Angkor, Cambodia - Built by a mighty 9th-century Khmer king, the soaring temple of Phnom Bakheng stands atop the highest peak of ancient Angkor. With a sweeping view that takes in Angkor Wat — the world’s largest religious structure — the monks stationed here were probably among the first to glimpse the approaching Siamese troops that snuffed out this city’s centuries-long domination of much of Southeast Asia.

So perhaps it is not surprising that more than 500 years later, Phnom Bakheng has become the ideal perch from which to watch another assault on Angkor — by marauding armies of tourists. (more…)

Phrases inscribed on the walls of an Egyptian pyramid are revealed to be Semitic spells designed to ward off snakes.

Ancient spells inscribed on the walls of an ancient pyramid near Cairo have finally been deciphered more than a century after they were discovered. (more…)

British museums have become used to requests that foreign treasures be repatriated. Greece has persistently requested the return of the Parthenon marbles, while some administrators have agreed to return the remains of Australian Aborigines. Now the pressure is coming from closer to home.

British pagan groups are increasingly asking for human remains and grave goods from pre-Christian burials to be returned to them as well. The presence of what they see as their ancestors in dusty drawers or under harsh display lights is an affront to their religion. To them, the bones are living beings, whose existence is bound up with their religious descendants and the sacred land. (more…)

Archaeologists working near Stonehenge have discovered what appears to be an ancient religious complex containing a treasure trove of artifacts that may finally illuminate the lives and religious practices of the people who built the mysterious monument 4,600 years ago.

The circle of massive stone blocks on England’s Salisbury Plain southwest of London is one of the best known archeological sites in the world, but researchers know surprisingly little about the people who built it and lived in the region. (more…)

Archaeologists say they have found a huge ancient settlement used by the people who built Stonehenge.

Excavations at Durrington Walls, near the legendary Salisbury Plain monument, uncovered remains of ancient houses.

People seem to have occupied the site seasonally, using it for ritual feasting and funeral ceremonies.

In ancient times, this settlement housed hundreds of people, making it the largest Neolithic village ever found in Britain.

The dwellings date back to 2,600-2,500 BC, the same period that Stonehenge was built.

“In what were houses, we have excavated the outlines on the floors of box beds and wooden dressers or cupboards,” said archaeologist Mike Parker Pearson of Sheffield University.

The researchers have excavated eight dwellings in total that belonged to this settlement. But they have identified many other probable dwellings using geophysical surveying equipment.

The archaeologists think there could have been at least one hundred houses.

Each one would have measured about 5m (16ft) square: “fairly pokey”, according to Professor Parker Pearson.

The dwellings were made of wood, with a clay floor and central hearth. The archaeologists found 4,600-year-old rubbish covering the floors of the houses.

“It is the richest - by that I mean the filthiest - site of this period known in Britain,” Professor Parker Pearson told BBC News.

“We’ve never seen such quantities of pottery and animal bone and flint.”

The Sheffield University researcher thinks the settlement was probably not lived in all year round. Instead, he believes, Stonehenge and Durrington formed a religious complex used for funerary rituals.

Professor Parker Pearson believes it drew Neolithic people from all over the region, who came for massive feasts in the midwinter, where prodigious quantities of food were consumed. The bones were then tossed on the floors of the houses.

“The rubbish isn’t your average domestic debris. There’s a lack of craft-working equipment for cleaning animal hides and no evidence for crop-processing,” he said.

“The animal bones are being thrown away half-eaten. It’s what we call a feasting assemblage. This is where they went to party - you could say it was the first free festival.”

Pigging out

The Durrington settlement has its own henge, this one made of wood. This ancient circle was discovered in 1967 - long before any houses were excavated.

Both henges line up with events in the astronomical calendar - but not the same ones.

Stonehenge is aligned with the midwinter solstice sunset, while the Durrington timber circle is aligned with the midwinter solstice sunrise. They are complementary, says Mike Parker Pearson.

This fits nicely with the idea of a feast held in midwinter, which is supported by analysis of pig teeth found at the site.

“One of the things we can tell from the pig teeth we’ve looked at is that most of them have been slaughtered at nine months. And we think they are farrowing in Spring,” Professor Parker Pearson.

“It’s likely there’s a midwinter cull and that ties in with our midwinter solstice alignments at Durrington and Stonehenge.”

In a separate area, further up the valley, Julian Thomas of Manchester University discovered two other Neolithic houses, each surrounded by a timber fence and ditches.

Sacred monument

But unlike the houses further down the valley, these were free of rubbish: “At first we thought they had been washed out,” Professor Thomas said.

But the researchers now think these dwellings were deliberately kept clean and may have been home to community leaders, wise women, chiefs or priests.

Alternatively, they could have been sacred sites, where people went to carry out rituals.

Professor Parker Pearson believes Durrington’s purpose was to celebrate life and deposit the dead in the river for transport to the afterlife, while Stonehenge was a memorial and even final resting place for some of the dead.

