https://www.patreon.com/GnosticInformant Please Consider joining my Patreon to help finding scholars to bring on. Any amount helps me. Thank you existing Patrons. 2nd Channel: / @latenitegnosis Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NealSendlak1 Discord: https://discord.com/invite/uWBZkxd4UX SABAZIOS , a god of the Thracians and the Phrygians, is also known from Greek and Latin sources as Sabadios, Sauazios, Saazios, Sabos, Sebazios, Sabadius, and Sebadius. His name is related to the Macedonian word sauâdai, or saûdoi, meaning "satyrs" (Detschew, 1957, p. 427). According to some scholars (e.g., Lozovan, 1968), he was a Thracian mountain god whose cult was carried by Phrygian emigrants from Thrace to Anatolia. Greek sources from the fifth century bce onward mention Sabazios as a Thracian or Phrygian god. In Athens, his cult's initiation ceremonies took place by night, and the adepts were purified by being rubbed with mud. A sacramental drink was also involved. The identification of Sabazios with Dionysos, which occurs regularly in Hellenistic sources, is unquestionable. However, Phrygian inscriptions relate him to Zeus, and in North Africa, where his cult is attested as early as the fourth century bce, he might have had the features of a he

https://www.patreon.com/GnosticInformant Please Consider joining my Patreon to help finding scholars to bring on. Any amount helps me. Thank you existing Patrons. 2nd Channel: / @latenitegnosis Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NealSendlak1 Discord: https://discord.com/invite/uWBZkxd4UX Cooney is a UCLA professor of Egyptology and archaeology and already a bestselling author (“The Woman Who Would Be King,” 2014, and “When Women Ruled the World,” 2019). In her latest book, she admits that her fascination with ancient Egypt has soured — so much so that she now describes herself as a “recovering Egyptologist.” The uncritical admiration of the pharaohs that has continued to the present day, she writes, is a legacy of the ancient rulers’ efforts to manipulate how they were perceived, and has even served as a narrative and cultural foundation propping up modern authoritarianism. “How many of us have had deep obsessions with the ancient world — I just love Egyptian temples! I adore Greek mythology! — that are really symptoms of an ongoing addiction to male power that we just can’t kick?” Cooney writes. “The Good Kings: Absolute Power in Ancient Egypt and the Modern World,” published by National Geographic, draws direct parallels between the rulers of 3,00

https://www.patreon.com/GnosticInformant Please Consider joining my Patreon to help finding scholars to bring on. Any amount helps me. Thank you existing Patrons. 2nd Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@LateNiteGnosis Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NealSendlak1 Discord: https://discord.com/invite/uWBZkxd4UX The Mesha Stele, also known as the Moabite Stone, is a stele dated around 840 BCE containing a significant Canaanite inscription in the name of King Mesha of Moab (a kingdom located in modern Jordan). Mesha tells how Chemosh, the god of Moab, had been angry with his people and had allowed them to be subjugated to the Kingdom of Israel, but at length, Chemosh returned and assisted Mesha to throw off the yoke of Israel and restore the lands of Moab. Mesha also describes his many building projects. It is written in a variant of the Phoenician alphabet, closely related to the Paleo-Hebrew script. The stone was discovered intact by Frederick Augustus Klein, an Anglican missionary, at the site of ancient Dibon (now Dhiban, Jordan), in August 1868. A "squeeze" (a papier-mâché impression) had been obtained by a local Arab on behalf of Charles Simon Clermont-Ganneau, an archaeologist based in the French consulate in Jerusalem. The next year, the stele was smashed into several fragments by the Bani Hamida tribe, seen as an act of defiance against the Ottoman authorities who had pressured the Bedouins to hand over the stele so that it could be given to Germany. Clermont-Ganneau later managed to acquire the fragments and piece them together thanks to the impression made before the stele's destruction. The Mesha Stele, the first major epigraphic Canaanite inscription found in the region of Palestine, the longest Iron Age inscription ever found in the region, constitutes the major evidence for the Moabite language, and is a "corner-stone of Semitic epigraphy", and history.[7] The stele, whose story parallels, with some differences, an episode in the Bible's Books of Kings (2 Kings 3:4–28), provides invaluable information on the Moabite language and the political relationship between Moab and Israel at one moment in the 9th century BCE. It is the most extensive inscription ever recovered that refers to the kingdom of Israel (the "House of Omri"); it bears the earliest certain extrabiblical reference to the Israelite god Yahweh. It is also one of four known contemporary inscriptions containing the name of Israel, the ot

