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Title: Technology of the Gods: The Incredible Sciences of the Ancients
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Manufacturer: Adventures Unlimited Press
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| Technology of the Gods: The Incredible Sciences of the Ancients by Adventures Unlimited Press Science Fiction Stories | For those not researching much of what is written in Technology of the Gods, the stories would appear to be so fascinatingly convincing and wild and, for the most part, they are! However, if one were to REALLY do a little research and see how much of what Childress write is actually TRUE, they would find that much (and I would say, most) of it is just plain science fiction. Period. As I read Technology of the Gods, wanted badly to verify the accuracy of what Childress claimed, because as it turned out, the book made ever more outrageous claims as you get deeper and deeper into the book.
I wouldn't know where to start with a review, but a few facts stand out. For one, Childress quotes very extensively (and almost to the point of making his own analysis mute) several authors, such as Andrew Tomas, who have been known to write falsities themselves. Tomas is a good example. Most of what Tomas writes about cannot be tracked down mostly because he never left any sources for his outrageous claims. The "Vedic UFO's" from which Childress gets most of his ancient Indian Vimana ideas from (including illustrations of them) were inspired by a book, Vaimanika Shastra, that was claimed to have been "channeled" by the transcribed author, Pandit Subbaraya Shastry. Childress performs these same erroncies in which claims cannot be traced, verified, or researched. This is not science...this is pseudoscience. Or better yet: science fiction. This is a type of religion, in which you must simply believe what is said and leave it at that.
Another problem I found with Technology of the Gods is that there were half-truths (in which the whole explanation or alternative, and more realistic, answer seems to be ignored and not written about) or there were outright lies associated with many of Childress' claims. Quick examples:
-the Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull: was actually bought at an auction by Mitchell himself...not found at an archeological dig, as he claimed. But this explanation is never written about by Childress,
-the "metallic vessel" from Dorchester, MA was found near a mine in loose rubble, not, as Childress claims, "blown out of solid rock",
-the Coso Artifact, was found inside of a ball of hard clay, not, as Childress claims, a geode. Also, the object was found, under intense investigation, to be identical to a, then current, 1920's Champion spark plug, probably from mining equipment of the area. Of course none of this is ever mentioned or written about by Childress,
-the Iron Pillar of Delhi: not rusted due, possibly, to the high content of phosphorus film on its surface from the manufacture of it and also to its thickness. (None mentioned in Technology of the Gods),
and many more! In short, a book would need to be written that described the many inaccuracies and missleading information contained in Technology of the Gods. The book makes for some great science fiction, but not knowing anything about the subject matters written about and not researching any of the claims made by the author will lead one into believing a false religion. | | Technology of the Gods: The Incredible Sciences of the Ancients by Adventures Unlimited Press Yellow Press Disservice to the Knowledge About Sophisticated Ancients | I clearly expected a more reliable, truly scientific book. Don't shoot the messenger, this is yellow press at its "best". You expect to read about "ancient computers" and find out meant is Stonehenge, only because astronomy can be predicted with it... The "best-selling" (as in sell the headline best) author - and yes, he's a journalist - hardly leaves anything out, which makes a fine sensation: flying carpets, Perseus' invisible making helmet, manbird Garuda's space travel to the Pole Star 58 lights years away, Icarus flying to close to the sun, King Solomon traveling in aircrafts, an ancient H-bomb knocking out the power plant in a pyramid (still standing).... you name it, and David Hatcher Childress will tell you, it's all true.
His proof is usually a bit lacking. Either in the tune of: "I once saw a levitating lama"; via free spaces in ancient cities around the world without further circumstantial hints have to be nothing else, but landing grounds for air and space ships; to the causal relationship string of thought that the A-bomb on Hiroshima caused some sand to turn crystally salty, the SIMILAR LOOKING salty area around the Dead Sea must have been caused by the ancient nuking of Sodom and Gomorrha, which turned organic material (Lot's wife) into the very same salt, too (but her family could escape the blast, I presume...). His credo by his very own (quoted) words: "The absence of proof is no proof of the proof's absence." Oh, I forgot: The usual unusual item to have been found by private citizens have been lost by now (Including the biggest megaliths ever known, which couldn't get transported by modern means!) or the owners refuse any examination... He's not shying away to present pictures supporting his theory, captioning them with the small print "POSSIBLE secret chambers beneath the Sphinx" (highlight by myself). Mentioning the pictures: Most of them are depicted twice or even four times without any apparent reason, which remains one of the biggest mysteries in this book.