After feasting, he said, the people travelled down the avenue to deposit their dead in the River Avon flowing towards Stonehenge. They then moved along Stonehenge’s main “avenue” to the monument, where they would cremate and bury a select few of their dead.

Stonehenge was therefore a place for these people, who worshipped their ancestors, to commune with the spirits of those who died.

Stonehenge was the largest cemetery in Britain at the time, containing about 250 ashes from cremations.

Source: BBC News

Each February, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged, while individuals send notes with expressions of love. All of these activities take place in the name of the somewhat elusive “Valentine.” But, who is Valentine? This Valentine’s Day, History.com has created a fully interactive resource to teach site visitors exactly why they are buying those dozens of roses each year. History.com’s Valentine’s Day feature, which includes the complete history of Valentine’s Day, various Valentine’s Day- related video clips and even legendary love letters from one of history’s greatest couple, is available now at .

History.com’s Valentine’s Day destination Web site includes the following Valentine’s Day history and trivia:

* Who is Valentine? The Web site details Valentine’s Day’s mysterious history including who Valentine is and how today the Catholic Church recognizes not one, but three different saints named Valentine whom were martyred. Other historical tidbits include how Valentine supposedly sent the original “valentine” greeting himself to a young girl he fell in love with while in prison, signing the letter with the now-famous signature, “from your Valentine.” * Why do we celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14? Answers to this question vary. Some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated to commemorate the death of Valentine while others claim the Christian Church decided to celebrate the Valentine’s feast in the middle of February in an effort to “christianize” the pagan Lupercalia festival, a fertility festival dedicated to the Roman god of agriculture, Faunus. * Who sends Valentine’s? Approximately 85 percent of valentines are purchased by women who live in one of the six regions that acknowledge the holiday: the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia.

History.com’s feature also includes a variety of other Valentine’s themed data and historical accounts, including how many Valentine’s are exchanged yearly, the amount of marriages that take place annually and the number of jewelry stores currently in the U.S. In addition to providing trivia and historical information, the site features relationship profiles on legendary couples: Harry and Bess Truman (including original love letters between the couple), Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Jackie and Rachel Robinson.

“The history of Valentine’s Day is extremely ambiguous and we are excited to be able to deliver a comprehensive resource devoted to this elusive holiday,” said Dr. Libby O’Connell, senior vice president, corporate outreach and chief historian, AETN. “We are dedicated to providing our viewers with a series of entertaining and interactive resources and our Valentine’s Day feature is indicative of that commitment.”

In addition to being able to view a variety of informational resources, visitors of History.com’s Valentine’s Day feature will have access to a wide assortment of videos. These videos include a historical kissing contest, an ice wedding, an account of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, a clip from Charlie Chaplin’s “The Bond of Marriage” film and more.

About History.com

About The History Channel

The History Channel(R) is one of the leading cable television networks featuring compelling original, non-fiction specials and series that bring history to life in a powerful and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. The network provides an inviting place where people experience history in new and exciting ways enabling them to connect their lives today to the great lives and events of the past that provide a blueprint for the future. The History Channel has earned four Peabody Awards, three Primetime Emmy(R) Awards, ten News and Documentary Emmy(R) Awards and received the prestigious Governor’s Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network’s Save Our History(R) campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. The History Channel reaches more than 91 million Nielsen subscribers.

Source: Earthtimes.org

Each February, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged, while individuals send notes with expressions of love. All of these activities take place in the name of the somewhat elusive “Valentine.” But, who is Valentine? This Valentine’s Day, History.com has created a fully interactive resource to teach site visitors exactly why they are buying those dozens of roses each year. History.com’s Valentine’s Day feature, which includes the complete history of Valentine’s Day, various Valentine’s Day- related video clips and even legendary love letters from one of history’s greatest couple, is available now at .

History.com’s Valentine’s Day destination Web site includes the following Valentine’s Day history and trivia:

* Who is Valentine? The Web site details Valentine’s Day’s mysterious history including who Valentine is and how today the Catholic Church recognizes not one, but three different saints named Valentine whom were martyred. Other historical tidbits include how Valentine supposedly sent the original “valentine” greeting himself to a young girl he fell in love with while in prison, signing the letter with the now-famous signature, “from your Valentine.” * Why do we celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14? Answers to this question vary. Some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated to commemorate the death of Valentine while others claim the Christian Church decided to celebrate the Valentine’s feast in the middle of February in an effort to “christianize” the pagan Lupercalia festival, a fertility festival dedicated to the Roman god of agriculture, Faunus. * Who sends Valentine’s? Approximately 85 percent of valentines are purchased by women who live in one of the six regions that acknowledge the holiday: the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia.

History.com’s feature also includes a variety of other Valentine’s themed data and historical accounts, including how many Valentine’s are exchanged yearly, the amount of marriages that take place annually and the number of jewelry stores currently in the U.S. In addition to providing trivia and historical information, the site features relationship profiles on legendary couples: Harry and Bess Truman (including original love letters between the couple), Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Jackie and Rachel Robinson.

