10 replies to this topic

[Anew]

A bulls-head figure, bucranium, is said to be found with varying degrees of stylization on the archaeological landscape of Europe .

A post regarding Stone 53 in a Stonehenge thread : link
A reply in the The sealed wonders of Sardinia thread from Archaeo News : link
Photos of the Sardinian find : link

I was struck by their similarity, when minimized, to a forked stick called a dhanqee, (capitalization uncertain), shown in the flickr collection "Sheikh Hussein, Ethiopia's Sufi gathering" : link

The dhanqee is present in four or more photos, and featured in two :

link : Interestingly, this shows they are sometimes doubled, (recalling the faded, upper, compound figure on Stonehenge's Stone 53) ; or even tripled .
and link : Here the man's kufi also shows the dhanqee ; reinforcing it's symbolic importance within the culure .

Of these the photographer writes :

Quote

Dhanqee (the forked stick) is a ritual object. For the adherents of Sheikh Hussein, it is a symbol of spiritual potency and is believed to have a protective power. Informants state that the stick is sacred only when it is cut from the trees growing in the valleys of Qacamsaree near Annajina. Otherwise similar sticks cut outside these places are considered fake.

As it is my belief that some existing African traditions share common roots with traditions expressed in the Near Eastern and European Archaeological records, i take the similarity to be potentially, (commutative), significant .





( I thank Swiatoslaw Wojtkowiak for the photos linked and the quote. )

[kevin.b]

Anew,
        In a word....Antennae.
The celluler composition been important in that the branch needs cutting whilst in bud, as arons rod in the ark of the covenant.
kevin

[Anew]

kevin.b, on 29 November 2010 - 15:36, said:

Anew,
        In a word....Antennae.
The celluler composition been important in that the branch needs cutting whilst in bud, as arons rod in the ark of the covenant.
kevin

The part about cutting whilst in bud has a feel to it, and i can imagine they might have made similar observations / held similar beliefs in ancient times ; but i haven't heard this regarding the dhanqee .

Aaron's rod is said to have miraculously flushed out in bud and produced almonds, which is kinda groovy if one puts aside that it supposedly did so to back a single tribe's, (among 12), claim to the priesthood ; thus making them an interested party in the legend and its propagation . It also comes out that the Aaron's rod, as a serpent, is said to have swallowed all the Pharaoh's sorcerers' rods, also as serpents, which implies that the writers of the ancient bible, (again : interested party), regarded their rod to be better than someone else's, (the Egyptians'), which implies that the rod had significant multicultural religious or symbolic use back in the day .



I think that the (likely) carving of the axe and dagger of the "Baron of Bush Barrow" into Stonehenge Stone 53 might be understandable as an early bronze-age continuation of a tradition which would have seen the ritual insignia of the reigning high priest of the temple engraved into its stone, (rather like names on the Stanley Cup) . This could provide a thread of continuity between the more modern shapes and the faint, presumably early, etchings mentioned in the first post of this thread ~ assuming those early etchings were of dhanqees or similar rods .

Tregiffian chambered tomb, (as well as some Irish tombs), is said to have "eyebrow motifs" on a stone . I notice some natural features on the entrance capstone which resemble this, but that may not be what others see .

Two of the Folkton Drums have eyebrow motifs which (very much) appear to be developed into faces with eyes and mouths . It may be that in ancient times the dhanqee, (or its ancestral forked rods), and the eyebrow motif were considered the physical embodiment of an unseen, (in normal states), wakeful, watchful and, (i can imagine), beneficent spirit beneath the brows . ( A second link to the Drums can be found here. )

I find it well worth noting that the Festival of Sheikh Hussein, (where the dhanqee is strongly present), includes singing, prayer, chanting, trance states which at least for some involve (qat) drug use ; and a nighttime bonfire ceremony . The singing, prayer and chanting aspects of this could have a parallel in the mouth-lozenges seen on the Folkton Drums, also discussed on the Great Wold Valley thread .

