Most important, no one, even within the circle Bullard, Thomas. New evidence deals a devastating blow to what was considered to be the best case for extraterrestrial visitation. Used under aCreative Commons license. Temple does not argue that contact with an advanced civilization is the only way that the Dogon could have obtained what he understood to be accurate information on Sirius B, but he indicates that he personally finds the theory of alien contact more convincing. Temple's impressive research was encouraged by noted futurist Arthur C, Clarke (although Clarke now prefers the "modern influence" hypothesis). He has written of Temples belief that present-day authorities are unwilling to set aside the blinkers of orthodoxy, unable to admit the validity of anything that lies outside their field or that offers a challenge to the status quo. Dogon people are renowned for their knowledge about the Sirius Star system which dates back to 3200 BC, long before scientists discovered it in 1862 The traditional mythology of the Dogon is amazing. To be specific they sound like the kinds of astronomical conclusions one might draw from studying the heavens through a small portable telescope. by Philip Coppens. WebRe: Dogon Sirius claim debunked - Graham Hancock Official Website Mysteries Taken from [ library.thinkquest.org] According to the Dogon priests, Sirius is orbited by a tiny secret star that they refer to as 'po', which traces an elliptical path around Sirius taking 50 years to The greatest source of error, however, seems to be in Temple's specified location of Behdet. either in daily life or in ritual [to the Dogon]. In other words, the Dogon tribe would not only need the knowledge but also a telescope in order for them to have the information they already seemed to possess. The so-called "Sirius Mystery" can easily be explained by a transfer of knowledge from European visitors during that time period - and we know for a fact that several major visits by astronomers actually occurred during that time. In 1998, Temple republished the book with the subtitle new scientific evidence of alien contact 5,000 years ago. The books reputation was first dented in 1999, when Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince published The Stargate Conspiracy, in which they allege that Temples thinking had been heavily influenced by his mentor, Arthur M. Young. As Carl Sagan pointed out, when the lines on both maps are removed, the resemblance disappears. Sounds like you're grasping at straws. Even if you allow for a much higher biological mutation rate on any Sirian planet compared to the Earth, it still isnt enough time. Some pseudosciences such as homeopathy and free energy never die. Carl Sagan's contribution to this discussion was in his book Broca's Brain (1979). WebNew evidence deals a devastating blow to what was considered to be the best case for extraterrestrial visitation. Seriously: The Dogon and Sirius? The Nommos descended from the sky in a vessel accompanied by fire and thunder. WebThe claims about the Dogons' astronomical knowledge have also been challenged. "Robert Temple on three different occasions, by mail and phone, attempted to get support from me and I steadfastly refused," Asimov wrote. Worse still, hundreds of thousands of years ago, Sirius B was a dying red giant. Y%gbsPFur[%X7Sz And finally, even if Sirius B had been a visible red giant a few thousand years ago, how would the Dogon know that Sirius B was still there after it became a white dwarf? Dogon people are renowned for their knowledge about the Sirius Star system which dates back to 3200 BC, long before scientists discovered it in 1862 The traditional mythology of the Dogon is amazing. Dogon to explain their beliefs. The proof is supplied by (the Odyssey), where Helios is said to possess 7 herds of 50 cows each and 7 herds of 50 sheep, a transparent allegory of the days and nights of the year.") Furthermore, most Dogon symbology already has multiple levels of meaning; the sketches used to illustrate the Sirius secrets are also used in puberty ceremonies. This is strange, because one would think that it would be a major discovery in anthropology. Sagan further commented that he was surprised, given the freedom of viewpoint that Fish used, that her map didnt match the Hill map better!4. The Bad Archaeology page on the Sirius Mystery has summarize the basic details well: In 1976, Robert K G Temple (born 1945), an American living in the UK, published what was to become a seminal work of Bad Archaeology, The Sirius Mystery. [12] According to Oberg, the Dogons' astronomical information resembled the knowledge and speculations of late 1920s Europe, suggesting that the Dogon were influenced by European visitors before their mythology was recorded in the 1930s. Europeans too believed that the "white dwarf' Sirius-B star was the heaviest thing in the universe, although in later years astronomers were to find The Dogon have a traditional interest in the sky and astronomical phenomena. You dont have to watch too many Fantasy Channel (formerly known as the History Channel) specials on ancient astronauts before youll be told about the primitive African Dogon of Mali and their advanced astronomical knowledge bestowed, of course, by extraterrestrials. WebThe claims about the Dogons' astronomical knowledge have also been challenged. The Nine became part of the UFO and New Age mythology and many claim to be in contact with them. in elliptical orbits of astronomical phenomena. As an example, Sagan believes that because the Dogon seem to have no knowledge of another planet beyond Saturn which has rings, their knowledge is therefore more likely to have come from European, and not extraterrestrial, sources.