What is the best alternative ancient history theory? (and other questions)

[@travisbrantmeyer7849]

You are the first person that I have heard to finally address the fallacy that “we can’t even replicate these amazing engineering accomplishments to this day.” I’m so tired of hearing people regurgitate that ignorant lie. Thank you for what you do.

[@Digital__rb]

We could but it would take trillions of dollars and probably over 20 years

[@jr1648]

I think you're misinterpreting. We couldn't even replicate these amazing engineering accomplishments to this day, using the known technology of the time that they were supposedly produced.

[@Digital__rb]

@@jr1648 yea because they were probably 100x stronger than us back then

[@trout3685]

@j r thats exactly how we interpret it.. we're not saying ya we can make these things with cranes and computers.. that would mean nothing.

[@MPDEAR6060]

@@Digital__rb if that were true there would be evidence of that strength in skeletal remains.

[@surfk9836]

Dude, your subscribership should be on the magnitude of x1,000,000.

[@WorldofAntiquity]

Aw, thanks!

[@reneechavira9304]

I agree

[@vladtheimpala5532]

It really should. Even now after it’s been out for 10 months it only has a little over 5,000 views and 397 likes. I guess that’s a testimony to people’s lack of curiosity. Either that or KZbin just doesn’t recommend it. I didn’t know of the existence of this channel until a few days ago when I watched a collaboration with Atun-Shei and History With Cy. So, I guess we should share, share and share some more so people find out about it. I don’t know a million people to share it with but I can probably think of a few.

[@KerryLiv]

Agreed! The quality of production and accuracy of content is second to none! Starting with me, it starts with US ~ Liking and Subscribing, Sharing and Supporting Professor Miano's works. Thank you Professor Miano, sir!

[@seanicus100]

Holy crap just noticed he was only at 19K. How? His videos are way too high quality, and he has so much passion. That's usualy the mark for success.

[@shadmtmtn1603]

dude, this video deserves more than 995 thumbs-up, to begin with... not real-time, but fresh questions, being relevent and consistent with such challenging time-line on so many subjects, wow ! well done !

[@McNastyxx95]

It’s a horrible tragedy, You don’t have more than 4 million subs. For real, The quality, quantity and detail in these videos. It’s crazy. I’m seriously shocked at how good you are, knowledgeable and rich the experience is. After every video I watch I feel more and more thankful I found this little gem of a channel.

[@LondonReps]

What a great little gem of a channel, thanks for doing this bud it's really appreciated. I really hope you don't stop making videos

[@WorldofAntiquity]

Thanks so much! I will keep going as long as I can. Just keep watching to let the algorithm know you think this channel is worthy of promotion.

[@christianbutcher716]

History isn't about the treasures, it's about the glimpses into the everyday of the past. There's nothing more or less fantastical about then versus now.

[@oldguy6976]

This is my go to channel for intelligent discourse on ancient history.

[@russellmillar7132]

That was inspiring! How rare to have a response in so timely a fashion. Thanks for addressing my questions, was honored you took all three. I love the honest and effective way you interact with the alternative history guys who are willing to engage. It would be fun to see a "SNL", version of you taking the same line up of questions,( Tsoukalos hairdo, wacky glasses), answering the questions exactly the opposite of the way you did. Being very abrasive, dismissive, pedantic, possibly physically tossing some dummy questions in the trash...starting (in absent minded professor style) " Why is everybody posting all these questions? It's not like I asked for this..." at which point there is a pause wherein someone off camera reminds you that you actually just did that... anyway, just a thought. Live long and prosper!

[@WorldofAntiquity]

haha that's a funny idea!

[@dazuk1969]

May the force be with you Russell 😉

[@heyhondo1]

Excited for this one! So glad Stefan sent me your way 🙌🏽 Keep up the amazing content, I already binge-watched all your videos since the interview!

[@WorldofAntiquity]

Thanks so much, Alex!

[@dannyvanhecke]

Yeah, Stefan Milo and World of Antiquity are a must have on youtube and patreon... if you're nerdy enough about real history, rather than wacky ancient alien nonsense. Can also recommend The Study of Antiquity and the Middle Ages and Cogito.

[@reneechavira9304]

He is awasome, lays down the facts. Calls BS where it's needed.

[@reneechavira9304]

@@dannyvanhecke that's what I love about him, no ancient aliens BS.

[@AIenSmithee]

Inspired by Stephen milo. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpS8emCriaaUaac

[@John-ri1dx]

Now I'd like a video on all of the "alternative" theories you hold, including the short Egyptian chronology.

[@seditt5146]

I second that ;) especially since I lean towards a far far chronology for Egypt so be interested in hearing your theories. Don't worry, we are the YT comment section not Academia, we don't bite. Well... unless you use the wrong form of their they're and there because then the Forth Reich appears out of nowhere and declares war.

[@ansfridaeyowulfsdottir8095]

@@seditt5146 *_"the Forth Reich appears out of nowhere and declares war."_* _Fourth_ Reich. Grammatik ist Gott und Gott Grammatik ist! {:-:-:}

[@seditt5146]

@@ansfridaeyowulfsdottir8095 Found one! Gott ist tot!

[@Chris.Davies]

@@seditt5146 Then you are leaning in the direction of ignorance and deception, sadly. You have been deceived by people whose only intention is to make money by doing so. You will note not a single KZbinr expounding the classical scientific historical view is trying to sell you a tour of ancient [site name here], or to sell you a DVD, or a book. And, we know it is much easier to fool someone than to convince them they have been fooled. Intentional deception, and The Dunning-Kruger Effect is responsible for your acceptance of demonstrable falsehoods. Invoking Nazi imagery shows how low quality your thinking actually is.