[kevin.b]

Just to add to My antennae perception of the sticks and bulls horns depicted, I would remind you of the recent book about silbury hill and the LAYERINGS.
In those layers were found antler picks, and they were found in specific manner at each layer face with gravel layers and clay layers and chalk layers, fifteen layers i believe were established.
Their assumptions for the reasoning of this are RITUAL etc etc.
I would respectfully suggest an alternate, as We are in the alternate compound.
The antler picks will have been carefully positioned along with very very specific pebbles etc to create signal pathways, this to direct in desired directions the flows that are naturally there , and to re-direct them into WKLB.
It is the crystaline moleculer inherant construction of the antlers that will assist in this IF positioned in precise orientation, just the self same as a television aereal needs precise orientation.

Thus if the sticks are held by those who can position them precisely, lets say similer to a priest walking down an aisle in a church???
that the available signals can thus be amplified into the holder via the palms.
In silburys case the object of the exercise was to PLUG the area where the diminishing potential of the available signals were earthing in a vortex point centred where silbury hill is sited.
http://www.stonepage...ves/004090.html
Kevin

[Anew]

Continuing with the Festival of Sheikh Hussein in Ethiopia :

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They traditionally carry cleft sticks known as "Oulle Sheikh Hussein", which are too small to serve as walking sticks and are not utilized for any practical purpose.

~ Wikipedia

Quote

In a place where African nature religion of Oromo people blends with tolerant Islam, Muslim and Christian pilgrims meet to honour common saint and chant peace.

~ Swiatoslaw Wojtkowiak

This photo shows Sheikh Omar, the guardian of the shrine, holding a double-dhanqee, (or Oulle Sheikh Hussein), along with a u-shaped stick having a cane-like handle at one end . The context in which this u-stick is seen implies (to me) that it has symbolic importance . And, if such a symbol were to be old enough and common to both cultures, it may help explain the enigmatic horseshoe-shaped arrangements of stones ~ such as (famously) at Stonehenge, and at the lesser known Achavanich in Scotland : our host's page here, and TMA's here .

Another aspect that comes out from the photos is that contact with worshipers has polished some of the stones, such as in this photo and this photo . This might be taken into consideration when stones are said to have been 'dressed', (smoothed), in an Archeological European context .

[Anew]

Züschen tomb, (Steinkammergrab von Züschen), in Hesse, Germany, also shows forked carvings :

Quote

The Züschen tomb (German: Steinkammergrab von Züschen, sometimes also Lohne-Züschen) is a prehistoric burial monument, located between Lohne and Züschen, near Fritzlar, Hesse, Germany. Classified as a gallery grave or a Hessian-Westphalian stone cist (hessisch-westfälische Steinkiste), it is one of the most important megalithic monuments in Central Europe. Dating to the late 4th millennium BC (and possibly remaining in use until the early 3rd), it belongs to the Late Neolithic Wartberg culture. The presence of incised carvings, comparable to prehistoric rock art elsewhere in Europe, is a striking feature of Wartberg culture tombs, known so far only from Züschen and from tomb I at Warburg.

[...]

The rectangular sunken chamber is 20m long and 3.5m wide. It is built of rectangular sandstone slabs, quarried several hundred meters away. Each long wall consists of a row of 12 slabs, one of which is missing. The narrow walls consist of a single slab each.

A terminal slab separates the tomb chamber proper from a small anteroom of 2.5m length. At the centre of this slab is a perfectly circular hole, the so-called Seelenloch (German for "soul hole"), of 50 cm diameter. This is sometimes assumed to be too narrow as an entrance for the passage of human bodies, in which case it may have served as a symbolic connection between the dead within the tomb chamber and the living, assembled in the ante-room for some ritual, perhaps an offering ceremony. Whether the hole could be closed, like in some comparable tombs in France, is not known. The floor of the anteroom was of densely trampled mud. The presence of non-local stones outside the chamber suggests that it was originally covered by an artificial tumulus. It is not clear whether the chamber was roofed in stone or some other material (wood).

[...]