https://www.patreon.com/GnosticInformant Please Consider joining my Patreon to help finding scholars to bring on. Any amount helps me. Thank you existing Patrons. The ancient Pelasgians mentioned by the Greek poet Homer were a mysterious and enigmatic people who played a significant role in early Greek mythology and history. Homer described them as a prehistoric civilization, often associated with the region of Thessaly and the city of Argos. However, the exact origins and characteristics of the Pelasgians remain a subject of debate among historians and scholars. According to Homer, the Pelasgians were a people who lived in the time before the Trojan War and were associated with the construction of massive structures, such as the walls of Mycenae. They were considered skilled builders and were often depicted as a semi-divine or legendary group. Some ancient Greek writers even suggested that the Pelasgians were the original inhabitants of Greece, predating other Greek-speaking tribes. The historical reality of the Pelasgians is complex and elusive, as they appear in various ancient Greek texts with different interpretations. Some scholars argue that they were a distinct ethnic group, while others propose that the term "Pelasgians" was used to refer to various indigenous populations of the Aegean region. Ultimately, the true identity and nature of the Pelasgians remain shrouded in the mists of antiquity, leaving us with fragments of mythology and historical accounts that continue to intrigue and fascinate to this day. The proto-Indo-European ancestors of the Greeks in and around the Black Sea region are generally believed to be the people known as the Proto-Greeks or the Mycenaean Greeks. The Mycenaean civilization, which flourished from around the 16th to the 12th century BCE, is considered an important precursor to classical Greek civilization. The Mycenaeans were part of a broader group of Indo-European speakers who migrated into the Balkans and Anatolia during the Bronze Age. These migrations are often associated with the expansion of the Indo-European language family, which includes Greek as one of its branches. The exact origins of the Proto-Greeks are still a subject of ongoing research and debate among historians and linguists. The Mycenaeans established a powerful civilization centered around the southern part of mainland Greece, with major centers such as Mycenae, Pylos, and Tiryns. They were skilled warriors, traders, and builders, k

https://www.patreon.com/GnosticInformant Please Consider joining my Patreon to help finding scholars to bring on. Any amount helps me. Thank you existing Patrons. 2nd Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@LateNiteGnosis Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NealSendlak1 Discord: https://discord.com/invite/uWBZkxd4UX DYING AND RISING GODS . The category of dying and rising gods, once a major topic of scholarly investigation, must now be understood to have been largely a misnomer based on imaginative reconstructions and exceedingly late or highly ambiguous texts. As applied in the scholarly literature, "dying and rising gods" is a generic appellation for a group of male deities found in agrarian Mediterranean societies who serve as the focus of myths and rituals that allegedly narrate and annually represent their death and resurrection. Beyond this sufficient criterion, dying and rising deities were often held by scholars to have a number of cultic associations, sometimes thought to form a "pattern." They were young male figures of fertility; the drama of their lives was often associated with mother or virgin goddesses; in some areas, they were related to the institution of sacred kingship, often expressed through rituals of sacred marriage; there were dramatic reenactments of their life, death, and putative resurrection, often accompanied by a ritual identification of either the society or given individuals with their fate. The category of dying and rising gods, as well as the pattern of its mythic and ritual associations, received its earliest full formulation in the influential work of James G. Frazer The Golden Bough, especially in its two central volumes, The Dying God and Adonis, Attis, Osiris. Frazer offered two interpretations, one euhemerist, the other naturist. In the former, which focused on the figure of the dying god, it was held that a (sacred) king would be slain when his fertility waned. This practice, it was suggested, would be later mythologized, giving rise to a dying god. The naturist explanation, which covered the full cycle of dying and rising, held the deities to be personifications of the seasonal cycle of vegetation. The two interpretations were linked by the notion that death followed upon a loss of fertility, with a period of sterility being followed by one of rejuvenation, either in the transfer of the kingship to a successor or by the rebirth or resurrection of the deity. ESHMUN was a Phoenician healer god

