the other animals on this

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planet

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things like art language knowledge

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technology and government

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but how would we define it exactly

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an important distinction to make here is

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the difference between civilization and

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culture

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living built up by human beings and

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transmitted from one generation to

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another culture is a complex entity

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that's made up of a confluence of

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disparate parts and can include things

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such as art customs morals beliefs

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religion food and even laws

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civilization

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on the other hand is an advanced state

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of human society in which a high level

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of culture science industry and

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government has been reached

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a civilization is made up of and springs

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from culture

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but is also associated with a number of

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social political and economic

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characteristics such as urban

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development social stratification unique

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art and architecture a form of detailed

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writing complex division of labor

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codified laws and administration and

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more

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so art culture museums civilization

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food

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culture

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culinary school

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civilization a group of people can have

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and enforce laws as part of their

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culture

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but in a civilization those laws are

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codified and enforced by specialist

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groups assembled for that purpose like

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legislative bodies and police forces so

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this distinction gives us a decent place

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to start talking about how to truly

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define what a civilization is

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our culture emerges from our humanity

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our sense of beauty our sense of order

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our sense of right and wrong and culture

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can exist without civilization we see

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this in humanity's past where we have

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examples of cave art dating back at

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least 40 000 years

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but civilization on the other hand

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emerges from complexity complex ideas

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complex ways of meeting needs complex

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social structures

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and yet still this definition feels a

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little soft where is that line between

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the simple and the complex and how do we

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definitively say when a group of people

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have crossed that threshold and how

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would we recognize the signs of that

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transition in the distant past

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because of the complexities of defining

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what exactly a civilization is

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many experts have settled on written

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language as the defining characteristic

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and this makes sense in a lot of ways

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first of all writing gives us something

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concrete and discoverable by which to

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define civilization

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things like a complex social structure

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and codified laws can be inferred about

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a group of people based on the evidence

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they leave behind

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but without a written language to

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decipher it is difficult if not

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impossible for us to know much about

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them

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written language itself also implies a

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level of social complexity that we

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associate with civilization

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its very existence implies the need for

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complex information to be conveyed to a

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large group of people

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it implies some kind of formal or at

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least structured education

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it implies a permanence or perhaps more

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accurately a persistence of a group's

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culture and a sense of identity

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for these reasons written language is an

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intuitive benchmark

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and if you have to draw the line in the

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sand somewhere to clearly define what

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civilization is

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written language feels like a good place

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to do it

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however there are some issues with this

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approach as well

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i'd argue that for written language to

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be used as a reliable benchmark for

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human civilization

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then at minimum two things need to be

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true of the examples of written language

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that are left behind by that

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civilization

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they must be durable and recognizable

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let's take a minute to talk about what i

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mean by that

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so first of all for us to find this

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writing it still has to exist somewhere

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which means that it has to be durable it

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has to survive long enough for us to

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find it

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however more often than not written

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language isn't very durable or rather

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the materials that are used for written

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language aren't very durable

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organic materials like paper and papyrus

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for example eventually decay

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they're also particularly vulnerable to

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damage from everything from fires to

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floods to simple humidity

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the library of alexandria comes to mind

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believed to have been built sometime

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around 250 bc

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the library of alexandria in egypt was

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perhaps the largest and most significant

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library of the ancient world

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at its height it was said to have housed

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anywhere from around forty thousand to

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four hundred thousand scrolls

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despite a common misconception that the

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library was burned down entirely in one

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catastrophic incident it was actually

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partially burned three different times

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over a few hundred years during various

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wars and conflicts before falling into

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decline due to lack of funding and

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eventually disappearing entirely

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sometime in the late third century

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and this is why you've always got to

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vote to fund your library's people do

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your part

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and though the story is different from

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the story of the library of alexandria

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that is typically told it doesn't really

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matter the impact is the same

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for hundreds of years an astonishing

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wealth of human knowledge was

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meticulously stored and protected in the

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library of alexandria

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and yet now nothing of it remains

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eventually disasters wars and cultural

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atrophy devoured it all

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interestingly even in our current day we

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are confronted with the challenges of

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preserving and safeguarding records for

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future generations

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this is because more and more knowledge

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and information is being created and

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stored exclusively in a digital format

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and although technology makes it much

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easier to duplicate backup and share

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this information the technology we use

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to access it as well as the formats in

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which it is stored are constantly

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changing

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there are actually those who think that

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we're not doing enough to preserve our

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digital records and that we are at

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serious risk of creating a black hole in

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our history

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think about it this way

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how much information was stored on

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floppy disks and cds and other

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relatively short-lived data storage

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mediums

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and how far forward in the future would

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you need to go for that data to become

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virtually irretrievable

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00:11:22,550 --> 00:11:21,519
a couple of hundred years perhaps maybe

