Monday, March 16, 2015

Why "Forgotten Featherpen"?

What went into the thought process when I came up for the name of my blog? After all, names are important. Names are the first impressions of writing. Names are how you are remembered. Names are everything!

Before I started this blog I went through the process of agonizing over the name. I read countless sources that told me how important the name was. The blog name would become my brand, my first identity as a blogger. After I completely stressed myself out, I decided to forget everything I'd read. I was going to name my blog something that suited me. It would't be ground-breaking or awesomely clever, but it would be mine.

So why "Forgotten Featherpen"? Besides the pleasent alliteration there were actual reasons why I chose this name.

Forgotten

I have a fascination with ancient history. In particular the cultures we refer to as "Lost Civilizations". Why? They possess mystery. They were lost to us. Knowing that only increases the desire to uncover their secrets. Admit it, we want to know what they knew! We want to hear their stories.

I chose 'forgotten' as part of my blog name to hint at that desire to uncover the past. By definition 'forgotten' doesn't have to be a sad or meloncholy word. It lends itself toward secrecy, mystery, and adventure. I have always loved this quote by J.R.R Tolkien's character Galadriel:

 

"And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost." ~ Galadriel

 

When I look at ancient history I don't see boring textbook pages. I see sweeping dramas and epic journeys like what Tolkien showed us in his books. (Minus the wizards and elves though.) The thing is, important things in our ancient past have been lost.

As an armchair anthropologist and researcher, I see things that should not have been forgotten. And I want to learn about and share them with others.

As a storyteller, I am compelled to write the adventures I see therin.

 

Featherpen

A featherpen, or a quill, is a writing impliment made from the molted flight feather of a large bird. That's the technical definition. The other definition is that featherpens are a symbol for the craft of writing. If you've never had the oppurtunity to write with a real one, I reccomend it. I chose this term for the second half of my blog's name because it represented the romance and classic elegance of writing.

Once, a long time ago, I frequented a website that had forums for the members. I decided to start a club for those members who enjoyed reading and writing like I did. It would be a forum club where we could share our favorite books and exchange story ideas. I called them the Featherpens. Surely I'm not the only one who has used that name for a group of writers before. I have since left that website in favor of other writing pursuits. But I always have, and always will be proud of being a Featherpen.

 

Forgotten Featherpen

So, besides the pleasent alliteration, this blog's name means a lot to me. It represents my passion to research ancient cultures and reveal the stories that may have been forgotten. It also represents my love for writing and telling stories. So there you have it. My advice, when choosing a name for your blog, is name it after the passions in your life. That is what I've done with mine.

 

 

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Hunab Ku: Were the Mayans Monotheistic?

Hello everyone,

This article was originally posted to the Genius of Ancient Man Blog on March 6th, 2015. It was a lot of fun to research and write. I hope you enjoy!

Hunab Ku: Were the Mayans Monotheistic?

by: Bethany Youngblood

 

Introduction to Hunab Ku

Hunab Ku is a Maya deity whose name means "The Only God". [1] It seems strange to find such a thing in the Maya pantheon, but there it is. Is this monotheism? Did the Maya have a belief in an all-knowing creator god? Could this be the trump-card example for ancient knowledge of God within the Maya civilization? There are so many opinions out there about what Hunab Ku was, but what are the facts? What are Christians supposed to make of it?

As Christians we should be advocates for accuracy in ancient history. We study the Bible so that we can have an answer for why we believe what we believe. So why shouldn't we do the same with history? So, before we make an assumption based on this deity's name, let's take a look at the available facts. Then we can discern what to make of this deity.

 

The Origin

Where did Hunab Ku come from? Where is this name first mentioned? If Hunab Ku was a native deity of the Maya people then we would expect to see evidence of that in their codices (books of heiroglyphs). However, we find no evidence of Hunab Ku anywhere - until the arrival of Franciscan Monks in the Yucatan.

The Franciscan Order is known historically for being one of the most powerful orders in Europe between the 16th and 17th centuries. They were also known for sending the most missionaries to the New World from Spain. [2][3] These missionaries were sent from the Spanish Crown to convert the natives to Catholicism. One of the first to arrive in 1549 was the future Bishop of the Yucatan, Deigo de Landa Calderon. [4] He authored the "Relacion de las cosas de Yucatan" which contained details about Maya religion, life, and language. In 1562 Landa burned many Maya codices in an attempt to wipe out paganism in the area. This destructive action left only three surviving native codices and the Maya-Spanish translations of Franciscan monks to testify to Maya life and religion before the arrival of Spanairds.