One of the most striking features of the tomb is the presence of carved symbols on the slabs inside the chamber. Lines are formed of rows of individual punched dots, possibly applied with a very early metal tool. One of the more common symbols is a simple line with an attached open semicircle, usually interpreted as a stylised depiction of cattle. Normally, two of these symbols are linked by a further line with emphasised terminals. This may be a simple depiction of a plough. More rarely, two of them are linked by what resembles a yoke and pole, suggesting a cart. Occasionally overlapping signs suggest that the individual carvings are in no meaningful relationship to one another, but represent an accumulation of individual signs. Similar depiction of teams of cattle are known from much more recent (Bronze or Iron Age) carvings at Valcamonica near Capo di Ponte, Northern Italy and at Mont Bégo in the French part of the Ligurian Alps. The symbols are normally assumed to reflect Neolithic ideological or religious ideas.

~ from Wikipedia on Züschen (Megalithic Tomb)

The carvings, some of which can be seen here, resemble (what i imagine may have been) a localized version of the forked stick, (dhanqee), whose ends pointed up, rather than out . If so, (and not coincidental), it would extend the reach of this particular symbol, and what religious/spiritual/social significance may have been attached to it . It is possible (in my mind) that these carvings were made by (or in honor of) the then-current priest/guardian of the tomb ; and that connections between them could have represented fealty to (or a relationship with) a previous priest/guardian (perhaps in the in the "____, descendant/student of ____" sense) .


The tomb itself, (green arrow in the GoogleMap here), is oriented E-N-E, apparently looking through a gap in the nearby hills, (and a second pair of hills beyond), perhaps towards a percieved rising . As is often the case with megaliths, a nearby stream runs south, (with some bends, to the tomb's west) . Landforms indicate that in antiquity a tiny stream may have run west to join it, to the tomb's south .

[kevin.b]

Anew,
     The slots cut into the adjoining stones are interesting?
They resemble similer in other parts of the globe where metal connectors have been.
These have been interprated as mechanical supports, but I would consider them with an electrical hat on.
It would be natural for them to have been robbed out for making tools with.

I can only relate as I detect at these places, and there is a main flow along the alignment , it has layers to that flow that reverse at cyclic timings relative to the sun and moon, the bottom layers is normally upto 30 inchs above surface.
The layers are imho of opposite spin charges, they are detectable apart by the manner in which they spiral off from the edge of a line either clockwise or counter clock, they do this in both directions either side of that main line through barrows.
IMHO this is where implosion and emittances occurs in/out of the planet.

Kevin

[Anew]

Some photos from the tribal kingdom of Tiebele in southern Burkina Faso ; (courtesy Swiatoslaw Wojtkowiak)  :

ladder one ; ladder two ; chained triangles & lozenges

It seems possible that the dhanqee was elaborated, (and miniaturized), from an ancient form of ladder ~ the cut trunk of a tree whose fork stabilized the top . As such it could (hold / have held) higher plane symbolism . That in these photos, a forked-trunk ladder occurs in a traditional context which includes profusely decorated walls, (including chevrons, chained lozenges and triangles), adds a second layer of similarity to the European Neolithic ~ if the carvings at two passage graves, (Newgrange & Fourknocks), are a fair indicator :

Our hosts' page on Newgrange

The Modern Antiquarian on Newgrange ; Point given : The carved lintel of the lightbox .

The Modern Antiquarian on Fourknocks ; Point taken : "note the carvings on the free-standing stone to the right" ~ Cian McLiam

A page hosted by The Celtic Connection (newspaper) also has photos ; i thank them for pointing me to Fourknocks, of which i was unaware .

Ancient Rock Carvings, a small book by Chris Mansell, has from Newgrange on p.46 a drawing of horizontally chained lozenges, (diamonds), between two parallel lines which appear similar to the vertical motif on a wall in the third Burkina Faso photo .

And, once again, there is the combination of the forked form with lozenges on the Folkton Drums, (please see links in post #3 of this thread) ; possibly indicating that a form of ladder, once symbolic of a higher plane, was further adapted ~ becoming a symbol of, (or part of the symbolism for), a spirit being resident of this . Possibly .





A second set of photos, from Chisemwa Chalunda (North Western Zambia) ; (courtesy Philip Powell) :

Mwana Pwevo Makishi,

Mwana Pwevo, with annotation

Quote

The name Mwana Pwevo means young maiden. The mask represents a female ancestor who died young and thus is a reminder of the theme of death, which is a part of the initiation experience of life, and death. It has been suggested that the scarification marks under the eyes symbolizes the pain of death that occurs throughout human life. The mask would have been used to keep bad spirits at bay and bring good fortune to the village. The wear of the mask would have put on a tight fitted net costume, which would cover him completely and through the power of dance bring fertility and good fortune to the village.