https://www.patreon.com/GnosticInformant Please Consider joining my Patreon to help finding scholars to bring on. Any amount helps me. Thank you existing Patrons. 2nd Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@LateNiteGnosis Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NealSendlak1 Discord: https://discord.com/invite/uWBZkxd4UX A Venus figurine is any Upper Palaeolithic statuette portraying a woman, usually carved in the round. Most have been unearthed in Europe, but others have been found as far away as Siberia, and distributed across much of Eurasia. Most date from the Gravettian period (26,000–21,000 years ago). However, findings are not limited to this period; for example, the Venus of Hohle Fels dates back at least 35,000 years to the Aurignacian era, and the Venus of Monruz dates back about 11,000 years to the Magdalenian. Such figurines were carved from soft stone (such as steatite, calcite or limestone), bone or ivory, or formed of clay and fired. The latter are among the oldest ceramics known to historians. In total, over 200 such figurines are known; virtually all of modest size, between about 3 and 40 cm (1.2 and 15.7 in) in height. These figurines are recognised as some of the earliest works of prehistoric art. Most have wide hips and legs that taper to a point. Arms and feet are often absent, and the head is usually small and faceless. Various figurines exaggerate the abdomen, hips, breasts, thighs, or vulva, although many found examples do not reflect these typical characteristics. Depictions of hairstyles can be detailed, and especially in Siberian examples, clothing or tattoos may be indicated. The original cultural meaning and purpose of these artefacts is not known. It has frequently been suggested that they may have served a ritual or symbolic function. There are widely varying and speculative interpretations of their use or meaning: they have been seen as religious figures, an expression of health and fertility, grandmother goddesses, or as self-depictions by female artists. The Venus of Tan-Tan (supposedly, 500,000-300,000 BP) is an alleged artifact found in Morocco. It and its contemporary, the Venus of Berekhat Ram, have been claimed as the earliest representations of the human form. The Venus of Berekhat Ram (280,000-250,000 BP) is a pebble found at Berekhat Ram on the Golan Heights. The pebble was modified by early humans and is suggested to represent a female human figure. The object was excavated and first described by Naama Goren-Inbar

https://www.patreon.com/GnosticInformant Please Consider joining my Patreon to help finding scholars to bring on. Any amount helps me. Thank you existing Patrons. 2nd Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@LateNiteGnosis Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NealSendlak1 Discord: https://discord.com/invite/uWBZkxd4UX The Death of Heracles or the Apotheosis of Heracles. It is a mythological tale that recounts the final moments and the subsequent events after the death of the great Greek hero, Heracles (or Hercules in Roman mythology). In Greek mythology, Heracles was renowned for his incredible strength and numerous heroic feats. However, his life was not without tragedy. After completing his twelve labors, Heracles faced a series of misfortunes, including the accidental murder of his wife Megara and their children, which was caused by a fit of madness sent by the goddess Hera, who harbored a deep resentment towards him. As a form of penance and purification for the crime he had committed, Heracles sought guidance from the Oracle of Delphi. The oracle instructed him to serve his cousin Eurystheus, the king who had imposed the twelve labors upon him, for a period of twelve years as recompense for the murders. After fulfilling this requirement, Heracles would be rewarded with immortality and a place among the gods. Following the completion of his servitude, Heracles was eager to ascend to Mount Olympus and join the gods. However, he faced a final challenge orchestrated by Hera. The goddess sent a vengeful centaur named Nessus to wreak havoc on Heracles and his wife Deianeira. During their encounter, Heracles slew Nessus with arrows dipped in the venomous blood of the Hydra. However, the story takes an unusual turn regarding the fate of Heracles' body. As the flames continued to burn, his close friend Philoctetes and his son Hyllus (also known as Hyllas) were present at the pyre. Stricken with grief, they debated the appropriate course of action. Some versions of the myth claim that the gods themselves ordered the disciples to eat the remains of Heracles as a means of absorbing his divine essence and allowing his soul to ascend to Olympus. This act of consuming Heracles' flesh is known as the immolation or autochthonous banquet. It was believed to symbolize the assimilation of Heracles' divine power by his followers, thus allowing his spirit to be released and join the realm of the gods. The story of the death of Heracles and the subsequent cons