“The history of Valentine’s Day is extremely ambiguous and we are excited to be able to deliver a comprehensive resource devoted to this elusive holiday,” said Dr. Libby O’Connell, senior vice president, corporate outreach and chief historian, AETN. “We are dedicated to providing our viewers with a series of entertaining and interactive resources and our Valentine’s Day feature is indicative of that commitment.”

In addition to being able to view a variety of informational resources, visitors of History.com’s Valentine’s Day feature will have access to a wide assortment of videos. These videos include a historical kissing contest, an ice wedding, an account of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, a clip from Charlie Chaplin’s “The Bond of Marriage” film and more.

About History.com

About The History Channel

The History Channel(R) is one of the leading cable television networks featuring compelling original, non-fiction specials and series that bring history to life in a powerful and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. The network provides an inviting place where people experience history in new and exciting ways enabling them to connect their lives today to the great lives and events of the past that provide a blueprint for the future. The History Channel has earned four Peabody Awards, three Primetime Emmy(R) Awards, ten News and Documentary Emmy(R) Awards and received the prestigious Governor’s Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network’s Save Our History(R) campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. The History Channel reaches more than 91 million Nielsen subscribers.

Source: Earthtimes.org

A magic spell to keep snakes away from the tombs of Egyptian kings, adopted from the Canaanites almost 5,000 years ago, could be the oldest Semitic text yet discovered, experts said Tuesday.

The phrases, interspersed throughout religious texts in Egyptian characters in the underground chambers of a pyramid south of Cairo, stumped Egyptian experts for about a century, until the Semitic connection was found.

In 2002 one of the Egyptologists e-mailed the undeciphered part of the inscription to Richard Steiner, a professor of Semitic languages at Yeshiva University in New York. Steiner discovered that the phrases are the transcription of a language used by Canaanites at some point in the period from 25th to the 30th centuries B.C.

“This is the oldest connected text that we have in any Semitic language,” Steiner said in a telephone interview while visiting Israel to present his findings in a lecture sponsored by the Academy of the Hebrew Language. The previous oldest Semitic text dates from the 24th century B.C., Steiner said.

Another expert said it was still unclear whether the Egyptian text is actually the oldest.

“This is highly significant because maybe, according to the researcher, it dates to the third millennium B.C., so it’s the most ancient pre-Canaanite text that we ever met and maybe … it is the most ancient Semitic text ever discovered,” said Moshe Florentine, an expert on ancient Hebrew and a member of the language academy.

Steiner has not submitted his findings to a scientific journal but plans to do so, he said. More study of the fragments will be necessary to determine how these passages fit into the evolution of Semitic languages, Florentine said.

The Egyptians’ use of the magic spell demonstrates the close relations they had at the time with the Canaanites. While Egyptians considered their culture and religion superior to that of their neighbors to the north, they were willing to do anything to protect the mummies of their kings from the poisonous snakes.

Believing that some snakes spoke the Semitic language of the Canaanites, Egyptians included the magic spells in inscriptions on two sides of the sarcophagus in an effort to ward them off.

“Come, come to my house,” reads one section in the Semitic language that is supposed to be the snake’s mother speaking, trying to lure him out of the tomb. In another passage, the snake is addressed as if he is a lover with “Turn aside, O my beloved.”

The Egyptian and Semitic sections are each an integral part of the magic spell and neither can stand alone, Steiner said. For this reason, the Egyptian experts could not fully understand parts of the religious texts until Steiner got involved.

The Semitic language of these texts that have now been deciphered was a very archaic form of the languages later known as Phoenician and Hebrew, Steiner said.

The text includes words that have the same meaning as in Hebrew, like “yad” for hand, “ari” for lion, and “beit” for house, he said.

Source: PhysOrg.com

While the so-called mainstream media is promoting the world view of capitalist-colonial totalitarians, serious researchers in Europe and America are busy digging the roots of never ending global conflicts and ongoing turmoil. Some have revealed the vested interest of the corporate world and its individual pawns in the ongoing wars and occupations.

Others have exposed the neo-cons totalitarian designs to remake the world in their image with force. Yet others tell the world with undeniable evidence how Christian Zionists and other Christianists stand strongly behind the political front’s bloody adventures across the world. If we sum up the whole spectrum, we find that is the church and state alliance that has put the future of humanity at stake. The so-called mainstream media and other corporate entities are doing their best to keep public away from knowing the truth.

For a clear understanding of what is really happening we have to go back in history. A society does not tell the truth about its own history. This is a history of the alliance of church and state destroying other cultures (e.g. as told by a historian educated in the remnants of Hellenic culture). It was this destruction of libraries and cultural institutions over a period of 350 years which dropped Western society into the several hundred years of the Dark Ages.[1]

Public’s ignorance of the reality is not something new. During the 350 years of suppression of all intellectual thought (chronology below) there would have been suppressions here and there throughout the empire but most would have lived out their lives in peace, not knowing, or ignoring what crimes were actually being committed. Only when the suppression took place in their region, or if they were a soldier of the empire, would the average citizen be affected by that violence.