[@FirstnameLastname-bn4gv]

@@seditt5146 The Archaeologist in this video is literally a member of "mainstream academia", and he doesn't bite either. In fact, he outright rejects the narrative (which you're rudely attempting to peddle on his channel) that mainstream academia is openly hostile and censorious towards alternative archaeological theories.

[@casparcoaster1936]

Miano has made the alternative history channels a lot more interesting to imo, I'm grateful for this channel. I need to get up off that 2 bucks...

[@heatherlinakridge]

You do a really good job of critical reasoning and adding context to historical subjects. I like that you are willing to engage on alternative history theories. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. 🙂

[@JMM33RanMA]

Congratulations and good fortune attend thee with the Art History course. I took such a course in my undergraduate program. The book was extremely expensive and heavy, the course was really interesting and my project required several visits to the MFA in Boston. That led to a number of follow up visits over the years. I became a museum fan as a result, and have been to the Louvre, the old Cairo museum, The Met in NYC, Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and many others. It would be useful, now that many museums have an online presence, to have an introduction to world museums so as to entrance a wider audience. I thoroughly enjoyed this video. Your background started off very like my own, but I found it necessary to go abroad with the Peace Corps and then get an international career in ESL, to prevent unemployment. That proved interesting in its own right, and gave me the opportunity to do history and archaeology as a hobby. Best wishes, and may Al Gorythm bless you.

[@WorldofAntiquity]

Thank you!

[@johndelong5574]

Any explanation for human origins and history is awe inspiring. it takes special skills to make such a topic boring.Truth IS stranger than fiction.

[@samuelpierce639]

Old video, but the question about folks leaving their nascent studying as historians got me thinking. I’ve always been interested in history and prehistory, but never appreciated how open-ended the subject can be. Having been a bit of an environmental scientist myself, I understand the difficulties of attempting to understand all the relevant inputs in a system without reaching into subjects that would require a different advanced degree. Seem like studying history could lead you down all sorts of paths you didn’t anticipate.

[@JT-si6bl]

...abyssal warrens galore!

[@faithlesshound5621]

To start with, you might need to learn several languages: modern ones to read the research and ancient ones to understand the sources, such as inscriptions as well as early texts.

[@edgarsnake2857]

Of the four places you might visit next, I would recommend: Egypt, Egypt, Egypt, and Egypt. I dreamed of going there my whole life. When I finally got there it was so much more mind-blowing than I fantasized that...oh, I should stop right there. I also loved Rome, the rest of Italy, Athens, the Greek Islands, Istanbul, ... I never got to Iraq. But, I sure would like to go. I love your cannel. Thanks for the sanity.

[@craigandahalf]

Your lighting game has definitely improved.

[@WorldofAntiquity]

Ha, yes.

[@alicetries5954]

This video was awesome, I like this format a lot and I defs agree with John's comment about wanting to hear about the Egyptian chronologies

[@maidende8280]

I appreciate how much of your personality you inject into your content. It is interesting to me how very conservative & materialist your (historical, at least) views are; it makes sense that you would want to debunk anything that isn’t well-supported by high quality, formally vetted evidence. Your high school social studies ambition explains much about your views, imo. It’s awesome you wanted to teach from the beginning. I can’t quite figure you out but that’s part of your appeal. Anyway, these are such fun, casual yet informative & personable vids. I hope others enjoy them as much as I do.

[@walterulasinksi7031]

When I was teaching at Sarah Lawrence, in the theater department, one the things we hosted was Freshman orientation. When I was asked to address these new students, I would say, “ I hVe often been asked, what do I need to know to be an actor? My only answer tot that question is everything in the world, as you will never know what you may be asked to portray”. I encouraged a form of polymathism , a desire to have a broad general knowledge in as many fields as possible. The administration appreciated this as I was the embodied advertisement for auditing classes that these students may never have considered. Those students that studied with me were challenged to just through their participation, I was the Technical Director fir the theater and taught 5 different courses..

[@MrJonsonville5]

Try to swing by Petra in Jordan, as long as you're going to be in the area : )

[@WorldofAntiquity]

I may do that!

[@otherperson]

The lighting and set up has improved a whole lot, watching this after some of your newer ones

[@Rob_Fordd]

I would love to know what your opinion is on restoring ancient sites. Do you like it when at least some sites go beyond just excavation-preservation, and are given grants to restore part of it or even the whole thing to its original appearance?

[@KerryLiv]

Finding your channel, Professor Miano, sir... is a treasure unto itself. You will go far

[@WorldofAntiquity]

Aw, thanks!

[@jeffmacdonald9863]

Just a comment on one of those: I can easily imagine a world where we stayed basically hunter-gatherers forever. Small nomadic bands, wandering around. We did basically that for hundreds of thousands of years. Longer if we count our close relatives. I find it a lot harder to imagine urbanization not happening once we started settling down even in small villages. That was the start of the transition and larger settlements aren't that big of a change and didn't take that long once the first shift happened.

[@waynegoddard4065]

I'm running out of videos on your channel to watch big man. Quality channel!!!!!

[@jimwilson1889]

Ancient history is intriguing and fun to study and learn about!

[@robspecht9550]

How did you manage to acquire such a breadth of knowledge on so many different cultures and societies?

[@WorldofAntiquity]

Time and lots of reading.

[@robspecht9550]

Do you have a favorite book or work covering Alfred the Great?

[@WorldofAntiquity]

He's just a little bit past my period of study. I'm afraid I don't know of any good books on him.