https://www.patreon.com/GnosticInformant Please Consider joining my Patreon to help finding scholars to bring on. Any amount helps me. Thank you existing Patrons. 2nd Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@LateNiteGnosis Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NealSendlak1 Discord: https://discord.com/invite/uWBZkxd4UX Proto-Indo-European mythology is the body of myths and deities associated with the Proto-Indo-Europeans, the hypothetical speakers of the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European language. Although the mythological motifs are not directly attested – since Proto-Indo-European speakers lived in preliterate societies – scholars of comparative mythology have reconstructed details from inherited similarities found among Indo-European languages, based on the assumption that parts of the Proto-Indo-Europeans' original belief systems survived in the daughter traditions. The Proto-Indo-European pantheon includes a number of securely reconstructed deities, since they are both cognates – linguistic siblings from a common origin – and associated with similar attributes and body of myths: such as *Dyḗws Ph₂tḗr, the daylight-sky god; his consort *Dʰéǵʰōm, the earth mother; his daughter *H₂éwsōs, the dawn goddess; his sons the Divine Twins; and *Seh₂ul, a solar goddess. Some deities, like the weather god *Perkʷunos or the herding-god *Péh₂usōn, are only attested in a limited number of traditions – Western (European) and Graeco-Aryan, respectively – and could therefore represent late additions that did not spread throughout the various Indo-European dialects. Some myths are also securely dated to Proto-Indo-European times, since they feature both linguistic and thematic evidence of an inherited motif: a story portraying a mythical figure associated with thunder and slaying a multi-headed serpent to release torrents of water that had previously been pent up; a creation myth involving two brothers, one of whom sacrifices the other in order to create the world; and probably the belief that the Otherworld was guarded by a watchdog and could only be reached by crossing a river. Various schools of thought exist regarding possible interpretations of the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European mythology. The main mythologies used in comparative reconstruction are Indo-Iranian, Baltic, Roman, and Norse, often supported with evidence from the Celtic, Greek, Slavic, Hittite, Armenian, Illyrian, and Albanian traditions as well. One of the earliest attested and thus one of the

Professor Steve Mason (Ph.D) https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/scholar/steve-mason/https://research.rug.nl/en/persons/steve-masonhttps://rug.academia.edu/SteveMasonhttps://www.thetorah.com/author/steve-mason Get his books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Steve-Mason/author/B01HVVIDJK?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true Steve Mason is Emeritus Professor of Ancient Mediterranean Cultures and Religions in the University of Groningen, in the Netherlands. His degrees are from Canada’s McMaster University (BA, MA) and University of St Michael’s College (PhD), with years of graduate study in Jerusalem and Tübingen, Germany. A fellow of the Royal Historical Society in the UK, Steve has published widely on Roman Judaea, the works of Josephus, historical method, and Christian origins. He leads an international project providing the first commentary to thirty Greek volumes by Flavius Josephus, along with a new translation, and has contributed three volumes to that project. His other books include Flavius Josephus on the Pharisees; Josephus and the New Testament; Josephus, Judaea, and Christian Origins; Orientation to the History of Roman Judaea; A History of the Jewish War, AD 66 - 74; and most recently, Jews and Christians in the Roman World — appearing this month from Brill Academic Publishers. Steve was born in Canada and grew up in Canada, Britain, and Australia. After first jobs in kitchens, factories, a mine mill, security, and counselling, Steve worked for the Memorial University of Newfoundland, Toronto’s York University, The Pennsylvania State University, The University of Aberdeen in Scotland, and The University of Groningen. He has been a guest professor with stays in Oxford, Princeton, Konstanz, Berlin, Paris, Trinity College Dublin, and Rome's Pontifical Biblical Institute. https://www.patreon.com/GnosticInformant Please Consider joining my Patreon to help finding scholars to bring on. Any amount helps me. Thank you existing Patrons. 2nd Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@gnosticinformanttv Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NealSendlak1 Discord: https://discord.com/invite/uWBZkxd4UX Steve Mason (B.A., M.A. McMaster, Ph.D. St. Michael’s) is Professor of History and Canada Research Chair in Greco-Roman Cultural Interaction at York University in Toronto. He edits the twelve-volume Flavius Josephus: Translation and Commentary (Brill, 2000-), and has contributed two of its volumes: Life of Jo

https://www.patreon.com/GnosticInformant Please Consider joining my Patreon to help finding scholars to bring on. Any amount helps me. Thank you existing Patrons. 2nd Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@LateNiteGnosis Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NealSendlak1 Discord: https://discord.com/invite/uWBZkxd4UX Most historians have suggested that Sumer was first permanently settled between c. 5500 – c. 3300 BC by a West Asian people who spoke the Sumerian language (pointing to the names of cities, rivers, basic occupations, etc., as evidence), a non-Semitic and non-Indo-European agglutinative language isolate. The Blau Monuments combine proto-cuneiform characters and illustrations of early Sumerians, Jemdet Nasr period, 3100–2700 BC. British Museum. Others have suggested that the Sumerians were a North African people who migrated from the Green Sahara into the Middle East and were responsible for the spread of farming in the Middle East. However, with evidence strongly suggesting the first farmers originated from the Fertile Crescent, this suggestion is often discarded. Although not specifically discussing Sumerians, Lazaridis et al. 2016 have suggested a partial North African origin for some pre-Semitic cultures of the Middle East, particularly Natufians, after testing the genomes of Natufian and Pre-Pottery Neolithic culture-bearers. Alternatively, a recent (2013) genetic analysis of four ancient Mesopotamian skeletal DNA samples suggests an association of the Sumerians with Indus Valley Civilisation, possibly as a result of ancient Indus–Mesopotamia relations. According to some data, the Sumerians are associated with the Hurrians and Urartians, and the Caucasus is considered their homeland. A prehistoric people who lived in the region before the Sumerians have been termed the "Proto-Euphrateans" or "Ubaidians", and are theorized to have evolved from the Samarra culture of northern Mesopotamia. The Ubaidians, though never mentioned by the Sumerians themselves, are assumed by modern-day scholars to have been the first civilizing force in Sumer. They drained the marshes for agriculture, developed trade, and established industries, including weaving, leatherwork, metalwork, masonry, and pottery. Enthroned Sumerian king of Ur, possibly Ur-Pabilsag, with attendants. Standard of Ur, c. 2600 BC. Some scholars contest the idea of a Proto-Euphratean language or one substrate language; they think the Sumerian language may originally ha

