• Updated throughout with recent developments and additional illustrations
• Reveals how solar outbursts caused the end of the last ice age, unleashed catastrophe upon ancient advanced civilizations, and led to six millennia of a Solar-Induced Dark Age
• Includes evidence from solar science, geology, oceanic circulation patterns, the Sphinx, the underground cities of Cappadocia, the Easter Island rongorongo glyphs, and the Göbekli Tepe complex in Turkey
In this newly revised and expanded edition, updated throughout with recent developments, geologist Robert Schoch builds upon his revolutionary theory that the origins of the Sphinx date back much further than 2500 BCE and examines scientific evidence of the catastrophe that destroyed early high culture nearly 12,000 years ago.
Combining evidence from multiple scientific disciplines, Schoch makes the case that the abrupt end of the last ice age, circa 9700 BCE, was due to an agitated Sun. Solar outbursts unleashed electrical/plasma discharges upon Earth, triggering dramatic climate change as well as increased earthquake and volcanic activity, fires, high radiation levels, and massive floods. Schoch explains how these events impacted the civilizations of the time, set humanity back thousands of years, and led to six millennia of a Solar-Induced Dark Age (SIDA). Applying the SIDA framework to ancient history, he explores how many megalithic monuments, petroglyphs, indigenous traditions, and legends fall logically into place, including the underground cities of Cappadocia, the Easter Island rongorongo glyphs, and the Göbekli Tepe complex in Turkey. He also reveals that our Sun is a much more unstable star than previously believed, suggesting that history could repeat itself with a solar outburst powerful enough to devastate modern society.
Weaving together a new view of the origins and antiquity of civilization and the dynamics of the planet we live on, Schoch maintains we must heed the megalithic warning of the past and collectively prepare for future events. Robert M. Schoch, Ph.D., a tenured faculty member at Boston University, earned his doctorate in geology and geophysics at Yale University in 1983. Known for his research on ancient civilizations, he is the author of numerous books, including Origins of the Sphinx. Catherine Ulissey, a 20-year ballet and Broadway dance veteran, earned her B.A. from Emerson College in 2002. Married to Dr. Schoch in 2010, she enjoys contributing to his research while teaching her art, formerly for Harvard University's dance program and more recently for Wellesley College. From Chapter 1: A Whirlwind Trip
One evening, my mind still racing from all I had seen on Easter Island--and perplexed at the genuine enigmas and disgusted by the conventional explanations (or should I say nonexplanations)--Katie suggested that we rewatch a video titled Symbols of an Alien Sky (Talbott 2009; see also Talbott and Thornhill 2005). One portion of the video discusses the work of Anthony L. Peratt, a plasma physicist associated with Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, who became interested in ancient petroglyphs (Peratt 2003). I already knew of Peratt's work and indeed had met him at a conference many years earlier. In a nutshell (we will review his work in more detail later in this book), Peratt noticed that many petroglyphs found around the world appear to record the shapes that would have been seen in the sky if there had been a major solar outburst--a plasma discharge (ionized particles and associated electrical and magnetic phenomena)--in ancient times. If our Sun discharged a huge ball of plasma toward us, it would have dire consequences for Earth, including life and humanity, as the surface of the planet would be literally fried by the incoming electrical currents. Nothing like this has been seen in modern times, although small plasma discharges, known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), are a regular feature of the mod