290
00:11:24,790 --> 00:11:22,560
less

291
00:11:26,790 --> 00:11:24,800
for anyone who is unlikely to invest any

292
00:11:29,350 --> 00:11:26,800
energy in this sort of thing which i

293
00:11:32,310 --> 00:11:29,360
would argue is basically everyone those

294
00:11:33,030 --> 00:11:32,320
things are effectively irretrievable now

295
00:11:34,710 --> 00:11:33,040
so

296
00:11:36,630 --> 00:11:34,720
what can we use to preserve written

297
00:11:38,470 --> 00:11:36,640
language in a way that can withstand

298
00:11:40,630 --> 00:11:38,480
that test of time

299
00:11:43,110 --> 00:11:40,640
the most obvious answer is with pottery

300
00:11:44,710 --> 00:11:43,120
or clay tablets or if you really want to

301
00:11:45,670 --> 00:11:44,720
get serious you could carve it into

302
00:11:47,670 --> 00:11:45,680
stone

303
00:11:49,910 --> 00:11:47,680
and luckily although we've undoubtedly

304
00:11:51,670 --> 00:11:49,920
lost immense amounts of human history

305
00:11:53,350 --> 00:11:51,680
and knowledge that was stored on less

306
00:11:55,430 --> 00:11:53,360
durable materials

307
00:11:57,350 --> 00:11:55,440
our ancestors did use these sorts of

308
00:11:59,350 --> 00:11:57,360
materials as well

309
00:12:01,910 --> 00:11:59,360
the very earliest examples of writing

310
00:12:04,790 --> 00:12:01,920
that we have are on clay tablets they

311
00:12:07,190 --> 00:12:04,800
date back to around 3 500 bc in what was

312
00:12:08,310 --> 00:12:07,200
once mesopotamia and is now modern-day

313
00:12:09,750 --> 00:12:08,320
iraq

314
00:12:12,310 --> 00:12:09,760
this is where it is believed that

315
00:12:14,550 --> 00:12:12,320
written language was first developed

316
00:12:17,990 --> 00:12:14,560
we have examples of early pictographic

317
00:12:19,910 --> 00:12:18,000
writing starting at around 3500 bc that

318
00:12:23,350 --> 00:12:19,920
slowly transitioned into what we

319
00:12:25,509 --> 00:12:23,360
recognize today as cuneiform

320
00:12:27,590 --> 00:12:25,519
which brings us to our next point which

321
00:12:29,590 --> 00:12:27,600
is that for written language to be an

322
00:12:31,269 --> 00:12:29,600
effective benchmark for the emergence of

323
00:12:33,750 --> 00:12:31,279
human civilization

324
00:12:34,949 --> 00:12:33,760
we need to be able to recognize it as

325
00:12:37,430 --> 00:12:34,959
writing

326
00:12:39,750 --> 00:12:37,440
but a written language is just a set of

327
00:12:42,550 --> 00:12:39,760
symbols that convey meaning and there

328
00:12:44,790 --> 00:12:42,560
are many different kinds of languages

329
00:12:45,829 --> 00:12:44,800
in english each character represents a

330
00:12:47,829 --> 00:12:45,839
sound

331
00:12:49,590 --> 00:12:47,839
in some languages each character

332
00:12:52,069 --> 00:12:49,600
represents a syllable

333
00:12:53,590 --> 00:12:52,079
and in others each character is a word

334
00:12:54,949 --> 00:12:53,600
or an idea

335
00:12:56,870 --> 00:12:54,959
some of these characters can be

336
00:12:58,069 --> 00:12:56,880
relatively simple like in the latin

337
00:13:00,790 --> 00:12:58,079
alphabet

338
00:13:02,949 --> 00:13:00,800
or they can be complex pictographs where

339
00:13:05,269 --> 00:13:02,959
minor variations in the character can

340
00:13:07,829 --> 00:13:05,279
convey subtle layers of meaning

341
00:13:10,150 --> 00:13:07,839
chinese consists not only of characters

342
00:13:12,470 --> 00:13:10,160
representing meanings but also of

343
00:13:14,230 --> 00:13:12,480
secondary characters based on sound

344
00:13:16,230 --> 00:13:14,240
similarity for representing meanings

345
00:13:19,190 --> 00:13:16,240
that were difficult to picture

346
00:13:21,829 --> 00:13:19,200
it therefore relies upon both word-based

347
00:13:24,310 --> 00:13:21,839
and sound-based principles

348
00:13:25,910 --> 00:13:24,320
but whatever the language if we don't

349
00:13:28,150 --> 00:13:25,920
understand the meaning that these

350
00:13:29,829 --> 00:13:28,160
characters are trying to convey

351
00:13:31,670 --> 00:13:29,839
how would we even know for sure that

352
00:13:33,110 --> 00:13:31,680
what we are looking at is truly a

353
00:13:35,190 --> 00:13:33,120
written language

354
00:13:37,350 --> 00:13:35,200
what would separate random characters

355
00:13:39,590 --> 00:13:37,360
and pictographs from any other markings

356
00:13:41,990 --> 00:13:39,600
one might find on walls or tablets in

357
00:13:44,230 --> 00:13:42,000
ancient archaeological sites

358
00:13:46,150 --> 00:13:44,240
because preserving written language over

359
00:13:47,269 --> 00:13:46,160
thousands of years presents so many

360
00:13:49,269 --> 00:13:47,279
challenges

361
00:13:52,069 --> 00:13:49,279
and because we may not even recognize it

362
00:13:54,069 --> 00:13:52,079
as written language we do find it i

363
00:13:56,230 --> 00:13:54,079
think it's important to recognize the

364
00:13:58,310 --> 00:13:56,240
very real possibility that we could

365
00:14:00,150 --> 00:13:58,320
easily miss written language in the

366
00:14:02,389 --> 00:14:00,160
archaeological record

367
00:14:04,710 --> 00:14:02,399
which i would argue means that written

368
00:14:07,189 --> 00:14:04,720
language can't be a viable benchmark for

369
00:14:08,710 --> 00:14:07,199
identifying human civilization

370
00:14:10,550 --> 00:14:08,720
and so what we're left with is a

371
00:14:11,829 --> 00:14:10,560
question for which we still don't have a

372
00:14:12,870 --> 00:14:11,839
great answer

373
00:14:15,750 --> 00:14:12,880
which is

374
00:14:18,150 --> 00:14:15,760
what is civilization

375
00:14:20,310 --> 00:14:18,160
to try to answer that question i want to

376
00:14:22,310 --> 00:14:20,320
take a minute to talk about the ideas of

377
00:14:23,990 --> 00:14:22,320
one man that have perhaps shaped the

378
00:14:26,389 --> 00:14:24,000
current accepted narrative of the

379
00:14:27,750 --> 00:14:26,399
emergence of human civilization more

380
00:14:30,949 --> 00:14:27,760
than any other

381
00:14:32,790 --> 00:14:30,959
and that man is v gordon child

382
00:14:35,350 --> 00:14:32,800
child was a famed australian

383
00:14:37,910 --> 00:14:35,360
archaeologist in the early 20th century

384
00:14:39,350 --> 00:14:37,920
who specialized in the study of european

385
00:14:41,110 --> 00:14:39,360
pre-history

386
00:14:43,269 --> 00:14:41,120
he spent most of his life in the united

387
00:14:45,509 --> 00:14:43,279
kingdom working first as an academic for

388
00:14:48,550 --> 00:14:45,519
the university of edinburgh and then at

389
00:14:51,030 --> 00:14:48,560
the institution of archaeology in london

390
00:14:54,069 --> 00:14:51,040
child was known as a great synthesizer

391
00:14:55,750 --> 00:14:54,079
of archaeology and wrote 26 books during

392
00:14:57,829 --> 00:14:55,760
his career

393
00:14:59,750 --> 00:14:57,839
he initially made his mark as an early

394
00:15:02,310 --> 00:14:59,760
proponent of culture historical

395
00:15:04,389 --> 00:15:02,320
archaeology which is an archaeological

396
00:15:06,710 --> 00:15:04,399
theory that emphasizes defining

397
00:15:08,949 --> 00:15:06,720
historical societies into distinct

398
00:15:10,629 --> 00:15:08,959
ethnic and cultural groupings according

399
00:15:12,470 --> 00:15:10,639
to the art and material that their

400
00:15:13,509 --> 00:15:12,480
culture produced

401
00:15:15,910 --> 00:15:13,519
however

402
00:15:18,710 --> 00:15:15,920
later in his career he became a staunch

403
00:15:20,230 --> 00:15:18,720
proponent of marxist archaeology which

404
00:15:22,310 --> 00:15:20,240
is a theory that interprets

405
00:15:24,230 --> 00:15:22,320
archaeological information within the

406
00:15:26,629 --> 00:15:24,240
framework of marxism

407
00:15:28,389 --> 00:15:26,639
now whatever your opinion of marxism i

408
00:15:30,230 --> 00:15:28,399
think we can all at least agree on the

409
00:15:32,629 --> 00:15:30,240
idea that interpreting the lives and

410
00:15:33,910 --> 00:15:32,639
cultures of ancient people entirely

411
00:15:37,189 --> 00:15:33,920
through the lens of a modern

412
00:15:38,629 --> 00:15:37,199
socio-economic theory is at best a dodgy

413
00:15:40,710 --> 00:15:38,639
approach

414
00:15:42,550 --> 00:15:40,720
but this is also something that we as

415
00:15:44,710 --> 00:15:42,560
humans do a lot

416
00:15:46,790 --> 00:15:44,720
we tend to apply the blueprint of our

417
00:15:49,030 --> 00:15:46,800
current understanding to unfamiliar

418
00:15:50,710 --> 00:15:49,040
cultures and concepts assuming that

419
00:15:51,829 --> 00:15:50,720
they're more like us than they actually

420
00:15:53,509 --> 00:15:51,839
are

421
00:15:56,150 --> 00:15:53,519
i spent a few years traveling and living

422
00:15:58,629 --> 00:15:56,160
abroad and until i had that experience i

423
00:16:00,870 --> 00:15:58,639
don't think that i truly understood how

424
00:16:03,269 --> 00:16:00,880
much that's true

425
00:16:05,110 --> 00:16:03,279
every culture is deeply coded with

426
00:16:08,069 --> 00:16:05,120
nuanced layers of meaning threaded

427
00:16:09,749 --> 00:16:08,079
throughout each and every interaction

428
00:16:11,749 --> 00:16:09,759
we don't notice it when we're embedded

429
00:16:13,670 --> 00:16:11,759
within our own culture because that

430
00:16:15,829 --> 00:16:13,680
culture is the context in which we live

431
00:16:17,110 --> 00:16:15,839
our lives it's as natural to us as

432
00:16:19,189 --> 00:16:17,120
breathing

433
00:16:20,230 --> 00:16:19,199
but when we find ourselves in a foreign

434
00:16:22,389 --> 00:16:20,240
culture

435
00:16:23,430 --> 00:16:22,399
suddenly all of that comes sharply into

436
00:16:25,509 --> 00:16:23,440
focus

437
00:16:27,350 --> 00:16:25,519
we can be easily confounded by the

438
00:16:28,870 --> 00:16:27,360
simplest things

439
00:16:30,949 --> 00:16:28,880
do you wait to be seated or seat

440
00:16:33,110 --> 00:16:30,959
yourself do you tip

441
00:16:33,910 --> 00:16:33,120
do you shake hands when you meet do you

442
00:16:35,269 --> 00:16:33,920
hug

443
00:16:37,430 --> 00:16:35,279
do you bow

444
00:16:38,310 --> 00:16:37,440
or maybe you go for the european cheat

445
00:16:40,069 --> 00:16:38,320
kiss

446
00:16:41,749 --> 00:16:40,079
but one cheek or two

447
00:16:43,509 --> 00:16:41,759
surprise you're in amsterdam and the

448
00:16:45,189 --> 00:16:43,519
answer is three

449
00:16:47,189 --> 00:16:45,199
i actually lived in amsterdam for a

450
00:16:49,670 --> 00:16:47,199
couple of years and i found myself in

451
00:16:51,829 --> 00:16:49,680
these situations all the time and it

452
00:16:54,150 --> 00:16:51,839
says a lot that this was true even in a

453
00:16:56,069 --> 00:16:54,160
place like amsterdam a western

454
00:16:58,230 --> 00:16:56,079
democratic country with a shared

455
00:17:00,069 --> 00:16:58,240
eurocentric historical perspective and

456
00:17:02,629 --> 00:17:00,079
whose citizens basically are all

457
00:17:05,029 --> 00:17:02,639
conversational or better in english

458
00:17:07,429 --> 00:17:05,039
but despite those many similarities the

459
00:17:09,510 --> 00:17:07,439
dutch perspective is so entirely

460
00:17:11,350 --> 00:17:09,520
different from the american one that i

461
00:17:12,630 --> 00:17:11,360
was constantly caught off guard by

462
00:17:15,110 --> 00:17:12,640
something that seemingly should have

463
00:17:17,590 --> 00:17:15,120
been obvious to me but wasn't

464
00:17:19,350 --> 00:17:17,600
here's a quick example of what i mean

465
00:17:21,110 --> 00:17:19,360
a popular tourist attraction in

466
00:17:23,029 --> 00:17:21,120
amsterdam during the time that i lived

467
00:17:25,270 --> 00:17:23,039
there was a giant sign made out of

468
00:17:28,549 --> 00:17:25,280
enormous black letters that said

469
00:17:30,310 --> 00:17:28,559
i amsterdam with the i and the am in red

470
00:17:32,789 --> 00:17:30,320
and the rest in white so it effectively

471
00:17:34,390 --> 00:17:32,799
said i am amsterdam

472
00:17:36,390 --> 00:17:34,400
these signs were all around the city

473
00:17:38,549 --> 00:17:36,400
from the airport to the world famous

474
00:17:40,150 --> 00:17:38,559
museum plan and people would climb up on

475
00:17:41,190 --> 00:17:40,160
the letters and take pictures for the

476
00:17:42,230 --> 00:17:41,200
gram

477
00:17:44,230 --> 00:17:42,240
however

478
00:17:46,870 --> 00:17:44,240
in 2018 it was announced that the

479
00:17:48,950 --> 00:17:46,880
popular installations would be removed

480
00:17:50,870 --> 00:17:48,960
the decision was made by majority vote

481
00:17:53,110 --> 00:17:50,880
by the amsterdam city council in

482
00:17:56,150 --> 00:17:53,120
response to a motion filed that said the

483
00:17:59,110 --> 00:17:56,160
sign was too individualistic and didn't

484
00:18:02,070 --> 00:17:59,120
promote solidarity and diversity

485
00:18:03,190 --> 00:18:02,080
now to most americans this is a baffling

486
00:18:05,590 --> 00:18:03,200
argument

487
00:18:07,590 --> 00:18:05,600
we are a nation founded on the almost

488
00:18:09,190 --> 00:18:07,600
worshipful notion of rugged

489
00:18:14,070 --> 00:18:09,200
individualism

490
00:18:15,430 --> 00:18:14,080
virtue not a societal vice that needs to

491
00:18:17,270 --> 00:18:15,440
be overcome

492
00:18:19,830 --> 00:18:17,280
and while we also believe in the ideals

493
00:18:21,830 --> 00:18:19,840
of solidarity and diversity we see it as

494
00:18:24,950 --> 00:18:21,840
solidarity among self-defined

495
00:18:27,590 --> 00:18:24,960
individuals we see individualism as the

496
00:18:29,029 --> 00:18:27,600
cornerstone of diversity not the enemy

497
00:18:30,470 --> 00:18:29,039
of it

498
00:18:32,549 --> 00:18:30,480
but to the dutch

499
00:18:34,789 --> 00:18:32,559
individualism is at the root of what

500
00:18:37,029 --> 00:18:34,799
they see as an increasingly sick and

501
00:18:39,350 --> 00:18:37,039
unbalanced western culture

502
00:18:40,950 --> 00:18:39,360
it is antithetical to their collectivist

503
00:18:44,470 --> 00:18:40,960
beliefs that place the needs of the

504
00:18:47,029 --> 00:18:44,480
whole above the needs of the individual

505
00:18:49,270 --> 00:18:47,039
they see aggressive individualism as the

506
00:18:51,270 --> 00:18:49,280
root cause of much of the injustice and

507
00:18:54,150 --> 00:18:51,280
inequality in the world

508
00:18:56,549 --> 00:18:54,160
and to be honest even as i'm saying this

509
00:18:58,150 --> 00:18:56,559
i'm not 100 confident that i'm properly

510
00:19:00,630 --> 00:18:58,160
conveying their point of view on all of

511
00:19:03,350 --> 00:19:00,640
this because i don't know that i totally

512
00:19:05,350 --> 00:19:03,360
understand it the idea is just so

513
00:19:06,789 --> 00:19:05,360
fundamentally foreign

514
00:19:08,390 --> 00:19:06,799
and the question of who's right and