In principle I know that "the ancients" had been MUCH more sophisticated than presented and/or believed by orthodox "science". This book simply is not the way to present that knowledge, for hardly any real knowledge gets included. The author himself terms it "speculation" once in a while. Some curious phenomena are merely mentioned in a sentence, a paragraph or a sub chapter of 2 or 3 pages. The only somewhat in depth analysis by comparison is a lengthy some 30 page quote from a another book, The Giza Power Plant : Technologies of Ancient Egypt, which at least offers a cohesive theory to work with. Some true discoveries, such as the very real antikythera mechanism device found in an ancient Greek ship wreck, are intermingled with fantasy. Also the ancient Egyptian source for the word "soap" is revealed, which is nice. However, most unsolved mysteries are hilariously distorted by wild fiction fevers. The thing with speculation is: Nearly always, it will lead to the realization later that it was a very funny imagination, even should the direction of thought have been somewhat based on reality. For that, in depth science has to get applied, usually over many years to come to worthy conclusions, usually not expected from the start. The author, however, doesn't engage in science. He merely compiles sensationalist stories, concocted for the Atlantis and UFO philes. He is actually doing a mighty disservice to progressive/alternative science.
Take the title page as an example. The Egyptians depicted are supposed to hold light bulbs. The cover image has been distorted, within the book it becomes clear that these light bulbs are human sized. Why that huge? The symbolic Djed-pillars they are resting on are supposed to be electric generators (yet holding the GLASS then, according to this interpretation on the back cover, i.e. no metal necessary for the electricity to flow). It is a bit bold to interpret ancient temple wall paintings and hyroglyphs of what they remind of in the modern world. It would be even bold to interpret the really depicted things literally. To me, this looks like serpents in a container or symbolic flower, but I wouldn't dare to aver this impression as such. The author doesn't provide ANY context of that image. His knowledge about Egypt seems to be very limited anyway, as he terms the GODDESS Isis/Aset a priestess. She and other facets of the goddess(es) are supposed to wear very real electric light or crystal lenses on their heads. Now we know the reason for the distortion into a real life priestess, killing all the symbolism. In that row of "priestesses" depicted one has a lioness' head. He doesn't refer to how he blinds THAT literally...
Usually the book is about phenomena AS OF YET unexplained (= in 2000 when the book was published originally). Occasionally, it DEFIES any existing scientific knowledge. For example he avers the Mediterranean would have been a dry valley with some lakes, inhabited by an ancient ancient civilization he calls Osirian. (Even though the reference to the mythical first ruler of pre-dynastic Egypt having turned into a god tells the diametrically opposed story of Egypt coming OUT of the water - the growing Nile Delta). I call the Mediterranean a lake myself, yet, tectonics teach that it used to be an OCEAN getting closed. Unorthodox views describe that process a bit variated, yet, it never has been a dry valley, even though the sea level (all over the world) was a bit lower at times.
The author also falls for historic legends (i.e. errors): One example would be the supposed burning of the library in Alexandria by Muslim conquerors. In reality, the re-built library had been re-burned the last time seven centuries before their arrival - by Christian fanatics. (The first time by Julius Caesar as punishment for not submitting quickly enough.) The poisoning of Alexander the Great is controversial at best. And Archimedes constructed a lot of (wooden) machines with which to destroy ships, yet no giant lenses were used to burn any fleet. None of the contemporary historians discribing his gadgets report such lenses, but many centuries later, this myth came to life. Hence it is funny reading this book averring (relatively) sophisticated technology involuntarily based on basically a fairy tale, exposing the very carelessness of the author's approach to scientific findings.