[@melrichardson7709]

@@robspecht9550 Depending on how deep you want to go I can recommend these books. For a good grounding on the period get 'Alfred's Britain: War and peace in the Viking Age.' 2017, by Max Adams. You may wish to consider his other books, 'The King in the North: The life and times of Oswald of Northumbria'. 2014. This covers the period before Alfred before and during the reign of the Northumbrian king Oswald. His newest book covers the rise of the earlier kingdoms from the removing of the Roman legions to the establishment of the Anglo-Saxon, Welsh and other kingdoms of the Britons. This was released in 2021 and entitled 'The First Kingdom: Britain in the Age of Arthur.' 'Alfred's Wars: Sources and Interpretations of Anglo-Saxon Warfare in the Viking Age.' 2010. By Ryan Lavelle. 'Alfred The Great: War, kingship and culture in Anglo-Saxon England.' 1998. By Richard Abel's. Alfred the Great: The man who made England.' 2005. By Justin Pollard. Dispute that he was the 'historical adviser' to the tv series 'Vikings' this isn't too bad a book. As the UK is an Island you might wish to consider books on ships built and used leading up to and including this period. Try 'Dark Age Navel Power. A Reassessment of Frankish and Anglo-Saxon Seafaring Activity. 1999. By John Haywood. Note. This is the updated version of his earlier 1991 book. There are numerous books on the Viking Ships and their evolution and construction. That should start you off. If there is a specific subject you are interested in get in touch, I'll see if I can recommend anything. All the books I've mentioned will have a good bibliography. Enjoy. 👍

[@chrisszuch9482]

I love your channel because you actually take the time to answer comments, I’m sure the has to do with the professor In you But nonetheless it’s appreciated

[@mididoctors]

Frankly the best explanation of how the pyramids were built ...counter weights ..internal ramp etc. Was way more interesting that the advanced tool bs

[@Siska0Robert]

36:00 good example would be the Kennewick Man debate with indigenous people claiming that it's their distant ancestor and therefore it's remains belong to them.

[@WorldofAntiquity]

Ah, yes, I didn't think of that one!

[@courtneyriley185]

Its very cool to watch your videos in reverse. Newest to oldest. Wow three years went by fast!

[@gunarcom]

Checking in, video #2 watched. Definitely need to watch a series in order.

[@jjoohhhnn]

It would be so cool for you to cover the Harappan/dravidic civilization, from their beginning, through their rise and into the collapse. If you have to focus on material culture since they're untranslated thus far.

[@sci-shastraq1429]

There was no specific time of rise or fall since it is well established part of Sanatana Dharma called as Hinduism today. There are thousands of big and mystic incidents have happened in history of Hinduism which come from thousands of translated and untranslated writings in Sanskrit and Tamil which also includes main books as 4 Vedas, 18 puranas and 108 upanishads and thousands of books from different yogis in past and present. The book Natyashstra explains different classical Indian dance forms and Indian classical music. Vedas teach about ways to practice rituals and mantras. Also Vedas teach mathematics, metallurgy, cosmology, astrology, quantum physics and every other field

[@RhodeIslandWildlife]

Was the creepy lighting deliberate? I was looking for Jack-o-lanterns and bat cut outs in the background.

[@RhodeIslandWildlife]

...and thank you for answering my question.

[@WorldofAntiquity]

I want to say yes, but the light was low, and I am not happy with how it came out.

[@chubbymoth5810]

In regard to ship building. The Sumerians had trade relations with Harrapa (Indus Valley) as well as Oman. Cook on his travels ran into Polynesians on floating villages of linked boats. The technology of the latter does not require any technology above stone tools. People crossed seas and straights for a very long time already. Homo Florensis had to cross open water already.to get to Flores island in Indonesia.

[@Mr.Nichan]

About the Minoans being the first to cross the ocean, isn't the colonization of Australia/New-Guinea ~40,000 years ago the first human oceanic crossing? Sea level was never low enough for a land bridge to form between this continent and Eurasia (in human-relevant times). That doesn't imply "ships", per se, but it is crossing a pretty sizable stretch of ocean. (I suppose that paleogenetic evidence might indicate how many people originally populated this continent.) In that same vein, you could talk about people going around the Cordilleran Ice Sheet to colonize the Americas early (though that's just hugging the coast if anything), later waves of colonization across the Bering Strait, ancient waves of colonization of the Caribbean islands from South America, or the spread of rice farming throughout maritime Southeast Asia before 3000 BCE, and any discussion of the early history of transoceanic voyages should at least consider Austronesians.

[@szpakmateusz8500]

"All roads lead to Rome " This was probably the reason for the "fall "of Rome, of course from a strategic point of view. Roads (mainly concrete) could also be used by the enemy to move large armies ... That is why in the Middle Ages no roads were built ... Thank you for your answer best regards

[@gratefulkm]

Slave trade is the reason they made roads , Think the army built a road before it invaded a country ? I think not the roads were built by the adult enslaved population, when the road got to the destination they were slaughtered in the games the Entire Adult population of England was wiped out that's why England speaks Slavery not the lands pre Slavery language

[@TARMHeLL]

Here in South Africa the mines are digging up recent graves to mine more minerals, it's a very sensitive subject.

[@andyswi]

I went to Egypt first, for 14 days. Took a Nile cruise with my wife, the best trip of my life. Next is Turkey or Rome.

[@Crisdapari]

Do you think overspecialization is an obstacle in history, archaeology or science in general? Do you believe is needed more multidisciplinary work in your field?

[@WorldofAntiquity]

There are pros and cons. I think it allows for deep dives into various subjects, which definitely increases our knowledge. The biggest con, of course, is the narrrowing of focus and the disappearance of generalists, but with collaboration I think this can be rectified.