515
00:19:10,710 --> 00:19:08,400
who's wrong doesn't matter and is

516
00:19:12,870 --> 00:19:10,720
honestly probably asinine

517
00:19:14,870 --> 00:19:12,880
the point is that even cultures that

518
00:19:16,870 --> 00:19:14,880
exist at the same time and that have

519
00:19:19,430 --> 00:19:16,880
significant amounts of overlap in their

520
00:19:21,270 --> 00:19:19,440
shared experience can be very different

521
00:19:23,110 --> 00:19:21,280
from one another and can operate with

522
00:19:25,510 --> 00:19:23,120
entirely different sets of beliefs and

523
00:19:28,230 --> 00:19:25,520
motivations that would likely not be

524
00:19:30,630 --> 00:19:28,240
immediately obvious to outsiders

525
00:19:33,510 --> 00:19:30,640
which is why i'd argue that it's almost

526
00:19:35,590 --> 00:19:33,520
impossible for us to easily understand

527
00:19:38,470 --> 00:19:35,600
how different a culture that existed

528
00:19:40,950 --> 00:19:38,480
2000 years ago is from our own

529
00:19:43,350 --> 00:19:40,960
and when you go further back into time

530
00:19:44,950 --> 00:19:43,360
to five thousand years ten thousand

531
00:19:47,750 --> 00:19:44,960
years and beyond

532
00:19:49,350 --> 00:19:47,760
those differences inevitably only become

533
00:19:50,470 --> 00:19:49,360
more profound

534
00:19:52,870 --> 00:19:50,480
and so

535
00:19:55,990 --> 00:19:52,880
to conduct effective archaeological

536
00:19:58,470 --> 00:19:56,000
inquiry we need to always be cognizant

537
00:20:00,950 --> 00:19:58,480
of this fact and do our best not to

538
00:20:03,669 --> 00:20:00,960
place the blueprint of our experience on

539
00:20:04,789 --> 00:20:03,679
top of things that we don't understand

540
00:20:07,110 --> 00:20:04,799
so

541
00:20:09,590 --> 00:20:07,120
getting back to v gordon child the

542
00:20:11,669 --> 00:20:09,600
takeaway is that his ideas changed a lot

543
00:20:13,350 --> 00:20:11,679
throughout his career and while he was

544
00:20:15,669 --> 00:20:13,360
well respected and made important

545
00:20:17,430 --> 00:20:15,679
contributions to archaeology

546
00:20:19,590 --> 00:20:17,440
many of his ideas have come into

547
00:20:20,630 --> 00:20:19,600
question or have been outright disproven

548
00:20:24,310 --> 00:20:20,640
since

549
00:20:26,630 --> 00:20:24,320
however despite this those same ideas

550
00:20:28,470 --> 00:20:26,640
still form the basis for what much of

551
00:20:30,789 --> 00:20:28,480
the mainstream narrative around the

552
00:20:32,230 --> 00:20:30,799
emergence of human civilization is to

553
00:20:34,630 --> 00:20:32,240
this day

554
00:20:37,270 --> 00:20:34,640
as we talk through some of these ideas

555
00:20:38,149 --> 00:20:37,280
they'll likely be familiar to you

556
00:20:39,350 --> 00:20:38,159
so

557
00:20:42,070 --> 00:20:39,360
first of all

558
00:20:44,470 --> 00:20:42,080
child divided pre-industrial societies

559
00:20:48,630 --> 00:20:44,480
into three main categories

560
00:20:50,630 --> 00:20:48,640
savagery barbarism and civilization

561
00:20:52,870 --> 00:20:50,640
and these aren't just categories but

562
00:20:55,350 --> 00:20:52,880
represent a hierarchical progression

563
00:20:58,870 --> 00:20:55,360
from least to most advanced

564
00:21:01,510 --> 00:20:58,880
according to child savages came first or

565
00:21:04,230 --> 00:21:01,520
to use a more accurate definition these

566
00:21:06,470 --> 00:21:04,240
were hunter-gatherers these people lived

567
00:21:09,270 --> 00:21:06,480
off of wild foods that they obtained by

568
00:21:10,710 --> 00:21:09,280
hunting fishing gathering foraging and

569
00:21:13,029 --> 00:21:10,720
scavenging

570
00:21:15,190 --> 00:21:13,039
next came barbarians

571
00:21:17,190 --> 00:21:15,200
these groups of early humans might still

572
00:21:19,110 --> 00:21:17,200
hunt and gather to some extent but they

573
00:21:21,990 --> 00:21:19,120
also began to supplement their food

574
00:21:24,070 --> 00:21:22,000
supply by cultivating plants and or

575
00:21:26,470 --> 00:21:24,080
herding and breeding animals

576
00:21:28,149 --> 00:21:26,480
cultivation and herding necessitated

577
00:21:30,070 --> 00:21:28,159
that small groups of people band

578
00:21:32,549 --> 00:21:30,080
together to protect small patches of

579
00:21:35,190 --> 00:21:32,559
land being used for that purpose

580
00:21:37,510 --> 00:21:35,200
then people began to weed water irrigate

581
00:21:39,430 --> 00:21:37,520
and even engaged in selective breeding

582
00:21:40,390 --> 00:21:39,440
in order to get more yield out of their

583
00:21:45,590 --> 00:21:40,400
land

584
00:21:49,270 --> 00:21:45,600
became more complex but they also led to

585
00:21:51,270 --> 00:21:49,280
more abundant outcomes aka more food

586
00:21:54,310 --> 00:21:51,280
as a result larger and larger

587
00:21:55,750 --> 00:21:54,320
communities arose around this land

588
00:21:57,830 --> 00:21:55,760
and then finally

589
00:22:00,149 --> 00:21:57,840
once these communities reached a certain

590
00:22:03,430 --> 00:22:00,159
size and level of complexity

591
00:22:05,430 --> 00:22:03,440
child defined this as civilization

592
00:22:07,110 --> 00:22:05,440
pretty straightforward right

593
00:22:09,270 --> 00:22:07,120
and it's probably not too different from

594
00:22:10,310 --> 00:22:09,280
what you learned in school

595
00:22:12,230 --> 00:22:10,320
however

596
00:22:15,110 --> 00:22:12,240
there are some serious issues with

597
00:22:16,310 --> 00:22:15,120
child's models that are worth discussing

598
00:22:18,230 --> 00:22:16,320
first of all

599
00:22:20,390 --> 00:22:18,240
child himself admitted that it was

600
00:22:23,190 --> 00:22:20,400
difficult to clearly define where the

601
00:22:24,710 --> 00:22:23,200
line between barbarism and civilization

602
00:22:27,190 --> 00:22:24,720
actually lies

603
00:22:29,430 --> 00:22:27,200
he generally equated civilization with

604
00:22:31,669 --> 00:22:29,440
urbanism and city life

605
00:22:33,669 --> 00:22:31,679
but recognized that that was also a

606
00:22:35,830 --> 00:22:33,679
difficult thing to define

607
00:22:38,070 --> 00:22:35,840
so he tended to agree with the view that

608
00:22:41,029 --> 00:22:38,080
britain language was the best benchmark

609
00:22:42,549 --> 00:22:41,039
for identifying true civilization

610
00:22:45,190 --> 00:22:42,559
and we've already discussed how that

611
00:22:47,029 --> 00:22:45,200
approach while convenient is inherently

612
00:22:49,110 --> 00:22:47,039
problematic

613
00:22:50,789 --> 00:22:49,120
the second issue is that the language

614
00:22:52,830 --> 00:22:50,799
that he chose to describe these

615
00:22:55,830 --> 00:22:52,840
different stages of pre-industrial human

616
00:22:59,110 --> 00:22:55,840
societies is coded with a cultural bias

617
00:23:00,549 --> 00:22:59,120
that can lead to incorrect conclusions

618
00:23:03,190 --> 00:23:00,559
for example

619
00:23:05,830 --> 00:23:03,200
a savage is defined as a brutal or

620
00:23:08,789 --> 00:23:05,840
vicious person or a member of a people

621
00:23:11,110 --> 00:23:08,799
regarded as primitive and uncivilized

622
00:23:13,029 --> 00:23:11,120
on the other hand a hunter-gatherer is a

623
00:23:14,710 --> 00:23:13,039
member of a nomadic people who live

624
00:23:16,470 --> 00:23:14,720
chiefly by hunting and fishing and

625
00:23:18,149 --> 00:23:16,480
harvesting wild food

626
00:23:19,750 --> 00:23:18,159
do you hear the difference

627
00:23:21,909 --> 00:23:19,760
and i want to be very clear that what

628
00:23:23,110 --> 00:23:21,919
we're talking about here isn't political

629
00:23:25,750 --> 00:23:23,120
correctness

630
00:23:28,149 --> 00:23:25,760
this is about accuracy in word choice

631
00:23:30,789 --> 00:23:28,159
and guarding against unconscious bias

632
00:23:33,190 --> 00:23:30,799
and our understanding of ancient people

633
00:23:35,190 --> 00:23:33,200
and we can easily see in this example

634
00:23:37,909 --> 00:23:35,200
how the use of the word savages to

635
00:23:40,549 --> 00:23:37,919
describe people who are hunter-gatherers

636
00:23:42,549 --> 00:23:40,559
layers unnecessary and unintended

637
00:23:45,430 --> 00:23:42,559
meaning onto the concept that can

638
00:23:47,430 --> 00:23:45,440
obscure our understanding

639
00:23:49,350 --> 00:23:47,440
we assume that because a group of people

640
00:23:52,470 --> 00:23:49,360
were hunter-gatherers that they were

641
00:23:54,789 --> 00:23:52,480
primitive brutal and uncivilized

642
00:23:56,789 --> 00:23:54,799
we assume that high culture and advanced

643
00:23:59,510 --> 00:23:56,799
knowledge can only exist within a

644
00:24:02,149 --> 00:23:59,520
civilized society which is a concept

645
00:24:04,549 --> 00:24:02,159
that we've arbitrarily tied to city life

646
00:24:07,029 --> 00:24:04,559
and written language even though we have

647
00:24:08,789 --> 00:24:07,039
trouble clearly defining and identifying

648
00:24:10,549 --> 00:24:08,799
either of those things

649
00:24:13,190 --> 00:24:10,559
and even though we can't clearly

650
00:24:14,710 --> 00:24:13,200
articulate a reason why those things

651
00:24:17,029 --> 00:24:14,720
should be the ultimate defining

652
00:24:19,190 --> 00:24:17,039
characteristics of civilization and

653
00:24:21,430 --> 00:24:19,200
advanced human achievement

654
00:24:23,830 --> 00:24:21,440
and although there is abundant evidence

655
00:24:25,990 --> 00:24:23,840
which we'll get into in just a minute to

656
00:24:28,149 --> 00:24:26,000
show that these ideas are flawed and

657
00:24:30,310 --> 00:24:28,159
don't accurately represent the emergence

658
00:24:31,350 --> 00:24:30,320
of human civilization as it actually

659
00:24:33,510 --> 00:24:31,360
occurred

660
00:24:35,269 --> 00:24:33,520
they still persist both within the

661
00:24:38,630 --> 00:24:35,279
cultural zeitgeist and within

662
00:24:40,390 --> 00:24:38,640
archaeology itself alright so now that

663
00:24:42,470 --> 00:24:40,400
we've laid the foundation

664
00:24:44,830 --> 00:24:42,480
let's talk about the story of human

665
00:24:47,909 --> 00:24:44,840
civilization according to mainstream

666
00:24:50,950 --> 00:24:47,919
academia we think that modern humans may

667
00:24:54,310 --> 00:24:50,960
have first appeared somewhere around 300

668
00:24:56,789 --> 00:24:54,320
000 to 350 000 years ago

669
00:24:59,350 --> 00:24:56,799
i say may have because the truth is that

670
00:25:01,430 --> 00:24:59,360
we are far from certain about where and

671
00:25:02,789 --> 00:25:01,440
when homo sapiens first came on the

672
00:25:05,350 --> 00:25:02,799
scene

673
00:25:07,350 --> 00:25:05,360
up until very recently the earliest

674
00:25:10,950 --> 00:25:07,360
examples of homo sapien bones that we

675
00:25:14,470 --> 00:25:10,960
had discovered were from about 195 000

676
00:25:16,549 --> 00:25:14,480
years ago in modern day ethiopia it was

677
00:25:18,710 --> 00:25:16,559
thought that this was the metaphorical

678
00:25:21,269 --> 00:25:18,720
garden of eden where humans had first

679
00:25:23,029 --> 00:25:21,279
evolved before spreading out into the

680
00:25:24,070 --> 00:25:23,039
rest of the world

681
00:25:27,830 --> 00:25:24,080
however

682
00:25:30,230 --> 00:25:27,840
in 2017 a new discovery was announced at

683
00:25:31,909 --> 00:25:30,240
a site near morocco's coast near the

684
00:25:34,710 --> 00:25:31,919
city of marrakech

685
00:25:39,269 --> 00:25:34,720
bones belonging to modern homo sapiens

686
00:25:41,110 --> 00:25:39,279
were found dating back to 300 000 to 350

687
00:25:43,510 --> 00:25:41,120
000 years ago

688
00:25:46,390 --> 00:25:43,520
not only did this discovery nearly

689
00:25:48,630 --> 00:25:46,400
double the history of the human race

690
00:25:51,430 --> 00:25:48,640
but it calls the idea that humans first

691
00:25:52,950 --> 00:25:51,440
evolved in eastern africa seriously into

692
00:25:55,430 --> 00:25:52,960
question

693
00:25:57,909 --> 00:25:55,440
regardless of when humans first appeared

694
00:26:00,470 --> 00:25:57,919
it is generally agreed that around 70

695
00:26:02,390 --> 00:26:00,480
000 years ago our species underwent a

696
00:26:05,029 --> 00:26:02,400
cognitive revolution

697
00:26:07,590 --> 00:26:05,039
we began to live in larger communities

698
00:26:10,310 --> 00:26:07,600
we engaged in trading with other groups

699
00:26:11,190 --> 00:26:10,320
we developed speech and even creative

700
00:26:13,510 --> 00:26:11,200
art

701
00:26:15,110 --> 00:26:13,520
we're not sure why this happened but

702
00:26:18,310 --> 00:26:15,120
we've been able to identify these

703
00:26:22,390 --> 00:26:18,320
changes in the archaeological record

704
00:26:25,590 --> 00:26:22,400
and then about 12 000 years ago humanity

705
00:26:27,510 --> 00:26:25,600
encountered two important turning points

706
00:26:30,070 --> 00:26:27,520
the first was the end of the younger

707
00:26:32,950 --> 00:26:30,080
dryas which was basically a mini ice age

708
00:26:35,510 --> 00:26:32,960
that lasted for about 1200 years

709
00:26:38,390 --> 00:26:35,520
at the onset of the younger dryas there

710
00:26:41,590 --> 00:26:38,400
was a massive worldwide extinction of

711
00:26:43,590 --> 00:26:41,600
large mammals weighing over 40 kilograms

712
00:26:46,470 --> 00:26:43,600
or about 88 pounds

713
00:26:48,789 --> 00:26:46,480
it is estimated that 82 of these animals

714
00:26:51,510 --> 00:26:48,799
disappeared in north america

715
00:26:52,950 --> 00:26:51,520
74 in south america

716
00:26:54,950 --> 00:26:52,960
71

717
00:26:59,909 --> 00:26:54,960
in australasia

718
00:27:01,909 --> 00:26:59,919
59 in europe 52 in asia and 16 in

719
00:27:04,149 --> 00:27:01,919
sub-saharan africa

720
00:27:06,310 --> 00:27:04,159
this mass extinction event marked the

721
00:27:09,029 --> 00:27:06,320
demise of the mammoths as well as the

722
00:27:11,669 --> 00:27:09,039
disappearance of horses in north america

723
00:27:14,230 --> 00:27:11,679
and other species including bison deer

724
00:27:15,750 --> 00:27:14,240
and moose suffered massive population

725
00:27:17,350 --> 00:27:15,760
losses

726
00:27:19,909 --> 00:27:17,360
fossil evidence suggests the

727
00:27:22,230 --> 00:27:19,919
disappearances were very sudden and so

728
00:27:24,230 --> 00:27:22,240
whatever caused the sudden die off

729
00:27:27,029 --> 00:27:24,240
inevitably made things mighty

730
00:27:28,950 --> 00:27:27,039
uncomfortable for our ancestors as well

731
00:27:30,549 --> 00:27:28,960
particularly in the northern hemisphere

732
00:27:31,909 --> 00:27:30,559
where the impact appears to have been

733
00:27:33,029 --> 00:27:31,919
the highest

734
00:27:35,590 --> 00:27:33,039
however

735
00:27:37,350 --> 00:27:35,600
despite whatever hardships they endured

736
00:27:39,510 --> 00:27:37,360
humans emerged from the end of the

