Hidden History: Lost Civilizations, Secret Knowledge, and Ancient Mysteries, Brian Haughton [books you need to read .TXT] 📗

the site, it is highly likely that this sort of activity went on at Mystery Hill. The structures that were once part of these pearlash factories have never been identified as such, perhaps because such a prosaic explanation for the site does not fit the theories of those promoting more fantastic functions for Mystery Hill.

However, there are radiocarbon dates, obtained from charcoal found alongside a stone pick and a hammer stone, which do prove human occupation at Mystery Hill going back to the second millennium B.C. But this is much more likely to indicate a Native American presence than that of Bronze or Iron Age Europeans. Some researchers have claimed that many of the stones at Mystery Hill are aligned to obvious astronomical points, and that the site can still be used today as an accurate astronomical calendar, utilizing the stones to determine

specific solar and lunar events in the year. However, the so-called celestial alignments at the site (if they are not entirely accidental) can be ascribed to American Indians, whose interest in sun and moon alignments can be seen from other Native American Indian sites such as the pyramids of Kahokia, near St. Louis.

So what, then, is the explanation for Mystery Hill? It is probable that the origin of the site lies in a Native American hunting camp, probably established some time during the second millennium B.C. As for the structures on the site, the vast majority of them can be explained in terms of postcolonial farming and industrial activity from the late 18th century onwards, though one or two remain enigmatic. The confused state of the Mystery Hill complex itself leads easily to misunderstanding, and it is clear that even with a concise series of excavations, the site's mystery may never be solved. People are of course free to claim a prehistoric European origin for America's Stonehenge, even if the available evidence points in a completely different direction. In the end, these beliefs tell us more about the believers than about the real origins and functions of Mystery Hill.

Petra: The MysIerious City of Rock

Hewn out of the solid rock, the ancient ruined city of Petra (the word petra means stone or rock in Greek) lies within a ring of forbidding sandstone mountains in the desert southwest of modern Amman, 50 miles south of the Dead Sea in Jordan. Such is the site's protected position that even today this spectacular complex of temples, tombs, and houses can only be accessed on foot or on horseback. Entrance to Petra is via a dark winding crevice in the rock, known as the siq (cleft in Arabic), which is in places as little as a few feet wide. This great mystery of the desert contains nearly 1,000 monuments, and once possessed fountains, gardens, and a permanent water supply. But why was it carved out of the sandstone in such a secluded, arid location? Who built this majestic city and what happened to its inhabitants?

© Thanassis Vembos.

The Siq, the narrow entrance to Petra.

The earliest known population of Petra was a Semitic-speaking tribe known as the Edomites, mentioned in

the Bible as descendents of Esau. But it was a culture called the Nabateans who were responsible for most of the incredible architecture at Petra. The Nabateans were of nomadic Arabic origin, but by the fourth century B.C. had begun to settle down in various parts of Palestine and southern Jordan, and around this time they made Petra their capital city. The naturally fortified position of the site on a trade route between Arabian, Assyrian, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman cultures allowed the strength of the Nabateans to grow. Gaining control of the caravan route between Arabia and Syria, the Nabateans soon developed a commercial empire that extended as far north as Syria, and the city of Petra became the center for the spice trade.

The wealth accumulated by the Nabateans at Petra (through their commercial enterprise) allowed them to build and carve in a style that combined native traditions with Hellenistic (Greek) influence. One of the Nabateans' most oustanding achievements at Petra sprang from necessity. Their city lay on the edge of the parched desert, so a water supply was of prime concern. Consequently, they developed highly sophisticated dams, as well as water conservation and irrigation systems. But the wealth of the Nabateans brought the envy of their neighbors and they were forced to repel several attacks against their capital during the late fourth century B.C., by the Seleucid king Antigonus. The Seleucid Empire was founded in 312 B.C. by Seleucus I, one of Alexander the Great's generals, and included much of the eastern part of Alexander's Empire. In 64-63 B.C., the Nabateans were conquered by the Roman general Pompey, and in A.D. 107, under the Emporer Trajan, the area became part of the Roman province of Arabia Petraea. Despite the conquest, Petra continued to thrive during the Roman period, and various structures, including a vast theater, a colonnaded street, and a Triumphal Arch across the siq, were added to the city. It has been estimated that the population of Petra may have been as great as 20,000 to 30,000 at its height. However, as the importance of the city of Palmyra, in central Syria, grew on a trade route linking Persia, India, China, and the Roman Empire, Petra's commercial activity began to decline.

In the fourth century, Petra became part of the Christian Byzantine Empire, but in A.D. 363 the free-standing parts of the city were destroyed in a devastating earthquake, and it is around this time that the Nabateans seem to have left the city. No one is

sure exactly why they abandoned the site, but it seems unlikely they deserted their capital because of the earthquake, as very few valuable finds have been unearthed at the site, indicating that their departure was not a sudden one. A further catastrophic earthquake in A.D. 551 practically ruined the city, and by the time of the Muslim conquest in the 7th century A.D., Petra