[11]. Subscribe to eSkeptic: our free email newsletter and get great podcasts, videos, reviews and articles from Skeptic magazine, announcements, and more in your inbox once or twice a week. The introduction to his second edition is so full of paranoid theorizing,2 that although it is quoted extensively and interpolated with favorable comments by Michael Bara (or possibly Richard Hoagland), the most extreme conspiracy claims are omitted.3. The Dogon Revisited Just when multi-cellular life would began, Sirius A would become a Red Giant, crisping any nearby planets. answer is that they got this information from amphibious aliens from outer Figure 1. Readers of Skeptic are not so sanguine. Using similar techniques other writers have "discovered" dozens of different, often contradictory "ancient secrets" about Atlantis, primitive Christianity, forgotten wisdom, ancient visitors and numerous other things. WebAccording to the Dogon, the instructor gods descended from Sirius and brought knowledge and wisdom. But here's the rub: there is no archaeological evidence that the specific references to the twin hidden companions of Sirius are anywhere near that old. Oberg does concede, however, that theories of recent acquisition are "entirely circumstantial" and have no foundation in documented evidence. Temple sees the existence of Sirius C as a vindication of one of his claims, although it should be remembered that multiple star systems are common (like Alpha Centauri, with its three stars). The Dogon and Sirius. The other five are still seen as red but from the time of Arab astronomers to the present day Sirius has been blue-white. the Sirius "Mystery". History Debunked then goes on to demonstrate the type of pseudo-scientific nonsense this has lead to by providing a link to an Ethnomathematics paper and reading out its conclusion. Nothing fuels religious extremism more than the belief that one has found the absolute moral truth. He points out that the Dogon myths also describe a third star (astronomers would call it "Sirius C"), as yet undiscovered. The assyrians called Sirius Kal-bu-sa mas (the Dog of the Sun) and in Chaldea, it was known as Kak-shisha (The Dog Star That Leads) Known History of the Dogon According to Dogon mythology, Nommo was the first living being created by Amma, the sky god and creator of the universe. interpreter. The two anthropologists had lived among the Dogon tribe in Africa since 1931, and in 1946 Griaule was initiated into the religious secrets of the tribe. If so, I wonder why that passage was ever "worth pointing out" in the book in the first place. S]V',H79aD>1 Q@d(FOY;"36y0Z{VXEJwOx._tto}#&i|HR-i4 In that case the Dogon (and everyone else) would have had little trouble seeing both stars then. Temple has either misinterpreted Dogon beliefs, or distorted Sagan, Carl. In 1967, Temple began work on the thesis that became The Sirius Mystery. The Dogon have a traditional interest in the sky and astronomical phenomena. mystery resurfaces." What is interesting is that the Dogon knew about Sirius and its triple star system way before modern science found out its existence. The X symbol inside the oval is Sirius A, The oval itself is labeled Umlaufbahn von Sirius B, or Orbit of Sirius B. Pretty convincing. WebAlso there is the fact that they described the Nommo as fish people and you find all kinds of half man/half fish - serpent imagery all over the Mediterranean. complete diagram that the Dogon showed to the French anthropologists Marcel Griaule and Germaine Dieterlen, who were the original It's fascinating. [18], He also used the second edition of his book to complain about what he said was "the extreme and virulent hostility towards me by certain security agencies, most notably the American ones."[19]. The aliens came here Also, why would the Dogan people not divulge where they received such recent knowledge of transfer if they had of gotten this knowledge from Europeans. According to Robert Temple (The Sirius Mystery), the Dogon had Using spherical trig, I got 612.3 km for the Siwa-Behdet leg and 654.8 km for the Thebes-Behdet. Copyright 19922023. Nevertheless the Sumerian Oannes myths, first described by Sagan and Shklovskiy in Intelligent Life in the Universe in 1966, are as intriguing as ever. The star Sirius is certainly no stranger to mysteries. The Dogon and Sirius. Carl Sagan agreed with Temple that the Dogon could not have acquired Read Skeptic on Apple or Android devices, or on PC or Mac via PocketMags.com. Especially those who believe that our past is not at all how mainstream historians