Cam Noren – air fakie
A recent excavation on the Mediterranean island of Santorini began with the hope of providing answers, but has left archeologists only with more questions. A team of Kazakhstani scientists studying the ancient ruins of the island, which was destroyed around 1500 BC following the eruption of the volcano Thera, were left scratching their heads after finding preserved prints that seem to depict the island’s inhabitants soaring through the skies.
“What we’ve found here is unprecedented,” said Alibek Karimov, the head of the excavation team. “Never before have we had such clear visual representations of this ancient culture and their customs.”
Cam Noren – 540
Karimov and his team, who were digging near the prehistoric ranch town Oia, were shocked when they came across the prints buried nearly 20 feet below the earth’s surface. According to local folklore, the excavation zone was situated on top of a supposed religious temple called “Horse Ramp,” a location that legend holds was a place where “horses grazed and men flew.”
Following hundreds of years of research, scholars agree that the citizens of Oia used the site in an attempt to “reach the gods.” Dwellers would participate in a ceremony that required them to propel themselves on wooden planks up the transitioned walls of the temple and into the heavens. Though many stories of the sacred ritual exist, only oral history of the events existed until the uncovering of the prints. Karimov said that his team is eager to share their findings with the global community.
Pat McKenna – invert
“My team’s discovery will no doubt change the foundations of our understanding of these ancient people and their religious practices. I’m sure that both archeological and historical communities will rejoice!”
At Karimov’s request, the prints were cleaned and sent to the Museum of Natural History in New York City, with photocopies of them distributed to publications all over the world. Despite the prints’ uncovering, Karimov says that he still has questions.
“What does the various airborne hand placement on the planks mean? What was the significance of the horses in this ritual? Why can’t we find the remains of the temple? I guess we need to keep digging.”