So why did I give any stars at all? Actually, I give 2.5 not 3. One star is obligatory. Half a star is for the principle of challenging orthodox believes, suggesting the ancients didn't know anything. An additional star is for providing information to be looked up independently with more trustworthy sources. For example I had never heard about the Iron Pillar of Delhi, which mysteriously has remained rost free and is some 97% pure iron, which is difficult or should be impossible to produce in these quantities. Two years after the publishing of the book, that mystery seems to have been solved: The ancient melting process of producing iron had been fundamentally different, leaving MUCH more phosphor in the product. That in turn caused a very thin, but very effective protective film to develop on the surface. So: Yes, we didn't know and the product is superior to modern corrosion stricken iron, yet the wild speculation in this book has proven to be just that. I am glad to have been introduced to the (lack of) knowledge about vitrified forts and Libyan Desert Glass (in Egypt), which obviously formed while exposing rock/sand to enormous heat. More theories exist than described in the book, which avers nuclear warfare, because no vulcanic or meteor crater has been found. Yet, as inconsistent as the book gets, existing craters elsewhere are supposed to be caused by nuclear bombs... By the way, the sinking of ships and planes in the Bermuda Triangle has been solved in the meanwhile as well. Gases breaking through the ocean floor temporarily cause such vessels not be supported any more by the transformed water and air. The referenced example of a squadron disappearing has been reconstructed by now as an error of judgement by the leading pilot flying in the wrong direction, though.
I have to close. If you are interested in REAL, in-depth and as of today judged unorthodox science revealing ancient ancient technology, forget this book and read instead the 1966 Maps of the Ancient Sea Kings: Evidence of Advanced Civilization in the Ice Age and the 2004 Civilization One: The World Is Not as You Thought It Was. Then you WON'T have to wonder wether in 2,000 years someone interprets Star Trek and Harry Potter as the real state of technology of today... | | Technology of the Gods: The Incredible Sciences of the Ancients by Adventures Unlimited Press Fun Introduction | "Technology of the Gods" documents many examples of ancient technologies including sophisticated use of optics, magnetism, and electricity.
What I found even more interesting was a special section of some of Tesla's research into similar avenues of research.
It could have used a few more references or explanation of sources, but all in all a very enjoyable introduction into OOPARTS. | | Technology of the Gods: The Incredible Sciences of the Ancients by Adventures Unlimited Press Needs a few improvements | | The topics are covered in a Ripley's Believe It Or Not Breathless Rush that leaves the reader wondering where it all will lead. Because there is no index, you will find it difficult to go back and find the inscrutible passages. Because there are virtually no margins (1/4 inch instead of a standard 1 inch) there is no place to write notes or even put stickums without affecting the text. The lines are closely leaded (too close together for comfortable reading) perhaps to save paper or cut costs, but regardless, a less-than-comfortable reading experience. Numerous anecdotes and examples are repeated, as if nobody bothered to edit the text, but rather just wrote it down from a transcribed tape or video. The lack of attention to these basics of book-reader's expectations makes you wonder about the validity of the contents. Good info, but bad format. | | Technology of the Gods: The Incredible Sciences of the Ancients by Adventures Unlimited Press great intro to get you started | I feel this is a great starter book to get a person going in the alternative history/ancient technology direction.
I have personally given away several of these books to good friends.
If nothing else it's a great read.
Buy this book and begin the adventure. | | Technology of the Gods: The Incredible Sciences of the Ancients by Adventures Unlimited Press Book Description | | Popular Lost Cities author David Childress opens the door to the amazing world of ancient technology, from the computers of the ancient world to the "flying machines of the gods." Technology of the Gods explores the technology that was allegedly used in Atlantis and the theory that the Great Pyramid of Egypt was originally a gigantic power station. Childress also uncovers many other mysteries, including: * the technology of ancient flight * how the ancients used electricity * megalithic building techniques * the use of crystal lenses and the fire from the gods * ancient evidence of high-tech weapons, including atomic weapons * the role of modern inventors, such as Nikola Tesla, in bringing ancient technology into modern use * impossible artifacts, and more, much more. Childress has done it again! From beginning to end, Technology of the Gods is filled with facts, keen observations and tales that challenge modern assumptions in a humorous, intelligent and compelling way that is quintessential Childress. |
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