Posted on 07/28/2007 6:00:30 PM PDT by blam
1m-years-old footprints found at Margalla Hills
By Sher Baz Khan
ISLAMABAD, July 27: In what appears to be a major discovery, archaeologists have found two over one million years old human footprints preserved on a sandstone at the Margalla Hills.
The Indusians Research Cell, which is working under the supervision of world renowned archaeologist and historian Dr Ahmad Hassan Dani of Taxila Institute of Asian Civilisations, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, has made the discovery, which is likely to add a new chapter to the archaeological history and heritage of the federal capital and attract visitors.
A footprint of 1 feet is in complete and well preserved form while another is broken from the finger side which is also of the same size in comparative manner. The notable marks of the feet are the clear veins and opposite folded appearance.
“A huge stone on the top of the hill is the secure home of these prints since about over one million years ago,” says A.K. Azad, an archaeologist and head of the project.
Further research may give more clues of the foot marks through anthropological and geophysical methods, he observed.
The recent discovery is the continuity of the Indusian Research Cell’s earlier research about human evolution which previously revealed a fossilised upper jaw from the site of Dhudhumber, foot and hand prints from Attock and Palaeolithic cave from Margalla hills.
Pakistan’s geomorphologic research was conducted to compare with the Alps of Europe during the period of 1930-1939 by a French mission. Since then, lots of other dimensions of the research opened the doors of scientific research in Pakistan as the country provided the glacial sequence, fossilised evidences of Pre-Cambrian to Holocene epochs, earliest evidences of the anthropoid existence, earliest cultural centre at Mehargarh (contemporary of Jericho and Jarmo) and most advanced civilisation of the world (Indus valley).
Indusians Research Cell started the second phase of the project “Post-earthquake Explorations of Human Remains in Margalla Hills” under the supervision of A.K. Azad.
According to Mr Azad the formation of the Margalla Hills goes back to the Miocene epoch. The dominant limestone of the Margalla is also mixed with the sand stone.
“So we can assume that due to availability of the water in ancient times many marks of the zoological as well botanical significance may lead to our objectives,” the young archaeologist hopes.
In 1976, Pakistan opened another chapter of human evolution, which makes case for Asian anthropoid origin from this region.
During the ‘60s and ‘70s, Pilbeam led expeditions to the Siwalik Hills badlands of northern Pakistan, searching for further Ramapithecine remains.
In March 1975 and January 1976 team members made surface recoveries of four bone fragments which fit together to form the most complete mandible recovered yet. The mandible shows that Ramapithecus did not have a parabolic, human like dental arcade, as originally thought, but rather a V-shaped, more apelike arcade. Though the shape of the arcade is not now regarded as one of the more anatomically important characters, Ramapithecus is no longer granted the high status that it once received.
Different scholars have defined the word ‘Potohar’ differently. But, anthropological research marked it, as the grand father of hominid, also known as Punjabicus found from the Potohar region.
So the government of Pakistan had given the name to this specie Potoharmans.
According to Mr Azad, the problem of human evolution is still hanging around that when and where Anthropoid got physical changes from the Apes?
After India, Kenya and China, he says important discovery was from the Potohar region from fossils of the similar species found in 1976 and 1982. The probable dating given to this specie was 20 million years.
“It has provided a missing link, which was spread of 6 million years. So Potoharmans declared as the grand father of hominid, which evolved from the different stages and reached at the Homo sapiens,” he observes.
The stories behind the similar marks are also significant in mythical associations with saints and renowned people i.e. hand prints of the Baba Guru Nanik near Hassanabdal, foot prints of Hazrat Ali in Hyderabad, foot prints of the Guru Padma Sambhava (Second reincarnation of Buddha) in Swat, Adam’s peak of Sri Lanka etc.
“If these are true than we can also claim of the mother Eve’s foot prints from Margalla Hills,” Mr Azad observed.
What brought up the subject is the deliberate pinging of the creationist list to one of Blam's threads. Blam posts mostly in the field of archaeology, and tries to keep the dogmatists off his threads. He has been pretty successful.
The use of the creationist ping list on pure science threads really amounts to trolling, just as would be my example of a scientist invading the Religion Forum with multiple and vigorous posts challenging everyone's religious beliefs.
Scientists (those still here) tend to avoid the Religion Forum out of courtesy; would that others were as considerate.
In reference to Coyoteman's objections, there exists evidence of a worldwide physical collapse of all major civilizations around 2350 B.C.: Comets and Disaster in the Bronze Age. Also, there are a number of scientists (e.g. Lanza) who posit that time is an illusion. Indeed, Einstein said that "reality is an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." He was speaking of local realism here, but the same concept is often extended to the whole.