Diccionario de Motul

It is within one of these Franciscan works that we find the first mention of Hunab Ku. The Diccionario de Motul is a 16th century Mayan-Spanish dictionary.[5] It was written by the Franciscan Friar Antonio de Ciudad Real who was said to be the most talented Mayan linguist of his time.[6] He spent a majority of his life compiling this and other Mayan-Spanish linguistic works.[7]

The earliest mention of Hunab Ku reads as follows:

"Hunab Ku: unico dios viuo y verdadero y era mayor de los dioses de los de Yucatan y no tenia figura, porque dezian que no podia figuras por ser incorporeo. (Diccionario de Motul/Motul Mayan-Spanish/Calepino Maya de Motul)[8]"

This is translated as "The only living and true god, also the greatest of the gods of the people of Yucatan. He had no form because they said that he could not be represented as he was incorporeal."

Hunab Ku is defined in two other similar dictionaries from the same time period as "Only God":

Hunab Ku: dios unico (Diccionario de San Francisco, Mayan-Spanish)[9]

Hunab Ku: Dios unico. (Combined Solana / Motul II / S.F. Spanish-Mayan)[10]

 

So if the first mention of Hunab Ku to every appear in the Yucatec Maya language is in a dictionary written by a foriegner, is it possible that Hunab Ku was a Franciscan invention? Some suggest it was an invention to introduce the Maya to the idea of the One and True God in their own language. But others say Hunab Ku is found in a Pre-Conquest source. If so, that would be evidence that Hunab Ku was a deity before the arrival of the Spanish and therefore the Maya had knowledge of monotheism. So let's check this out.

 

Book of Chilam Balam

Some regard the Book of Chilam Balam as a completely indigenous one, untouched by the Catholic priests. The Book of Chilam Balam of Chumayei is actually a series of nine known books written by Chilam Balam (the first author. Translation: Chilam - priest, Balam - jaguar)[11] that preserves a mix of traditional Maya knowledge and Spanish influences.[12] Some portions are written in the Mayan language of hieroglyphs while other sections have the Latin alphabet. This means some of the books date back to Pre-Conquest times, while others were likely written during the conquest of the Yucatan. Knowing this, it doesn't seem like anyone can claim this source is entirely untouched by Catholic influence. Scholars are in general agreement that where hunab Ku is mentioned within the Book of Chilam Balam, it is in a context where Hunab Ku stands in as the Maya name for the Christian god.

One such Mayanist scholar is William F. Hanks, an Anthropological Linguist. In his books "Converting Words: Maya in the Age of the Cross" he has this to say about Hunab Ku:

"The missionaries were quite aware that in using a preexisting Maya term for "god" (ku), they ran the risk of encouraginng syncretism and confusion between the Christian God and the diabolical idols they were seeking to extirpate. Thus although both diccionaries cite bare root ku for dios, this root usually occurs with qualifiers meant to disambiguate. The living God, the God of peace, the God who watches over individuals are all aspects of the specifically Christian concept.....the use of Hunab Ku ['one' + suffix + 'god'] for the singularity of God in linguistically transparent to the oneness of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and occurs widely in the missionary writings." (Pg 133. A Preview of the book is available on Google Books.)[1]

Thus, our conclusion from this brief exploration of Hunab Ku's literary origins is that is was a name used by the Franciscan monks as a substitutionary title for the One God of Christianity. But, if that were the end of all things regarding Hunab Ku, there wouldn't be so much confusion for Christians about this deity. Let's continue delving into this deity a little longer.

 

Hijacked

Though Hunab Ku was originally used for good purposes, to teach the Maya about God, the deity has been hijacked multiple times by authors of the modern world. They had taken the name Hunab Ku out of its historical context and turned it into something entirely opposite to what it was intended to be. These hijacks take the idea behind this deity farther and farther away from a conversion tool and have turned him into a symbol for the New Age community and followers of Mayanism. Christians shouldn't be worried about this association however, because once you do some digging you find that these claims have absolutely no basis in historical fact.

The first to hijack Hunab Ku was Mexican philosopher, Domingo Martinez Paradez, who presented Hunab Ku as an evidence for Mayan Monotheism.[14] He supposedly connected Hunab Ku to symbolism within Freemasonry. His theories can be found in his 1964 book "Hunab Ku: Sintesis del pensamiento filosofico maya." Other men went further to hijack the idea of Hunab Ku based on Paradez's work. One very important man was Jose Arguelles.