https://www.patreon.com/GnosticInformant Please Consider joining my Patreon to help finding scholars to bring on. Any amount helps me. Thank you existing Patrons. 2nd Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@LateNiteGnosis Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NealSendlak1 Discord: https://discord.com/invite/uWBZkxd4UX In Sumerian mythology, the Underworld was known as Kur, and it was ruled by the goddess Ereshkigal. The Babylonians also had a similar concept of the Underworld, which they called Irkalla. According to Sumerian mythology, the Underworld was a dark and gloomy place where the souls of the dead went after they passed away. The journey to the Underworld was perilous, and the souls had to navigate through seven gates, each guarded by a different deity. Once in the Underworld, the souls were judged by Ereshkigal and her consort, Nergal. The souls were then assigned to different levels of the Underworld based on their deeds in life. The worst offenders were sent to the lowest level, where they were subjected to eternal torment. The Babylonians had a similar concept of the Underworld, but their version was more complex. According to Babylonian mythology, the Underworld was divided into several levels, each with its own ruler. The souls of the dead had to pass through each level, facing different challenges and obstacles along the way. One of the most famous stories from Babylonian mythology is the tale of Ishtar's descent into the Underworld. Ishtar was the goddess of love and fertility, and she decided to visit the Underworld to rescue her lover, Tammuz. However, she was unable to pass through the gates of the Underworld, and she was forced to remove her clothing and jewelry as payment to the gatekeepers. The seven deities that guard each of the seven gates in the Underworld are named: 1) Neti, 2) Gedu, 3) Ennugi, 4) Ninkasi, 5) Ninimma, 6) Enbilulu, and 7) Dumuzid/SISTER. These deities were believed to have the power to judge the souls of the deceased and determine their fate in the afterlife. It was believed that those who were deemed worthy would be granted access to the afterlife, while those who were deemed unworthy would be condemned to eternal suffering. The purpose of each of the seven gates in the Underworld is to prevent the dead from escaping and to ensure that they are judged fairly before being allowed to enter the afterlife. Each gate is guarded by a different deity, and each deity has a specific role in the judgment process. The

https://www.patreon.com/GnosticInformant Please Consider joining my Patreon to help produce more content. Any amount helps me. Thank you existing Patrons. 2nd Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@LateNiteGnosis Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NealSendlak1 The oldest known god in written history is typically considered to be Anu, the sky god, worshiped by the Sumerians in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) around 4,000 BCE. Anu was part of the Sumerian pantheon and was later incorporated into the pantheon of other civilizations in the region, such as the Akkadians and Babylonians. Anu was believed to be the father of the gods and the ruler of the heavens. It's important to note that there may have been older gods or deities worshiped by prehistoric cultures that did not have written records. Archaeological evidence suggests that religious beliefs and practices existed long before the invention of writing. However, without written records, it is Anu & his daughter Ishtar, the morning star, who show up in the beginning. The oldest known tablet or inscription mentioning the god Anu comes from the ancient Sumerian city of Uruk and dates back to around 2500 BCE. This tablet, known as the Uruk King List, is a historical document that lists the kings of Uruk in chronological order. Among the names of the kings, there is a reference to Anu, indicating his prominence as a deity in that period. Additionally, Anu is mentioned in several other ancient Sumerian texts, such as hymns, prayers, and myths, which provide further insights into the role and significance of this god in Sumerian religious beliefs. These texts were written on clay tablets and have been discovered at various archaeological sites in Mesopotamia, including the cities of Nippur, Ur, and Eridu. It's worth noting that these inscriptions and tablets are the oldest known references to Anu specifically, but it is likely that the worship of Anu predates these written records, possibly by several centuries or more. Anu is considered the god of the heavens, and his name is often translated as "sky" or "firmament." Although the word AN is interchangable with the word logogram for the word GOD "diĝir", and it is theorized that the word AN, is cognate with the proto indo european root for the word ONE, which also is AN or EIN, showing ANU as a possible proto-Monad concept of "the ONE". Anu is the son of Anshar and Kishar, who are primordial deities assoc