Most citizens of empires of that 400- year-period lived their lives out in peace. Except for the occasional battle between empires, only those in a region being suppressed were imminently subject to violence.

And so it is today. Battles between empires seem to be over today, those in the centers of empire live their lives out in peace, while those on the periphery face both the violence of poverty and the violence of suppression.  The mass-media is effectively keeping their public ignorant of the truth.    

In collusion with the church-state alliance, the “mainstream” media is simply repeating the history. Library of Alexandria was burnt to the floor. In the Library of Alexandria was a functioning steam engine. A study of an artifact discovered in the Middle East concluded it could only have been a battery. This, and the libraries and culture centers throughout the Roman Empire, proves the destruction of other cultures, so as to expand and protect the power of an already powerful culture. This delayed the Industrial Revolution for 1,200 to 1,500 years.[2]

Some of the non-Muslim researchers, who learnt how Christians destroyed the Library of Alexandria and killed every educated Egyptian, and who studied the history of Christian destruction of the Hellenic culture, have come to the conclusion that the Muslim religion was established as a defense against being forced into Christianity and that protection accounts for the rapid establishment of that religion. Although, not really so, it is undeniable to conclude that Islam put a halt to the totalitarian onslaught of Church-State alliance earlier in history. Islam is still considered the only formidable block in the way of continuing de facto colonization in the regions which remained under the direct colonial occupation. Therefore, all knowledge and analysis is acceptable to one or another degree. However, those sources are considered a threat which explains how the church-state alliance and their corporate backers are waging a war of ideology in the name of democracy to sustain de facto colonization of the Muslim world in particular.

This alliance of church and state, killing all who threatened either capitalist or Christian powerbrokers, has been in place for 1700 years. Until they came up against the old cultures of Asia, they enslaved the gentle societies they came across. The die off was genocidal, it was: become Christian and capitalist or die. Those who accepted Christianity and/or the legal structure of the capitalist order, they fared better but still were essentially slaves. The poor within capitalism are still essentially slaves.

The theft of the world’s wealth permitted the Christian/capitalism alliance to provide for their citizenry, which was supposed to be kept under control so that they don’t object to the illegitimate, bloody colonial adventures abroad. Thus, citizens have to display that they are good persons in order to qualify to the little fake freedoms and sham rights. Real and equal rights and the struggle for fairness and the right to self-determination is a serious threat to the Christian/capitalist alliance.

Any source of intellectual discussion, at home or abroad, which struggles for equality and real rights, is considered a serious threat. Thus there is the continual battle as capitalists suppress the rights of labor and the rights of oppressed, suffering under the never ending colonialism. Since, masses cannot be kept in darkness forever and capitalism cannot survive without continued expansion, one of these days it will crash and full rights can be attained. 

The important point to note is the continued battle to overwhelm the Muslim world, which has prevented the evolution of rights within the Muslim community. The end of direct colonial occupations in the 20th century was merely a strategic withdrawal. Since then, indirect colonization continues with the help of institutions such as the United Nations, World Bank, the IMF, through using various tactics, such as political interference, overthrow of popularly elected governments, support of repressive regimes, and above all the through the use of overwhelming military power.

The Qur’an and teaching of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) are filled with stress on equality of human beings and protection of equal rights for all irrespective of the position and power. Islam guarantees the most basic right of equal access to all resources and defense again exploitation, oppression and injustice. That’s why Muslims’ struggle for self-determination and self-rule according to the principles of Islam is one of the basic threats to the survival or present colonial order, the interest of the alliance of church and state and the survival of corporate entities such as the British Telecommunication.

Most importantly, what we observe today is that the alliance of church and states is using secularism as a weapon to separate Muslims from Islam so as to sustain de facto colonization in the interest of global capitalist order. As a result, Muslims’ final protection has withdrawn into fundamental beliefs. It is that or be overwhelmed. We witnessed it in Afghanistan before and we are witnessing it again these days. No matter how irreligious Afghans had become; no matter how much they were indulged in practices against the clear injunctions of the Qur’an and the Sunnah, but when the Soviet occupation became a matter of life and death for them. The same phenomenon is being replayed under the Western occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq today.

The church and state alliance thought that occupation of Iraq would be a cake walk but those egotists did not realize the power of the fundamentals of Islam. That’s probably what the colonizers refer to as fundamentalism. They are paying for that now. There is no way any army can control a society when all will give their life for their freedom from foreign occupation. If it were the matter of Islam alone, Iraqis lived under an un-Islamic, secular, Ba’athist regime for decades. However, when it comes to the struggle against the capitalist alliance of Church and State, they oppressed Muslims will go to any length to not let it succeed. Already they have whipped the so-considered crusaders in Iraq. People living under occupation realize that and are organizing to push the occupiers further out of the Muslim lands.