 

Jose Arguelles and Hunab Ku

Jose Arguelles (1939-2011), was an American New Age author who is perhaps best known for his participation in the 2012 Apocalyptic Phenomenon.[15] This phenomenon was the following that believed a cataclysmic event would end the world on December 21, 2012. He is also responsible for the image below, which he popularized in his 1987 book "The Mayan Factor" (specifically on pages 32 and 52)[16]:


When you look up any information on Hunab Ku on the Internet, this symbol is going to pop up. But remember there is actually no historical native symbol or hieroglyph fo Hunab Ku at all. And if a symbol was created after the arrival of the Franciscan monks, there is no concrete evidence for it.

Paredez had originally suggested Hunab Ku was represented by the symbols of a square within a circle of a circle within a squeare - this was never proven when put under scrutiny. Arguelles modified Paradez's symbol idea and turned it into something that has become very recognizable in todays world of media.

According to him, Arguelles first saw this symbol on a rug for sale in Mexico, [17] but not as it is pictured above. The above picutre is Arguelles adaptation to make the symbol resemble something more like a Yin-Yang or Milky Way Galaxy, which is often found in other New Age beliefs. The original symbol would have looked something like the images below:

These images are the earliest forms of the symbol Arguelles modifed. They were found in a 16th century Aztec Codex called the Codex Magliabechiano.[18] Within the Codex are illustrations of cloaks used in Aztec religious rituals. Each cloak varies in color and name, so it was not an especially unqiue design.

So why was an Aztec cloak connect to a made-up symbol for a Maya deity that didn't even exist until the arrival of Franciscan monks? No understandable reason really. In fact, any connection between Hunab Ku, the popular web image, and New Age beliefs is completely without foundation. So then if it doesn't connect to New Age beliefs, then is it proof for Monotheism in the Maya? Regrettably no; that idea cannot be supported by the historical context.

However, though the Maya may not have served one god, they did have remnants of truth within their own pantheon.

 

Remnants of Truth

When we refer to a remnant of truth, we are referring to the knowledge of God from as far back as the Tower of Babel. Knowledge of the true God was spread out across the globe just like the knowlegde of Satan's lies was spread. That is why, everywhere you look, you will find remnants and distortions of biblically based ideas. Even among pagan deities of the Maya pantheon, there is a semblance of a creator god and a creation account. We will cover these very briefly.

Itzamna

Itzamna, Itzamnaah, or "God D" are just three names for the same deity found in Maya hieroglyphs and surviving codices.[19] He and his wife Ix Chel were the creator couple for what scholars call the Classic Age. Itzamna was the creator that the Maya worshipped as the one who brought order to the world and rules over other deities. This would be the deity that was later synchronized with Hunab Ku in the Franciscan effort to ease the natives into conversion to Catholicism. But before they worhsiped Itzamna, the Maya worhsipped other creator gods who ruled over the worlds that came before.[20] You can learn about them by reading this paper.

Not only did the Maya have creator gods, they also have an ancient creation account.

 

Maya Creation Account

The Maya creation account is contained within the book of Popol Vuh. The name of this book has been translated as "Book of the People", "Book of the Community", and even the "Paper of You".[21] It contains a collection of mythical/historical narratives, which include the creation story as well as a mention of the Great Flood of Noah's day![22]

Mayan documents like the Popol Vuh were in constant danger of destruction during the Spanish Conquest. Two hundred years after the conquest of the Maya, a Dominican Friar named Francisco Ximenex heard of a sacred book the Maya had kept secret. With permission he transcribed his own copy, and his 18th century copy is the only one that has remained to this day.[23]

"THESE, then, are the first words, the first speech. There is not yet one person, one animal, bird, fish, crab, tree, rock, hollow, canyon, meadow, or forest. All alone the sky exists. The face of the earth has not yet appeared. Alone lies the expanse of the sea, along with the womb of all the sky. There is not yet anything gathered together. All is at rest. Nothing stirs. All is languid, at rest in the sky. There is not yet anything standing erect. Only the expanse of the water, only the tranquil sea lies alone. There is not yet anything that might exist. All lies placid and silent in the darkness, in the night." (Popol Vuh, pp. 67-69)

The above section from the Popol Vuh's creation account echo what we find in Scriptures:

"In the beginings God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." Genesis 1:1-2 NKJV

If you want to explore the creation account and the mention of the Flood in the Popol Vuh further, I would recommend you check out this video. Can you find other remnants of the truth?