[@McNastyxx95]

I would also assume those going into the study and drop out or change is because the interest they have specifically in the field related to a specific time or area in history. Having to learn about times places and cultural you don’t care about is probably what weeds em out.

[@hannahbrown2728]

Sometimes burials are found by accident too. You mentioning not knowing who these people are as theyre dug up made me think of that. But it also made me think of how, in a roundabout way(and in some cultures like egyptians pretty directly) gives that long dead person more honor. Sometimes those who have been forgotten for centuries can be remembered again, maybe not by their family but by folks who treasure them nonetheless. Sorry to wax philosphical, but its like that saying about how people die twice.

[@pomponi0]

20:56 My hypothesis is that humans aren't rational beings, we're a storyteller species. The scientific method is just a glitch that found its way into human culture because knowing what's factual and what's not had a marginally better effect on our survival than knowing a good story.

[@alreno2325]

Yes!!! Looking back why couldn't have somebody came up with "my pillow" sooner hahahah

[@chadblantontravels]

When talking about places you would like to visit, how high on the list is Peru, Bolivia, etc.? I realize we only have so much time but these areas are fascinating as well. I lived there for about a year. You can throw a rock and hit about 15 archeological sites 😂. Anyway, another awesome video!

[@Brokenlance]

I have been considering getting a degree in archeology but I keep hearing that there is no work available. This also may complicate things but my main area of study is the early modern era/late medieval period (so pretty much the renaissance). Do you think this is a good field to dedicate time in to get a degree these days given my interests?

[@WorldofAntiquity]

If you are interested in making money, then no. If you want to pursue your passion, and you love it, then that's fine.

[@matthias2756]

What books are on your undergraduate reading list?

[@WorldofAntiquity]

Ooh, that's a good question. I still have to put one together.

[@alcosmic]

I got to see the ancient city when I was stationed at Babylon - it's definitely worth going.

[@WorldofAntiquity]

I would love to see that!

[@johnnysmall]

WOW very interested in an online course on Egypt taught by you

[@nfoy3350]

Cheers, David!

[@kubastank]

Can you say more or less when you plan to upload your video on the Sphinx water erosion hypothesis? Can't wait!

[@WorldofAntiquity]

Probably within the next month or so.

[@lacintag5482]

My favorite alternative history theory is definitely Christ Myth theory. I find it a lot more plausible than the mainstream historicist position (which is only mainstream because Biblical scholars are generally employed by Christian institutions)

[@biercenator]

Not a historian, but the way I would put the contrast between the action-movie/aliens/lost-continent "school" and proper history is not that the latter is a slog and the former exciting, but that the focus of the former is cool things, whereas the latter is about people. And I find the latter exciting because it has a stronger grip on my imagination.

[@jemborg]

Now that notion of yours that "civilisation" or urbanisation is not a given given the right circumstances, like agriculture, is fascinating. I'd _love_ to hear more about that. I understood there were three "mother cities". One in the West, one in Northern South America (Olmecs?) and one in Southern South America. The documentary I saw made a strong claim they were founded on trade not conflict as was first thought.

[@ice9snowflake187]

I'm just glad to hear from an actual ancient historian who isn't constantly complaining that "mainstream academia" won't go along with their speculative fantasies, and who isn't going on and on wondering what "high technology" they used to use to cut and move big rocks around back in the day. Anyway what's so advanced about a civilization that would spend all that technology and effort and productive labor just to make temples to non-existent gods, or to honor despots, or just to bury dead people? Why is everybody so impressed that someone long ago figured out where to put a window or something to get the sun to shine on it on the solstice (or whenever) anyway?

[@Erlrantandrage]

Digging up graves is tricky because how offensive it is is entirely dependent upon the culture of the person answering the question. Some Native American groups honor every person buried in their ancestral lands as an ancestor and consequently any disturbance of remains can be seen as desecration. the Kennewick man for example is viewed as an ancestor by several Native American groups in Washington State and calls for his reburial are ongoing despite the age of said remains being 8000 to 9000 years. In Europe, on the otherhand, plague victims have been recovered and studied and despite the fact that such persons potentially have namable descendants alive today there's little to no controversy regarding the recovery of those remains.

[@vitriolpoisoned]

I don't recall where I heard the phrase, but your last question reminds me of "history doesn't repeat, but it often rhymes"

[@AlbertaGeek]

I don't know who said that, but if it's sufficiently clever and in plain language, my default attribution is to Mark Twain. If someone corrects me, because wasn't Twain, then I learned something new.

[@danielgrudzinski9806]

Omg the facial hair goes really well on Dr Miano!! No disrespect.

[@The0ldg0at]

One of my hypothesis about ancient history is that most of the political fights between the elites were done for greedy motives with ruthless means and that the winners had to rewrite the real story with mythtical stories about the losers being against the will of the gods. And the winners being somehow favored by the will of the gods. Here's an essay on the Epic of Gilgamesh. We have this new weird narcissistic dictator king of Uruk that is very popular in the kingdom. But he refuse to abide by a fundamental tradition of the elite families. Making babies to stabilise the future of the kingdom. He doesn't want any sons to succede him and he doesn't want any daughters to marry to the sons of the elite families. The elite families have lost their traditional mean to access a share of the political power in the kingdom. So they complain to the head priest of the temple of Anu. Gilgamesh is very popular because of his physical might and heroic prowess. So they first look for and found a mighty barbarian that could beat him and reduce his popularity. They educate Enkidu to the Uruk civilized values with the help of the temple of Ishtar harlots. They trap Gilgamesh into a fight with him. It turns out that the two are happy to find their physical might equal and become BFF instead, increasing Gilgamesh populatity. The head priestess of Ishtar send him her best princess to marry and establish a traditional dinasty. He complains that he wants eternity for himself and not with a dinasty supported by the temple of Ishtar. He recite the list of all the previous kings that had establish a dinasty with the temple of Ishtar and have been dump after a while. Where are now the descendants of those kings that have been promised and eternal dinasty? That tactic didn't work so the temple of Ishtar, which is in charge of managing the granaries, took the opportunity of a famine to blame it on Gilgamesh refusal to conform to the traditions. That didn''t work. They had no other choice than to kill his BFF Enkidu. Gilgamesh got depressed, lost all interest in being a king. They had no problem after to convince him to quick his job and to get out of the country. And the winners had all their time and brainpower to rewrite history in an Epic about the futiliy for any mortal to desire personal eternity,