believe it to be, or indeed, tell us it was. Skeptic. As the brightest star in the sky it was known and worshiped by ancient civilizations. Myths and legends that are passed through generations are thousands of years old. It's almost certainly a hoax. A revised edition was published in 1998 with the new subtitle New scientific to other visible stars near Sirius as recognition of the invisible Although Temple fails to prove its antiquity, the evidence for the recent acquisition of the information is still entirely circumstantial. of earth and transmitted in conversation. The Dogon People Revisited.. In his 1998 revised edition, Temple was quick to point out the new discussions in scientific circles about the possible existence of Sirius C, which seemed to make Griaules claims even more spectacular and accurate. Readers of Skeptic are not so sanguine. myths by confabulation." Many served in the French army in World War I and some of them could have returned years later with colorful embellishments for their native legends. This means that it will have a lifetime on the stellar Main Sequence, which is where stars spend 90% of their lives, of about 1.2 billion years. terrestrial rather than extraterrestrial. Could Sirius B have been a red giant a few thousand years ago? century technological matters brought to them by visitors from other parts (Temple claims missionaries didn't show up until 1949.) interesting that the Greek Sirius is Seirios.". In the 1930s, when their research was carried out, Sirius B was known to have existed, even though it was only photographed in 1970. thousands of similar objects along with even heavier and denser objects such as neutron stars and black holes. Griaule himself was aware of the discovery of Sirius B and in the 1920s before he visited the Dogon there were also unconfirmed sightings of Sirius C. The Dogon were well aware of the brightest star in the sky but, as Van Beek learned, they do not call it sigu tolo, as Griaule claimed, but dana tolo. % 1999. Flim-Flam! Damanhur is 521.0 km from Siwa and 625.9 km from Thebes, a deviation of 20%. They know about the existence of the star Sirius B, a companion star to the brightest star in our sky, Sirius A. For instance, the anthropologist Walter Van Beek, who studied the Dogon after Griaule and Dieterlen, found no evidence that the Dogon considered Sirius to be a double star and/or that astronomy was particularly important in their belief system. space. ", Temple replied in Fate: "The pattern published in my book was drawn by a professional cartographer who earns his living by drawing reliable maps for an international corporation." Some pseudosciences such as homeopathy and free energy never die. Am I getting too picky here? "Lecture 1st Review. some 8.6 light years from earth. And this is what Mr. Oberg has done." The immunity of pseudoscientists to criticism is well known to skeptics, yet I was curious. Its second, 1998, edition is called The Sirius Mystery: New Scientific Evidence of Alien Contact 5,000 Years Ago. It would appear that the Dogon had extensive knowledge of the Sirius star system before the outside world had a chance to give it to them. Sagan, with the bright star Sirius (sigu tolo, "star of Sigui"), called Concludes Sagan, "There are too many loopholes, too many alternate explanations for such a myth to provide reliable evidence of past extraterrestrial contact. <> Finally, he asked me point-blank if I could point out any errors in it and partly out of politeness, partly to get rid of him, and partly because I had been able to read very little of the book so that the answer was true, I said I could not point out any errors. At least three are farther and at least one of them has rings too. Nigel Appleby whose book Hall of the Gods was withdrawn from publication has admitted to being tremendously influenced by Temples Sirius Mystery. Conversations With The expedition, led by Henri Deslandres, stayed in the field for five weeks, and it is reasonable that during this time many contacts with the locals took place, and that relatively modern astronomical knowledge was then transferred. The Sirius mystery, though, remains of great interest to many researchers today. The Dogon legend connected with Sirius, wrote Ridpath, "is riddled with ambiguities, contradictions, and downright errors, at least if we try to interpret it literally." Fishs map and Hills map look similar only because the lines connecting the stars look the same. Scientists learn that the Dogon do not possess secret knowledge about the star Sirius and its companions. But it is apparent that Temple was not aware of Van Beeks devastating research. How is that the Dogan tribe has a culture that combines elements from 3 different ancient traditions "rituals of Judaism, practices of ancient Egypt, and a symbolic cosmology that's closely resembles Buddhism? The Dogon and Sirius. He also gives public talks on astronomy and related fringe topics to international audiences. The Symbolism of the Tarot: The Minor Arcana, The Symbolism of the Tarot: The Major Arcana, My Reading with Kristine from Psychic Source Review, Get the best Psychic Reading Ever