Peoples of the Sea

Suppose you lived in the 14th Century and all around you believe the Earth is the centre of the Universe. Suppose a man comes forward with a heap of proof that it isn't; that Established science is mistaken. And the Establishment descend on him like wolves, threaten him, ridicule him, try to ruin him. In fact succeed in preventing his ever publishing his latest research. Would you be interested to hear him out ?Velikovsky has given us not just a theory, but a whole system of theory embracing astronomy, cosmology, egyptology, archaeology, geology, history, religion, politics, even psychology. And it all meshes together like a well-designed gearbox. 'People of the Sea' is one of four books in his series 'Ages in Chaos'. It isn't the Ages though that are in chaos. It's us -- for Establishment Science has led us so far into a mess that its scientists are embarrassed to admit their colossal folly. 'Peoples of the Sea' exposes one of the pillars of modern codswallop science. Read Velikovsky's other 'Ages in Chaos' series to find out about the others. And give this Samson a hand to pull the Temple of Bull, falsely worshipped by bigots, crashing about their ears !

I guess Velikovsky can be considered one of the fathers of the alternative history movement and authors like Graham Hancock owe him a debt. Peoples of the Sea is the fourth volume in his Ages In Chaos series. The book can be read independently and it covers the nearly two centuries of Persian domination of Egypt and the early dynasties of the Ptolemies. In it, Velikovsky argues that conventional history's foundations are shaky and that Egyptian historical chronology needs to be revised. Conventional history claims that the Peoples of the Sea were barbarians who nearly destroyed civilisation before they were defeated by Pharao Ramses III in the 12th century B.C. Velikovsky instead believes that there is enough archaeological and documentary evidence to prove that they were Greek mercenaries and that their allies the Pereset weren't ancient Philisines but Persians. He argues that Ramses III was Nectanebo I of the Greek historians who lived 800 years later, and he places these events not in the 12th but in the 4th century B.C. The peoples of the Sea were thus fourth century mercenaries from Asia Minor and Greece, of the time of Plato. He shows that there was a strong Semitic (Hebrew and Assyrian) influence on the language, religion and art of Egypt in the time of Ramses III and provides much other archaeological and documentary evidence. The book includes 16 black & white plates including tiles of Ramses III, bass reliefs of the battles against the Peoples of the Sea, the pylon of the Khonsu Temple and portal of the Ramses III temple at Medinet Habu and artwork from the tomb of Si-Amon at Siwa Oasis. The main text concludes with chronological charts in parallel tables listing Persia, Palestine, the Greek World and Egypt from 550 B.C. to 340 B.C. The supplement on Astronomy and Chronology includes chapters on The Foundations of Egyptian Chronology, Sirius and Venus. With Velikovsky' dazzling erudition, Peoples Of The Sea reads like a detective story. I don't know to what extent Velikovsky's alternative chronology has been accepted or convincingly disproved but all his work is fascinating and stimulating to read, as he had the talent for making history come alive.

__________________A necessary part of his chronological reconstruction, this book is probably best read last. Neal Bierling's "Giving Goliath His Due" (see below) is a poor substitute for this book by Velikovsky, but may also be of interest to those researching the Bible, Biblical synchronisms with the conventional pseudochronology, the Philistines, or readers of the magazines Biblical Archaeology Review, Archaeology, Discovering Archaeology, Egypt Revealed, or my personal favorite Archaeology Odyssey (published by BAR).All of Velikovsky's books are available on the used search engines, and it is generally only a matter of time before they become available again as reprints.See also Velikovsky's other works (new and used), David Rohl's "Pharaohs and Kings", Peter James' "Centuries of Darkness", and Bob Brier's "Murder of Tutankhamen". "Giving Goliath His Due" is available at .....A necessary part of his chronological reconstruction, this book is probably best read last. Neal Bierling's "Giving Goliath His Due" (see below) is a poor substitute for this book by Velikovsky, but may also be of interest to those researching the Bible, Biblical synchronisms with the conventional pseudochronology, the Philistines, or readers of the magazines Biblical Archaeology Review, Archaeology, Discovering Archaeology, Egypt Revealed, or my personal favorite Archaeology Odyssey (published by BAR).All of Velikovsky's books are available on the used search engines, and it is generally only a matter of time before they become available again as reprints.Related works:-:- Pharaohs and Kings by David Rohl-:- Centuries of Darkness by Peter James-:- Murder of Tutankhamen by Bob Brier-:- Giving Goliath His Due by Neal Bierling (suffers from the author's reliance on the conventional pseudochronology, available online)

I wanted to write a review for worlds in collision but it was too full! However I have read this and it is equally worthy of praise, I studied Archaeology and I have no worries with his extrapolations. What interests me is that in my studies I see time and time again that historical evidence is often accurate and that myths are often rooted in reality. Today we box everything up into history or science or art but Velikovsky combines them eloquently, Why did the scientific establishment feel so abashed by his work that they threatened his intended publishers MacMillan, that they would leave the publishing house if they put him into print?

For more details on Velikovsky, check out: http://www.knowledge.co.uk/xxx/cat/velikovsky.htm