Excerpt from Symbology: Decoding Symbols through History
A Thesis at the University of Wales
By Michelle Snyder, Symbologist
Camp Century, Greenland
The Camp Century Ice Core Timeline
By Dr. Robert Duncan-Enzmann
BC
45,000 Hengelo Denecamp
29,000 Aurignacian
21,000 Solutrean
14,500 Lascaux
12,500 Bølling
9000 Allerød
8000 Pre Boreal
6000 Boreal
5900–3750 Atlantic
Grand Climate Optimum
(Note: The Atlantic Grand Climate Optimum was a time of magnificent climate, warmer than our current centuries. Humankind made great strides in this environment.)
(Note: The Atlantic Grand Climate Optimum was a time of magnificent climate, warmer than our current centuries. Humankind made great strides in this environment.)
3:9 Atlantic (5900 – 3750
BC) Grand Climate Optimum
The greatest
strides in life and
learning can be achieved when the weather is warm and life is easier, and
beginning with the Atlantic Era, mankind flourished as never before.
During the glorious warm Atlantic centuries agriculture boomed over vast areas.
Numerous cardinals and symbols were inscribed to record knowledge of medicine, childcare, and the how-to’s necessary
for survival. They were inscribed on hide, ivory, bone, and stone - and on the great megaliths. We now know the fascinating
megalithic constructions (giant stone observatories) carry history of preceding
millennia preserved with symbols, as well as within the very construction of
these fascinating structures. These great stone circles give us a glimpse of the intelligence and
industry of our ancestors; they are monuments to their
genius. Heralded by sighting rods at proto-Stonehenge of circa 8200 BC, megalithic observatories sing to us of a glorious past. They sing, not
simply of men and boys quarrying, then dragging, colossal stones hundreds of
miles (usually during winters), siting them in and setting them in, but also of
women, little girls, and boys for whom these mind-wrenching, body-crushing
labors of love are
undertaken; yes, labors of love to better all lives.
Like the great
hunts, building the megaliths was an effort in which everyone took part.
Even in tiny villages, people greeted the teams. Families helped a little and
each night fed, told stories to, and provided comfortable beds (warmed with heating
stones) for boys and men of the labor gangs that struggled to drag and slide
the precious stones over icy terrain (without ice, this trek would not have
been possible). Why such an enormous effort? Because life was precious, girls and women were highly
esteemed. Like our electric, water, and road utilities, the great stone circles were built to facilitate the functions of
life. Generations of collected seasonal, agricultural, and sometimes navigational
information were engraved onto the stones, arranged according to astronomical calculations, sort of like a farmer’s almanac(1). These
megalith observatories whisper of earlier millennia through which
grannies, mothers, and daughters did more than simply nurture little ones.
Minute by minute they battled to keep children alive and healthy. Even one
minute of carelessness in the bitter iron cold of a glacial maximum, where
carnivores broke their teeth trying to eat frozen animals they killed perhaps only an hour ago, could
result in a child freezing their fingers, searing their lungs, or otherwise
being so harmed they were crippled for life. Those beginnings are still told by
megalith observatories, symbols, signs,
and - yes - writings scratched on ivory, leather, bone, and stone plaques, seemingly
mostly by the ladies.
Neolithic Dolmen, New Zealand Goseck, Germany Stonehenge, England
ca.
8000 BC ca. 4200 BC ca. 3200 BC
These great
utilities were vital to the survival of the family, clan, and village. Stone observatories
were built all over the great European continent, a vast utility to spread knowledge
and facilitate life. The Indo-European language spread with the construction of this
utility; accuracy of construction demanded it(2). Universal spoken and written language is a consequence of utilities of continental extent. Today we see the
English language
spread by global utilities such as Marine Rules of the Road and Air Traffic Control.
Andronova Corridor
During the
millennia of the Atlantic era, the practices of herding and raising
poultry (geese and ducks) increased. Chickens from India, via Persia, reached Greece circa 6000 BC. Bountiful stores of grain
were protected from rodents with cats, serpents, and barn owls. “Gifts” of milk and honey
were left out for these honored creatures in hopes that they would stay,
increase, and protect the precious food stores. Later these gifts became offerings to
the gods(3). Meanwhile,
following food and crops, the herding, cattle-rustling northern Celtic culture traveled the Andronova Corridor and migrated into Europe, eventually merging with the
goddesses agricultural way of life; a “War of Accommodation” (a mostly peaceful effort -
not war as we think of it today) followed as the two lifestyles learned to live
and thrive together. Symbols like the Green Man(4), along with numerous others, have their roots in these merging cultures: The Green Man is a farmer. Heretofore
farming had been a
predominantly feminine activity(5) - the Green Man combines “Mother Nature” with male features -
symbolizing the steppe warrior becoming a plowboy-occasional warrior: a male farmer.