[@andreaarchaeology]

I'd LOVE if you offered a course or had a video series about about Mesopotamia. I have a Bachelor's in archaeology and in my last semester I took a Mesopotamia course. We covered such a great time period that a lot of details were glossed over. I understand how people changed from being nomadic to being sedentary, etc., but it seemed to happen so rapidly. I want it slowed down. Unfortunately, this "rapid" transition allows conspiracy theorists to grab onto the idea that we are alien hybrids or that aliens showed up and taught us things. And admittedly, it did seem to happen really fast! Of course, I don't contribute it to aliens! But I'd love if things were broken down in more detail to explain how we so quickly built large cities, monolithic structures, etc.

[@ErgoCogita]

I think this is a point that is too easily glossed over by many alternative history theorists. Considering the massive multidimensional benefits that having an increasing glut of food sources provides, I think it very directly follows that advancements in technology and their application are an inevitable outcome of that circumstance. As for "very fast", I suppose that when contrasted against what we can only relatively recently look back on as paleontological timescales then it happened rapidly. However, in the day to day timescale of the people making those advancements it proceeded at a snail's pace until the advent of writing and mathematics. That's where the real explosion of the development and application of technology proceeded from. Just like how the development of language over eons undoubtedly afforded our very early ancestors a massive benefit, recording language and computation multiplied that benefit of language by many magnitudes of order.

[@AdventuresofAwesomeJoe]

How long do you think it took to cut, move, and place each block? (Days, weeks, months or years per block) Per Google search: "More than 2,300,000 limestone and granite blocks were pushed, pulled, and dragged into place on the Great Pyramid. The average weight of a block is about 2.3 metric tons (2.5 tons)." Some of the mainstream theorist estimate 20-40 years. But when math is added, it seems like it would take a few hundred years

[@WorldofAntiquity]

If you leave me your question on my voicemail, I may answer it in a video: speakpipe.com/DavidMiano

[@belteshazzarbenyakovleib1071]

I will only investigate reasonable lines of thinking , I had one dispelled earlier in another one of your threads it was an educated guess when it comes to the bags the Sumer civilisation art depicts , I associated the bag , with the old shaman pouches , many of them found intact with medicines inside cannabis , and kids memories of doctors coming to house call with doctors bag . Because the unbelievable stuff I rejected alien nonsense , I framed them mentally as bags not buckets , I learned something new so this is a great Channel

[@JT-si6bl]

Definitely found your place in the universe! Congratulations. Your academic foundations really are noteworthy and brilliant for the forum. You also have the grandeur of a decades long trend (Pre-Domesticated Internet A.D.) of unraveling the theories that spooled the Ancient Alien facade. What does alien mean? Out of this world? No. I doubt the obfuscation of meanings really justifies explaining how large magnifying glasses melted stone, or floated megaliths by pyramid power... but the alien concept of a person in ancient times engineering colossal feats in today's perspective, is alien - foreign. A foreign 'out of the normal' method could make a massive difference on the global influence of what IS ACTUALLY possible by knowing what and how to do it... That I'm sure could influence better actions from Us. Discretion and curiosity are humanity's strongest choices. Our minds are fulcrums for that balance.

[@dirtysouthclimbing]

My favorite is what Dr Robert Schoch says about the erosion of the sphinx enclosure.

[@amyinboulder]

One of my favorite museums is the Pergamom. My first visit to Berlin was 35 years ago (yes, the Wall was in place) and a number of times since over the intervening years. Why do I mention the when I've visited? Because over those years, my perception and perhaps because of more modern perspectives on cultural appropriation, make me question the right of museums to display the plundered riches of ancient civilizations. A couple years ago I went for the first time to the British Museum and by far my favorite rooms were Assyrian reliefs. Given the destruction in recent years of in situ archeological treasures from war and factions, I've felt grateful to be able to see what might have been demolished in modern wars. But this hasn't lessened my feeling of cultural guilt for stealing a country's/civilization's treasures. How do you reconcile this?

[@WorldofAntiquity]

I understand where you are coming from. I guess it depends on whether we see ourselves as participating in the appropriation either by visiting the museum or by being a part of the culture that appropriated it. I'm not so sure that's true.

[@BobbJones]

Question, if the great pyramid is a representation of the earth, do the other pyramids represent the other planets in our solar system? I was looking at the solar system compared to the pyramids and if you look at venus it is slightly smaller than earth same with the pyramid next to the great pyramid, then murcury is a bit smaller same with the 3rd pyramid. If you look a little north west of these pyramids you'll see there was a big square structure that no longer exists. That could have been the sun. Then if you go the opposite way mars would be covered by the city of Cairo. After that is the asteroid belt. And in Egypt there's the Nile. Probably a stupid question but I thought I'd ask if you've heard anything that would suggest what the other pyramids represented.