737
00:27:41,750 --> 00:27:39,520
younger dryas having managed to not

738
00:27:42,870 --> 00:27:41,760
suffer the same fate of most other large

739
00:27:45,190 --> 00:27:42,880
mammals

740
00:27:47,350 --> 00:27:45,200
and it was at this point that humanity

741
00:27:50,549 --> 00:27:47,360
reached another turning point the

742
00:27:52,549 --> 00:27:50,559
development of agriculture

743
00:27:54,870 --> 00:27:52,559
this transition to an agricultural

744
00:27:56,070 --> 00:27:54,880
society is known as the neolithic

745
00:27:58,149 --> 00:27:56,080
revolution

746
00:27:59,909 --> 00:27:58,159
a name that was coined by our old friend

747
00:28:02,230 --> 00:27:59,919
v gordon child

748
00:28:05,350 --> 00:28:02,240
according to mainstream archaeology the

749
00:28:07,750 --> 00:28:05,360
neolithic revolution began around 12 000

750
00:28:09,830 --> 00:28:07,760
years ago in the fertile crescent also

751
00:28:11,909 --> 00:28:09,840
known as mesopotamia surrounding the

752
00:28:14,470 --> 00:28:11,919
tigris and euphrates rivers in what is

753
00:28:16,549 --> 00:28:14,480
now modern-day iraq

754
00:28:18,870 --> 00:28:16,559
the neolithic revolution marked the

755
00:28:21,430 --> 00:28:18,880
transition in human history from small

756
00:28:23,830 --> 00:28:21,440
nomadic bands of hunter-gatherers to

757
00:28:25,510 --> 00:28:23,840
larger agricultural settlements and

758
00:28:27,830 --> 00:28:25,520
early civilization

759
00:28:30,310 --> 00:28:27,840
it was a radical and important period of

760
00:28:32,789 --> 00:28:30,320
change in which humans began cultivating

761
00:28:35,430 --> 00:28:32,799
plants breeding animals for food and

762
00:28:37,269 --> 00:28:35,440
forming permanent settlements

763
00:28:39,909 --> 00:28:37,279
this wasn't a transition that happened

764
00:28:41,590 --> 00:28:39,919
overnight and it would take six or seven

765
00:28:44,149 --> 00:28:41,600
thousand more years for these

766
00:28:45,909 --> 00:28:44,159
agricultural societies to reach a level

767
00:28:48,710 --> 00:28:45,919
of complexity that would trigger the

768
00:28:50,310 --> 00:28:48,720
next big transition for humans the urban

769
00:28:52,630 --> 00:28:50,320
revolution

770
00:28:54,710 --> 00:28:52,640
the cumulative growth of technology and

771
00:28:57,350 --> 00:28:54,720
the increasing availability of food

772
00:28:59,430 --> 00:28:57,360
surpluses allowed people to begin to

773
00:29:01,909 --> 00:28:59,440
live together in larger groups with a

774
00:29:03,909 --> 00:29:01,919
more complex social structure

775
00:29:05,750 --> 00:29:03,919
specialists emerged allowing for

776
00:29:07,029 --> 00:29:05,760
significant advances in the arts and

777
00:29:09,269 --> 00:29:07,039
sciences

778
00:29:10,950 --> 00:29:09,279
surpluses were traded for other capital

779
00:29:12,870 --> 00:29:10,960
to fund public works

780
00:29:14,070 --> 00:29:12,880
the first examples of written language

781
00:29:17,669 --> 00:29:14,080
emerged

782
00:29:19,750 --> 00:29:17,679
and just like that you have civilization

783
00:29:21,990 --> 00:29:19,760
and almost immediately these

784
00:29:24,070 --> 00:29:22,000
civilizations advance to the level that

785
00:29:25,590 --> 00:29:24,080
they could begin to undertake megalithic

786
00:29:27,830 --> 00:29:25,600
building projects

787
00:29:29,110 --> 00:29:27,840
which if you ask me sounds a little

788
00:29:31,029 --> 00:29:29,120
fishy

789
00:29:33,430 --> 00:29:31,039
but that's more or less the story of

790
00:29:35,190 --> 00:29:33,440
human civilization as told by mainstream

791
00:29:36,230 --> 00:29:35,200
archaeology today

792
00:29:37,909 --> 00:29:36,240
however

793
00:29:39,990 --> 00:29:37,919
over the past few decades there have

794
00:29:42,710 --> 00:29:40,000
been more and more discoveries that seem

795
00:29:44,630 --> 00:29:42,720
to not just contradict this narrative

796
00:29:46,470 --> 00:29:44,640
but suggest that we may need to go back

797
00:29:47,909 --> 00:29:46,480
to the drawing board and rethink the

798
00:29:50,470 --> 00:29:47,919
timeline of the emergence of

799
00:29:53,110 --> 00:29:50,480
civilization entirely

800
00:29:55,350 --> 00:29:53,120
yet strikingly these discoveries have

801
00:29:57,830 --> 00:29:55,360
done little to dislodge this narrative

802
00:29:59,990 --> 00:29:57,840
among most academics

803
00:30:02,230 --> 00:30:00,000
and no archaeological site better

804
00:30:04,230 --> 00:30:02,240
exemplifies the level of dissonance

805
00:30:07,110 --> 00:30:04,240
between the accepted narrative and what

806
00:30:09,269 --> 00:30:07,120
the evidence actually seems to suggest

807
00:30:11,110 --> 00:30:09,279
think of beckley teppy

808
00:30:13,510 --> 00:30:11,120
i want to start with gobekli tepe

809
00:30:16,070 --> 00:30:13,520
because this is the archaeological site

810
00:30:18,310 --> 00:30:16,080
that blows up our established narrative

811
00:30:19,750 --> 00:30:18,320
it is proof that our timeline and

812
00:30:22,950 --> 00:30:19,760
assumptions about early human

813
00:30:25,110 --> 00:30:22,960
civilization are wrong and it poses new

814
00:30:26,789 --> 00:30:25,120
questions about our origins that are not

815
00:30:29,190 --> 00:30:26,799
easily answered

816
00:30:31,990 --> 00:30:29,200
in southeastern turkey just north of the

817
00:30:34,149 --> 00:30:32,000
syrian border atop a low mountain sits

818
00:30:36,470 --> 00:30:34,159
gobekli tepe

819
00:30:39,110 --> 00:30:36,480
discovered in 1994 by german

820
00:30:42,070 --> 00:30:39,120
archaeologist klaus schmidt

821
00:30:44,070 --> 00:30:42,080
with excavation beginning in 1995

822
00:30:46,230 --> 00:30:44,080
this remarkable site challenges

823
00:30:49,190 --> 00:30:46,240
everything we believe to be true about

824
00:30:51,750 --> 00:30:49,200
the emergence of human civilization

825
00:30:54,389 --> 00:30:51,760
the site comprises a number of large

826
00:30:56,950 --> 00:30:54,399
circular structures supported by massive

827
00:30:59,509 --> 00:30:56,960
t-shaped stone pillars which are the

828
00:31:02,230 --> 00:30:59,519
world's oldest known megaliths and are

829
00:31:05,110 --> 00:31:02,240
estimated to weigh as much as 20 to 50

830
00:31:07,110 --> 00:31:05,120
tons each many of these limestone

831
00:31:09,990 --> 00:31:07,120
pillars are richly decorated with

832
00:31:13,190 --> 00:31:10,000
abstract anthropomorphic details

833
00:31:15,509 --> 00:31:13,200
clothing and reliefs of wild animals

834
00:31:18,789 --> 00:31:15,519
there are many remarkable things about

835
00:31:20,710 --> 00:31:18,799
gobekli tepe it's complex geometry it's

836
00:31:22,549 --> 00:31:20,720
intricate stone carvings and it's

837
00:31:23,590 --> 00:31:22,559
towering megaliths

838
00:31:25,590 --> 00:31:23,600
however

839
00:31:28,470 --> 00:31:25,600
the most remarkable thing about this

840
00:31:30,870 --> 00:31:28,480
incredible site is its age

841
00:31:32,789 --> 00:31:30,880
using multiple dating methods it is

842
00:31:37,350 --> 00:31:32,799
believed that the earliest parts of

843
00:31:41,029 --> 00:31:37,360
gobekli tepe were built around 9600 bc

844
00:31:42,149 --> 00:31:41,039
or nearly 12 000 years ago

845
00:31:44,149 --> 00:31:42,159
and yes

846
00:31:46,950 --> 00:31:44,159
this is the date that is accepted by

847
00:31:50,070 --> 00:31:46,960
mainstream archaeologists the reason

848
00:31:52,149 --> 00:31:50,080
that gobekli tepe is so well preserved

849
00:31:55,110 --> 00:31:52,159
and why we're so confident about its

850
00:31:58,149 --> 00:31:55,120
astonishing age is that for reasons that

851
00:32:01,590 --> 00:31:58,159
remain a mystery the entire complex was

852
00:32:02,710 --> 00:32:01,600
meticulously buried sometime around 8000

853
00:32:04,470 --> 00:32:02,720
bc

854
00:32:07,669 --> 00:32:04,480
and remained that way until its

855
00:32:10,549 --> 00:32:07,679
discovery in the late 20th century

856
00:32:12,310 --> 00:32:10,559
it's hard to know what if anything would

857
00:32:14,549 --> 00:32:12,320
have remained of this site if it hadn't

858
00:32:17,669 --> 00:32:14,559
been preserved in this way

859
00:32:20,950 --> 00:32:17,679
emphasizing how rare and how important

860
00:32:24,149 --> 00:32:20,960
this glimpse into our past really is

861
00:32:27,430 --> 00:32:24,159
so what can we learn from gobekli tepe

862
00:32:29,669 --> 00:32:27,440
well first of all we now know that at

863
00:32:31,590 --> 00:32:29,679
least in what is modern day turkey

864
00:32:34,070 --> 00:32:31,600
humans were building megalithic

865
00:32:37,430 --> 00:32:34,080
structures at the end of the last ice

866
00:32:39,350 --> 00:32:37,440
age which is a full 5 000 years before

867
00:32:40,710 --> 00:32:39,360
the first megaliths were believed to

868
00:32:42,789 --> 00:32:40,720
have been built

869
00:32:44,710 --> 00:32:42,799
to put that into perspective

870
00:32:46,389 --> 00:32:44,720
the length of time between when the

871
00:32:48,070 --> 00:32:46,399
first megalithic structures were

872
00:32:50,870 --> 00:32:48,080
believed to have been built and when

873
00:32:52,870 --> 00:32:50,880
gobekli tepe was actually built

874
00:32:55,110 --> 00:32:52,880
is roughly the same period of time

875
00:32:57,509 --> 00:32:55,120
between our present day and the early

876
00:32:59,509 --> 00:32:57,519
dynastic period in egypt

877
00:33:01,590 --> 00:32:59,519
hundreds of years before the pyramids

878
00:33:05,190 --> 00:33:01,600
were believed to have been built

879
00:33:07,509 --> 00:33:05,200
this is stunning for a number of reasons

880
00:33:10,070 --> 00:33:07,519
the first and most obvious is that it

881
00:33:11,909 --> 00:33:10,080
completely obliterates our previous

882
00:33:13,669 --> 00:33:11,919
timeline of the emergence of human

883
00:33:15,830 --> 00:33:13,679
civilization

884
00:33:17,990 --> 00:33:15,840
according to the existing narrative

885
00:33:20,149 --> 00:33:18,000
twelve thousand years ago humans were

886
00:33:21,590 --> 00:33:20,159
just beginning to experiment with

887
00:33:23,430 --> 00:33:21,600
agriculture

888
00:33:25,750 --> 00:33:23,440
they still lived in small groups and

889
00:33:28,230 --> 00:33:25,760
were primarily hunter-gatherers

890
00:33:30,470 --> 00:33:28,240
however carving and raising giant

891
00:33:33,590 --> 00:33:30,480
megaliths like the ones found at gobekli

892
00:33:36,230 --> 00:33:33,600
tepe implies a level of sophistication

893
00:33:39,110 --> 00:33:36,240
that blows the story out of the water

894
00:33:41,830 --> 00:33:39,120
to build something like that takes time

895
00:33:43,669 --> 00:33:41,840
planning and enormous resources

896
00:33:45,669 --> 00:33:43,679
how could that be accomplished by small

897
00:33:47,830 --> 00:33:45,679
groups of hunter-gatherers who would by

898
00:33:49,590 --> 00:33:47,840
necessity need to exert most of their

899
00:33:51,830 --> 00:33:49,600
energy to get food

900
00:33:53,909 --> 00:33:51,840
to be fair we actually don't know if the

901
00:33:55,990 --> 00:33:53,919
builders of gobekli tepe were truly

902
00:33:57,750 --> 00:33:56,000
nomadic hunter-gatherers

903
00:33:59,590 --> 00:33:57,760
it's been speculated that there could

904
00:34:01,750 --> 00:33:59,600
have been a permanent settlement near

905
00:34:03,350 --> 00:34:01,760
the site though no evidence of that has

906
00:34:05,350 --> 00:34:03,360
ever been found

907
00:34:07,110 --> 00:34:05,360
it could be that their homes were far

908
00:34:09,270 --> 00:34:07,120
less elaborate and made of largely

909
00:34:11,190 --> 00:34:09,280
organic materials in which case it's

910
00:34:12,869 --> 00:34:11,200
unlikely that any real evidence of their

911
00:34:15,190 --> 00:34:12,879
existence remains

912
00:34:17,030 --> 00:34:15,200
or it's also been speculated that the

913
00:34:20,149 --> 00:34:17,040
settlement could have once stood where

914
00:34:21,990 --> 00:34:20,159
the nearby city of urfa is now which

915
00:34:24,069 --> 00:34:22,000
also would make it unlikely that we'd

916
00:34:26,550 --> 00:34:24,079
ever find traces of it

917
00:34:28,470 --> 00:34:26,560
however it's also possible that there

918
00:34:29,990 --> 00:34:28,480
wasn't a permanent settlement at gobekli

919
00:34:32,389 --> 00:34:30,000
tepe at all

920
00:34:34,470 --> 00:34:32,399
perhaps gobekli tepe was a gathering

921
00:34:36,310 --> 00:34:34,480
place for various groups and tribes to

922
00:34:38,230 --> 00:34:36,320
come together for trading or religious

923
00:34:40,629 --> 00:34:38,240
celebrations

924
00:34:42,310 --> 00:34:40,639
if that's the case it only further

925
00:34:45,030 --> 00:34:42,320
muddies the waters of the established

926
00:34:47,349 --> 00:34:45,040
narrative because the level of knowledge

927
00:34:49,829 --> 00:34:47,359
and scale of cooperation necessary to

928
00:34:51,270 --> 00:34:49,839
take on megalithic building projects

929
00:34:54,629 --> 00:34:51,280
wasn't supposed to have been developed

930
00:34:56,310 --> 00:34:54,639
until 5 000 years later and even then it

931
00:34:59,109 --> 00:34:56,320
was only supposed to have been possible

932
00:35:00,470 --> 00:34:59,119
within the context of a civilized urban

933
00:35:02,390 --> 00:35:00,480
environment

934
00:35:04,310 --> 00:35:02,400
honestly either possibility is

935
00:35:07,430 --> 00:35:04,320
mind-blowing

936
00:35:08,390 --> 00:35:07,440
another major revelation of gobekli tepe

937
00:35:10,390 --> 00:35:08,400
is that

938
00:35:11,910 --> 00:35:10,400
it may contain evidence of written

939
00:35:13,270 --> 00:35:11,920
language

940
00:35:15,109 --> 00:35:13,280
for example

941
00:35:17,990 --> 00:35:15,119
carved into one of the largest

942
00:35:19,829 --> 00:35:18,000
megalithic pillars is what looks very

943
00:35:21,910 --> 00:35:19,839
much like letters

944
00:35:24,069 --> 00:35:21,920
specifically it looks like a capital c

945
00:35:26,069 --> 00:35:24,079
followed by a capital h followed by a

946
00:35:28,550 --> 00:35:26,079
backwards capital c

947
00:35:30,390 --> 00:35:28,560
now obviously these aren't literally cs

948
00:35:31,430 --> 00:35:30,400
and h's

949
00:35:33,589 --> 00:35:31,440
however

950
00:35:36,150 --> 00:35:33,599
comparisons have been made between these

951
00:35:39,750 --> 00:35:36,160
markings and anatolian hieroglyphs that

952
00:35:42,710 --> 00:35:39,760
were used in the same area albeit 8 000

953
00:35:45,670 --> 00:35:42,720
years later in the second millennia bc

954
00:35:47,670 --> 00:35:45,680
and the similarities are striking

955
00:35:49,990 --> 00:35:47,680
could it really be possible that written

956
00:35:52,310 --> 00:35:50,000
language developed thousands of years

957
00:35:54,390 --> 00:35:52,320
earlier than we previously thought

958
00:35:56,790 --> 00:35:54,400
and could the written language used by