The sensible of the power brokers in the West know this and are appalled at those at the forefront of church and state alliance, stepping right into their trap and enraging all Muslims and other weaker nations around the world. The fraud of their cover stories stand exposed and there simply is no cover story under which they can now hide. The oppressors don’t see any solution other than escalating wars and continuing oppression. We are living through the greatest world upheaval in history. Iraqis, Afghans and Palestinians are battling for the world’s freedom. And the “mainstream media” is engaged in an exercise in futility to keep the public ignorant.

Abid Ullah Jan’s latest book The Ultimate Tragedy was relased by the ICSSA (www.icssa.org) in December 2006.

NOTES

——————————————————————————–

[1] The exact dates of the beginning and ending of the Dark Ages, is a relative thing.

[2] The world could have had trains, cars, phones, and TV sets over 1,200 years ago. One or two Millennia ago China also had the foundation of an industrial society (a large iron industry, rotary drills, mechanical seeders, and a navy which plied the oceans) and it too declined into a feudal peasant economy.

     We do not have the answers to all this but there are similarities between protection and expansion of power in these ancient histories which dropped the world into the several hundred years of the Dark Ages and today’s expansion and protection of power and wealth through military force

***

Facts from history

Following is the story of how the Hellenic race and culture was wiped off the map by the alliance of Church and State. The advent of Christianity meant the destruction of Hellas.

Followers of Hellenic religion were persecuted and their ancient temples destroyed.  Just the way Islam is fast becoming an accusation today, the word Hellenas became an accusation. In the year 393, Emperor Theodosius outlawed the Olympic Games.  The Library of Alexandria, a centre of Hellenistic civilization and learning, was burnt down with most of its books.  Classical works of science and literature were hunted down and destroyed.  The dark ages commenced with the demise of the Hellenic civilization.

Below was summarized from Vlasis Rassia’s Book: ‘Demolish Them’ (in Hellenic), Athens 1994, Diipetes Editions (emphasis added). 

To study this further, Google keyword “libraries, burned, Christians.” Those of you who know the history of the collapse of the Chinese, or any other, proto-industrial society, please share that with us.

Year 314 CE   (Christian Era)
Immediately after its full legalisation, the Christian Church attacks the Gentiles: The Council of Ancyra denounces the worship of the Goddess Artemis.  

Year 324   CE 
Emperor Constantine declares Christianity the only official religion of the Roman Empire. At Dydima, Asia Minor, he sacks the Oracle of God Apollo and tortures its Pagan priests to death. He evicts the Gentiles from Mt. Athos and destroys all local Hellenic Temples.  

Year 326  CE  
Emperor Constantine, following the instructions of his mother Helen, destroys the Temple of the God Asclepius in Aigeai of Cilicia and many Temples of the Goddess Aphrodite in Jerusalem, Aphaca, Mambre, Phoenice, Baalbek, etc.  

Year 330 CE   
Constantine steals the treasures and statues of the Pagan Temples in Greece to decorate Nova Roma (Constantinople), the new capital of his Empire.  

Year 335 CE    
Constantine sacks many Pagan Temples of Asia Minor and Palestine and orders the execution by crucifixion of “all magicians and soothsayers”. Martyrdom of the neoplatonist philosopher Sopatros.  

Year 341 CE   
Emperor Constas, son of Constantinus, persecutes “all the soothsayers and the Hellenists”. Many Gentile Hellenes are either imprisoned or executed.  

Year 346 CE   
New large-scale persecutions of the Gentiles in Constantinople. Banishment of the famous orator Libanius, who is accused of being a “magician”.  

Year 353 CE  
An edict of Constantius decrees the death penalty for all forms of worship involving sacrifice and “idols”.  

Year 354  CE  
A new edict of Constantius orders the closing of all Pagan Temples. Some of them are profaned and turned into brothels or gambling rooms. Executions of Pagan priests.  The first burning of libraries in various cities of the Empire. The first lime factories are built next to closed Pagan Temples. A large part of Sacred Gentile architecture is turned into lime.  

Year 356  CE 
A new edict of Constantius orders the destruction of the Pagan Temples and the execution of all “idolaters”.  

Year 357 CE  
Constantius outlaws all methods of Divination (Astrology not excluded).  

Year 359 CE   
In Skythopolis, Syria, Christians organize the first death camps for the torture and execution of arrested Gentiles from all around the Empire.  

Year 361 to 363 CE   
Religious tolerance and restoration of Pagan cults declared in Constantinople (11th December 361) by the Pagan Emperor Flavius Claudius Julianus.  

Year 363 CE   
Assassination of Emperor Julianus (26th June).  

Year 364 CE   
Emperor Flavius Jovianus orders the burning of the Library of Antioch. An Imperial edict (11th September) orders the death penalty for all Gentiles that worship their ancestral Gods or practice Divination (“sileat omnibus perpetuo divinandi uriositas”). Three different edicts (4th February, 9th September, 23rd December) order the confiscation of all properties of Pagan Temples and the death penalty for participation in Pagan rituals, including private ones.  