[@eachandeverything6460]

I would love to hear your views on the annoying Hatshepsut/Senenmut relationship. I have my views but yours are those I crave. Thanks

[@brettedwardstout7096]

I’ve been curious what the archeological perspective on why there wouldn’t be small pre-Uruk under the water in the north Persian Gulf? I don’t necessarily think there are, just don’t know the research as to why

[@eachday9538]

A short "technological" history is actually more spectacular if you think about it

[@callmedavid9696]

I love how the people questioning modern humans not being able to recreate historical work can't even write a question that makes sense...

[@chriskelly6574]

When I went to study engineering I had no idea; no i-dea! I had not been prepared for such challenges. I came to understand much from that experience, as I am now learning to drop my discontent like a train drops its cars. The point I am constantly making with the 'flat Earth, alien overload people' is that they are simply far too smug in their thinking. I can barely predict the mass of snow on my roof and, even flimsier is my prediction of loading on the beams in my house from that snow. I know I can not safely design these important things. The alien ice age car cutler people don't seem to even know that there are load bearing beams in the house. They must think the building inspector didn't sign off on their house because the man just wants to keep him down; is that too vague? I can not imagine the sleepless nights, sacrifices and down right trashing of your ego you endured to get the credentials you now enjoy; I only know that I could not summon my will like you did yourse. For you to listen to so such mumbo jumbo must make you consider moving to Mars. We can say that now yes. "I'm thinking of moving to Mars." Hello twenty first century. Bene vivere.

[@eddymonies8302]

Been waiting for this one, thanks for answering all three of my questions man! Stoked for the Zodiac/Sphinx videos now and hopefully an Iraq one in the future! Also, I am really interested in the Ancient Egyptian deep dive course, any estimate of when it will be available or any more details about it?

[@WorldofAntiquity]

Spring 2021, most likely.

[@nicholaslaport3354]

Oh doctor, I could have helped you knock that Olmec question out the park Keep up the good word. I looooong to be an unpaid research employee for you = ( Either way I'll always watch since you possess a bright personality and nearly every single video published by you and your (team. . . . ?) Leaves an indelible mark on my historical curiosity I've spent about the past five years researching Mesoamerica and occasionally delving into the Andes here and there, but your videos so effortlessly provide a mind-altering experience, where I question if I should perhaps study a slightly different field in my already chosen timeline (200AD-1550AD). This decision would obviously include changes to my historical novel where the Mexica convince Texcoco switch their Allegiance back to the Triple Alliance. Your videos inspire me to conduct extensive research on the Moor invasion of the Iberian Peninsula. Matthew Restall drew many parallels between the initial meeting of Moctezuma Xocoyotl (or as some later just called him "Moctezuma II) and Cortes; along the their entourages. And so, this reenactment of defeat myhthistory was used several other times in the "New World." But to me all I see is a Iberian Peninsula suffering under religious prosection, but don't worry, many religious Catholics ordered round-ups, destruction of some Mosque's entire structural integrity. My point here there is a nauseating possibility that had not these men returned to Castille and Extremadura, expounding marvelous tails to their young-and-soon-to be martially trained so that their services could be successfully utilized by Spain's vast empire.

[@ronniabati]

History repeats itself mostly because people don’t learn accurate history, or are outright lied to.

[@JoshMull]

Maybe you'll get into this with the Zodiac video, but curious on your experience with ancient religions evolving into / being adapted into modern religions. This would be things like Egyptian deities being born on December 25, Isis and Horus being the model for Mary and the baby Jesus, etc. Most of the time you see this being discussed, it's generally one side or the other (e.g. atheists using it to argue with devout folks). What does the actual historical record say, that you've seen? Do we have record of it ever being written down or specifically mentioned (as in "Hey Phil, make this Jesus statue look more like Zeus!")? When it comes to this stuff, it's never clear what is authentic cultural adaptation/evolution and what is just cherry-picked coincidences (like the Sumerians and the Australians both having pictures of people holding buckets :D )

[@WorldofAntiquity]

Great subject. I once got into a discussion about this with the producer of the film Zeitgeist. I may revisit it in future.

[@JoshMull]

@@WorldofAntiquity I think that might have been one of the first places I saw some of that stuff, wow that's a deep cut lol. I should maybe clarify, not after any specific religion or theory specifically. More generally interested in the phenomenon, like the romans copying the greek pantheon, zoroastrians introducing angels, that sort of thing. Love the videos, sorry to make you think about zeitgeist 😜🙏

[@szpakmateusz8500]

I think the first image of Jesus is more like Apollo (young, beardless) than Zeus ..

[@szpakmateusz8500]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/g2XSYpeZaZalaJo

[@KurticeYZreacts]

39:00 lmao the truth hurts, unless you actively seek it lol

[@hewhoadds]

s/o to the homies that wanted to finish school but couldn’t i see y’all 💜

[@dazuk1969]

Thank you David, i really enjoyed that. Personally i do think that Khufu is still in the great pyramid somewhere. You answered the questions on "lost ancient technology" really well. The first word of that phrase is really important "lost". We are at a point now whereby those that advocate such ideas need to "find" it...of pipe down....P.s i am the only person wondering what that carving on your wall is ?

[@WorldofAntiquity]

I found it in a thrift store! I haven't yet figured out what the original is that it's supposedly copying.