959
00:35:59,349 --> 00:35:56,800
the people who built quebecois tepe have

960
00:36:01,270 --> 00:35:59,359
eventually been the basis for anatalian

961
00:36:03,510 --> 00:36:01,280
hieroglyphics

962
00:36:05,030 --> 00:36:03,520
frustratingly the answer is that we

963
00:36:06,950 --> 00:36:05,040
simply don't know

964
00:36:09,190 --> 00:36:06,960
as compelling as the evidence is for

965
00:36:11,430 --> 00:36:09,200
written language at gobekli tepe

966
00:36:12,790 --> 00:36:11,440
there's not enough to draw any definite

967
00:36:15,190 --> 00:36:12,800
conclusions

968
00:36:17,109 --> 00:36:15,200
which only further emphasizes the point

969
00:36:19,750 --> 00:36:17,119
that identifying written language in our

970
00:36:21,990 --> 00:36:19,760
distant past is far more complicated

971
00:36:24,310 --> 00:36:22,000
than we might initially assume

972
00:36:26,390 --> 00:36:24,320
the characters could be written language

973
00:36:28,550 --> 00:36:26,400
or it could be decoration

974
00:36:30,630 --> 00:36:28,560
without context how can you even make

975
00:36:32,870 --> 00:36:30,640
that discernment

976
00:36:35,190 --> 00:36:32,880
and whether or not these markings are

977
00:36:37,190 --> 00:36:35,200
written language we're still left with a

978
00:36:39,829 --> 00:36:37,200
conundrum

979
00:36:41,750 --> 00:36:39,839
if it is written language then we have

980
00:36:44,790 --> 00:36:41,760
to push back the advent of a written

981
00:36:47,190 --> 00:36:44,800
word by at least seven thousand years

982
00:36:48,790 --> 00:36:47,200
and if it isn't written language

983
00:36:51,270 --> 00:36:48,800
then we have to grapple with the fact

984
00:36:52,950 --> 00:36:51,280
that the builders of gobekli tepe

985
00:36:55,510 --> 00:36:52,960
somehow reached a level of social

986
00:36:57,670 --> 00:36:55,520
complexity to produce such a massive and

987
00:36:59,670 --> 00:36:57,680
mathematically precise megalithic

988
00:37:01,510 --> 00:36:59,680
construction without it

989
00:37:03,190 --> 00:37:01,520
meaning that written language is no

990
00:37:05,430 --> 00:37:03,200
longer a viable benchmark for the

991
00:37:07,910 --> 00:37:05,440
emergence of civilization

992
00:37:10,069 --> 00:37:07,920
either way the accepted paradigm is

993
00:37:11,589 --> 00:37:10,079
shattered beyond repair

994
00:37:14,230 --> 00:37:11,599
and there's another tantalizing

995
00:37:15,190 --> 00:37:14,240
possibility posed by gobekli tepe which

996
00:37:17,829 --> 00:37:15,200
is that

997
00:37:19,589 --> 00:37:17,839
the development of agriculture may not

998
00:37:21,670 --> 00:37:19,599
have been the driving force behind the

999
00:37:23,510 --> 00:37:21,680
neolithic revolution

1000
00:37:26,069 --> 00:37:23,520
because here's the thing

1001
00:37:28,390 --> 00:37:26,079
the agricultural revolution is dated to

1002
00:37:30,470 --> 00:37:28,400
about 10 000 bc

1003
00:37:32,950 --> 00:37:30,480
but making the shift to fully

1004
00:37:35,430 --> 00:37:32,960
agricultural societies took thousands of

1005
00:37:37,910 --> 00:37:35,440
years it didn't happen overnight

1006
00:37:39,750 --> 00:37:37,920
written language complex society and

1007
00:37:42,550 --> 00:37:39,760
advanced human knowledge

1008
00:37:44,390 --> 00:37:42,560
may have developed long before cities

1009
00:37:46,550 --> 00:37:44,400
and there may have been other driving

1010
00:37:48,870 --> 00:37:46,560
forces besides the agricultural

1011
00:37:51,030 --> 00:37:48,880
revolution that caused people to abandon

1012
00:37:53,430 --> 00:37:51,040
their hunter-gatherer lifestyle for

1013
00:37:55,589 --> 00:37:53,440
larger and more permanent settlements

1014
00:37:57,750 --> 00:37:55,599
and the emergence of agriculture could

1015
00:38:00,069 --> 00:37:57,760
have been a result of this transition as

1016
00:38:02,870 --> 00:38:00,079
opposed to the cause of it

1017
00:38:05,270 --> 00:38:02,880
whatever the case gobekli tepe stands

1018
00:38:08,470 --> 00:38:05,280
apart as the single most significant

1019
00:38:10,950 --> 00:38:08,480
archaeological find in human history

1020
00:38:13,430 --> 00:38:10,960
and its mysteries challenge virtually

1021
00:38:14,880 --> 00:38:13,440
every belief that we have about the dawn

1022
00:40:00,150 --> 00:38:14,890
of human civilization

1023
00:40:05,109 --> 00:40:02,390
in light of the revelations of gobekli

1024
00:40:07,349 --> 00:40:05,119
tepe it seems reasonable that we would

1025
00:40:09,430 --> 00:40:07,359
go back and re-examine other ancient

1026
00:40:10,790 --> 00:40:09,440
sites within the context of this new

1027
00:40:11,829 --> 00:40:10,800
information

1028
00:40:14,390 --> 00:40:11,839
however

1029
00:40:17,670 --> 00:40:14,400
despite the fact that excavations began

1030
00:40:20,069 --> 00:40:17,680
at gobekli tepe almost three decades ago

1031
00:40:22,230 --> 00:40:20,079
within most archaeological circles the

1032
00:40:24,390 --> 00:40:22,240
idea that megalithic structures may be

1033
00:40:26,150 --> 00:40:24,400
older than we thought or at the very

1034
00:40:28,950 --> 00:40:26,160
least that they could have been built on

1035
00:40:31,910 --> 00:40:28,960
the foundations of much older sites

1036
00:40:33,910 --> 00:40:31,920
remains entirely taboo

1037
00:40:36,390 --> 00:40:33,920
one of the most well-known examples of

1038
00:40:38,870 --> 00:40:36,400
this involves what is perhaps the dopest

1039
00:40:40,870 --> 00:40:38,880
of all ancient megalithic structures

1040
00:40:43,910 --> 00:40:40,880
the great sphinx

1041
00:40:46,630 --> 00:40:43,920
in october 1991 at an annual meeting of

1042
00:40:48,630 --> 00:40:46,640
the geological society of america

1043
00:40:50,550 --> 00:40:48,640
robert shock first presented his

1044
00:40:54,150 --> 00:40:50,560
evidence that the origins of the great

1045
00:40:57,589 --> 00:40:54,160
sphinx must date back to at least 7000

1046
00:40:59,829 --> 00:40:57,599
to 5000 bc if not earlier which is

1047
00:41:03,430 --> 00:40:59,839
thousands of years before the popularly

1048
00:41:05,670 --> 00:41:03,440
accepted date of 2500 bc

1049
00:41:07,589 --> 00:41:05,680
and in recent years he's pushed back

1050
00:41:08,710 --> 00:41:07,599
what he believes to be the true age of

1051
00:41:12,309 --> 00:41:08,720
the sphinx

1052
00:41:14,309 --> 00:41:12,319
to at least 12 000 years ago

1053
00:41:16,790 --> 00:41:14,319
shock's theory has been largely

1054
00:41:19,109 --> 00:41:16,800
criticized and dismissed by mainstream

1055
00:41:20,870 --> 00:41:19,119
archaeologists and geologists

1056
00:41:23,190 --> 00:41:20,880
and his work has been slapped with the

1057
00:41:25,030 --> 00:41:23,200
label of pseudoscience

1058
00:41:27,829 --> 00:41:25,040
and as we talked about in the last

1059
00:41:30,309 --> 00:41:27,839
episode we may not be archaeologists or

1060
00:41:32,390 --> 00:41:30,319
geologists but we do have a fairly

1061
00:41:34,630 --> 00:41:32,400
simple framework for determining whether

1062
00:41:36,390 --> 00:41:34,640
or not something is being fairly labeled

1063
00:41:37,990 --> 00:41:36,400
as pseudoscience

1064
00:41:39,990 --> 00:41:38,000
all we need to do is look at the

1065
00:41:41,910 --> 00:41:40,000
arguments for why something is being

1066
00:41:43,910 --> 00:41:41,920
called pseudoscience

1067
00:41:46,230 --> 00:41:43,920
if the argument is that the methodology

1068
00:41:47,829 --> 00:41:46,240
used to collect the data wasn't sound or

1069
00:41:51,030 --> 00:41:47,839
that the data was interpreted

1070
00:41:52,550 --> 00:41:51,040
incorrectly then they might have a point

1071
00:41:54,309 --> 00:41:52,560
and we'd need to dig deeper to

1072
00:41:55,910 --> 00:41:54,319
understand whether or not it was

1073
00:41:56,950 --> 00:41:55,920
pseudoscience

1074
00:41:58,870 --> 00:41:56,960
however

1075
00:42:00,870 --> 00:41:58,880
if the argument is simply that it's

1076
00:42:03,190 --> 00:42:00,880
pseudoscience because the conclusions

1077
00:42:05,109 --> 00:42:03,200
don't align with the current narrative

1078
00:42:06,790 --> 00:42:05,119
then we have a pretty clear case of

1079
00:42:08,710 --> 00:42:06,800
academic bias

1080
00:42:11,430 --> 00:42:08,720
this doesn't mean that these conclusions

1081
00:42:13,910 --> 00:42:11,440
are necessarily correct it only means

1082
00:42:16,950 --> 00:42:13,920
that the label of pseudoscience at least

1083
00:42:20,150 --> 00:42:16,960
as it's being argued isn't fair

1084
00:42:22,630 --> 00:42:20,160
so let's look at the evidence

1085
00:42:24,790 --> 00:42:22,640
mainstream egyptologists contend that

1086
00:42:26,950 --> 00:42:24,800
the sphinx was built in approximately

1087
00:42:28,950 --> 00:42:26,960
2500 bc

1088
00:42:30,870 --> 00:42:28,960
the reasoning for this basically boils

1089
00:42:32,790 --> 00:42:30,880
down to the fact that it is surrounded

1090
00:42:35,190 --> 00:42:32,800
by other structures that they have also

1091
00:42:37,270 --> 00:42:35,200
dated to the same time period

1092
00:42:39,670 --> 00:42:37,280
the great sphinx is situated on the

1093
00:42:43,589 --> 00:42:39,680
eastern edge of the giza plateau on the

1094
00:42:45,910 --> 00:42:43,599
west bank of the nile across from cairo

1095
00:42:48,309 --> 00:42:45,920
also located on this plateau is the

1096
00:42:50,630 --> 00:42:48,319
great pyramid attributed to the fourth

1097
00:42:53,109 --> 00:42:50,640
dynasty pharaoh khufu

1098
00:42:56,150 --> 00:42:53,119
the second pyramid generally attributed

1099
00:42:58,390 --> 00:42:56,160
to the pharaoh kafra who is possibly the

1100
00:43:00,790 --> 00:42:58,400
son or brother of khufu

1101
00:43:03,270 --> 00:43:00,800
and the third and smallest pyramid which

1102
00:43:07,030 --> 00:43:03,280
is attributed to the pharaoh menkora who

1103
00:43:07,990 --> 00:43:07,040
is possibly the son or grandson of khufu

1104
00:43:10,069 --> 00:43:08,000
so

1105
00:43:12,150 --> 00:43:10,079
based on this traditional thinking all

1106
00:43:15,750 --> 00:43:12,160
of the pyramids are dated to around the

1107
00:43:17,670 --> 00:43:15,760
same time period around 2500 bc

1108
00:43:19,030 --> 00:43:17,680
during and immediately after the reign

1109
00:43:21,589 --> 00:43:19,040
of khufu

1110
00:43:24,069 --> 00:43:21,599
and they argue the great sphinx is

1111
00:43:26,230 --> 00:43:24,079
associated with these structures

1112
00:43:27,430 --> 00:43:26,240
so it must be around that same age as

1113
00:43:29,510 --> 00:43:27,440
well

1114
00:43:31,349 --> 00:43:29,520
now i don't know about you but that

1115
00:43:34,309 --> 00:43:31,359
doesn't strike me as the strongest

1116
00:43:35,430 --> 00:43:34,319
argument i mean sure they're close to

1117
00:43:37,589 --> 00:43:35,440
each other

1118
00:43:39,829 --> 00:43:37,599
but if you went to rome right now you'd

1119
00:43:42,630 --> 00:43:39,839
find an assemblage of architectural

1120
00:43:45,349 --> 00:43:42,640
marvels whose origins span hundreds if

1121
00:43:47,190 --> 00:43:45,359
not thousands of years and we'd be wrong

1122
00:43:48,870 --> 00:43:47,200
in assuming that just because they are

1123
00:43:50,470 --> 00:43:48,880
close to each other that they are the

1124
00:43:53,349 --> 00:43:50,480
same age

1125
00:43:55,750 --> 00:43:53,359
i'd argue that in any city like egypt or

1126
00:43:57,589 --> 00:43:55,760
rome that has been continually occupied

1127
00:44:00,150 --> 00:43:57,599
for thousands of years

1128
00:44:02,550 --> 00:44:00,160
that proximity simply isn't a viable

1129
00:44:04,630 --> 00:44:02,560
method for dating structures

1130
00:44:07,349 --> 00:44:04,640
it's also worth noting that the dating

1131
00:44:09,510 --> 00:44:07,359
of the pyramids themselves has at times

1132
00:44:11,670 --> 00:44:09,520
been called into question

1133
00:44:13,589 --> 00:44:11,680
you probably already know that the three

1134
00:44:15,910 --> 00:44:13,599
pyramids on the giza plateau are

1135
00:44:18,710 --> 00:44:15,920
positioned in such a way as to correlate

1136
00:44:21,750 --> 00:44:18,720
to orion's belt within the constellation

1137
00:44:23,589 --> 00:44:21,760
of orion however what's interesting is

1138
00:44:25,990 --> 00:44:23,599
that although their size and relative

1139
00:44:27,589 --> 00:44:26,000
position are the same as the three stars

1140
00:44:29,670 --> 00:44:27,599
of orion's belt

1141
00:44:33,829 --> 00:44:29,680
they don't align with the position of

1142
00:44:36,150 --> 00:44:33,839
orion's belt in the sky in 2500 bc

1143
00:44:38,390 --> 00:44:36,160
this might seem like a minor detail

1144
00:44:40,630 --> 00:44:38,400
except that we know that the builders of

1145
00:44:43,109 --> 00:44:40,640
the pyramids like virtually all

1146
00:44:45,750 --> 00:44:43,119
megalithic builders had an incredibly

1147
00:44:47,910 --> 00:44:45,760
advanced and detailed understanding of

1148
00:44:50,390 --> 00:44:47,920
the movement of the stars and our place

1149
00:44:52,870 --> 00:44:50,400
within the cosmos and the placement and

1150
00:44:56,069 --> 00:44:52,880
orientation of these sites are almost

1151
00:44:59,430 --> 00:44:56,079
always aligned to important astrological

1152
00:45:02,230 --> 00:44:59,440
alignments like the equinoxes

1153
00:45:04,069 --> 00:45:02,240
in fact the pyramids themselves are

1154
00:45:06,390 --> 00:45:04,079
perfectly aligned with the cardinal

1155
00:45:08,470 --> 00:45:06,400
directions with the precision that

1156
00:45:10,230 --> 00:45:08,480
humans wouldn't achieve again until the

1157
00:45:12,309 --> 00:45:10,240
18th century

1158
00:45:14,950 --> 00:45:12,319
so it's a little weird that they would

1159
00:45:17,270 --> 00:45:14,960
be so precise in one respect but so

1160
00:45:19,349 --> 00:45:17,280
imprecise in another

1161
00:45:21,910 --> 00:45:19,359
which is why it's been suggested that

1162
00:45:23,270 --> 00:45:21,920
perhaps the pyramids date back to a time

1163
00:45:25,510 --> 00:45:23,280
when the pyramids would have been

1164
00:45:27,670 --> 00:45:25,520
aligned with orion's belt

1165
00:45:31,270 --> 00:45:27,680
the only problem is that the last time

1166
00:45:32,390 --> 00:45:31,280
that happened was 12 000 to 14 000 years

1167
00:45:34,630 --> 00:45:32,400
ago

1168
00:45:37,030 --> 00:45:34,640
now granted it's unlikely that the

1169
00:45:39,190 --> 00:45:37,040
pyramids as they now stand were built

1170
00:45:40,870 --> 00:45:39,200
that long ago because they would be much

1171
00:45:42,069 --> 00:45:40,880
more heavily eroded

1172
00:45:44,630 --> 00:45:42,079
however

1173
00:45:46,710 --> 00:45:44,640
they could potentially be built on older

1174
00:45:47,670 --> 00:45:46,720
sites that originated from that time

1175
00:45:49,990 --> 00:45:47,680
period

1176
00:45:51,829 --> 00:45:50,000
or they could be memorializing that time