Mwana Pwevo Makishi, with further annotation

Quote

The Mwana Pwevo Makishi! "Makishi live in the borderland between the real and the imaginary. A world that connects then living, the dead, their spirits, ghosts, heavenly bodies, birds and animals of the bush offering hoort and salvation to their creators and the faithful." (Bert Witkamp)

Mwana Pwevo Makishi

Mwana Pwevo Makishi

Mwana Pwevo Makishi

Mwana Pwevo Makishi

Mwana Pwevo Makishi

Mwana Pwevo Makishi





Though the geographical distances are great, i believe cultural time moved (for the most part) more slowly in the Stone Age, and it seems credible that this forked trunk extending into the air may have been tied to the symbolism and development of the dhanqee . Further, i think this symbolism may have traveled with modern people into Europe and Asia, to be expressed by those who revered it, possibly in the direction of the bucranium, the ox, and the snail ~ which has a horned appearance and a spiral shell, often of some anatomical resemblance . As independent cultural evolution would have taken place after the separation of the peoples, one would not expect to find exact, complete matches between traditions ~ but aspects of similarity ~ as i do or imagine . I recognize that it is also possible these symbols evolved independently of eachother . The question would be the extent of each .

Postscript : edited to correct a link

[tiompan]

Anew, on 4 February 2011 - 11:28, said:

Some photos from the tribal kingdom of Tiebele in southern Burkina Faso ; (courtesy Swiatoslaw Wojtkowiak)  :

ladder one ; ladder two ; chained triangles & lozenges

It seems possible that the dhanqee was elaborated, (and miniaturized), from an ancient form of ladder ~ the cut trunk of a tree whose fork stabilized the top . As such it could (hold / have held) higher plane symbolism . That in these photos, a forked-trunk ladder occurs in a traditional context which includes profusely decorated walls, (including chevrons, chained lozenges and triangles), adds a second layer of similarity to the European Neolithic ~ if the carvings at two passage graves, (Newgrange & Fourknocks), are a fair indicator :

There are about a dozen examples of lines of Lozenges from the Bru , both vertical and horizontal ,heres some . Dowth south C6 ,Knowth 4 orthostat A , 2 corbels and a roofstone from Newgrange , Newgrange kerbstones K4 & k67 ,Knowth 2 orthostat 29 ,Knowth east orthostat 36 . As well as fourknocks there ae others outwith the Bru e.g. Loughcrew F .R2 .

george

[Anew]

tiompan, on 4 February 2011 - 16:43, said:

There are about a dozen examples of lines of Lozenges from the Bru , both vertical and horizontal ,heres some . Dowth south C6 ,Knowth 4 orthostat A , 2 corbels and a roofstone from Newgrange , Newgrange kerbstones K4 & k67 ,Knowth 2 orthostat 29 ,Knowth east orthostat 36 . As well as fourknocks there ae others outwith the Bru e.g. Loughcrew F .R2 .

george

Loughcrew looks very interesting, thanks for pointing that out .




Please also see the bucranium- or dhanqee-like forehead scarification on the girl on the right in this photo, (from the Suri tribe of Ethiopia) . If this is related to the bucrania of Ancient Europe, (which i believe possible), its presence on a female could broaden its interpretation within that milieu . Repeating the quote from post #1 : "[The dhanqee] is a symbol of spiritual potency and is believed to have a protective power" … I also find the photo interesting on a human level .


One may note as well the apparent reddening of her partner's fingertips . Though there are many possible explanations, it could be related to the tattoo customs shown by this Somali woman , and this Yemeni girl .

[Anew]

Taking the bus into New York recently, i saw a posse of vultures above New Jersey, (between the swamps & the Hudson) . The sunlight shone through the aft part of their wings, revealing the bowed limbs at their leading edges . Together with the dark outline of their bodies, the partial silhouette looked very much like an elegant bucranium . I believe this may have been noticed by the ancient cultures of the Isles, etc.  ... and that this would have given them added impetus to practice excarnation .