https://www.patreon.com/GnosticInformant Please Consider joining my Patreon to help finding scholars to bring on. Any amount helps me. Thank you existing Patrons. 2nd Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@LateNiteGnosis Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NealSendlak1 Discord: https://discord.com/invite/uWBZkxd4UX Lucy, the discovery of this 3.2 million-year-old fossil skeleton was such a monumental breakthrough and what it meant for our understanding of human evolution. In 1974, a team of researchers led by the renowned paleoanthropologist Dr. Donald Johanson made a groundbreaking find in the Afar region of Hadar, Ethiopia. They unearthed an almost complete fossil skeleton belonging to an early human ancestor of our species, whom they affectionately named Lucy after the Beatles' song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." The oldest known religion in Ethiopia is a traditional belief system called "Ethiopian Traditional Religion" or "Ethiopian indigenous faith." This religious practice predates the arrival of Christianity and Islam in the region by thousands of years. It encompasses a wide range of spiritual beliefs and practices that have been passed down through generations and are deeply rooted in Ethiopian culture and heritage. Ethiopian Religion is characterized by its strong connection to nature, ancestral worship, and the belief in supernatural forces and spirits. It incorporates elements of animism, where various aspects of the natural world, such as rivers, mountains, and trees, are considered to possess spiritual essence and are revered accordingly. The practice of Ethiopian Traditional Religion involves rituals, ceremonies, and offerings to appease and seek blessings from ancestral spirits and deities. These rituals often take place in sacred sites, such as forests, mountains, or ancient stone structures known as "mazgabas." The Aksumite religion, also known as the Aksumite Polytheism, refers to the religious practices and beliefs of the Aksumite Empire, an ancient kingdom located in present-day Ethiopia and Eritrea. The primary deity of the Aksumite religion was the god Mahrem, also known as Astar, who was considered the supreme god and the protector of the Aksumite kingdom. Mahrem was associated with the sky, rain, and fertility. The Aksumite kings, who held significant religious and political authority, were believed to be direct descendants of Mahrem, solidifying their divine status and legitimacy.

https://www.patreon.com/GnosticInformant Please Consider joining my Patreon to help finding scholars to bring on. Any amount helps me. Thank you existing Patrons. 2nd Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@LateNiteGnosis Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NealSendlak1 Discord: https://discord.com/invite/uWBZkxd4UX The origins and ethnic identity of the Pelasgians are uncertain. Some ancient sources believe they were an indigenous people of Greece, while others suggest they might have migrated from different regions, including the Black Sea Regions, Anatolia or the Balkans. Their precise ethnicity and language remain unresolved, though a combination of Proto-Indo European and Native Mediterannean is the most likely. The earliest references to the Pelasgians can be found in ancient Greek literature, particularly in the works of Homer, Herodotus, and Thucydides. In the Iliad, there were Pelasgians on both sides of the Trojan War. WHen Homer explains who the Ancient Trojans were, Pelasgians are mentioned between the Hellespontine cities and Thrace. Homer calls their town or district "Larisa" and characterises it as fertile, and its inhabitants as celebrated for their spearsmanship. He records their chiefs as Hippothous and Pylaeus, sons of Lethus, son of Teutamides. The Iliad also refers to the camp at Greece, specifically at "Argos Pelasgikon", which is most likely to be the plain of Thessaly, and to "Pelasgic Zeus", living in and ruling over Dodona. According to Homer, Pelasgians were camping out on the shore together with the following tribes: "Towards the sea lie the Carians and the Paeonians, with curved bows, and the Leleges and Caucones, and the goodly Pelasgi." In the Odyssey, they appear among the inhabitants of Crete. Which would possibly equate them with the Minoans themselves, who invented Purple Dye and migrated east towards coastal Levant and conquered Egypt. Odysseus, affecting to be Cretan himself, instances Pelasgians among the tribes in the ninety cities of Crete, "language mixing with language side by side".Last on his list, Homer distinguishes them from other ethnicities on the island: "Cretans proper", Achaeans, Cydonians, Dorians, and "noble Pelasgians". A fragment from Hesiod, calls Dodona, identified by reference to "the oak", the "seat of Pelasgians", thus explaining why Homer, in referring to Zeus as he ruled over Dodona, did not style him

