Ancient remains found in central Florida peat farm

Associated Press in Naples (FL) News ^ | October 13, 2003 | N/A

[Bernard Marx]

I just want to make sure you guys are talking about the same thing. I think Renfield is talking about the so-called Bimini Road. Renfield, did you follow Blam's link in post #52? Blam's talking about a newly identified structure being explored near Cuba that some have called an "underwater city."

I am personally skeptical of both as human constructs but will keep an open mind. The arguments I've heard about the Bimini structures as natural seem persuasive to me. I've been to the Devil's Postpile and other displays of columnar basalt and know a bit about geology and crystallography. Nature does good work. As for the Cuban "city," I put it in the same category as UFOs. I've been waiting for real UFO confirmation since I saw a green fireball over northern New Mexico in the 1950s. UFOs and "Atlantis" are fun to speculate about but there's absolutely no credible (to me) proof.

[Bernard Marx]

If you're starting a ping list please put me on it. As I think Blam and many others will agree, underwater archaeology probably holds most of the answers about the peopling of the Americas. I may not have a lot to contribute but am interested in following the discussion.

[Eternal_Bear]

Not even a few genes? If you look at the statistcal probablities, every Western European probably has inherited a few genes from Charlemagne. I would argue that inheriting a few genes from a Kennewick culture type individual would be even be more probable in the case of today's native Americans because Kennewick culture is even more remote in age; assuming of course that the Kennewick culture individuals passed on any genes at all.

Some postulate that the Indians of Tierra del fuego share both Amerindian and Australoid features of which the Ainu are probably a sub group. BTW, distinct Australoid genetic markers have recently been located in India which delineate their migration from Africa to Australia and the lands bordering the Pacific.

[blam]

"I think Renfield is talking about the so-called Bimini Road. "

Yup, natural formation.

[Bernard Marx]

BTW, distinct Australoid genetic markers have recently been located in India which delineate their migration from Africa to Australia and the lands bordering the Pacific.

I saw part of that TV special and it was fascinating. I can understand the theoretical migration from South Africa to Australia via India. But I have a real problem trying to understand how Australoids could have gotten to the New World. I don't dispute some of the evidence that's emerging (skulls in Mexico, your Tierra del Fuego information, etc.) But fitting it all together with no real corroborative physical evidence (boats, rafts, etc.) taxes my imagination. I think a whole lot was going on about 50,000 years ago that we have no inkling about.

[blam]

James Chatters (Kennewick Man archaeologist), in his book Ancient Encounters, speculates that the Kennewick Man type migrated on down into South America (see Walter Neves)and crossed over in central America and probably made his way back up the east coast of the US.

[blam]

Skulls Found In Mexico Suggest Early Americans Would Have Said 'G' Day' mate.

[blam]

'First Americans Were Australian'

[Conspiracy Guy]

Blam, Always good to catch you on a thread. Laura Earl and I will be moving in tomorrow.

Regards my FRiend

[blam]

Hi Flurry. Nice to see you. I'm a hermit!

First Americans

[Eternal_Bear]

Unfortunately evidence of human settlements by coastal areas degrades rather quickly especially after deglaciation raised the water levels. I suppose early Australoid explorers could have followed the Asian coast
and the Bering land bridge into North America. A direct Trans pacific route seems improbable but cannot be totally ruled out since island hopping was more feasible due to lower ocean levels. The Third possibility is from Africa to Brazil but that is the least likely possibility. Brazil was actually accidentally discovered by India bound Portugese explorers hugging the African coastland and being blown over by storms.

[Eternal_Bear]

There has been even some speculation that "Australoids" even made it to Europe. Evidence is tangental of course. We know that many Europeans are descended from very early migrants from the Middle East but who were they really?

How linked are the Dravidians of India, Australian aborigines, Ethiopians, Sumerians and Egyptians? Recent evidence from the Maldives south of India indicates that it was a gigantic trading hub that connected the entire Indian Ocean basin.

Even during Roman times, cinnanmon from the East Indies was shipped first to Madagascar and then up the coast toward Europe. The malayo-polynesian peoples settled from madagascar to japan to Easter island. Maybe they were even earlier peoples who had similar exploits?

[Renfield]

I was mentioning the "Bimini Road", but I also followed his link. I (like you) am skeptical that these are man-made structures.

As for a ping list, I didn't mean about underwater archaelogy specifically, but about Quaternary and early Holocene condiditions and events....Paleoclimatology, Palynology, Paleogeomorphology, Paleoanthropology, etc. That stuff just fascinates me. (I'd have to get someone to tell me how to make a ping list, though. I can't figure out how to send a message to more than one person at a time on this board.)

[Conspiracy Guy]

That's OK we like caves and creeks.

[blam]

Lost Civilization From 7,500BC Discovered Off Indian Coast

[blam]

Lost Civilization From 7,500BC Discovered Off Indian Coast

[RadioAstronomer]

Thanks for the ping! :-)

[cinFLA]

Didn't they recently find evidence that the FL Stupid Voter had also settled in California?

Huh? FL voted for BOTH Bush's and CA just recalled Davis! Stupid, NOT!

[Bernard Marx]

I suppose early Australoid explorers could have followed the Asian coast and the Bering land bridge into North America. A direct Trans pacific route seems improbable but cannot be totally ruled out

True enough, but the South African group that eventually populated Australia left plenty of genetic markers and other evidence along the way through India. I'm not aware of anything similar along the other areas you mention.

A bigger problem seems to be that evidence of boat technology simply doesn't seem to exist among the early Australian aborigines. Lots of archaeologists still puzzle over how they crossed open water areas just to reach Australia. Obviously they did it and perhaps a lot more besides. They might have come across the Sahul Shelf when it was exposed during the last glacial period (or even before!)

[Bernard Marx]

Quaternary and early Holocene condiditions and events....Paleoclimatology, Palynology, Paleogeomorphology, Paleoanthropology, etc.

Wow, those are ten buck words! Since I had a great course in etymology in high school I can make sense of most of them but probably wouldn't have a lot to contribute in a dicussion. It would be interesting to hear the views of someone like you who works in the field professionally. I'm sure there are other Freepers who could easily keep up with you.

Along the lines of such a discussion, do you have any ideas about the extinction of the Pleistocene megafauna? Was it human-caused, as so many say, or disease, catastrophism, space aliens or??? I'm fascinated by that problem scientifically and I simply can't believe human hunters were solely responsible.