1177
00:45:53,109 --> 00:45:51,839
period for reasons that we don't yet

1178
00:45:55,910 --> 00:45:53,119
understand

1179
00:45:58,390 --> 00:45:55,920
either way it's interesting

1180
00:46:00,630 --> 00:45:58,400
and speaking of erosion it was exactly

1181
00:46:03,510 --> 00:46:00,640
that which caused robert shock to call

1182
00:46:05,910 --> 00:46:03,520
the age of the sphanx into question

1183
00:46:07,829 --> 00:46:05,920
shock's work is based on the startling

1184
00:46:09,670 --> 00:46:07,839
realization that the considerable

1185
00:46:10,790 --> 00:46:09,680
weathering shown on the oldest parts of

1186
00:46:12,950 --> 00:46:10,800
the sphinx

1187
00:46:16,309 --> 00:46:12,960
show evidence of significant water

1188
00:46:18,470 --> 00:46:16,319
erosion however you'd have to go back in

1189
00:46:21,109 --> 00:46:18,480
time thousands of years before the

1190
00:46:23,270 --> 00:46:21,119
sphinx was allegedly built to find a

1191
00:46:24,790 --> 00:46:23,280
time when there was abundant rainfall in

1192
00:46:26,550 --> 00:46:24,800
the region

1193
00:46:28,550 --> 00:46:26,560
shock says that he reached his

1194
00:46:30,069 --> 00:46:28,560
conclusions through a variety of

1195
00:46:32,390 --> 00:46:30,079
independent means

1196
00:46:34,309 --> 00:46:32,400
such as correlating the nature of the

1197
00:46:35,430 --> 00:46:34,319
weathering with the climatic history of

1198
00:46:37,510 --> 00:46:35,440
the area

1199
00:46:39,910 --> 00:46:37,520
calculating the amount of rock eroded

1200
00:46:41,589 --> 00:46:39,920
away on the surface and estimating how

1201
00:46:44,390 --> 00:46:41,599
long this may have taken

1202
00:46:47,750 --> 00:46:44,400
and calibrating the depth of subsurface

1203
00:46:50,390 --> 00:46:47,760
weathering around and below the sphinx

1204
00:46:52,550 --> 00:46:50,400
some archaeologists and egyptologists

1205
00:46:54,470 --> 00:46:52,560
will concede that there is water

1206
00:46:55,510 --> 00:46:54,480
weathering on the sphinx

1207
00:46:57,829 --> 00:46:55,520
however

1208
00:47:00,470 --> 00:46:57,839
they argue that heavy rains must have

1209
00:47:02,069 --> 00:47:00,480
continued into the third century bc to

1210
00:47:04,230 --> 00:47:02,079
account for this

1211
00:47:06,950 --> 00:47:04,240
shock counters this argument by pointing

1212
00:47:09,589 --> 00:47:06,960
out that there are mud brick tombs built

1213
00:47:12,390 --> 00:47:09,599
on the saqqara plateau only about a

1214
00:47:15,430 --> 00:47:12,400
dozen kilometers south of giza that are

1215
00:47:17,430 --> 00:47:15,440
definitively and indisputably dated to

1216
00:47:20,069 --> 00:47:17,440
2800 bc

1217
00:47:21,910 --> 00:47:20,079
or 300 years before the sphinx was

1218
00:47:23,990 --> 00:47:21,920
allegedly carved

1219
00:47:26,150 --> 00:47:24,000
if there had been torrential rain

1220
00:47:28,549 --> 00:47:26,160
capable of creating the deep weathering

1221
00:47:30,870 --> 00:47:28,559
on the sphinx in the area up through

1222
00:47:32,710 --> 00:47:30,880
that time period and beyond

1223
00:47:34,230 --> 00:47:32,720
those bricks could not have possibly

1224
00:47:36,390 --> 00:47:34,240
survived

1225
00:47:39,670 --> 00:47:36,400
there's also the question of whether or

1226
00:47:41,990 --> 00:47:39,680
not the head of the sphinx was recarved

1227
00:47:43,589 --> 00:47:42,000
something that mainstream archaeologists

1228
00:47:44,390 --> 00:47:43,599
vehemently deny

1229
00:47:46,069 --> 00:47:44,400
but

1230
00:47:48,309 --> 00:47:46,079
i gotta tell you guys

1231
00:47:49,589 --> 00:47:48,319
the first time i heard that theory my

1232
00:47:52,230 --> 00:47:49,599
first thought was

1233
00:47:53,270 --> 00:47:52,240
oh so that's why the sphinx looks like

1234
00:47:55,349 --> 00:47:53,280
that

1235
00:47:57,990 --> 00:47:55,359
the proportions of the sphinx with its

1236
00:47:59,829 --> 00:47:58,000
small head relative to its body always

1237
00:48:02,870 --> 00:47:59,839
struck me as a bit off

1238
00:48:06,069 --> 00:48:02,880
however as soon as i visualized it as a

1239
00:48:07,990 --> 00:48:06,079
recarving of an original larger head the

1240
00:48:09,670 --> 00:48:08,000
whole thing just made sense in a way

1241
00:48:11,510 --> 00:48:09,680
that it didn't before

1242
00:48:13,190 --> 00:48:11,520
that's certainly not definitive proof of

1243
00:48:15,270 --> 00:48:13,200
anything but i mean

1244
00:48:17,990 --> 00:48:15,280
just look at it

1245
00:48:19,829 --> 00:48:18,000
mainstream egyptologists however contend

1246
00:48:21,750 --> 00:48:19,839
that the head of the sphinx is original

1247
00:48:24,230 --> 00:48:21,760
and carved in the image of the pharaoh

1248
00:48:26,470 --> 00:48:24,240
kafra the alleged builder of the second

1249
00:48:27,910 --> 00:48:26,480
pyramid and the maybe son maybe brother

1250
00:48:30,230 --> 00:48:27,920
of khufu

1251
00:48:32,069 --> 00:48:30,240
they argue that the bizarre proportions

1252
00:48:33,829 --> 00:48:32,079
of the sphinx are due to the fact that

1253
00:48:36,230 --> 00:48:33,839
it was carved directly out of the

1254
00:48:38,630 --> 00:48:36,240
limestone bedrock with the head being

1255
00:48:40,710 --> 00:48:38,640
carved first and then the head and that

1256
00:48:41,829 --> 00:48:40,720
they simply misjudged and ran out of

1257
00:48:44,069 --> 00:48:41,839
room

1258
00:48:46,549 --> 00:48:44,079
and here we see this paradox the

1259
00:48:48,390 --> 00:48:46,559
conventional archaeology demands that we

1260
00:48:51,270 --> 00:48:48,400
accept without question

1261
00:48:53,349 --> 00:48:51,280
even as it emerges again and again which

1262
00:48:55,510 --> 00:48:53,359
is that we are to believe that the

1263
00:48:57,589 --> 00:48:55,520
egyptian people were both advanced

1264
00:48:59,750 --> 00:48:57,599
enough to build the pyramids an

1265
00:49:03,030 --> 00:48:59,760
architectural feat that would be a major

1266
00:49:04,950 --> 00:49:03,040
challenge to us even today and aligned

1267
00:49:06,870 --> 00:49:04,960
them to the cardinal directions with a

1268
00:49:10,549 --> 00:49:06,880
precision that humans wouldn't be able

1269
00:49:11,750 --> 00:49:10,559
to achieve again for another 4 000 years

1270
00:49:14,470 --> 00:49:11,760
and yet

1271
00:49:16,309 --> 00:49:14,480
they are somehow also the primitive

1272
00:49:17,670 --> 00:49:16,319
bumblers who ran out of room to carve

1273
00:49:20,950 --> 00:49:17,680
the sphinx

1274
00:49:23,109 --> 00:49:20,960
you simply can't have it both ways

1275
00:49:24,390 --> 00:49:23,119
so if the head of the sphinx was

1276
00:49:26,549 --> 00:49:24,400
recarved

1277
00:49:28,710 --> 00:49:26,559
what did it look like before

1278
00:49:31,030 --> 00:49:28,720
the most popular theory is the most

1279
00:49:33,829 --> 00:49:31,040
obvious which is that it used to have

1280
00:49:36,069 --> 00:49:33,839
the head of a lion to match its body

1281
00:49:38,230 --> 00:49:36,079
and here we once again run into the

1282
00:49:39,270 --> 00:49:38,240
question of astrological alignment

1283
00:49:42,069 --> 00:49:39,280
because

1284
00:49:44,069 --> 00:49:42,079
if the sphinx was originally a lion then

1285
00:49:45,270 --> 00:49:44,079
might have been carved during the age of

1286
00:49:47,190 --> 00:49:45,280
leo

1287
00:49:48,950 --> 00:49:47,200
it's impossible to know but it's an

1288
00:49:49,990 --> 00:49:48,960
intriguing theory

1289
00:49:52,710 --> 00:49:50,000
however

1290
00:49:54,230 --> 00:49:52,720
the fact that during the age of leo the

1291
00:49:56,470 --> 00:49:54,240
sphinx would have been facing the

1292
00:49:57,670 --> 00:49:56,480
constellation of leo on the vernal

1293
00:49:59,750 --> 00:49:57,680
equinox

1294
00:50:01,030 --> 00:49:59,760
makes this possibility even more

1295
00:50:04,230 --> 00:50:01,040
compelling

1296
00:50:08,309 --> 00:50:04,240
the last age of leo lasted from 10

1297
00:50:10,710 --> 00:50:08,319
500 bc to 8000 bc

1298
00:50:13,990 --> 00:50:10,720
which also aligns with shock's proposed

1299
00:50:16,630 --> 00:50:14,000
age of the sphanx at 12 000 years old

1300
00:50:18,790 --> 00:50:16,640
once again it's not proof but it's an

1301
00:50:21,349 --> 00:50:18,800
interesting possibility

1302
00:50:23,670 --> 00:50:21,359
i went looking for arguments against

1303
00:50:26,069 --> 00:50:23,680
shocks dating of the sphinx because i

1304
00:50:28,390 --> 00:50:26,079
truly wanted to understand why the

1305
00:50:29,430 --> 00:50:28,400
academic community is so opposed to this

1306
00:50:31,349 --> 00:50:29,440
idea

1307
00:50:33,750 --> 00:50:31,359
and i gotta tell you

1308
00:50:35,910 --> 00:50:33,760
i couldn't find much beyond what's been

1309
00:50:38,230 --> 00:50:35,920
presented here so far

1310
00:50:40,870 --> 00:50:38,240
there is one argument that the sphinx is

1311
00:50:44,309 --> 00:50:40,880
a lightly shaped yardang or a rock

1312
00:50:46,470 --> 00:50:44,319
outcropping shaped by wind-based erosion

1313
00:50:48,309 --> 00:50:46,480
basically the idea is that the sphinx

1314
00:50:50,309 --> 00:50:48,319
used to be a rock outcropping that

1315
00:50:52,150 --> 00:50:50,319
looked kind of like a sphinx and then

1316
00:50:54,790 --> 00:50:52,160
they just carved it a little to make the

1317
00:50:56,710 --> 00:50:54,800
resemblance more exact this is a

1318
00:50:59,750 --> 00:50:56,720
possibility but given the way that the

1319
00:51:02,790 --> 00:50:59,760
sphinx is carved down into the bedrock

1320
00:51:05,270 --> 00:51:02,800
it feels unlikely that this was the case

1321
00:51:07,829 --> 00:51:05,280
other than that the only real argument

1322
00:51:09,829 --> 00:51:07,839
against shock's aging of the sphinx was

1323
00:51:12,950 --> 00:51:09,839
something that when he first presented

1324
00:51:14,150 --> 00:51:12,960
it in 1991 was a very fair argument

1325
00:51:16,630 --> 00:51:14,160
which was

1326
00:51:18,549 --> 00:51:16,640
if there was a civilization advanced

1327
00:51:20,549 --> 00:51:18,559
enough to have created the sphinx

1328
00:51:23,109 --> 00:51:20,559
thousands of years before it was thought

1329
00:51:25,750 --> 00:51:23,119
to have been built then where was the

1330
00:51:28,230 --> 00:51:25,760
other evidence of this civilization

1331
00:51:31,829 --> 00:51:28,240
shouldn't there be something

1332
00:51:35,190 --> 00:51:31,839
but just four years later in 1995

1333
00:51:37,510 --> 00:51:35,200
excavations began at gobekli tepe

1334
00:51:40,390 --> 00:51:37,520
here was the proof that humans were

1335
00:51:42,790 --> 00:51:40,400
capable of massive and complex feats of

1336
00:51:43,829 --> 00:51:42,800
engineering at the end of the last ice

1337
00:51:46,390 --> 00:51:43,839
age

1338
00:51:49,190 --> 00:51:46,400
so why exactly are mainstream

1339
00:51:51,829 --> 00:51:49,200
egyptologists so adamantly opposed to

1340
00:51:54,069 --> 00:51:51,839
even considering the possibility that

1341
00:51:55,829 --> 00:51:54,079
the sphinx may be older than previously

1342
00:51:58,630 --> 00:51:55,839
thought

1343
00:52:00,390 --> 00:51:58,640
in february 1992 the american

1344
00:52:03,109 --> 00:52:00,400
association for the advancement of

1345
00:52:05,990 --> 00:52:03,119
science hosted a heated debate on the

1346
00:52:08,390 --> 00:52:06,000
subject between shock and dr mark laner

1347
00:52:10,630 --> 00:52:08,400
of the university of chicago

1348
00:52:13,190 --> 00:52:10,640
during this debate laners said

1349
00:52:15,190 --> 00:52:13,200
you don't overthrow egyptian history

1350
00:52:16,870 --> 00:52:15,200
based on one phenomenon like a

1351
00:52:19,430 --> 00:52:16,880
weathering profile

1352
00:52:21,109 --> 00:52:19,440
that is how pseudoscience is done not

1353
00:52:23,430 --> 00:52:21,119
real science

1354
00:52:26,390 --> 00:52:23,440
and though it represents the consensus

1355
00:52:29,109 --> 00:52:26,400
opinion of mainstream egyptology

1356
00:52:30,710 --> 00:52:29,119
this statement is both telling and

1357
00:52:33,750 --> 00:52:30,720
nonsensical

1358
00:52:35,270 --> 00:52:33,760
egyptian history like all history is

1359
00:52:37,589 --> 00:52:35,280
just a story

1360
00:52:40,630 --> 00:52:37,599
it's a story compiled not of all that

1361
00:52:43,270 --> 00:52:40,640
was but of what little still remains

1362
00:52:45,829 --> 00:52:43,280
interpreted imperfectly by the dominant

1363
00:52:47,750 --> 00:52:45,839
culture of the time period and passed

1364
00:52:49,030 --> 00:52:47,760
down and reinterpreted through the

1365
00:52:51,349 --> 00:52:49,040
millennia

1366
00:52:54,470 --> 00:52:51,359
it's a messy game of telephone

1367
00:52:56,390 --> 00:52:54,480
history isn't a science it's an echo

1368
00:52:57,510 --> 00:52:56,400
it's a shadow play

1369
00:53:00,870 --> 00:52:57,520
so yes

1370
00:53:03,829 --> 00:53:00,880
when you find solid observable data like

1371
00:53:05,750 --> 00:53:03,839
say a weathering profile and it doesn't

1372
00:53:07,430 --> 00:53:05,760
match up with the story that we've told

1373
00:53:08,390 --> 00:53:07,440
ourselves about what happened in the

1374
00:53:10,950 --> 00:53:08,400
past

1375
00:53:13,670 --> 00:53:10,960
we absolutely should be willing to at

1376
00:53:15,990 --> 00:53:13,680
least consider the possibility that we

1377
00:53:17,270 --> 00:53:16,000
may need to throw that story out and

1378
00:53:19,349 --> 00:53:17,280
start over

1379
00:53:22,309 --> 00:53:19,359
to say otherwise is to let the

1380
00:53:23,270 --> 00:53:22,319
conclusions dictate how we interpret the

1381
00:53:25,589 --> 00:53:23,280
data

1382
00:53:27,270 --> 00:53:25,599
and that is the very soul of

1383
00:53:29,349 --> 00:53:27,280
pseudoscience

1384
00:53:32,069 --> 00:53:29,359
and it is this exact type of

1385
00:53:34,950 --> 00:53:32,079
pseudo-scientific nonsensical argument

1386
00:53:37,270 --> 00:53:34,960
that is used to assail the reputations

1387
00:53:39,190 --> 00:53:37,280
and ruin the careers of scientists who

1388
00:53:40,230 --> 00:53:39,200
dare to question the established

1389
00:53:43,270 --> 00:53:40,240
narrative

1390
00:53:45,349 --> 00:53:43,280
and it happens all the time

1391
00:53:47,270 --> 00:53:45,359
once you look for it you'll see it

1392
00:53:49,190 --> 00:53:47,280
everywhere

1393
00:53:52,710 --> 00:53:49,200
so let's pour one out for the science

1394
00:53:54,390 --> 00:53:52,720
homies wherever and whenever they may be

1395
00:53:57,030 --> 00:53:54,400
who have put their careers and

1396
00:53:59,829 --> 00:53:57,040
reputations on the line in order to

1397
00:54:01,870 --> 00:53:59,839
follow the data to an unpopular and

1398
00:54:49,140 --> 00:54:01,880
inconvenient conclusion

1399
00:54:49,150 --> 00:54:56,549
[Music]

1400
00:54:56,559 --> 00:55:07,370
so

1401
00:55:07,380 --> 00:55:16,390
[Music]

