Contents
John D. Weir:The Venus Tablets and Climate 2
The Ninsianna tablet observations are re-examined taking into account climatic factors which might have influenced ancient sightings of Venus. The data would support a change in the latitude of Babylon since ancient times.
Ian C. Johnson:
Anomalous Occurrence of Crocodilia in Eocene Polar Forests 7
The first of two articles on the curious flora and fauna of the Canadian High Arctic islands in the Eocene epoch concentrates on the flora. How did abundant vegetation grow at polar latitudes? Conditions which might account for the pattern of plant life would be lethal to the fauna, which included reptilians.
Jesse Lasken: Misusing Radiocarbon: A Case Study 17
Published radiocarbon data are seen to have undergone a selection procedure which Jesse Lasken finds questionable. The problems of ‘old wood’ and of ‘modern contamination’ are highlighted.
Hildegard Wiencke-Lotz:
On the Length of Reigns of the Sumerian Kings 20
How to account for the extraordinary ‘ages’ given for the ancient kings of Sumer? At the root of the problem is our understanding of the term mu. Ingeniously reinterpreted, we are presented with much more sensible ages for these kings and the biblical patriarchs.
Irving Wolfe:
Velikovsky and Catastrophism: A Hidden Agenda? 27
Did Velikovsky have a hidden agenda? Did he knowingly mould his theories in response to the events unfolding in Europe, of which he was a reluctant but helpless spectator? Why was Oedipus and Akhnaton researched while writing Ages in Chaos?
Forum I: a discussion of the issues in mythology and cosmology: Velikovsky vs. Clube & Napier 35
Forum II: a series of presentations on ‘when did the Exodus and Conquest occur?’ 44
Review: Out of the Desert? reviewed by Geoffrey Gammon 58
Concluding the discussion on the dating of the Exodus and Conquest, Geoffrey Gammon reviews William Stiebing’s critique of all Exodus theories and draws on the presentations in Forum II for his conclusions.
Letters
Editor:
Bernard Newgrosh
107, Higher Lane,
Whitefield,
Manchester M25 7EY
Editorial Consultants:
Dr John J. Bimson (Biblical Archaeology)
Peter van der Veen (Israelite Monarchy)
Geoffrey Gammon (Egyptology)
Alasdair Beal,
Moe M. Mandelkehr,
C. Leroy Ellenberger,
Wal Thornhill (Physical Sciences)
Prof Trevor Palmer (Life Sciences)
Dr Richard Huggett (Earth Sciences)
Dwardu Cardona (Mythology and Cosmogony)
Michael G. Reade (Observational Astronomy)
Carl O. Jonsson (neo-Babylonian History)
The views expressed in this journal are those of the contributors and are not necessarily shared by the Editorial Consultants.
All Society enquiries should be addressed to the Hon. Membership Secretary:
Mrs Val Pearce,
10, Witley Green,
Darley Heights,
Stopsley LU2 8TR
Bedfordshire
Cover photograph:
Scene from Garstang’s 1930s excavation at Jericho showing Middle Bronze Age lower revetment stone wall with remnants of mudbrick superstructure. Photograph courtesy of Palestine Excavation Fund archive.
Contents (c) The Society for Interdisciplinary Studies, August 1992
ISSN 0953-0053