[@dazuk1969]

@@WorldofAntiquity Thank you for your reply David 👍

[@Chris.Davies]

The video title feels like asking, "What is the best disease to have?" The answer is the same, too: "none". A scientific theory is a very specific and special thing, and the highest rank possible in science. A theory not only explains ALL the existing evidence, but also makes predictions about future discoveries made in relation to the topic. A theory is testable, and falsifiable. A theory must pass the peer review process. And so we can say with some authority there are quite literally zero alternative history theories. The best we could possibly do is define alternative history as "ideas" or "concepts". They are not scientific. They are not multi-disciplined. They are not peer reviewed. They are not published. They make no predictions. We can go further and say these ideas or concepts are extremely low quality, and are created by incompetent and ignorant people, who are completely unaware of the facts, and who intentionally ignore all evidence which contradicts their crazy ideas.

[@mariolongtin8271]

I get excited about history haha I dont find it boring it all. Especially on innovation, the early days of math, science, astronomy, philosophy, politics etc.. even sometimes how civilizations collapsed.

[@Rednecknerd_rob9634]

What's the stone tablet and framed papers behind you? Just curious cause that looks cool and sorry if someone else asked.

[@WorldofAntiquity]

The framed documents are photos of pages of Codex Sinaiticus. The tablet-looking thing is something I found in an antique store that had an ancient vibe.

[@Rednecknerd_rob9634]

@@WorldofAntiquity Neat, thanks.

[@Raventooth]

Hmmm. I wonder what you think of the Klerlsdorp spheres.

[@WorldofAntiquity]

Natural formations.

[@ariloiola]

Is the reason for the differing chronologies on ancient Egypt the Bible?

[@WorldofAntiquity]

No. It has to do with interpretation of the various pieces of evidence.

[@thegreatgazoo2334]

Here is a question of life changing import: If a centipede a pint and an octopus a quart, how much would a precipice?

[@skipjackjohnson5528]

How about the question of "how did they lift all those megaliths?"

[@WorldofAntiquity]

That will be a good one for the next Q&A!

[@skipjackjohnson5528]

@@WorldofAntiquity this question seems to get over looked for some reason. But all around the world they built huge walls and temples out of huge stones. Gobekli tepi for example. Its old, and sure the carvings are interesting. But truth remains that the builders of gobekli tepi knew something about engineering that today we dont. I think this is more interesting than the carvings personally.

[@WorldofAntiquity]

@@skipjackjohnson5528 Why do you think that the builders of Gobekli Tepe knew something about engineering that we don't?

[@skipjackjohnson5528]

@@WorldofAntiquity because they were able to get those massive blocks up in the air and fit them perfectly onto another standing block. We can do that today maybe with cranes and heavy machinery. Theres no evidence they had cranes and heavy machinery. Ive thought about this for years. Maybe they were smart enough to make a lift that had a equally heavy counter weight on it, thats about as much sence that i can think of.

[@skipjackjohnson5528]

@@WorldofAntiquity If they had a counter weight then the question still stands, how did they move the counter weight.

[@krisb6643]

Yes!, 3 for 3... altthough I was thinking the crossbow was somewhat later... but at least I got things in the right order! :D

[@immature4hisage]

Id like to know what kind of underwear people wore in ancient Rome? How did they shave? Did people smell worse in those days? Other than that you did a nice job on Q and A.

[@kenmello7252]

Just found your channel and I like it. I was wondering if you would be willing to talk to me about a human fossil footprint that I found in western New York? It is not suppose to exist but it dose.

[@WorldofAntiquity]

Sounds more like prehistory. You might want to talk to a prehistorian.

[@kenmello7252]

Thank you for getting back to me.

[@scottyoung4226]

I feel like naming anyone specific might make this an awkward question, but could you talk about what colleges and universities are able to do to control professors to some extent? As an example, if I become a professor at ABC University, what can ABC University do to stop me from tarnishing their reputation if I start to publicly support insane theories but don't commit any fire able offenses?

[@WorldofAntiquity]

If it's a public university, you can't be fired unless you have done something criminal or immoral, or you are unable to perform your job. Or if the university is in financial hardship.

[@anchorsawaysailingmedia7785]

If you could get on a podcast with Joe Rogan to discuss ancient history vs alternative history theories would be great!

[@WayneBraack]

I strongly agree! Especially as he's had people like Graham Hancock on multiple times. I'd love to see an actual learned academic give a counter argument. Especially as Joe has such a HUGE audience pool which I believe tends innocently to spread the bad science. Personally I like listening to Graham. The idea of this once advanced peoples who may have lived better than we do today is a great fantasy. I find it calming and hopeful that we one day will solve things that plague us. Medical cures, higher wisdom and move towards a more peaceful and just society. Space travel. But in the end I prefer the hard truth more. But their ideas are entertaining.

[@michelelane4662]

I just recently discovered your channel and have already started a deep dive. I was tasked by my grandfather at 4 to check the translations of the Dead Sea Scrolls as he wasn’t allowed to participate to help do this at the time. The head of the project and he, I suspect had personality clashes, I suspect. He spoke 7 languages and read Latin and Aramaic and read the Bible originals in Aramaic at the library of Congress. Many other things as well. When I asked if there was a difference between the English and Aramaic, he smiled and told me that some words had been mistranslated but it didn’t change the actual meaning of the Bible. Since then Religion and history along with many things have been fascinating to look into during lockdown. I can’t be vaccinated again. (Some advantages). I would like to know if you have looked into Mudfossil University with Roger Spurr. He a bit older than I am, however I grew up and worked in the Hospital and Drs office for 25 years. I understand anatomy and physiology somewhat and can duplicate his findings in his 15 minute challenge. It’s a brain shift, however apparently no university will double check his results.(ie:CAT scans and lab). I believe Michael Tellinger has confirmed what he has done. The Bible says that “there were giants in the earth in those days”. This work may be answering this. Many other confirmations I have run across as well. I would be curious to see what you think. If you can debunk him, I would be interested. He’s not a professional. He’s curious and has a good background in chemistry for doing this (in his garage). He’s mocked but keeps going. His gravity theory I think I just saw on (I believe Wonderum channel ?). Again it’s easy to duplicate. It will put a whole new perspective on what you are studying, possibly, imo. Much love and appreciation from California. Btw, you’re now almost 100,000 subscribers. Great job and deeply appreciated.❤️🌈🍀😇🙏🏻❣️

[@patrickscarr]

Great video Dave. Good thinking, not to answer who is your favorite cousin. No need to upset so many people. We both know it is me and that is good enough. :)

[@dennissalisbury496]

With modern construction precast concrete methods, the pyramids could be duplicated quickly.