 

Conclusion

We have covered a lot of ground in this post. First, we introduced you to the deity Hunab Ku, whose name means "The Only God." We learned by looking over the historical facts that he was not an actual deity of the native Maya. This was merely a name invented by Franciscan Monks in the 16th century to help the Maya understand the concept of God. Hunab Ku was later hijacked by New Age authors that made him out to be something he wasn't. As Christians, we cannot use Hunab Ku as proof that the ancient Maya were monotheistic but we still can findd remnants of truth in their mytholigies when we look as books like the Popol Vuh. These testify to the trustworthiness of biblical accounts like the Tower of Babel and reminds us that Satan can never create - he can only distort that which God has done. (An Axiom of Jackson Hole Bible College)

 

Sources:

[1] "Hunab Ku". Wikipedia. Web. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunab_Ku

[2] "Franciscan Missions to the Maya". Wikipedia. Web. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franciscan_missions_to_the_Maya

[4] "Diego de Landa". Wikipedia. Web. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_de_Landa
[5] "Diccionario de Motul, maya espanol. 1577". Read Book Online. https://archive.org/details/diccionariodemot02ciud

[6] "Learning the Maya Languages". 2011-2015 "Monks and Mayas". Web. http://moines.mayas.free.fr/Monks%20and%20Mayas/index_pages/Learning%20the%20Maya%20lenguages.htm

[7] "Ms. Coll. 700, Item 1 - Berendt, C. Hermann (Carl Hermann), 1817-1878 - Diccionario de Motul". Berendt-Brinton Linguistic Collection. Read Online. http://dla.library.upenn.edu/dla/medren/pageturn.html?id=MEDREN_4253327&

[8] "Combined Mayan-Spanish and Spanish Mayan Vocabularies". PDF. Famsi.org. http://www.famsi.org/research/bolles/CombinedVocabularies.pdf

[9] Ibid.

[10] Ibid.

[11] "Chilam Balam". Wikipedia. Web. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilam_Balam

[12] "The Book of Chilam Balam of Chumayel." Roys, Ralph L. 1933. Web. Read Online. http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/maya/cbc/

[14] "Hunab Ku". Wikipedia. Web. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunab_Ku

[16] "The Origin of the Hunab Ku Symbol". 2010. Beckow, Steve. Golden Age of Gaia. Web. http://goldenageofgaia.com/2010/06/25/the-origin-of-the-hunab-ku-symbol

[17] "The Mayan Factor: Beyond Technology". 1987. Arguelles, Jose. Book.

[18] "The Omnipresent Mayan Deity, that didn’t exist". 2010. Judugrovee.https://tcmam.wordpress.com/2010/11/04/the-omnipresent-mayan-deity-that-didnt-exist/

[19] "Itzamna: Ancient Maya God of Creation, Writing, and Divination". Maestri, Nicoletta. Web. http://archaeology.about.com/od/mayaarchaeology/a/Itzamna.htm

[23] "Popul Vuh: Sacred book of the Quiche Maya People". Translation and Commentary by Allen J. Christenson. 2007. PDF. http://www.mesoweb.com/publications/Christenson/PopolVuh.pdf

 

Monday, March 9, 2015

Writing From The Heart

 

Write from the heart. That is the strongest, yet most frightening advice given to writers. But we must start there or else what would our writing be worth? How is it done? How does one go about writing from the heart?

I have been writing for several years, but I don't think I've yet learned to really write from my heart. So I cannot share a tried and true, step by step way to go about this. However, I can share what I've learned already just by wrestling with it.

Writing from the heart involves four things.

Learning

Writing from the heart is fundamentally about you. Who you are and what you are made of. Sometimes we think we know ourselves pretty well. But ask two people to describe you, a friend and an enemy, and you may find you are not the person you think you know. Try descibing yourself and see if you can be honest. This is where it can get scary. Are you always easy to get along with? What secrets make you do what you do? What has touched your life and made you better? Before you can write from the heart to touch others through your writing you have to know yourself.

Not Censoring

Dont press Delete! The first draft of anything, a poem, novel, or research paper, needs to be written from the heart. The first draft of anything is solely your writer's heart at work. Your mind can edit later for the final presentation. So don't censor yourself in the first draft. If you had a thought that sounds a bit silly, leave it there! If what you're writing makes you angry and blunt, don't soften it! You never know what those raw words will inspire later on as you continue writing.

