Hello my fellow ATSers,
How many of you know about the ancient civilizations of Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and even the Americas? My guess is you already know a
fair bit, but there is one continent that is always left out from ancient history. Australia is however, the last place most of us think of when we
talk about ancient civilizations, but that doesn't mean Australia didn't have any.
I've created this thread to hopefully shed some light on Australia's mysterious past from 40,000 B.C to 1600 A.D.
Please S@F, and comment.
WANDJINA
In Aboriginal mythology, the Wandjina were spirits (possibly aliens) who existed during the Dreamtime. They were said to have created the landscape
and its inhabitants. The Wandjina are portrayed as being white skinned beings with only two eyes surrounded by a red, black, and yellow headdress.
Cave paintings of the Wandjina are found in the Kimberley region of north west Australia with some over 30,000 years old. One thing is for sure
though, the current Aboriginals are not the original painters of the Wandjina. Traditional Aboriginal painting begins 15,000 - 10,000 years ago which
included things like animal paintings. Whilst the Wandjina were painted by a much older people around 30,000 years ago, who are presumed to have come
from the Indonesian archipelago.
One very interesting legend from around the Uluru region claims that the ancestors of todays Aborigines came from the stars. When during the
Dreamtime, a great red coloured egg (spaceship?) came down from the skies and crashed. Out of it emerged white-skinned-culture-heroes (gods) and their
children. The childrens elders soon died, but the children managed to adapt and survive. They painted their parents images on cave walls to perpetuate
their memory. The children grew in numbers until they eventually populated the whole land, their skins turning black due to the hot climate.
While some claim the Wandjina are ancient astronauts, others have suggested they were in fact Egyptian and Phoenician seafarers who may have landed on
the Kimberley coastline during the South East Asian trading expeditions over 3,000 years ago. Archaeologists have pointed out the similarities in the
garments of the Wandjina to those of early middle eastern seamen. This possibility is further supported by the presence of middle eastern blood
groups, racial features, and Egyptian words used among local Aboriginal tribes. Which brings us to our next topic, the Egyptians.
EGYPTIANS
There is plenty of evidence for the Egyptians having both visited and even colonised Australia. At the height of the Bronze Age [2000 - 1400 B.C] the
Pharaohs of Egypt were dispatching often enormous fleets, loaded with miners and their families, into the Indian Ocean. Just how far these mining
expeditions consisting of Egyptians, Phoenicians, Libyans, Celts, and others sailed is a mystery to historians. Yet there is plenty of evidence to
show that these ancient fleets penetrated beyond the Torres Strait, to explore eastern Australia.
Stretching all the way back to the 19th Century, there have been Eyptian artifacts uncovered all across the continent. Pyriamids have been discovered
at Cape York, another at Gympie, with more located througout Queensland and NSW, as well as the mythical pyriamid structure located near Uluru.
There have also been Egyptian heiroglyphics, sun dials, and temple ruins in NSW as well as Egyptian artifacts like axes, jewelry, and statues such as
the Gympie Ape.
In one instance between Captain Cook and an Aboriginal warrior, in an unfriendly situation was totally diffused when certain masonic hand signs were
recognized by both groups.
In Egypt mummies have been found with traces of eucalyptus oil within the cloth. The only place in the world where eucalyptus trees are endemic to is
Australia which more or less proves the Egyptians at least visited ancient Australia.
CHINESE
There is also a large amount of evidence to suggest that the Chinese had knowledge and even colonies in Australia. This might not come as much of a
surprise seeming how close China and Australia both are.
In 1961, a 2000 year old vase with a crude map of the Australian eastern coastline was discovered in Hong Kong.
Another map dating 2000 years old was found in Taiwan, and showed the eastern coastline as far south as the Melbourne area: as well as the crude
outline of northern Tasmania.
In the 1970s a jade Budha was unearthed near Cooktown in far North Queensland.
In 1879, workmen at Darwin dug up a statue of Shou Lao, the Chinese god of longevity, from deep down beneath the roots of an ancient Banyan tree.
An ancient Chinese vessel was found off the coast of Perth several years ago which later proved to be from the 12th Century.
Many more artifacts have been found to be of Chinese origin including coins, cups, swords, etc. Some Aboriginal tribes also speak of "yellow men"
visiting them well before the first fleet.
To add further to the proof that the Chinese knew of Australia, in 338 B.C there were severl kangaroos being kept at the Imperial Palace Zoo in
Peking.
In 2003, Chinese President Hu Jintao opened his address to the Australian parliament by claiming China had settled Australia sometime in the 15th
Century.
GREEKS
Fragments of records speak of ancient Greek voyages to a mysterious southern continent. About 300 B.C Iambulus set sail from Somaililand for the
"happy land of the south" said to lie across the Indian Ocean. On his return he described how he reached an unknown land.
A Roman map of India dating from 70 A.D describes islands below India which could represent Sri Lanka, Sumatra, Java, and Australia.
The Roman map makers seem to have been well aware of the southern continent, no doubt through the assisstance of Greek geographers. Lucian of Samosata
(120 - 180 A.D) was a Syrian-Greek writer who wrote of a distant southern land occupied by savages, and where the young of animals were carried in
pouches.
Other evidence for Greek and Roman exploration and possibly colonisation exist with ancient coins found in regions of Victoria and NSW.
PORTUGUESE/SPANISH
Various Latin inscriptions have been found all over the east coast of Australia and in 1936 a 16th Century Spanish helmet was dug up near a river in
Sydney.
In 1968, workmen digging a deep trench unearthed at a depth of 3 metres, a dozen of old Spanish Dubloons. Several ancient fig trees and a cork tree
native to Southern Europe were found to predate the first fleet.
In 1953, a resident from Sydney discovered a Spanish rapier with silver embossed hilt.
In Victoria, a 500 year old Spanish wine jar was brought up in a fishermans net. Local skindivers claim there is an ancient Spanish galleon nearby.
Along the NSW coast, are the ruins of a stone fort along with Latin engravings and a date marked 1524. A Spanish breastplate has also been dug up from
near the fort.
During Captain Cooks 1770 voyage, he is said to have seen the remains of a wrecked Spanish galleon. But he soft-peddled the fact on his return to
England as it indicated a pre-British expedtition to Australia.
And just last month a 500 year old Portuguese swivel gun was dug up on a Darwin beach.
There is evidence of other civilizations being present in Australia such as the Mayans but I didn't want to go into them. I personally find it strange
how negative archaeologists and historians are when it comes to ancient Australia. Thanks for reading and tell me what you know.
edit on
6-3-2012 by Jace26 because: (no reason given)