https://www.patreon.com/GnosticInformant Please Consider joining my Patreon to help finding scholars to bring on. Any amount helps me. Thank you existing Patrons. 2nd Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@LateNiteGnosis Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NealSendlak1 Discord: https://discord.com/invite/uWBZkxd4UX Cyprus has a long history, with evidence of human habitation dating back as far as the 10th millennium BC. These earliest inhabitants are believed to have been hunter-gatherers who crossed over to the island from the nearby regions of the Middle East. The first major wave of civilization in Cyprus was during the Neolithic period, around 7000-6000 BC, when farming communities began to develop. The Bronze Age, which started around 2500 BC, brought significant advancements in metallurgy and commerce. Cyprus has since been occupied by a series of different civilizations including the Mycenaean Greeks, Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, Arab caliphates, French Lusignan, Venetians, Ottoman Turks, and British. The Neolithic period on Cyprus, also known as the New Stone Age, is characterized by significant advancements in human technology and culture. It's believed to have started around 8200-7000 BC and lasted until about 3900 BC, spanning the Aceramic (without pottery) and Ceramic (with pottery) Neolithic periods. In the Aceramic Neolithic period (8200-5200 BC), Cyprus saw its first permanent human settlements. The inhabitants lived in round houses and survived mainly by hunting, gathering, and fishing. The Khirokitia culture is a well-known example of this period, with a well-preserved archaeological site that has provided a great deal of information about the early settlers' way of life. The Khirokitia people are known for their innovative architecture, including stone round houses, which were often partially buried in the ground for insulation. The Ceramic Neolithic period (ca. 4500-3900 BC) marked the introduction of pottery, more sophisticated tools, and the beginnings of agriculture. The Sotira culture is a significant group from this period. During this time, Cyprus had significant interactions with the surrounding regions, especially the Levantine coast, as evidenced by the commonality in certain types of pottery and other artifacts. Despite being an island, Cyprus had a rich Neolithic culture that closely mirrored the major developments happening on the mainland at the same time. The evidence of these ancient cultures provides inva

https://www.patreon.com/GnosticInformant Please Consider joining my Patreon to help finding scholars to bring on. Any amount helps me. Thank you existing Patrons. Dr. Joshua Bowen (Ph.d) & Megan Lewis (M.A) Assyriology www.youtube.com/digitalhammurabi Learn to Read Sumerian: https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Read-Ancient-Sumerian-Introduction/dp/1734358602 Despite their ancient origins, the Anunnaki have been subject to many contemporary reinterpretations, notably in various fringe theories and works of pseudo-history. These often involve extraterrestrial influences and other speculative concepts, but these ideas are not supported by mainstream scholarship or historical evidence. But more on that later as well. The mythology of the Anunnaki is complex and spans several ancient cultures, with the earliest accounts coming from the Sumerians. Their stories, like many ancient mythologies, attempt to explain the origin of the world, the nature of gods and humanity, and the laws that govern existence. In Sumerian mythology, the Anunnaki were initially viewed as celestial deities associated with various aspects of life and nature. However, the term Anunnaki gradually came to be associated more specifically with chthonic (underworld) deities. In Mesopotamian mythology, the term "Anunnaki" was used to refer to deities in general, but it was often specifically associated with the deities of the underworld, the realm of the dead. However, this does not necessarily imply a negative or punitive association. In many ancient cultures, the world was perceived as a multitiered structure, often divided into heavens, earth, and underworld. Gods and goddesses were assigned to different realms based on their roles and functions. The Anunnaki are depicted in various myths as judges in the underworld, ruling over the fate of the dead. For instance, the goddess Ereshkigal, the queen of the underworld, and Nergal, the god of death and plague, were both considered part of the Anunnaki. The reason why many of the Anunnaki were associated with the underworld is likely related to the Sumerians' beliefs about life, death, and the afterlife. The underworld, known as Kur or Irkalla, was considered a dreary, dark place where the spirits of the dead existed in a shadowy version of their earthly life, sustained by libations and offerings from the living. The Nephilim, as depicted in biblical traditions, are the offspring of the sons of gods (or fallen angels) and are descri