Not Tailoring to Popularity

When I sit down to write, I am often tempted to go explore what other writers have already said on the subject. I want to see what they think. I want to see whose opinion is more widely appreciated. I want to see which style, character type, setting, or idea is more....popular. This isn't an entirely bad thing. It's very wise to have thoroughly researched whatever it is you're writing. But when you put what's in your writer's heart on hold till you see how it aligns with what is currently popular...that ain't being you. That's trying to copy someone else. I'm not bashing writing in a popular genre. All I am saying is when you're writing from your heart, make sure it's you and not something else you read.

Never Stopping

Once you start, never stop. A real writer is a beginner that never stopped. And once you start writing from your heart, doing anything else is only betraying yourself. If writing is your real passion in life than it should always be infused with You.

My Heart for Writing

When I considered writing about this topic, I of course had to sit and think of what writing from my own heart looks like. After following what I just shared with you, this is what it came out.

This is in my blood. I know it is. I love the way words move, like the ocean. Sometimes simply deep and clear, in and out. Other times leaping and crashing in a tumult. I love making the words from my heart move like that. I cannot stop seeing the world this way. Seeing words this way. If I were to abandon this deep desire to be who I am I would be binding away my heart from some of the most beautiful things I know.

In the same way I cannot seperate my compulsion to write from the call of my faith. My faith has been written on my heart by the very One who fashioned me. When I was saved I became new, and God's Story became the most wonderful to me. So whatever overflows onto paper it will have come from the heart that is seeking to fall all the more deeply in love with Christ.

I believe, that whatever God has gifted me to do, I am to do it well. I am to do it to the best of my ability. As far as God wants me to take my love for writing I will use it as a platform to share the Story that changed my life. This living, breathing, Word of God.

That is my heart for writing.

 

 

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Project Review: The Genius of Ancient Man

Hello Everyone,

If you have read even one post on this blog, or talked to me in person for any length of time, I will have made some sort of mention to the Genius of Ancient Man Project. My passion for ancient history and my desire to write historical fiction has skyrocketed ever since I came in contact with this project. It's only natural for that to permeate into my posts here on the blog. Understandably it can be a bit weird to just jump into my world of writing and ancient cultures. So, I've decided to take a few weeks to sorta elaborate on why these things are so important to me and to share some of my personal goals.

This week I am going to further introduce you to the Genius of Ancient Man Project and the book itself. This is a book review, but it's also some personal testimony because I volunteer as a researcher for the project. For me this project, and the book, are incredible tools to better understand history from a Biblical perspective and to share the gospel. It has very simply changed my life forever, and I want to share that experience with you. Perhaps it will alter your perspectives too, and challenge you. I sincerely hope it does.
So let us begin.

The Book

"The Genius of Ancient Man: Evolution's Nightmare" by Don Landis was published in October 2012 by Master Books. Pastor Don (as students at JHBC call him) is the President of Jackson Hole Bible College and is Chairman of the Board for Answers in Genesis. He worked alongside the research team at JHBC to produce the Genius of Ancient Man Book. The results of the research are incredible.

"All over the world there are similar findings of ancient religions, cities and towers, global travel, advanced astronomy, and civilized government. Over the course of two years, a team of researchers from Jackson Hole Bible College has worked to bring together the different pieces of the convoluted mystery and history of ancient man" (Book Summary. Answers in Genesis.)

Pastor Don and the team still work on the Genius of Ancient Man project through further research and articles on the project's official blog.



The Project
What is the Genius of Ancient Man Project about?
If you check up on the official Genius of Ancient Man Blog, this is the summary you will find:

"In our book, we use presuppositional apologetics to describe how God's word is the ultimate authority on all things. Specifically we explain that the intelligence of ancient man only fits in the context of the Biblical timeline. With the right 'starting point' and Biblical worldview, history comes alive with fascinating Bible-confirming truth.

For many Christians, trying to fit their Christian beliefs into a secular interpretation of history is complicated and jeopardizing to their faith, but it shouldn't be! We have found such encouragement in the study of ancient man because the evidence confirms the account of the Bible rather than contradicts!

Satan has attempted to pervert and distort God's plan throughout history but even through the distortion, God's truth can be discerned. We hope to shed light on these distortions, point people to the truth and encourage believers to build their foundation on the authority of God's Word."

Don't be Intimidated!