[@josephsulimay7475]

great show,new viewer here.

[@WorldofAntiquity]

Thanks for coming!

[@Unclemork]

Hello Prof. Miano, I enjoy your videos - especially your emphasis on what qualifies as evidence and the specificity of claims. I have a sort of philosophical question that came to mind when you mentioned you teach the history of western civilization. Does "the west" exist? Obviously, things like the country of France exists. But, is the concept of "the west" meaningful in an academic and rigorous sense? How do you engage with the term in your class? (feel free to stop reading here) My intuition/thesis is that 1. "the west" is a term used either by fascists in their mytho-histories or 2. used hand wavily by lazy academics. 3. that 1 and 2 are related. And, 4. that, in a more strict sense, "the west" doesn't exist. 1. Fascists of the early 20th century often had worldviews or political narratives involving palingenesis or millenarianism. They had these caricaturish national histories and believed that their movements would see a return to greatness or a transformation in history. They had confabulated histories of aryans, Dorian invasions, blood quanta, yadda yadda yadda. And we see a lot of these traditions continued today among neo-nazi and neo-fascist groups. For example we see the continuation of the preposterous "cultural marxist" conspiracy theory that alleges that Jewish intellectuals are dominating academia to destroy traditional western family values. Or we have the piggish Proud Boys who self identify as "western chauvinists." Ultimately, "the west" acts as a euphemism for "white people" (who is and isn't "white" is subjective even among fascists.) 2. Academics seem to use the term inconsistently. Where the "west" *is* varies considerably - both in terms of which places are "included" but also when historically they are included. Consider is Peru part of "the west" or when did Denmark or Virginia become part of "the west." BUT also the "west" is used as a sort of vague placeholder for other non-geographic concepts like the enlightenment philosophical tradition, or liberal political institutions. But oddly, these later historical movements seem to get wrapped up with other abstractions of greater antiquity - like the writings of Rome and Greece (even though many greek writings were saved in libraries such as in Baghdad in the "dark ages" (another contrived category made up by antiquarians and Victorians)) 3. It seems like 2 is a sort of vestigial holdover from the 1700's and 1800's when a lot of the foundational historical scholarship was written. That era was rife with hobby antiquarians who loved to pull evidence together into interesting stories, nationalist political projects, Victorians pigeonholing things together, and modernist tendencies to imagine unifying theories of history and progress. Once these ideas were introduced into academia, they've sorta hung around like annoying poltergeists that need to be excised. Whereas people in category 1 seem to earnestly cling to these Victorian confabulations. 4. "the west" doesn't exist - or rather the term isn't useful and we would all be better off saying what we actually mean and trying to be more specific. There is no singular "western" philosophical tradition, so we should speak of greek philosophy, the enlightenment tradition, christianity, humanism, paganism, etc etc with greater specificity rather than as a monolithic contradicting whole. There is no unifying "western" material culture - rather the dangly bits of the western end of the eurasian landmass have waves and layers of material cultures - to say nothing of the geographies impacted by colonialism and settler cultures in the 16th-21st centuries. How do we cogently make sense of "the west" when Coke bottles are manufactured around the globe or in light of photos of 1960's Kabul? Or does Western just mean countries with a McDonalds?

[@WorldofAntiquity]

Hi Byron. The fact is, I teach Western Civ, because the college I work at wants it taught. It's a holdover from years past. Most universities have switched or are switching over to World History as a required course instead. I actually prefer teaching that, even though I have more to cover and can't go as deep. I think wider and broader is better in a survey class. When I teach Western Civ, I use the definition of "West" that is most common: Europe and its intellectual, colonial, and genealogical descendants. But people of color are included in that. The course I teach also explores how the West was created, and for that reason I discuss a lot of cultures that were instrumental in its development. This includes not only Greece and Rome, but non-western cultures as well. I do still see value in a Western Civ course, because it has had the most influence in our country, but I also think it ignores other important influences. And I largely agree with what you are saying about misunderstandings it perpetuates.

[@AM-kr4pv]

Idk about other Jews but that's EXACTLY why I want to get into academia!

[@restgalaxy4285]

We all can fall for a so called expert...the romance of discovering something new and to know it first is exciting. Once learning the actual history...it is less fun and more normal. Plus history reminds us...we are mortal. What would you leave behind in stone for others? In english or something easy to decode? Would glyphs be easier to understand?

[@Seeknay4]

Awesome..

[@borgholable]

is there gonna be an new unchartedX response to part 3 ?

[@WorldofAntiquity]

Aw, you should have asked me a bit earlier. I could have included it. But the answer is: probably, but I have a few other irons in the fire I have to take care of first.

[@borgholable]

@@WorldofAntiquity looking forward to it my man , i really hope you address the unfinished obelisk

[@chrismalcomson7640]

One culture very under studdied are the Thracians. They were supposed to have fought in the Trojan wars and from the finds I've seen they seem to have been very much part of the Hellenistic world..