"Whilst searching for the origin of the star and crescent symbol, found this: " Yup. I think the Bible speaks of 'wise men from the east.'
Also, the Gilgamesh account of 'The Flood' is substancially older than the Bibical account. And, there is at least one that is older than Gilgamesh.
Voyages Of The Pyramid Builders
"The great pyramids of Egypt provide a wonderful glimpse of the artistry, skill and imagination of the ancient world. But pyramids can be found in India, China, Peru, Bolivia, Mexico and Ireland. In this provocative book, geologist Schoch (noted for his work in redating the Sphinx, which was recounted in his Voices of the Rocks) wonders how so many diverse cultures built such similar structures with similar purposes. Using geological, linguistic and geographical evidence, he contends that a protocivilization of pyramid-building peoples was driven out of its homeland, the Sundaland, which geologists believe connected Southeast Asia with Indonesia, by a rise in sea level caused by comet activity between 6000 and 4000 B.C. Fleeing their homeland, these peoples took their knowledge of pyramid building with them into Sumeria, Mesopotamia, Egypt, China and Peru. Schoch hypothesizes that the pyramids were built to reach into the skies and to penetrate the mystery of the heavens, source of catastrophe. Schoch also asserts that the pyramids point to unity and symbolize the deep concerns shared by all humans. Schoch builds his engrossing case on geological details of the pyramid sites he has examined around the world. In the end, however, even he admits his evidence of a Sundaland protocivilization is speculative. As controversial as this book is bound to be, Schoch's evocation of the pyramids forcefully reminds us of their enduring power as monuments to the spirit of human creativity."
The impression from this article is that a cultured, agrarian civilization existed for probably millenia in the area now known as Turkey. These people may have been forced to leave, and either buried their buildings or perhaps a catastrophic event covered them with earth. (Till, probably.) Survivors moved south. The language connection would attest to this movement.
The Oannes legend suggests this culture, with its knowledge of agriculture and possibly cross-pollination, ultimately founded the establishment of an agricultural society in Mesopotamia, an area that was geographically altered in more recent times by rising sea levels. (see map # 100)
From the article:
"Klaus Schmidt (left) explains: "Gobekli Tepe is staggeringly old. It dates from 10,000BC, before pottery and the wheel. By comparison, Stonehenge dates from 2,000BC. Our excavations also show it is not a domestic site, it is religious - the world's oldest temple. This site proves that hunter-gatherers were capable of complex art and organised religion, something no-one imagined before."
I object to the use of the term 'hunter-gatherers' in this context...however, the date, 10,000BC makes sense (to me)
Remember, Amasis telling Solon on his visit to Egypt their written history went back 9,000 years? I believe we do the ancients a great insult by reducing the period we know as 'antiquity'.
Now, as for the little 'handbags' you might enjoy this:
Mythic Olmec figure with Jaguar mask on Quetzalcoatle, sculpture from the ancient Olmec site of La Venta (Mexico). Olmecs are considered to be the oldest Meso American Culture.
We don't know the half of it!