Year 365 CE   
An Imperial edict (17th November) forbids Gentile officers of the army to command Christian soldiers.  

Year 370 CE    
Emperor Valens orders a tremendous persecution of Gentiles throughout the Eastern Empire. In Antioch, among many other  Pagans, the ex-governor Fidustius and the priests Hilarius and Patricius are executed. Tons of books are burnt in the city-squares of the Eastern Empire. All friends of Julianus are persecuted (Orebasius, Sallustius, Pegasius etc.), the philosopher Simonides is burned alive and the philosopher Maximus is decapitated.  

Year 372 CE    
Emperor Valens orders the governor of Asia Minor to exterminate the Hellenes and destroy all writings of their wisdom.  

Year 373 CE    
New prohibition of all methods of Divination. The term “Pagan” (pagani, villagers) is introduced by the Christians to lessen the Gentiles.  

Year 375 CE   
The Temple of the God Asclepius in Epidaurus, Greece, is closed down.  

Year 380 CE   
On the 27th February, Christianity becomes the exclusive religion of the Roman Empire by an edict of Emperor Flavius Theodosius, requiring that “all the various nations, which are subject to our clemency and moderation should continue in the profession of that religion, which was delivered to the Romans by the divine Apostle Peter”. Non-christians are called “loathsome, heretics, stupid and blind”. In another edict Theodosius calls “insane” those that do not believe in the christian god and outlaws all disagreements with Church dogma. Ambrosius, bishop of Milan, starts destroying all the Pagan Temples of his area. Christian priests lead the mob against the Temple of the Goddess Demeter in Eleusis and try to lynch the hierophants Nestorius and Priskus. The 95 year-old hierophant Nestorius, ends the Eleusinian Mysteries and announces the predominance of mental darkness over the human race.  

Year 381 CE    
On May the 2nd, Theodosius deprives Christians that return to the Pagan Religion of all their rights. Throughout the Eastern Empire, Pagan Temples and Libraries are looted or burned down. On 21st December, Theodosius outlaws even simple visits to the Temples of the Hellenes. In Constantinople, the Temple of the Goddess Aphrodite is turned into a brothel and the Temples of Sun and Artemis into stables.  

Year 382 CE   
“Hellelu-jah” (Glory to Yahweh) is imposed in the Christian mass.  

Year 384  CE 
Emperor Theodosius orders the Praetorian Prefect, Maternus Cynegius (a dedicated Christian), to cooperate with the local bishops and destroy the Temples of the Gentiles in Northern Greece and Asia Minor.  

Year 385 to 388 CE    
Maternus Cynegius, encouraged by his fanatic wife, and his bishop “Saint” Marcellus, scour the countryside with their gangs, sack and destroy hundreds of Hellenic Temples, shrines and altars. Amongst others they destroy the Temple of Edessa, the Cabeireion of Imbros, the Temple of Zeus in Apamea, the Temple of Apollo in Dydima and all the Temples of Palmyra. Thousands of innocent Gentiles from all sides of the Empire suffer martyrdom in the notorious death camps of Skythopolis.  

Year 386 CE  
Emperor Theodosius outlaws (16th June) the care of sacked Pagan Temples.  

Year 388 CE   
Public talks on religious subjects are also outlawed by Theodosius. The old orator Libanius sends his famous Epistle “Pro Templis” to Theodosius, with a hope that the few remaining Hellenic Temples will be respected and spared.  

Year 389 to 390 CE  
All non-Christian calenders are outlawed. Hordes of fanatic hermits from the desert flood into Middle Eastern and Egyptian cities, destroying statues, altars, Libraries and Pagan Temples, whilst Gentiles are lynched. Theophilus, Patriarch of Alexandria, starts heavy persecutions against the Gentiles, turns the Temple of Dionysos into a church, burns down the Mithraeum of the city, destroys the Temple of Zeus and burlesques the Pagan priests before they are killed by stoning. The Christian mob profanes the cult images.  

Year 391  CE  
On 24th February, a new edict of Theodosius prohibits not only visits to Pagan Temples but also looking at vandalised statues. New heavy persecutions all around the Empire. In Alexandria, Egypt, the Gentiles, led by the philosopher Olympius, revolt and  after some street fights, finally lock themselves inside the fortified Temple of the God Serapis (The Serapeion). After a violent siege, the Christians occupy the building, demolish it, burn its famous Library and profane the cult images.  

Year 392 CE    
On 8th November, the Emperor Theodosius outlaws all non-Christian rituals and names them “superstitions of the Gentiles”  (“gentilicia superstitio”). New full scale persecutions against the Gentiles. The Mysteries of Samothrace are ended and priests slaughtered. In Cyprus the local bishop, “Saints” Epiphanius and Tychon destroy almost all the Temples of the island and exterminate thousands of Gentiles. The local Mysteries of Goddess Aphrodite are ended. Theodosius’ edict declares: “the ones that won’t obey pater Epiphanius have no right to keep living on the island”. The Gentiles revolt against the Emperor and the Church in Petra, Aeropolis, Rafia, Gaza, Baalbek and other cities of the Middle East.  