Therefore, it is inaccurate to say that science has "debunked" either a belief in the Noah flood or a 6,000 year old universe. It can however be said that the mainstream view of science is thus and so.
If, by materialist, you mean that Einstein believed the laws of nature were constant throught time, and therefore subject to discovery through science, then I suspect he was.
Materialist in contrast to supernaturalist, someone who believes that the laws of nature are suspended at the caprice of demiurges.
Thank you so much for your kind reply!
Lijahsbubbe, ;’).
Sodpoodle, I liked the third category.
Doc30, the trash started in post #3.
On my reading, Genesis does not stipulate a 6000 year old earth. Genesis 1 is not even in the same time order that we, as humans, experience. As for a global flood, I don't see how present-day science can claim to have ruled out such a thing beyond a reasonable doubt. We know there have been cataclysmic events on this planet in its history, some of which have been associated with comet/meteor strikes. It is thought that the dinosaurs met their demise as the result of global climate change occasioned by the latter. A massive comet or meteor landing in the ocean could cause a catastrophic rise in sea levels. Present-day science is not in a position to rule this possibility in, nor rule it out.
Science has falsified neither of these two points.
Well jeepers, js1138, if that's the definition of a "supernaturalist," then according to your way of thinking (either/or), I must be a "materialist."
I believe that the laws of nature are universally operative and absolutely consistent throughout time. Which is precisely what I would expect, given their divine origin.
Well said, Alamo-Girl! Atheism is, in my view, either an ersatz religion or a religion substitute. As such, it has no place in a scientific theory.
And Humans are only 200K years old....
Can a belief ever be "debunked" by anything since beliefs only exist in mind?
[[A global flood 4350 years ago and a 6000 year old earth are two examples where religious beliefs have been falsified by science.]]
Actually no it hasn’t- interpretations of evidence are nothing more than opinion based on assumptions- a priori assumptions- If the dating methods were infallible, and not open to interpretations and didn’t rely on assumptions, then you’d have a valid statement. You can argue that you personally htink the system has strengths enough, but that is an a priori belief/opinion on the matter- others dissagree and have strengths in their annalysis’ that support their points of interpretatiosn as well- so no, those two subjects have not been ‘falsified’ by science.
post 176 Doc30: So let me get htis straight- As long as the threads that are posted by evos are kept strictly favorable toward the a priori beleif of evolution, they are civil threads, but, should anyone jump in and give counter points and evidences, why then it becomes uncivil? Lol. Doc30, revealing his complete disdain for folks who who bring anyhting other than evolution to the table, has htis to say- “Your ping list contributes no reasonable discussion,” and “You and your ‘Lying for the Lord’ creationists, and that’s exactly what they are, don’t have the intellectual power to run a 25 watt light bulb.” and “Your ping list contributes no reasonable discussion, but simply opens up the door to a bunch of ignorant hicks who have proven time and again they don’t even know what science is, let alone are even remotely qualified to discuss the subject at hand”
A little touchy are we there Doc?
Thisi s a public forum- if folks can’t handle a public discussion about articles and aren’t secure enough in their own beleif to handle counter points and counter opinions, then perhaps a public forum isn’t the place to be posting articles of interest. Folks like Doc might like to be able to go unchallenged on a forum that is obviously counter to what they themselves might beelive, but soryy- aint gonna happen.
But that is the very weakest form of belief - like doubting Thomas demanding to thrust his hands in Christ's wounds before he would believe.
The beliefs of others cannot be shaken by anything at all.
I was most specific: "A global flood 4350 years ago."
Comets and meteors 65 million years ago do not apply. Neither does the Cambrian 500+ million years ago.
All it takes to rule out a global flood at 4350 years ago is something that persists across that time period. That can be DNA, culture (Egypt), soil layers, fauna and flora, etc.
There are many cases where there is continuity across the 4350 time period. As far as science is concerned, this disproves a global flood at that time period. (The early geologists seeking to prove the flood gave up about 1830.)
That’s an interesting reply but it completely avoids the question I asked. Weak or strong all beliefs exist only in the mind. How can even a weak belief be “debunked” if the mind that holds it chooses to hang on to it?
Genesis does not say that everything was wiped out in the flood. Au contraire, it says all species were preserved. So the "continuity argument" is really a strawman....
That means it took us 1,000,000 years to develop the Ford Taurus.
As a species, we're awfully slow.
She blinded me with science.
Can the belief that the U.S. government planned the 9/11 attacks be debunked, if everything exists only in your mind?
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