I know there were some unusual words in there, but trust me, they're all very good words. They give us a mouthful like "presuppositional apologetics" right off the bat. It may sound complicated but it is actually very practical.

"Presuppositions are simply beliefs that everyone has that affect how they think, view the world, interpret evidence, and read the Bible." (David Wright, Answers in Genesis. Read the whole article on Presuppositional Apologetics Here)

So here presuppositional apologetics is starting off believing in the ultimate authority of God's Word. Think about that: the ultimate authority of God's Word, on all things. That includes history. We do not have to waste time trying to prove it, we can start off using it as our basis of rational thought. If you explore ancient history with just that one explosive idea, history really does take on new life in the eyes of a Christian. So don't be intimidated, be excited! The realm of ancient history need not be the playground of secularists and ancient astronaut theorists alone! Christians have the tools to be as big of a voice in explaining ancient history as anyone else.

If you weren't intimidated by the big words in that summary, then you might let some of these reasons keep you from reading this incredible book.
  • It's an obscure topic
  • I won't understand it
  • It's gonna be a boring read
If any of these reasons crossed your mind, then allow me to put you at ease.

Exciting and Important Topic

In the preface of the Genius of Ancient Man book the importance of this subject matter is explained: this is about a shift in paradigms.

An Evolutionary standpoint currently rules over the secular perception of history. They have their historical papers, their museums, their documentaries...they seem to have all the evidence needed. By comparison Christians will often offer no argument, and if they do it ends up a weak defense. The purpose of the Genius of Ancient Man book is to equip Christians to see the answers and to find them on their own.

Remember how I mentioned earlier that, using presuppositional apologetics, we can start off knowing that God's Word is the ultimate authority? If we believe that then Adam and Eve were literally the first Man and Woman. We can also believe that there was a Global Flood, and we can also stand by the fact of the Tower of Babel. At the Tower of Babel man was united into one great people and spoke one language. When God came down and confused their languages He caused them to disperse all across the globe.

Taking this as fact explains things like language families, genetic similarities, and so much more. What the Genius of Ancient Man book does is take another implication of this event and turn it into compelling evidence that everyone can see for themselves: technological, religious, and cultural similarities across the globe.

Think about it. When all those people dispersed from Babel, doesn't it make sense that they would have taken everything they remembered about life at Babel with them? Including things like technology, religious ideas, and cultural traditions? Yes, these things become diluted over time. But they are there! And that is what the Genius of Ancient Man book outlines. Learning this for myself and doing my own research on it has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life!

Just for a teaser, this book touches on intriguing topics like underwater cities, the ice age, ancient flight, world-wide legends, music and art, and much more.
So not only is this content important, its exciting!


Rated E for Everyone

In the Introduction of the book it's made very clear that talking about ancient man doesn't have to be an over-complicated or intimidating thing. It can be made to be understandable for everyone. The Genius of Ancient Man book is written to be understood at a Layman's level. Through twelve chapters and 108 pages the reader is easily guided from topic to topic while at the same time being exposed to perspective-changing ideas. If you are someone who is interested in deeper research, don't worry, there are footnotes, Scripture references, and a special section at the end of the book to encourage you as you move forward. Even if reading about history isn't your thing, and you're afraid this book will read like a research paper, you will be pleasently surprised.

Engaging Layout

There is not a single boring page in this book. That is the long and short of it. With every page comes a vibrant illustration or an informative graph to engage readers. I'm not joking, the illustrations are absolutely beautiful. The graphs and charts contain information from the Bible, historical timelines (with more pictures), maps, lists of commonalities, and so much more. My personal favorite part of the book visually is an eight page long gallery of sites around the world that display ancient technology.


Conclusion
Hopefully now some of you can share in my excitement for this awesome book and the project that goes along with it. As I've said before I still volunteer as a researcher for the team and I periodically write articles for their official blog which I re-post here. This project has turned me into more of an ancient history nut than I was before! And it has inspired me to theme my own historical fiction writings around what I have learned. In the coming weeks I hope to continue sharing more of my inspirations and goals, especially in my writing. As always I hope you enjoyed the read. Thank you for stopping by and if you have any questions or comments don't hesitate to let me know!

If you are interested in further exploration of the Genius of Ancient Man Book and the Project, or even Answers in Genesis (I can't even get started on how amazing AiG is), please visit the links below and enjoy!

Links to:
The Book
The Official Blog
Answers in Genesis
Jackson Hole Bible College
Visit their Facebook Page
And follow on Pinterest!