I’ve been reading through another of my new books, the hot-off-the-presses title: The Genius of 
Ancient Man. I’m hoping to get some more ideas to add to my collection of posts because this topic is as big a thinking-changer as any.
So far, it seems that I’ve already at least touched on most of the types of things we find that tell us our earliest ancestors were the opposite of “primitive.” That’s encouraging, but I want to know more!
This new book does a great job discussing how carefully Jesus’ followers need to handle this topic. Ignoring our ancestor’s achievements is unwise, but much of their lives were focused on idolatry that we detest. I’ve had to deal with this as well, so my favorite posts have been the stone spheres and farming terraces where there was little or no sign of devil worship involved.
This time I ran into something really cool about the stone work of early civilizations. This article was published some years back in a paper that has no problem with smart ancients, but doesn’t believe in God either. I didn’t see anything worrisome on the page, so go ahead and check out the link if you like stone work:
Ancient Precision Stone Cutting by Laura Lee
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that although we can make a good case for the explanation this article presents, that doesn’t force it to be the truth. I once read a book that made a good case for the Last Czar’s daughter Anastasia having lived for many years after the fall of Russia. Just a few years ago we found her remains with the rest of the murdered family, so the book was proved wrong. It is equally possible to have another explanation for this rock cutting ability, but we know it must involve very high brain power!
Like others, this article points out just how high the quality of early stone work (in this case from Egypt) actually was. They were capable of carving hard granite to a smooth polish. This is not something that can be accurately done with stone chipping tools. I’m not going to cover all the likely tools the ancients would have needed to produce the stone work they left behind. You’ll have to read the article for that, but there was one point that blew my mind.
There is a good possibility the ancients knew how to use lasers. Well, not lasers like the pen you aren’t allowed to take to the movies, but focused sunlight. Here’s the evidence:
- We know the Egyptians, like the Incas long after, had the ability to polish granite to a high sheen in 3D
- As late as the time of the Spanish invasion, the Incas started the national fire each year with the rays of the sun intensified by a huge golden disk. The only picture I could find of a surviving disk is made of silver, but it gives you the right idea (scroll down to the 2nd row of photos)
- I’ve already mentionedmany ancient civilizations had these bowl-shaped disks that could have been used for astronomy. What was to stop them from using these disks to carve and polish rock with the rays of the sun?
- The Laura Lee article points out that both the Egyptians and Incas lived in places where sunshine was a predictable thing. They would have had ample opportunity to use it as a tool while they still remembered how.
We know that whatever technique these people used to do their incredible stone work was completely lost. Today we don’t have any tools in our museums that could remotely explain their quality of workmanship. But if the engineer’s ideas about using sunlight is accurate, we do have records of their tools having existed; they were cut in pieces and melted for their gold.
People have always been smart. They also completely rebelled against God. Without God’s help and protection there is nothing to stop our great-grandchildren from forever losing the technology we have slowly built up over the centuries as well. Let us trust and honor the Giver of life who never vanishes or abandons us!
I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength. Proverbs 12-14
For more info, check out the Christian site: Ooparts & Ancient High Technology page 19
