<p>The oldest scriptures at the heart of every major religion make reference to a mysterious tree at the center of the world. Its fruits, guarded by an evil serpent, confer immortality. A nearby stream of water divides into four rivers flowing into the four cardinal directions. The vicinity of this tree is said to be the birthplace of the first human ancestors. This legend is the oldest, most widely dispersed, and most mysterious religious idea known to mankind. The Tree also appears with other symbols on artifacts found at the ancient city of Troy and on the oldest examples of Greek ceramic art. The decipherment of these Bronze Age symbols, described for the first time in this book, leads to the discovery of an archaic theme pervading much of world mythology. An understanding of this archetype, and of the natural phenomenon that inspired it, unlocks many of the mythological enigmas that for centuries have eluded interpretation.</p>

Tree of Life, Mythical Archetype

Arts & Photography

Gregory R. Haynes

History & Criticism

Symbolon Press

Before Schliemann began his archaeological investigations at Hissarlik in 1870, many scholars believed that Troy was a mere figment of Homer's imagination. The story of the Trojan War, as it was described in the Iliad and the Odyssey, lacked corroboration from reliable historical sources, and the ancient city's geographical position had never been determined. Excavating entirely at his own expense, Schliemann discovered multiple cities built one above the other after periodic destruction by earthquake, fire, or war. The golden treasure he found there dazzled the world and led to an understanding of the historical period now known as the Bronze Age. The present volume is Schliemann's own account of his discoveries at Troy, including a brief but fascinating autobiographical sketch. It also contains his reply to critics of his decision to deceive the Turkish authorities, smuggling his discoveries to safety in the west. He defends his actions on the grounds that these objects belong in museums, not in the black market of international antiquities-their probable fate had they remained in Turkey. Readers of this book may also be interested in Tree of Life, Mythical Archetype, by Gregory Haynes, also published by Symbolon Press. That volume contains a Foreword by Michael Witzel, PhD, Wales chair of Sanskrit at Harvard University. Haynes presents persuasive evidence that the symbols found by Schliemann at Troy represent elements of the ancient Tree of Life cult, which is known to have been worshipped widely in antiquity. This is a facsimile edition of the 1875 original. It excludes the tedious and now out-of-date preface by Philip Smith, but presents the entirety of Schliemann's text. Front cover: A stone relief from Argos depicting the goddess Hera. Terme Museum, Rome

Troy and Its Remains

Politics & Social Sciences

SCHLIEMANN, Heinrich

Anthropology

Originally published under the auspices of the United States National Museum (now the Smithsonian), this book is the most comprehensive scholarly study of the history and use of the ancient swastika symbol ever undertaken. Its author, Thomas Wilson, participated in the excavation of an Indian burial mound in Ohio where several large copper swastikas were discovered. This unusual find sparked Wilson's curiosity and led to the research that ultimately became this book. The swastika symbol occurs in Mesopotamia and India as early as 8000 years ago, and prolifically on artifacts unearthed at the site of ancient Troy. It also appears on hundreds of Greek ceramic objects of the Geometric period, dating between the tenth and seventh centuries BC. Its use by indigenous peoples along the Mississippi and Amazon Rivers before 300 AD has raised serious questions about a possible diffusion from Eurasia. How or when this may have occurred, however, has never been established, nor has the underlying significance of the swastika ever been fully understood. The front cover illustration is from the book "Tree of Life, Mythical Archetype" by Gregory Haynes, also published by Symbolon Press. Haynes was the first to observe that the four largest rivers on the four continents bordering the Atlantic Ocean (the Nile, Amazon, Mississippi, and Baltic) stand in relation to each other as do the outer arms of an enormous swastika. In "Tree of Life, Mythical Archetype" he persuasively argues that ancient navigators mapped these four rivers and derived the swastika from them. This is a facsimile edition of Wilson's 1896 report, which includes all of his writings on the subject of the swastika. The text quality is generally good, while the quality of the more than 450 illustrations is very good to excellent.

The Swastika: The Earliest Known Symbol, and Its Migrations

Wilson, Thomas

Children who lack regular contact with the natural world suffer in various ways ranging from nervousness, boredom, apathy, lack of purpose, lack of empathy, to passivity, and the list goes on. A growing number of children are being identified as suffering from NDD, the abreviation for "Nature Deficit Disorder," caused by an increasing estrangment from the great outdoors. Many people, both children and adults, have never experienced the healthy joy and satisfaction of rambling through the woods and becoming acquainted with the wild animals and plants that live there.  Just as it would be unthinkable to live life without learning the names of one's schoolmates or coworkers, so equally is it an impoverished existence that fails to gain familiarity with our fellow beings here on planet Earth. The birds, trees, insects, flowers, animals, and stars, each have their own special language reserved for those who take the time to know and love them. These are secret and ineffible languages of the heart: they are learned only through regular and frequent comunion with the natural world.  The Wildflowers of California by Mary Elizabeth Parsons, is just what the doctor ordered. Written in the folksy style of an enthusiast rather than in the dry, boring, and tedious language of a botanist, this book nevertheless provides us with all that is needed in the way of scientific names and plant families. These classifications serve the advanced student with a means to understand the interrelationships between the various tribes of the plant world.   These botanical names, however, are secondary. As the great horticulturist, Alan Chadwick, once said to a student who had faltered in the identification of a newly germinated seedling, "Dear child, the name is of no great importance; just please, tell me that you know it intimately."  The 150 illustrations in The Wildflowers of California, drawn by Margaret Warriner Buck, capture the distinctive character of each individual plant. The book also includes an identification key based on the colors of the flowers that will clear up any possible doubts about the names of the wildflowers. With an index of both common and botanical names, it is easy to find any particular plant. The Glossary defines all the scientific terms. We heartily recommend this book.

The Wild Flowers of California

Science & Math

Parsons, Mary Elizabeth

Biological Sciences

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