This important symbol is covered further in section 5:8.
From the dotted
calendrics of Hengelo Denekamp (45,000 BC) to the tetra fauna animals of Chauvet Caves during the Aurignacian period (29,000 BC), the symbols mankind
developed were predominantly records of heavenly events that affected their
lives. By 21,000 BC, during the Solutrean warm interval, symbols for childcare, housing, and textiles are clearly in use. Here is the origin of the
Star of David, as a notation for winter solstice sunrise and sunset. Human reproduction
calendrics from the Paleolithic (12,500 BC), instruct that babies should be conceived in spring, to be born around winter
solstice. The Allerød (9000 BC) Yggdrasil is the ancestor of the Tree of Life.
Writing of the
Vinca culture included phonetics during the Boreal (6000 BC). From 5,900 BC to 3700 BC,
during the Atlantic Grand Climate Optimum, the Indo-European language spread with the construction of a
continental utility of stone observatories, just as the English language is now spread through global utilities such as Air Traffic Control. The symbols used to record
the gambit of human development are a source of wisdom, knowledge, and history. Symbols are an abbreviated
form of communication used by our ancestors to explain procedures for various activities
and their timing, as in weaving and planting. The images convey functional
value as in the depiction of hunting rituals.
The study of
symbols enhances understanding of past civilizations, their resourcefulness,
survival skills, and their contributions. Understanding that our ancestors were
intelligent and resourceful can change the way we perceive humanity today.
These records help us compile important information about the earth’s climate and geological history. Accurate information about our
prehistoric past, both the history of human activity and
natural phenomenon, helps the decisions we make in our present and our future.
(1) Also see Kennedy, Maev. Lasers Reveal Stonehenge's 'art gallery' at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2003/oct/18/arts.artsnews
(2) This logical conclusion is contained in detailed information compiled by Knight and Lomas. (2001). Uriel's Machine. Canada: Fair Winds.
(3) Gifts became offerings, and much later, offerings were twisted into sacrificial offerings of both animals and humans.
(4) The name "Green Man" was not used until the 1900s; Jack-O-the-Green, Pan, Robin Goodfellow, Puck, and other names were used.
(5) We note that Shoe Last Plows were used in 9000 BC in feminine kitchen gardens of Freesia, Flanders, and Germany, and that ca 8500 BC along the Danube, men plowed behind draft animals. A plow too big for kitchen gardens was found near the Iron Gate and is dated to 8000 BC.
(2) This logical conclusion is contained in detailed information compiled by Knight and Lomas. (2001). Uriel's Machine. Canada: Fair Winds.
(3) Gifts became offerings, and much later, offerings were twisted into sacrificial offerings of both animals and humans.
(4) The name "Green Man" was not used until the 1900s; Jack-O-the-Green, Pan, Robin Goodfellow, Puck, and other names were used.
(5) We note that Shoe Last Plows were used in 9000 BC in feminine kitchen gardens of Freesia, Flanders, and Germany, and that ca 8500 BC along the Danube, men plowed behind draft animals. A plow too big for kitchen gardens was found near the Iron Gate and is dated to 8000 BC.
About Symbologist Michelle Snyder
About Symbologist Michelle Snyder
Michelle did her post-graduate research at the University of Wales decoding ancient and prehistoric symbolism, and mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. She is an author, publisher, speaker, artist, and teacher who has been teaching art and visual language skills for 40 years. Her artwork, inspired by her love of symbolism and folklore, has appeared in galleries from Massachusetts to California. Michelle is co-owner of White Knight Studio.
Michelle Snyder
Non-Fiction - Symbology:
Symbology: Decoding Classic Images
Symbology: Decoding Symbols through History
Symbology: Decoding Symbols through History
Symbology: Fairy Tales Uncovered
Symbology: Art and Symbols
Symbology: Hidden in Plain Sight
Symbology: ReVision
Symbology: World of Symbols
Symbology: Secrets of the Mermaids
Michelle Paula Snyder
Fiction – Fantasy Wonder Tales:
The Fairy Tales: Once Upon a Time Lessons, First Book
Call of the Dragon and other Tales of Wonder
A Tale of Three Kingdoms, book one: The Lost Unicorn
A Tale of Three Kingdoms, book two The Lost Mermaid
A Tale of Three Kingdoms, book three The Lost Dragon
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