1402
00:55:21,829 --> 00:55:18,870
despite the vehement protestations of

1403
00:55:24,309 --> 00:55:21,839
the academic community i find it very

1404
00:55:26,789 --> 00:55:24,319
hard to plausibly deny that between just

1405
00:55:28,950 --> 00:55:26,799
these two archaeological sites

1406
00:55:32,789 --> 00:55:28,960
we have evidence that a rewriting of

1407
00:55:34,950 --> 00:55:32,799
history may be exactly what's in order

1408
00:55:37,589 --> 00:55:34,960
but are just these two archaeological

1409
00:55:40,630 --> 00:55:37,599
sites enough to make that claim

1410
00:55:42,549 --> 00:55:40,640
i'd argue that we only actually need one

1411
00:55:44,069 --> 00:55:42,559
gobekli tepe

1412
00:55:47,430 --> 00:55:44,079
the fact that it was carefully and

1413
00:55:49,430 --> 00:55:47,440
meticulously buried 10 000 years ago

1414
00:55:51,430 --> 00:55:49,440
means this site has been preserved in a

1415
00:55:52,470 --> 00:55:51,440
way that we rarely see in megalithic

1416
00:55:54,870 --> 00:55:52,480
sites

1417
00:55:58,470 --> 00:55:54,880
giving us a literally unparalleled

1418
00:56:01,349 --> 00:55:58,480
glimpse into humanity's distant past

1419
00:56:03,910 --> 00:56:01,359
and what we found looks absolutely

1420
00:56:06,390 --> 00:56:03,920
nothing like what we would have expected

1421
00:56:09,030 --> 00:56:06,400
and defies virtually every assumption we

1422
00:56:10,549 --> 00:56:09,040
had about who these people were what

1423
00:56:12,230 --> 00:56:10,559
their lives were like and the

1424
00:56:13,430 --> 00:56:12,240
engineering feats of which they were

1425
00:56:16,069 --> 00:56:13,440
capable

1426
00:56:17,910 --> 00:56:16,079
it's been almost 30 years since gobekli

1427
00:56:20,069 --> 00:56:17,920
tepe was discovered

1428
00:56:22,470 --> 00:56:20,079
it's time to admit that when it comes to

1429
00:56:24,390 --> 00:56:22,480
the emergence of human civilization

1430
00:56:27,190 --> 00:56:24,400
we had it all wrong

1431
00:56:29,109 --> 00:56:27,200
and on some level mainstream archaeology

1432
00:56:31,349 --> 00:56:29,119
must know this

1433
00:56:32,870 --> 00:56:31,359
they don't dispute these dates only the

1434
00:56:35,349 --> 00:56:32,880
conclusions

1435
00:56:37,910 --> 00:56:35,359
but how can anyone deny that gobekli

1436
00:56:39,670 --> 00:56:37,920
tepe nearly doubles the amount of time

1437
00:56:42,230 --> 00:56:39,680
that there has been something like high

1438
00:56:44,150 --> 00:56:42,240
civilization on this planet however

1439
00:56:45,589 --> 00:56:44,160
erratic and flickering that light may

1440
00:56:48,150 --> 00:56:45,599
have been

1441
00:56:50,789 --> 00:56:48,160
i think that beyond the typical academic

1442
00:56:52,470 --> 00:56:50,799
bias against paradigm breaking ideas

1443
00:56:54,390 --> 00:56:52,480
there are a few other reasons for this

1444
00:56:56,549 --> 00:56:54,400
resistance

1445
00:56:59,829 --> 00:56:56,559
the first is that we still don't know

1446
00:57:01,510 --> 00:56:59,839
what gobekli tepe actually was

1447
00:57:03,750 --> 00:57:01,520
most scholars seem to believe that it

1448
00:57:06,150 --> 00:57:03,760
was probably a temple of some kind used

1449
00:57:07,510 --> 00:57:06,160
for religious rights and rituals but we

1450
00:57:09,589 --> 00:57:07,520
really don't know

1451
00:57:11,910 --> 00:57:09,599
and the completely anomalous nature of

1452
00:57:14,710 --> 00:57:11,920
this site seemingly standing alone in

1453
00:57:17,190 --> 00:57:14,720
history without context makes it even

1454
00:57:19,349 --> 00:57:17,200
more difficult to make sense of

1455
00:57:21,349 --> 00:57:19,359
who were these people and why did they

1456
00:57:23,750 --> 00:57:21,359
build this place

1457
00:57:26,470 --> 00:57:23,760
mainstream archaeology has chosen to

1458
00:57:28,470 --> 00:57:26,480
simply set gobekli tepe down into the

1459
00:57:30,870 --> 00:57:28,480
existing version of the story of what

1460
00:57:31,670 --> 00:57:30,880
our ancestors were up to 12 000 years

1461
00:57:33,589 --> 00:57:31,680
ago

1462
00:57:35,109 --> 00:57:33,599
and will tell you that it was built by

1463
00:57:37,510 --> 00:57:35,119
hunter-gatherers

1464
00:57:38,789 --> 00:57:37,520
and to that i simply say

1465
00:57:41,270 --> 00:57:38,799
how

1466
00:57:43,510 --> 00:57:41,280
first of all the very nature of a

1467
00:57:45,589 --> 00:57:43,520
hunter-gatherer lifestyle is that a vast

1468
00:57:47,430 --> 00:57:45,599
majority of your time and energy is

1469
00:57:49,910 --> 00:57:47,440
spent obtaining food

1470
00:57:52,150 --> 00:57:49,920
it's hard to understand how a massive

1471
00:57:54,470 --> 00:57:52,160
collaborative megalithic construction

1472
00:57:56,150 --> 00:57:54,480
effort could be undertaken by people who

1473
00:57:58,710 --> 00:57:56,160
were living that way

1474
00:58:03,109 --> 00:57:58,720
for example the massive megaliths at

1475
00:58:04,230 --> 00:58:03,119
gobekli tepe are up to 5.5 meters or 18

1476
00:58:06,789 --> 00:58:04,240
feet tall

1477
00:58:09,270 --> 00:58:06,799
and weigh up to 50 tons

1478
00:58:12,710 --> 00:58:09,280
it would take approximately a thousand

1479
00:58:14,309 --> 00:58:12,720
men to move just one of these monsters

1480
00:58:15,990 --> 00:58:14,319
and though there are debates about how

1481
00:58:18,870 --> 00:58:16,000
this was actually done

1482
00:58:21,109 --> 00:58:18,880
it was undoubtedly extremely slow

1483
00:58:23,910 --> 00:58:21,119
extremely difficult work

1484
00:58:26,069 --> 00:58:23,920
and there were 250 of these megaliths

1485
00:58:28,309 --> 00:58:26,079
that needed to be quarried moved to the

1486
00:58:29,190 --> 00:58:28,319
location and then raised

1487
00:58:30,630 --> 00:58:29,200
so

1488
00:58:33,430 --> 00:58:30,640
if you're going to get done with this

1489
00:58:36,230 --> 00:58:33,440
project basically ever you're going to

1490
00:58:38,230 --> 00:58:36,240
need thousands of strong adults who

1491
00:58:41,829 --> 00:58:38,240
otherwise would have been hunting to

1492
00:58:43,750 --> 00:58:41,839
spend a lot of time very slowly hauling

1493
00:58:45,990 --> 00:58:43,760
very big rocks around

1494
00:58:48,230 --> 00:58:46,000
and meanwhile there must have been an

1495
00:58:50,230 --> 00:58:48,240
equally massive effort to gather enough

1496
00:58:51,349 --> 00:58:50,240
food to support this large assemblage of

1497
00:58:53,829 --> 00:58:51,359
people

1498
00:58:56,150 --> 00:58:53,839
dragging rocks is hungry work

1499
00:58:58,150 --> 00:58:56,160
and conceivably this could deplete

1500
00:59:00,549 --> 00:58:58,160
natural resources in the surrounding

1501
00:59:02,470 --> 00:59:00,559
area over a long enough time period

1502
00:59:04,470 --> 00:59:02,480
forcing them to go further and further

1503
00:59:06,630 --> 00:59:04,480
afield to find food

1504
00:59:08,950 --> 00:59:06,640
none of this is ideal

1505
00:59:11,190 --> 00:59:08,960
now granted there is the argument to be

1506
00:59:13,910 --> 00:59:11,200
made that this is actually exactly what

1507
00:59:15,910 --> 00:59:13,920
happened and that instead of the rise of

1508
00:59:17,910 --> 00:59:15,920
agriculture creating the conditions

1509
00:59:19,990 --> 00:59:17,920
necessary for the building of megaliths

1510
00:59:22,789 --> 00:59:20,000
as we previously assumed

1511
00:59:25,109 --> 00:59:22,799
that in fact the building of megaliths

1512
00:59:27,349 --> 00:59:25,119
led to the conditions that necessitated

1513
00:59:29,190 --> 00:59:27,359
the development of agriculture

1514
00:59:31,829 --> 00:59:29,200
and i will admit that this is definitely

1515
00:59:34,230 --> 00:59:31,839
a possibility

1516
00:59:36,390 --> 00:59:34,240
i'd argue that it's not just time

1517
00:59:37,750 --> 00:59:36,400
manpower and resources that would have

1518
00:59:39,670 --> 00:59:37,760
been potential barriers to

1519
00:59:40,710 --> 00:59:39,680
hunter-gatherers becoming megalithic

1520
00:59:42,710 --> 00:59:40,720
builders

1521
00:59:44,710 --> 00:59:42,720
but something deeper

1522
00:59:47,510 --> 00:59:44,720
many of the pillars and megaliths at

1523
00:59:49,829 --> 00:59:47,520
gobekli tepe are ornately carved with

1524
00:59:51,990 --> 00:59:49,839
decorative signs and symbols

1525
00:59:54,309 --> 00:59:52,000
some of them even have highly detailed

1526
00:59:56,390 --> 00:59:54,319
relief sculptures of animals so

1527
00:59:58,150 --> 00:59:56,400
basically animals are carved to look

1528
01:00:00,230 --> 00:59:58,160
like they are sitting on the pillars but

1529
01:00:01,109 --> 01:00:00,240
they are made of the same solid piece of

1530
01:00:03,990 --> 01:00:01,119
rock

1531
01:00:05,910 --> 01:00:04,000
the difficulty of that alone is hard to

1532
01:00:08,630 --> 01:00:05,920
overstate

1533
01:00:11,349 --> 01:00:08,640
gobekli tepe doesn't just represent an

1534
01:00:13,670 --> 01:00:11,359
engineering and architectural marvel

1535
01:00:15,910 --> 01:00:13,680
but an artistic one as well

1536
01:00:18,549 --> 01:00:15,920
its carvings and sculptures are as

1537
01:00:20,150 --> 01:00:18,559
expressive as they are detailed

1538
01:00:22,470 --> 01:00:20,160
are we to believe that our

1539
01:00:24,470 --> 01:00:22,480
hunter-gatherer ancestors emerged from

1540
01:00:26,789 --> 01:00:24,480
the last ice age and that one of the

1541
01:00:30,230 --> 01:00:26,799
very first things that they built was

1542
01:00:31,430 --> 01:00:30,240
this sophisticated this complex and this

1543
01:00:33,270 --> 01:00:31,440
beautiful

1544
01:00:35,109 --> 01:00:33,280
and this happened just out of nowhere

1545
01:00:37,270 --> 01:00:35,119
with no previous knowledge or

1546
01:00:39,430 --> 01:00:37,280
civilization to draw from

1547
01:00:41,190 --> 01:00:39,440
once again i ask

1548
01:00:43,349 --> 01:00:41,200
how

1549
01:00:45,589 --> 01:00:43,359
mainstream archaeologists don't have an

1550
01:00:47,910 --> 01:00:45,599
answer to that question though on the

1551
01:00:49,670 --> 01:00:47,920
other hand there admittedly isn't a good

1552
01:00:50,710 --> 01:00:49,680
answer to their prevailing question

1553
01:00:53,270 --> 01:00:50,720
which is

1554
01:00:55,430 --> 01:00:53,280
if the builders of gobekli tepe weren't

1555
01:00:58,230 --> 01:00:55,440
just hunter-gatherers and if a more

1556
01:01:00,150 --> 01:00:58,240
advanced civilization did exist at the

1557
01:01:02,230 --> 01:01:00,160
end of the last ice age

1558
01:01:05,190 --> 01:01:02,240
where is the other evidence

1559
01:01:08,150 --> 01:01:05,200
and that's more than fair

1560
01:01:09,990 --> 01:01:08,160
yes we can argue the unique situation

1561
01:01:12,789 --> 01:01:10,000
created by gobekli tepe being

1562
01:01:15,109 --> 01:01:12,799
intentionally buried 10 000 years ago

1563
01:01:17,109 --> 01:01:15,119
means that it is almost certainly much

1564
01:01:18,789 --> 01:01:17,119
better preserved than any potential

1565
01:01:20,630 --> 01:01:18,799
archaeological sites that may have been

1566
01:01:23,190 --> 01:01:20,640
around at the same time

1567
01:01:26,230 --> 01:01:23,200
but without any analogous sites to point

1568
01:01:27,030 --> 01:01:26,240
to it's all just speculation

1569
01:01:29,030 --> 01:01:27,040
but

1570
01:01:31,510 --> 01:01:29,040
is there evidence that it would be even

1571
01:01:34,470 --> 01:01:31,520
possible for an ancient civilization to

1572
01:01:36,470 --> 01:01:34,480
just be entirely erased like that

1573
01:01:38,710 --> 01:01:36,480
and it turns out that there is

1574
01:01:41,349 --> 01:01:38,720
if anything i'd argue that we tend to

1575
01:01:43,030 --> 01:01:41,359
grossly underestimate how easily

1576
01:01:44,230 --> 01:01:43,040
evidence can be lost to the sands of

1577
01:01:46,549 --> 01:01:44,240
time

1578
01:01:47,589 --> 01:01:46,559
there are many missing chapters of human

1579
01:01:49,510 --> 01:01:47,599
history

1580
01:01:51,750 --> 01:01:49,520
places where the archaeological record

1581
01:01:53,589 --> 01:01:51,760
goes quiet leaving us to wonder about

1582
01:01:55,349 --> 01:01:53,599
what transpired

1583
01:01:57,750 --> 01:01:55,359
one of the biggest of these gaps

1584
01:01:59,430 --> 01:01:57,760
occurred long before humanity existed

1585
01:02:01,990 --> 01:01:59,440
when the ancient hominids from which we

1586
01:02:04,950 --> 01:02:02,000
descended still roamed the earth between

1587
01:02:07,510 --> 01:02:04,960
5 million and 9 million years ago

1588
01:02:08,470 --> 01:02:07,520
that's four million years of missing

1589
01:02:10,470 --> 01:02:08,480
time

1590
01:02:12,549 --> 01:02:10,480
the evidence of whatever hominids were

1591
01:02:14,549 --> 01:02:12,559
doing at that time how they lived how

1592
01:02:15,670 --> 01:02:14,559
they evolved are essentially erased from

1593
01:02:17,829 --> 01:02:15,680
the record

1594
01:02:19,829 --> 01:02:17,839
almost nothing remains

1595
01:02:22,470 --> 01:02:19,839
this is likely because this was a period

1596
01:02:24,710 --> 01:02:22,480
of ice ages the intermittent cycles of

1597
01:02:26,950 --> 01:02:24,720
glaciation would have destroyed many

1598
01:02:28,630 --> 01:02:26,960
potential archaeological sites

1599
