• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Ancient Civilizations

sayak83

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
Well we have so much in common! Except that I don't seem to be enthralled with the imperfect human endeavors of Science, History and Archaeology etc. Now, me . . . I'm not enthralled with theology and religion so how come that is?

The topic, ladies and gentlemen, is ancient civilizations. From my perspective, in this modern day civilization, hindsight is twenty twenty, as they say. I'm not overconfident in my modern day thinking. That's all, oh . . . and I ask again . . . reminiscent of another thread on these forums, what is the difference between knowing and believing, the accuracy of modern day dating of any kind. If I can ask that without getting an honest answer from anyone, I'm going to have to assume that I'm more than qualified to do so.
I have provided honest answers.
 

Earthling

David Henson
The various methods of radiometric dating are very accurate, assuming the person doing the dating knows what he is doing. Any tool can be misused, which is why one needs reliable sources when trying to refute an idea. If a person uses a screwdriver as a hammer and it does not work do you blame the screwdriver or the person that misused it?

No, or I would abandon all reason and logic by reading your posts. The person who is doing the dating knows what he is doing, in your opinion, if he agrees with your preconceived notions of accuracy. I can tell that by simply reading most anything you write.
 

SomeRandom

Still learning to be wise
Staff member
Premium Member
Well we have so much in common! Except that I don't seem to be enthralled with the imperfect human endeavors of Science, History and Archaeology etc. Now, me . . . I'm not enthralled with theology and religion so how come that is?

The topic, ladies and gentlemen, is ancient civilizations. From my perspective, in this modern day civilization, hindsight is twenty twenty, as they say. I'm not overconfident in my modern day thinking. That's all, oh . . . and I ask again . . . reminiscent of another thread on these forums, what is the difference between knowing and believing, the accuracy of modern day dating of any kind. If I can ask that without getting an honest answer from anyone, I'm going to have to assume that I'm more than qualified to do so.
You view all humans as fallible, therefore you are skeptical of their claims when put up against what you believe are the claims of God. Is this an accurate statement of your worldview?
 

Earthling

David Henson
Yes. The constancy in the laws of physics since the beginning of the universe.

So . . . we can guarantee the accuracy of any form of modern day dating due to the constancy in the laws of physics since the beginning of the universe? Is that what you are saying?

Show me. If I'm working on a construction sight or archaeological dig and I find a piece of human femur or a shard of pottery and it is dated how do I know this is accurate due to the constancy in the laws of physics since the beginning of the universe? Do the math.
 

Earthling

David Henson
You view all humans as fallible, therefore you are skeptical of their claims when put up against what you believe are the claims of God. Is this an accurate statement of your worldview?

No, because their claims of God are equally questionable. Haven't I made that clear?
 

Subduction Zone

Veteran Member
No, or I would abandon all reason and logic by reading your posts. The person who is doing the dating knows what he is doing, in your opinion, if he agrees with your preconceived notions of accuracy. I can tell that by simply reading most anything you write.
Please, making false claims about others is not only against the rules, it is very telling. You appear to be accusing others of your flaws. There is a way that ideas are tested. It is part of the scientific method and keeps ideas from being accepted only because they agree with a person's preconceptions. You may work that way. I do not. And do not accuse me of that it you cannot support those claims. An honest person that was skeptical and does not understand the science would ask how they know. Why did you not do that? Why did you rush to false conclusions?
 

sayak83

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
So . . . we can guarantee the accuracy of any form of modern day dating due to the constancy in the laws of physics since the beginning of the universe? Is that what you are saying?

Show me. If I'm working on a construction sight or archaeological dig and I find a piece of human femur or a shard of pottery and it is dated how do I know this is accurate due to the constancy in the laws of physics since the beginning of the universe? Do the math.
Ok. Will do. I will prepare the step by step explanation and get back to you in a few days.
The explanation will contain the following
1) How the rate of decay of the dating isotope is guaranteed to be invariant given the constancy of the laws of physics.
2) How we know that the laws have been constant since the beginning of the universe.

Do you need any other point included?
 

Subduction Zone

Veteran Member
So . . . we can guarantee the accuracy of any form of modern day dating due to the constancy in the laws of physics since the beginning of the universe? Is that what you are saying?

Show me. If I'm working on a construction sight or archaeological dig and I find a piece of human femur or a shard of pottery and it is dated how do I know this is accurate due to the constancy in the laws of physics since the beginning of the universe? Do the math.
The first step would be to learn how the dating method one uses works. That is only the first step. You would also have to learn what could go wrong, so that you can avoid those errors. You would also need to know if you could even use any methods to date the given objects. Your example is far too vague to be more soecific.
 

Subduction Zone

Veteran Member
The former I agree with and the later I don't think you are capable of. Honestly.
You have to be kidding. If you were honest I could help you to learn. Then you could judge based on reason and not emotion. Your errors have been far too obvious and far too frequent for you to honestly judge others. As I have said to others, if you do not understand a correction the proper attitude is to politely ask questions. Have you ever done that?
 

sooda

Veteran Member
So . . . we can guarantee the accuracy of any form of modern day dating due to the constancy in the laws of physics since the beginning of the universe? Is that what you are saying?