Best Psychics Ive Reviewed, The Cathars: the struggle for and of a new Church, The Strange Stone Discs of Baian-Kara-Ula, William Blake: What paintings of visions come. The Sirius mystery, though, remains of great interest to many researchers today. The diagram is only convincing as a representation of Sirius B orbiting Sirius A when most of the original symbols are eliminated. More recent research suggests that the contaminator was Griaule himself. WebThe Dogon reportedly related to Griaule and Dieterlen a belief that the Nommos were inhabitants of a world circling the star Sirius (see the main article on the Dogon for a discussion of their astronomical knowledge). As the brightest star in the sky it was known and worshiped by ancient civilizations. ), Another example: "The Dogon also mention a period of rotation of Sirius- Bone yearthis He soon multiplied to become six pairs of twins. All agree, however, that they learned about the star from Griaule. Van Beek states that this creates a major problem for Griaules claims. stars to the sun, the Alpha Centauri system. Given that the French stayed in their territory for five weeks and had several local guides, it would not be surprising if they shared some astronomical knowledge during that time. [5], Astronomer Carl Sagan touched upon the issue in his book Broca's Brain (1979), seeing problems in Temple's hypothesis. "wished to affirm the complexity of African religions and questioned Second, while it is difficult to obtain precise locations of many archeological sites referred to in The Sirius Mystery, Temple himself shows a map that gives the location of Behdet (31.23 degE, 31.50 degN) and Thebes (32.63 degE, 25.70 degN). The Dogons hold that Jupiter has four moons when in fact it has at least 12, plus a ring, as any true extraterrestrial would have known. E. "Ancient Astronauts," in, McDaid, Liam. The position of the A critical analysis has to investigate the accuracy of such claims, so as to judge the validity of the book's conclusions. Seriously: The Dogon and Sirius? According to the Dogon, the instructor gods descended from Sirius and brought knowledge and wisdom. Sirius. var d=new Date();var n=d.toLocaleDateString();var t=d.toLocaleTimeString(); document.write(n + "
" + t); Want to know your future? Sagan suggests, however, that that civilization was But was anything left out? the sky and the center of Dogon mythology. It was popularized in an episode from the In Search of television series narrated by Leonard Nimoy. And as to good manners, Temple for his part has never answered any of my own personal letters asking for clarification and explanation of controversial points. (In response, Temple has drawn up the ridiculous image of natives laborously hauling a giant instrument through the west African mud -- when in fact a four inch reflector would do just fine, and I once owned one that weighed about ten pounds including mount.) What about Sirius? The ancient records are filled with unanswered astronomical questions -- including the "red Sirius" and the possible Sumerian Ea-Oannes references to the spectacular Vela-X supernova. Contents [ hide] 1 The Secret Knowledge And Wisdom Of The Dogon Tribe 2 Intricate Knowledge Of The Sirius Star System? Our mysteries may be different but our questions are the same and we are no wiser. So what is the alternative to the extraterrestrial hypothesis for the Dogon myths7 The Dogons could have learned of European Sirius lore in the 1920's from traders, explorers or missionaries, many of whom are avid amateur astronomers. sources for Temple's story. If a European had visited the Dogon in the 1920's and 1930's, conversation would likely have turned to astronomical matters, including Sirius, the brightest star in the sky and the center of Dogon mythology. WebAlso there is the fact that they described the Nommo as fish people and you find all kinds of half man/half fish - serpent imagery all over the Mediterranean. In their original findings, Griaule and Deiterlen make no comment about the Dogon knowledge of Sirius B. WebThe star Sirius is certainly no stranger to mysteries. I published, showed the distances to be nowhere close, in error by tens of miles, at least ten percent -- hardly "immense accuracy. Print versions available in Dutch, Russian, Japanese, and Korean. The Dogon are believed to be of Egyptian decent and their astronomical lore goes back thousands of years to 3200 BC. He soon multiplied to become six pairs of twins. Passage was ever `` worth pointing out '' in the sky and astronomical phenomena scientists learn that the knew... Was withdrawn from publication has admitted to being tremendously influenced by Temples Sirius Mystery,,. ' astronomical knowledge have also been challenged, remains of great interest to many researchers today tremendously! Of alien contact 5,000 years ago, Sirius B was a dying red giant a few thousand ago! Answer is that they dogon sirius debunked about the existence of the star Sirius and knowledge! Sound like the kinds of astronomical conclusions one might draw from studying the heavens through a portable! 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