Year 393 CE   
The Pythian, Aktia and Olympic Games are outlawed as part of the Hellenic “idolatry”. Christians sack the Temples of Olympia.  

Year 395 CE  
Two new edicts (22nd July and 7th August) lead to new persecutions against the Gentiles. Rufinus, the eunuch Prime Minister of Emperor Flavius Arcadius directs the hordes of the baptised Goths (led by Alaric) to the country of the Hellenes. Encouraged by Christian monks, the barbarians sack and burn many cities (Dion, Delphi, Megara, Corinth, Pheneos, Argos, Nemea, Lycosoura, Sparta, Messene, Phigaleia, Olympia, etc.), slaughter or enslave innumerable Hellenes and burn the Temples. Among others, they burn down the Eleusinian Sanctuary and burn alive all of its priests (including the hierophant of Mithras Hilarius).  

Year 396 CE    
On 7th December, a new edict by Emperor Arcadius orders that Paganism be treated as high treason. Imprisonment of the few  remaining Pagan priests and hierophants.  

Year 397 CE   
“Demolish them!” Emperor Flavius Arcadius orders all the still erect Pagan Temples demolished.  

Year 398 CE    
The Fourth Church Council of Carthage prohibits to all, including its bishops, the study of Gentile books. Porphyrius, bishop of Gaza, demolishes almost all the Pagan Temples of his city (except nine of them that remain active).  

Year 399 CE    
With a new edict (13th July) Emperor Flavius Arcadius orders all remaining Temples, mainly in the countryside, to be immediately demolished: «Si qua in agris templa sunt, sine turba ac tumultu diruantur. His enim deiectis atque sublatis omnis superstitioni materia consumetur» 

Year 400 CE    
Bishop Nicetas destroys the Oracle of God Dionysus in Vesai and baptises all the Gentiles of this area.  

Year 401 CE    
The Christian mob of Carthage lynches Gentiles and destroys Temples and “idols”. In Gaza too, the local bishop, also a..,”Saint”, Porphyrius sends his followers to lynch Gentiles and demolish the remaining nine still active Temples of the city. The 15th Council of Chalkedon orders all Christians that still keep good relations with their gentile relatives to be excommunicated (even after their death).  

Year 405 CE  
John Chrysostom sends his hordes of gray-clad monks armed with clubs and iron bars to destroy the “idols” in all the cities of Palestine.  

Year 406  CE  
John Chrysostom collects funds from rich Christian women to financially support the demolition of the Hellenic Temples. In  Ephessus, he orders the destruction of the famous Temple of Goddess Artemis. In Salamis, Cyprus, “Saints” Epiphanius and Eutychius continue persecutions of the Gentiles and the total destruction of their Temples and sanctuaries.  

Year 407 CE   
A new edict outlaws once more all non-Christian acts of worship.  

Year 408 CE   
The Emperor of the Western Empire Honorius and the Emperor of the Eastern Empire Arcadius, order together that all sculptures of the Pagan Temples be either destroyed or confiscated. Private ownership of Pagan sculpture is also outlawed. The local bishops lead new heavy persecutions against Gentiles and new book burning. Judges showing pity for Gentiles are also persecuted.  

Year 409  CE  
Once again, an edict orders Astrology and all methods of Divination to be punishable by death.  

Year 415  CE  
In Alexandria, Egypt, the mob urged by the bishop Cyrillus, attacks a few days before the judaeo-christian Pascha (Pesach-Easter) and hacks to pieces the famous and beautiful philosopher Hypatia. Pieces of her body are paraded by the Christian mob through the streets of Alexandria, and are finally burned together with her books in a place called Cynaron. On 30th August, new persecutions start against all the Pagan priests of North Africa, who end their lives either crucified or burned alive.  

Year 416 CE   
The inquisitor Hypatius, alias “The Sword of God”, exterminates the last Gentiles of Bithynia. In Constantinople (7th December), all non-Christian army officers, public employees and judges are dismissed.  

Year 423 CE   
Emperor Theodosius II, declares (8th June) that the Religion of the Gentiles is nothing more than “demon worship” and orders all those who persist in practicing it to be punished by imprisonment and tortured.  

Year 429 CE   
The Temple of Goddess Athena (Parthenon) on the Acropolis of Athens is sacked. Athenian Pagans are persecuted.  

Year 435 CE   
On 14th November, a new edict by Theodosius II orders the death penalty for all “heretics” and “pagans” of the Empire. Only Judaism is considered a legal non-Christian Religion.  

Year 438  CE  
Theodosius II issues an new edict (31st January) against the Gentiles, incriminating their “idolatry” as the reason for a recent plague!  