https://www.patreon.com/GnosticInformant Thank you existing Patrons. The Etruscans, who lived primarily in the region now known as Tuscany, emerged around the 8th century BCE. They had a significant impact on the early Roman civilization and were eventually absorbed by the Romans. There were also various Italic tribes, including the Latins, Sabines, and Samnites, who lived in the Italian peninsula from around the 2nd millennium BCE. The Latins were the tribe from which the Romans emerged. Starting from the 8th century BCE, the Greeks established colonies in southern Italy and Sicily, an area that was often referred to as Magna Graecia. Aeneas, a legendary figure of both Trojan and Roman mythology, is renowned as the son of the divine Aphrodite and mortal Anchises. A part of Troy's royal lineage and a kin of Hector, Aeneas was a distinguished defender of his city during the Trojan War, demonstrating martial prowess second only to Hector himself. Homer's work subtly hints at Aeneas' discontent with his secondary role, thereby giving rise to a later narrative that posits Aeneas as a conspirator in Troy's betrayal to the Greeks. However, a more prevalent version of his story portrays Aeneas as the helm of the Trojan survivors following the Greek conquest of Troy. Regardless of these divergent accounts, the common thread in all the narratives is the survival of Aeneas, enabling him to be woven into the fabric of Roman mythology. The connection of Homeric heroes to Italy and Sicily can be traced back to the 8th century BCE, coinciding with the era when Homer's epics are believed to have transitioned into written form. Greek colonies, established in Italy and Sicily during this period and the ensuing century, often claimed lineage from figures central to the Trojan War. Aeneas, in particular, was associated with various locales and dynasties, notably within the region of Latium. As the Roman Empire expanded throughout Italy and across the Mediterranean, Roman authors imbued with a sense of patriotism sought to craft a mythological tradition that would simultaneously infuse their land with historical grandeur and subdue an underlying resentment towards Greek cultural hegemony. Aeneas, in his role as a Trojan adversary of the Greeks, and with a post-war narrative open to interpretation, was uniquely suited to embody the mythical precursor to the inception of Roman supremacy. Composed circa 29-19 BCE, Virgil's Aeneid narrates across 12 bo

Kyle Smith (Ph.D) Kyle Smith is associate professor and director of the History of Religions program at the University of Toronto. An award-winning teacher, he is the author or co-author of five books about Christian saints and martyrs. His most recent book, Cult of the Dead: A Brief History of Christianity, tells the fascinating story of how the world's most widespread religion is steeped in the memory of its martyrs. Links: Twitter, Instagram & TikTok: @kylesmithTO https://www.kylesmithto.com/ The Book "Cult of the Dead: A brief history of Christianity https://www.ucpress.edu/book/97805203...https://www.patreon.com/GnosticInformant Please Consider joining my Patreon to help finding scholars to bring on. Any amount helps me. Thank you existing Patrons. Though it promises eternal life, Christianity was forged in death. Christianity is built upon the legacies of the apostles and martyrs who chose to die rather than renounce the name of their lord. In this innovative cultural history, Kyle Smith shows how a devotion to death has shaped Christianity for two thousand years. For centuries, Christians have cared for their saints, curating their deaths as examples of holiness. Martyrs’ stories, lurid legends of torture, have been told and retold, translated and rewritten. Martyrs’ bones are alive in

Professor Tony Burke: Ph. D. (1995-2001) University of Toronto, Centre for the Study of Religion https://www.tonyburke.ca/about/ New Testament Apocrypha 1st Edition: https://www.amazon.com/New-Testament-... New Testament Apocrypha 2nd Edition: https://www.amazon.com/New-Testament-... New Testament Apocrypha 3rd Edition:

https://www.patreon.com/GnosticInformant Please Consider joining my Patreon to help finding scholars to bring on. Any amount helps me. Thank you existing Patrons. John S. Kloppenborg is a specialist in Christian origins and second Temple Judaism, in particular the Jesus tradition (the canonical and non canonical gospels), and the social world of the early Jesus movement in Jewish Palestine and in the cities of the eastern Empire. He has written extensively on the Synoptic Sayings Gospel (Q) and the Synoptic Problem, and is currently writing on the parables of Jesus, the letter of James, and cultic, professional, and ethnic associations in the Graeco-Roman world. He is one of the general editors of the International Q Project and holds a five year SSHRC Insight Grant on Associative Practices in the Graeco-Roman World. https://www.tst.edu/directory/faculty... Professor John Kloppenborg: https://www.religion.utoronto.ca/peop... Get the Book Christ's Associations (Recommended):