Ages Still in Chaos

'An investigation into progress made in the revision of ancient history since 1952, and possible ways forward'

• Introduction, Prof. Trevor Palmer
• Scientific Dating Problems, David Salkeld
• Evidence for Shortening Egyptian History, Bob Porter
• The Historical Evidence in the el-Amarna Letters, J Eric Aitchison
• A Testing Time, David Rohl
• The Lion Gate at Mycenae, plus Ramesses II and Archaic Greek Sculpture, Prof. Lewis M Greenberg
• Scientific Foundations of Ancient Near Eastern Chronologies, Charles Ginenthal
• Finding The Limits of Chronological Revision, Dr John J Bimson
• Stratigraphy and Radically Shortened Chronologies, Prof. Gunnar Heinsohn
• Velikovsky, Glasgow and Heinsohn Combined, Emmet Sweeney
• AD Ages in Chaos: A Russian Point of View, Dr Eugen Gabowitsch
• Implications for Chronology if Certain 'Historical' Characters are Mythological, Ev Cochrane 

The Proceedings are available from the SIS Book Service as a back issue.

Introduction

The conference marked the Golden Jubilee of the publication in 1952 of Ages in Chaos by Dr Immanuel Velikovsky and acknowledged the Golden Jubilee of the publication in the same year of Professor W F Libby's work on radiocarbon dating.

It brought together both academics and laymen who have contributed to, or have an interest in, the controversy resulting from Velikovsky's claim that the chronology of the ancient world is hundreds of years shorter than hitherto thought. Also attending were those who, while agreeing that a shortening of chronology is necessary, consider that the one proposed by Velikovsky is untenable in one respect or another.

Velikovsky was the first person in recent times to suggest that the dates ascribed to Egyptian New Kingdom dynasties were incorrect and that they should be dated centuries later. Once this is done new, intriguing connections can be made between the Old Testament record and Egyptian history and another advantage of this down-dating is to remove enigmatic dark ages from many of the cultures that were in contact with Egypt. Although his revision of chronology has not been generally accepted, this approach has been very productive and stimulating for other researchers and some have subsequently gone on to propose alternative lowered chronologies. 

Papers and Contributors

Saturday 14th September 2002

• Introduction, Prof. Trevor Palmer
• Scientific Dating Problems, David Salkeld
• Evidence for Shortening Egyptian History, Bob Porter
• The Historical Evidence in the el-Amarna Letters, J Eric Aitchison
• A Testing Time, David Rohl
• The Lion Gate at Mycenae, plus Ramesses II and Archaic Greek Sculpture, Prof. Lewis M Greenberg
• Scientific Foundations of Ancient Near Eastern Chronologies, Charles Ginenthal  

Sunday 15th September 2002

• Finding The Limits of Chronological Revision, Dr John J Bimson
• Stratigraphy and Radically Shortened Chronologies, Prof. Gunnar Heinsohn
• Velikovsky, Glasgow and Heinsohn Combined, Emmet Sweeney
• AD Ages in Chaos: A Russian Point of View, Dr Eugen Gabowitsch
• Implications for Chronology if Certain 'Historical' Characters are Mythological, Ev Cochrane 

About the Contributors

• J Eric Aitchison is a long-standing Australian member and contributor to the SIS. His interest in Velikovsky began in 1967. He is now working on his theory that the Habiru were the Assyrians under Tiglath Pileser III and Sargon II.
• Dr John J Bimson has been a member of and contributor to SIS since its earliest days. He is the author of Redating the Exodus and Conquest, based on his PhD research into the archaeological setting of the Israelite entry into Canaan.
• Ev Cochrane, an American teacher of cultural anthropology, is the author of Martian Metamorphoses: The Planet Mars in Ancient Myth and Religion and The Many Faces of Venus and has published many articles on mythology and archaeoastronomy.
• Dr Eugen Gabowitsch works at a nuclear research centre and is a leading proponent in Germany of revised AD chronology.
• Charles Ginenthal is the author of Carl Sagan and Immanuel Velikovsky, Stephen Jay Gould and Immanuel Velikovsky and The Extinction of the Mammoth and has contributed articles to Aeon. He is Editor-in-Chief of The Velikovskian and is currently working on the scientific basis of chronology.
• Prof. Lewis M Greenberg is Professor of Ancient and Oriental Art history at the Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia. He was Associated Editor of the journal Pensee, and Editor-in-Chief of Kronos for 12 years; he contributed material to both publications as well as to Science, Astronomy, Biblical Archaeology Review, SIS Review and Kronos.
• Prof. Gunnar Heinsohn's publication list exceeds more than 400 titles, including contributions to SIS and the special SIS edition, Ghost Empires of the Past — Did the Sumerians ever really Exist? Since 1984 he has been a tenured Professor at the Universität Bremen where he is now director of the Raphael-Lemkin-Institut für Xenophobie und Genozidforschung.
• Prof. Trevor Palmer is Professor of Life Sciences and Senior Dean at the Nottingham Trent University. He is the author of Controversy: Catastrophism and Evolution – The Ongoing Debate and numerous articles in SIS publications on evolution and catastrophism. He has been a member of SIS Council since 1986 and is currently ex-officio Chairman.
• Bob Porter has an M.Sc. in engineering, was for some time a member of the SIS editorial team, and presently contributes a regular feature on “Recent Developments in Near Eastern Archaeology” to C&C Review.
• David Rohl is the author of A Test of Time and Legend and is the Chairman of the Institute for the Study of Interdisciplinary Sciences, and Archaeology Correspondent for The Express newspaper. His initial work on a revision of chronology, co-authored with Peter James, first appeared in SIS publications.
• David Salkeld holds a B.Sc. in physics from Bristol University. Following a full career as an electrical engineering officer in the Royal Air Force, he spent 13 years as a systems engineer with British Aerospace. He is a former Treasurer and Chairman of the SIS and keen researcher into biblical history.
• Emmet Sweeney has an M.A. in Early Modern History and teaches in London. He is a member of the SIS council and is the author of several books on chronological revisions, including The Genesis of Israel and Egypt, The Pyramid Age, The Neo-Assyrians and Persians, Ramessides, Medes and Persians and The Lost History of Ireland. His latest book is Arthur and Stonehenge (Britain's Lost History).