Year 440 to 450 CE   
The Christians demolish all the monuments, altars and Temples of Athens, Olympia, and other Greek cities.  

Year 448  CE 
Theodosius II orders all non-Christian books burned.  

Year 450  CE  
All the Temples of Aphrodisias (City of Goddess Aphrodite) are demolished and its Libraries burned down. The city is renamed Stauroupolis (City of the Cross).  

Year 451  
A new edict by Theodosius II (4th November) emphasizes that “idolatry” is to be punished by death.  

457 to 491 CE    
Sporadic persecutions against Gentiles of the Eastern Empire. Among others, the physician Jacobus and the philosopher Gessius are executed. Severianus, Herestios, Zosimus, Isidorus and others are tortured and imprisoned. The proselytiser Conon and his followers exterminate the last Gentiles of the island of Imbros, in the northeast Aegean. The last worshippers of  Lavranius Zeus are exterminated in Cyprus.  

Year 482 to 488 CE    
The majority of the Gentiles of Asia Minor are exterminated, after a desperate revolt against the Emperor and the Church.  

Year 486 CE    
More “underground” Pagan priests are discovered, arrested, burlesqued, tortured and executed in Alexandria, Egypt.  

Year 515 CE   
Baptism becomes obligatory, even for those that already say they are Christian. The Emperor of Constantinople, Anastasius orders the massacre of the Gentiles in the Arabian city Zoara and the demolition of the Temple of local God Theandrites.  

Year 528 CE   
Emperor Jutprada (Justinianus) outlaws the “alternative” Olympian Games of Antioch. He also orders the execution (by fire, crucifixion, tearing to pieces by wild beasts, or cutting by iron nails) of all who practice “sorcery, divination, magic or idolatry” and prohibits all teachings by the Gentiles (”..the ones suffering from the blasphemous insanity of the Hellenes”).  

Year 529  CE  
Emperor Justinianus outlaws the Athenian Philosophical Academy, which has its property confiscated.  

Year 532   CE 
The inquisitor Ioannis Asiacus, a fanatical monk, leads a crusade against the Gentiles of Asia Minor.  

Year 542 CE    
Emperor Justinianus allows the inquisitor Ioannis Asiacus to convert the Gentiles of Phrygia, Caria and Lydia in Asia Minor. Within 35 years of this crusade, 99 churches and 12 monasteries are built on the sites of demolished Pagan Temples.  

Year 546 CE   
Hundreds of Gentiles are put to death in Constantinople by the inquisitor Ioannis Asiacus.  

Year 556 CE   
Justinianus orders the notorious inquisitor Amantius to go to Antioch, to find, arrest, torture and exterminate the last Gentiles of the city and burn all the private libraries down.  

Year 562 CE    
Mass arrests, burlesquing, tortures, imprisonments and executions of Gentile Hellenes in Athens, Antioch, Palmyra and  Constantinople.  

Year 578 to 582 CE   
Christians torture and crucify Gentile Hellenes all around the Eastern Empire, and exterminate the last Gentiles of Heliopolis (Baalbek).  

Year 580 CE   
Christian inquisitors attack a secret Temple of Zeus in Antioch. The priest commits suicide, but the other Gentiles are arrested. All the prisoners, the Vice Governor Anatolius included, are tortured and sent to Constantinople to face trial. Sentenced to death they are thrown to the lions. The wild animals are unwilling to tear them to pieces and they end up crucified. Their corpses are dragged through the streets by the Christian mob and afterwards thrown unburied in the city dump.  

Year 583 CE   
New persecutions against the Gentile Hellenes by the Emperor Mauricius.  

Year 590 CE    
Throughout the Eastern Empire, Christian accusers “discover” Pagan conspiracies. A new wave of torture and executions erupts.  

Year 692 CE   
The “Penthekte” Council of Constantinople prohibits the remains of Calends, Brumalia, Anthesteria, and other Pagan / Dionysian festivals.  

Year 804 CE   
The Gentile Hellenes of Laconia, Greece, resist successfully the attempt of Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople, to convert them to Christianity.  

Year 950 to 988 CE   
Violent conversion of the last Gentile Hellenes of Laconia by the Armenian “Saint” Nikon.

Source: Al-Jazeerah.info, GA

Something incredible happened in the study of ancient history. An ancient Vishnu idol found in an old Russian village shows how India 1700 years back influenced Russian civilization.

The idol found in Staraya (old) Maina village dates back to VII-X century AD. Staraya Maina village in Ulyanovsk region was a highly populated city 1700 years ago, much older than Kiev, so far believed to be the mother of all Russian cities.

“We may consider it incredible, but we have ground to assert that Middle-Volga region was the original land of Ancient Rus. This is a hypothesis, but a hypothesis, which requires thorough research,” Reader of Ulyanovsk State University’s archaeology department Dr Alexander Kozhevin told state-run television Vesti .

This shows how ancient Hinduism and Aryan culture spread through out the whole world.

Source: India Daily