Show me. If I'm working on a construction sight or archaeological dig and I find a piece of human femur or a shard of pottery and it is dated how do I know this is accurate due to the constancy in the laws of physics since the beginning of the universe? Do the math.

No one can force science on you.

How do Archaeologists Date Artifacts?

  • Archaeological Excavation. The earliest method of dating artifacts is to look at which strata...
  • Typology. Another method for dating artifacts is called typology, which simply means the study of types.
  • Carbon-14 Dating. One of the most commonly used methods of artifact dating is carbon -14 dating,...
How do Archaeologists Date Artifacts? (with pictures)
www.wisegeek.com/how-do-archaeologists-date-artifacts.htm
 

sooda

Veteran Member
You have to be kidding. If you were honest I could help you to learn. Then you could judge based on reason and not emotion. Your errors have been far too obvious and far too frequent for you to honestly judge others. As I have said to others, if you do not understand a correction the proper attitude is to politely ask questions. Have you ever done that?

21 Ways Archaeologists Date Ancient Artifacts | HubPages
https://hubpages.com/education/How-Do-Archaeologists-Date-Past-Events
Apr 29, 2011 · In archaeology, timing is everything. This article includes many of the various dating methods used by archaeologists and other scientists. Included are techniques used for both relative and absolute dating.
 

sooda

Veteran Member
Opinion.


I don't know. Maybe. I don't recall offhand. Why?

The Hebrews borrowed myths and stories from all the cultures around them.

Ras Shamra is a tel on the North Coast of Syria.. much older than any Hebrews. Called Ugarit, precursor of the Phoenicians and a very sophisticated culture.

Yahweh is the son of on of their gods.

In the earliest stage Yahweh was one of the seventy children of El, each of whom was the patron deity of one of the seventy nations. This is illustrated by the Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint texts of Deuteronomy 32:8–9, in which El, as the head of the divine assembly, gives each member of the divine family a nation of his own, "according to the number of the divine sons": Israel is the portion of YHWH.

Dead Sea Scrolls (4QDeutj) Deuteronomy 32:8-9

"When El Elyon gave to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of men, he fixed the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. For Yahweh's portion is his people, Jacob his allotted inheritance."

"The later Masoretic text, evidently uncomfortable with the polytheism expressed by the phrase, altered it to "according to the number of the children of Israel"."

The Bible and Interpretation
 

sooda

Veteran Member
The ancient Canaanite city-state of Ugarit is of utmost importance for those who study the Old Testament. The literature of the city and the theology contained therein go a very long way in helping us to understand the meaning of various Biblical passages as well as aiding us in deciphering difficult Hebrew words. Ugarit was at its political, religious and economic height around the 12th century BCE and thus its period of greatness corresponds with the entry of Israel into Canaan.

Why should people interested in the Old Testament want to know about this city and its inhabitants? Simply because when we listen to their voices we hear echoes of the Old Testament itself. Several of the Psalms were simply adapted from Ugaritic sources; the story of the flood has a near mirror image in Ugaritic literature; and the language of the Bible is greatly illuminated by the language of Ugarit.

For instance, look at M. Dahood s brilliant commentary on the Psalms in the Anchor Bible series for the necessity of Ugaritic for accurate Biblical exegesis. (N.B., for a more thorough discussion of the language of Ugarit, the student is advised to take the course titled Ugaritic Grammar offered by this institution).

In short, when one has well in hand the literature and theology of Ugarit, one is well on the way to being able to comprehend some of the most important ideas contained in the Old Testament. For this reason it is worthwhile that we pursue this topic.

2. The Discovery of Ugarit and the Ugaritic Texts.

In 1928 a group of French archaeologists journeyed with 7 camels, one donkey, and some burden bearers towards the tel known as Ras Shamra.

After a week at the site they discovered a cemetery 150 meters from the Mediterranean Sea. In the graves they discovered Egyptian and Phoenician artwork and alabaster. They also found some Mycenean and Cypriot materials.

After the discovery of the cemetery they found a city and a royal palace about 1000 meters from the sea on a tel 18 meters high. The tel was called by the locals Ras Shamra which means fennel hill . There also Egyptian artifacts were discovered and dated to the 2nd millennium BCE.

The greatest discovery made at the site was a collection of tablets carved with (a then) unknown cuneiform script. In 1932 the identification of the site was made when some of the tablets were deciphered; the city was the ancient and famous site of Ugarit.

Ugarit experienced a very long history. A city was built on the site in the Neolithic period around 6000 BCE. The oldest written evidence of the city is found in some texts from the nearby city of Ebla written around 1800 BCE.

At that time both Ebla and Ugarit were under Egyptian hegemony, which shows that the long arm of Egypt extended all along the west coast of the Mediterranean Sea (for Ugarit is located in modern day Syria roughly dead east of the NE coast of Cyprus on the coast of Syria).

The population of Ugarit at that time was roughly 7635 people. The city of Ugarit continued to be dominated by the Egyptians through 1400 BCE.

Quartz Hill School of Theology
 
Top