01:02:30,789 --> 01:02:28,640
and because the sea levels would have

1600
01:02:33,109 --> 01:02:30,799
been much lower with so much water

1601
01:02:35,109 --> 01:02:33,119
trapped in ice around the poles what

1602
01:02:37,270 --> 01:02:35,119
little record may have remained is

1603
01:02:40,069 --> 01:02:37,280
likely underwater now

1604
01:02:42,230 --> 01:02:40,079
the paradox of geological time is that

1605
01:02:44,950 --> 01:02:42,240
four million years can be both a very

1606
01:02:47,109 --> 01:02:44,960
long time and a drop in the bucket

1607
01:02:49,270 --> 01:02:47,119
that four million years was enough for

1608
01:02:51,829 --> 01:02:49,280
one branch of the ape family tree to

1609
01:02:53,029 --> 01:02:51,839
evolve into bipedal small-brained

1610
01:02:55,750 --> 01:02:53,039
hominids

1611
01:02:58,870 --> 01:02:55,760
and yet it's also short enough period of

1612
01:03:00,470 --> 01:02:58,880
time that it can be easily lost it can

1613
01:03:02,069 --> 01:03:00,480
slip through the cracks and be gone

1614
01:03:04,470 --> 01:03:02,079
forever

1615
01:03:07,190 --> 01:03:04,480
so if we're talking about thousands of

1616
01:03:09,190 --> 01:03:07,200
years tens of thousands of years at most

1617
01:03:11,910 --> 01:03:09,200
it's not unthinkable that an advanced

1618
01:03:14,710 --> 01:03:11,920
civilization could easily rise and fall

1619
01:03:17,029 --> 01:03:14,720
leaving little to no evidence behind

1620
01:03:19,109 --> 01:03:17,039
especially if they occurred during or

1621
01:03:21,349 --> 01:03:19,119
immediately before a tumultuous

1622
01:03:23,750 --> 01:03:21,359
geoclimatic time

1623
01:03:25,349 --> 01:03:23,760
like say maybe the event that killed off

1624
01:03:27,349 --> 01:03:25,359
most species of mammals at the beginning

1625
01:03:29,190 --> 01:03:27,359
of the younger dryas

1626
01:03:31,029 --> 01:03:29,200
and if that were the case

1627
01:03:32,150 --> 01:03:31,039
what might still remain of these ancient

1628
01:03:35,349 --> 01:03:32,160
people

1629
01:03:38,390 --> 01:03:35,359
the answer is probably not much

1630
01:03:41,190 --> 01:03:38,400
and what was there would be hard to find

1631
01:03:42,870 --> 01:03:41,200
and harder to conclusively identify

1632
01:03:45,430 --> 01:03:42,880
with a little bit of luck some

1633
01:03:47,349 --> 01:03:45,440
megalithic structures might still remain

1634
01:03:48,950 --> 01:03:47,359
though what state they might be in we

1635
01:03:51,510 --> 01:03:48,960
can't be sure

1636
01:03:54,069 --> 01:03:51,520
and there would be stories tales of a

1637
01:03:56,390 --> 01:03:54,079
cataclysm deep in our past and of an

1638
01:03:59,589 --> 01:03:56,400
advanced people whose very existence was

1639
01:04:01,109 --> 01:03:59,599
swept away by a calamity

1640
01:04:02,710 --> 01:04:01,119
and then there's the question that we've

1641
01:04:04,789 --> 01:04:02,720
been dancing around throughout this

1642
01:04:06,390 --> 01:04:04,799
whole episode

1643
01:04:09,029 --> 01:04:06,400
you've probably noticed that there is

1644
01:04:12,230 --> 01:04:09,039
this date that keeps popping up

1645
01:04:14,390 --> 01:04:12,240
twelve thousand years ago or ten 000 bc

1646
01:04:16,630 --> 01:04:14,400
right at this exact moment in time give

1647
01:04:18,789 --> 01:04:16,640
or take a few hundred years we have

1648
01:04:19,910 --> 01:04:18,799
three major turning points for the human

1649
01:04:21,910 --> 01:04:19,920
species

1650
01:04:24,710 --> 01:04:21,920
the end of the last ice age the

1651
01:04:26,789 --> 01:04:24,720
beginning of the agricultural revolution

1652
01:04:28,710 --> 01:04:26,799
and the first conclusively dated

1653
01:04:30,390 --> 01:04:28,720
megalithic structures were built at

1654
01:04:32,950 --> 01:04:30,400
gobekli tepe

1655
01:04:34,470 --> 01:04:32,960
so what the heck happened 12 000 years

1656
01:04:36,789 --> 01:04:34,480
ago

1657
01:04:38,870 --> 01:04:36,799
i submit there are two possibilities

1658
01:04:42,069 --> 01:04:38,880
that best fit the evidence

1659
01:04:44,549 --> 01:04:42,079
the first is that human civilization is

1660
01:04:46,549 --> 01:04:44,559
much older than we thought

1661
01:04:48,710 --> 01:04:46,559
i find it virtually impossible to

1662
01:04:51,190 --> 01:04:48,720
believe that a group of hunter-gatherers

1663
01:04:53,750 --> 01:04:51,200
would have or could have built gobekli

1664
01:04:55,829 --> 01:04:53,760
tepe without any kind of previous

1665
01:04:57,589 --> 01:04:55,839
context or reference point

1666
01:04:58,870 --> 01:04:57,599
it truly stretches the limits of

1667
01:04:59,990 --> 01:04:58,880
credulity

1668
01:05:02,390 --> 01:05:00,000
however

1669
01:05:04,789 --> 01:05:02,400
the implications of that are startling

1670
01:05:05,589 --> 01:05:04,799
enough that we may be hesitant to admit

1671
01:05:08,390 --> 01:05:05,599
it

1672
01:05:11,109 --> 01:05:08,400
because if gobekli tepe is in fact an

1673
01:05:13,349 --> 01:05:11,119
artifact of a more advanced civilization

1674
01:05:15,990 --> 01:05:13,359
with an understanding of engineering

1675
01:05:17,510 --> 01:05:16,000
astronomy art and perhaps even written

1676
01:05:20,230 --> 01:05:17,520
language

1677
01:05:22,630 --> 01:05:20,240
then what we have is this fully formed

1678
01:05:25,270 --> 01:05:22,640
complex civilization popping up out of

1679
01:05:27,589 --> 01:05:25,280
nowhere at the end of the last ice age

1680
01:05:29,990 --> 01:05:27,599
nearly 7 000 years before it was

1681
01:05:31,349 --> 01:05:30,000
supposed to have existed

1682
01:05:33,190 --> 01:05:31,359
but also

1683
01:05:35,029 --> 01:05:33,200
we intuitively know that that doesn't

1684
01:05:37,750 --> 01:05:35,039
really make sense

1685
01:05:39,750 --> 01:05:37,760
civilizations however they emerge don't

1686
01:05:42,390 --> 01:05:39,760
just come out of nowhere

1687
01:05:45,029 --> 01:05:42,400
it's a process and a progression often

1688
01:05:47,990 --> 01:05:45,039
with fits setbacks and false starts that

1689
01:05:50,309 --> 01:05:48,000
takes literally thousands of years

1690
01:05:51,750 --> 01:05:50,319
the last ice age also referred to as the

1691
01:05:54,870 --> 01:05:51,760
younger driest

1692
01:05:57,750 --> 01:05:54,880
only lasted about 1200 years

1693
01:05:59,829 --> 01:05:57,760
but as we discussed this was a rough

1694
01:06:01,589 --> 01:05:59,839
1200 years for anything living in the

1695
01:06:03,910 --> 01:06:01,599
northern hemisphere with the vast

1696
01:06:05,910 --> 01:06:03,920
majority of mammals over 40 kilograms

1697
01:06:07,029 --> 01:06:05,920
going extinct within a very short time

1698
01:06:09,670 --> 01:06:07,039
period

1699
01:06:11,829 --> 01:06:09,680
whatever caused this massive die-off

1700
01:06:13,829 --> 01:06:11,839
humans would not have been immune to it

1701
01:06:15,670 --> 01:06:13,839
and we almost certainly lost a large

1702
01:06:16,870 --> 01:06:15,680
percentage of the human population as

1703
01:06:17,589 --> 01:06:16,880
well

1704
01:06:19,829 --> 01:06:17,599
so

1705
01:06:21,829 --> 01:06:19,839
what this implies is that there could

1706
01:06:24,870 --> 01:06:21,839
have been some form of advanced

1707
01:06:27,510 --> 01:06:24,880
civilization that existed on this planet

1708
01:06:29,990 --> 01:06:27,520
before the last ice age

1709
01:06:32,870 --> 01:06:30,000
on top of whatever brutal conditions led

1710
01:06:34,710 --> 01:06:32,880
to the die-off of so many large mammals

1711
01:06:37,109 --> 01:06:34,720
rising sea levels would have likely

1712
01:06:39,029 --> 01:06:37,119
claimed most settlements on the water

1713
01:06:40,230 --> 01:06:39,039
which is where early humans tended to

1714
01:06:42,309 --> 01:06:40,240
build

1715
01:06:45,109 --> 01:06:42,319
perhaps the species sustained heavy

1716
01:06:47,349 --> 01:06:45,119
damages their achievements in cities all

1717
01:06:49,510 --> 01:06:47,359
but erased by the heavy glaciation and

1718
01:06:51,990 --> 01:06:49,520
the rising sea

1719
01:06:53,270 --> 01:06:52,000
but perhaps those that survived carried

1720
01:06:55,109 --> 01:06:53,280
this knowledge

1721
01:06:58,150 --> 01:06:55,119
perhaps there were strongholds where

1722
01:07:00,069 --> 01:06:58,160
life went on maybe not just like normal

1723
01:07:02,069 --> 01:07:00,079
but with at least enough stability to

1724
01:07:03,829 --> 01:07:02,079
preserve some of the culture of those

1725
01:07:06,710 --> 01:07:03,839
that came before

1726
01:07:09,270 --> 01:07:06,720
and maybe at the end of the last ice age

1727
01:07:11,990 --> 01:07:09,280
they built gobekli tepe

1728
01:07:14,630 --> 01:07:12,000
and might that explain why after 2 000

1729
01:07:17,430 --> 01:07:14,640
years of continuous use they carefully

1730
01:07:19,589 --> 01:07:17,440
buried it never to return again

1731
01:07:21,670 --> 01:07:19,599
whatever their reason for leaving

1732
01:07:24,069 --> 01:07:21,680
perhaps they still had a memory of the

1733
01:07:26,069 --> 01:07:24,079
cataclysm and an awareness that even the

1734
01:07:28,150 --> 01:07:26,079
mightiest of human achievements can be

1735
01:07:30,870 --> 01:07:28,160
erased from the face of the planet if

1736
01:07:32,390 --> 01:07:30,880
they are not carefully preserved

1737
01:07:34,950 --> 01:07:32,400
we may never know

1738
01:07:37,990 --> 01:07:34,960
but based on the evidence i reject the

1739
01:07:40,309 --> 01:07:38,000
idea that these are stupid questions

1740
01:07:42,230 --> 01:07:40,319
but there is another possibility that is

1741
01:07:44,470 --> 01:07:42,240
perhaps even more repugnant to

1742
01:07:46,789 --> 01:07:44,480
mainstream archaeologists

1743
01:07:49,910 --> 01:07:46,799
which is that humans may have been

1744
01:07:52,549 --> 01:07:49,920
assisted by an advanced intelligence

1745
01:07:54,390 --> 01:07:52,559
the reality is that whatever the origin

1746
01:07:56,150 --> 01:07:54,400
of the ufo phenomenon

1747
01:07:58,630 --> 01:07:56,160
based on the paradigm shattering

1748
01:08:00,789 --> 01:07:58,640
technology that these objects display it

1749
01:08:03,190 --> 01:08:00,799
is almost certainly an expression of a

1750
01:08:04,870 --> 01:08:03,200
highly advanced intelligence whether

1751
01:08:07,029 --> 01:08:04,880
that be extraterrestrial

1752
01:08:09,349 --> 01:08:07,039
ultra-terrestrial inter-dimensional

1753
01:08:10,870 --> 01:08:09,359
temporal artificial or some other

1754
01:08:12,549 --> 01:08:10,880
possibility that we haven't even

1755
01:08:14,710 --> 01:08:12,559
considered yet

1756
01:08:17,349 --> 01:08:14,720
and if the phenomenon is engaging with

1757
01:08:18,630 --> 01:08:17,359
human beings now there's no reason to

1758
01:08:20,309 --> 01:08:18,640
assume that they wouldn't have in the

1759
01:08:22,390 --> 01:08:20,319
past as well

1760
01:08:25,030 --> 01:08:22,400
in fact as we discussed in the last

1761
01:08:27,030 --> 01:08:25,040
episode most of these possibilities

1762
01:08:28,070 --> 01:08:27,040
would almost necessarily mean that they

1763
01:08:30,550 --> 01:08:28,080
had

1764
01:08:32,709 --> 01:08:30,560
and stories of these interactions appear

1765
01:08:34,950 --> 01:08:32,719
in our art historical records and

1766
01:08:37,510 --> 01:08:34,960
religious texts dating back to the

1767
01:08:39,510 --> 01:08:37,520
earliest examples that we have

1768
01:08:41,829 --> 01:08:39,520
making it impossible to deny the

1769
01:08:43,749 --> 01:08:41,839
possibility that this is something that

1770
01:08:45,829 --> 01:08:43,759
humans have been experiencing for

1771
01:08:46,709 --> 01:08:45,839
thousands of years

1772
01:08:51,189 --> 01:08:46,719
so

1773
01:08:53,269 --> 01:08:51,199
builders of gobekli tepe seem to emerge

1774
01:08:55,189 --> 01:08:53,279
from the end of the last ice age

1775
01:08:57,189 --> 01:08:55,199
seemingly out of nowhere already

1776
01:08:59,189 --> 01:08:57,199
equipped with the complex set of

1777
01:09:00,950 --> 01:08:59,199
knowledge and skills necessary to

1778
01:09:03,189 --> 01:09:00,960
undertake this kind of megalithic

1779
01:09:04,309 --> 01:09:03,199
building project is because they had a

1780
01:09:05,829 --> 01:09:04,319
hand

1781
01:09:07,430 --> 01:09:05,839
could they have been gifted this

1782
01:09:08,789 --> 01:09:07,440
knowledge from a more advanced

1783
01:09:11,829 --> 01:09:08,799
intelligence

1784
01:09:14,870 --> 01:09:11,839
and if so what evidence might there be

1785
01:09:17,269 --> 01:09:14,880
of this profound interaction

1786
01:09:18,149 --> 01:09:17,279
and so that's where we'll pick up next

1787
01:09:20,870 --> 01:09:18,159
time

1788
01:09:23,510 --> 01:09:20,880
by looking deep into humanity's past to

1789
01:09:26,309 --> 01:09:23,520
see what evidence exists that might shed

1790
01:09:28,630 --> 01:09:26,319
some light on these ancient mysteries

1791
01:09:31,349 --> 01:09:28,640
and finally we'll explore the

1792
01:09:33,749 --> 01:09:31,359
possibility of a major cataclysm during

1793
01:09:35,910 --> 01:09:33,759
the younger dryas and the startling

1794
01:09:39,430 --> 01:09:35,920
implications it could have

1795
01:09:43,639 --> 01:09:39,440
not just for our past but for our future