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Ancient Jewish Relic - What Was It's Original Intent?

Dryson

Dryson

Commodore
Commodore
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http://absolutehistory.com/a/anthro...-then-a-man-on-facebook-set-them-straight/11/

Sometimes known as the First Temple, Solomon’s Temple occupies a significant position in Jewish history. In fact, it is even held to have once housed the Ark of the Covenant. According to the Bible, the Ark was a gold-covered chest which held the stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments had been written.

I think that early humans knew that gold came from space and the reason why they used to create many religious items is simple.

"Do not let your hands or minds be idle with Earthbound contraptions and myths. Seek the source of life anew in space where you find your planets gold has come from. When you find the new planet of gold a reason to explore will become much more apparent."

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/10/the-making-of-cosmic-bling/543030/

Its also obvious that gold would not be centralized to Earth either based on the above article. Gold would be readily present on all rocky planets that were within the ejecta cone of influence shown in the image below. So not only Earth but many hundreds possibly thousands of planets will have gold on them with planets closer to the neutron star collision having more gold per volume then a planet further away from the collision would have.

Gold is one of the rare metals that is vital to a planets core being stable to produce a dynamic electromagnetic field capable of allowing life to exist on the planet.

http://www.spring8.or.jp/en/news_publications/press_release/2012/120123_2/

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Most gold in use generally doesn't come from space rocks - it's either mined or panned for. Of course, that gold was likely first delivered by space rocks and concentrated into veins by hydrothermal processes during mountain orogeny. I'm not seeing anything in the linked articles to support your proposition.
 
You... didn’t read the article you posted. The “ancient artifact” is modern, a piece of nothing “New Age” fake “protection from radiation” talisman.

But yeah, it’s been estimated that your average 1-km diameter near earth asteroid has a few trillion dollars’ worth of gold in it. Not that getting that much as once wouldn’t collapse the gold market or anything.
 
there's no mystic reason that ancient and modern people go ape over gold. Gold is shiny. Gold reacts with very little, so it tends to stay reasonably pure and golden. unlike iron which rusts, silver which tarnishishes or copper and bronze which develop patinas, you can go bury a gold ring in your backyard, dig it up in a couple of thousand years, dust it off and go wear it.
It's a soft metal, easily worked, easily smelted, and while rare, is easy to identify with primitive mining conditions. Once touchstones were developed, it could be checked to make sure it was real and not some counterfeit like iron pyrite, making it the first practical and measureable medium of exchange that didnt take up a lot of space (like furs or salt).

so in short: Shiny, available but rare. no space stuff needed.
 
Doom Shepherd said:
You... didn’t read the article you posted. The “ancient artifact” is modern, a piece of nothing “New Age” fake “protection from radiation” talisman.

But yeah, it’s been estimated that your average 1-km diameter near earth asteroid has a few trillion dollars’ worth of gold in it. Not that getting that much as once wouldn’t collapse the gold market or anything.
Click to expand...

Indeed, gold is more valuable per kg than silver and even palladium and platinum, for example, for example, because of its relative scarcity on the open market, the lustrous "sweat or tears of the sun" attractiveness to human eyes of its shiny colour and its industrial usefulness as a conductor of electricity. Dump enough of it on the market, however, and its price would plummet.

https://www.moneymetals.com/precious-metals-charts
https://articles.royalmintbullion.com/how-rare-are-precious-metals/

Personally, I would suggest having a punt on investing in Lithium, which was mostly made during the Big Bang. However, it is notoriously difficult to invest in Lithium as a commodity.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium#Occurrence
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ity-winner-you-cant-buy-russell-idUSKCN0Y406B
 
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2takesfrakes said:
Ha! When I first saw this thread's title, I thought that the Ark of the Covenant had been discovered! ... That would've been so damn cool!
Click to expand...


Now that really would be a thing.

Still on the fence as to whether the box actually does exist or not. If it does it must have been lost or destroyed.
 
The Bible describes the Ark of the Covenant in such detail - including use of materials - that, with enough resources, it could be reconstructed with great accuracy. So ... I've no doubt that it did, in fact, exist. According to the Second Book of Maccabees the prophet Jeremiah had a vision informing him to have the Ark sealed in a cave on Mount Nebo, in Jordon. Upon attempting to retrieve it, his Men couldn't locate the spot, so Jeremiah declared it God's will. Not all Judeo-Christian sects accept this book as what might be deemed "canon," but it would be awesome if the Ark were discovered there. And if it were discovered, whether in Jordon, or Ethiopia, or wherever else ... I shudder to think what effect it might have in the Middle East, with regards to zealot extremism.

It's probably best that the Ark's location remain a mystery. There's an Ethiopian shrine that claims to possess the Ark, but none but the highest clerics can eyeball it and outsiders aren't allowed to enter the shrine. There are also tales of the Templars having discovered and secreted it away ... everyone wants a piece of the Ark's legacy, apparently. Personally, I believe the Babylonians dismantled and/or repurposed the Ark, when the Assyrian empire made captives of Judah. Hopefully, with accompanying swirls of fire and brimstone and face melt associated with that ... as seen in the movie Raiders!
 
The thing with the Ark is it's not a large box so a faithful replica could be made. From the instructions in the Bible it wouldn't be that hard.

I remember watching some show I think it was "in search of" and they described a replica of the Ark being built but when the lid was put on it functioned like a capacitor and built up a huge electrical charge and could not be handled without shock. There have been several shows with this allegedly happening so not sure on all that.

It would be amazing if it was found but I think its existence borders on myth much like the stories in the Bible.
 
Supposedly, the Knights Templar took the Ark of the Covenant to Ethiopia and it's currently secreted in the Chapel of the Tablet in Aksum, where it's kept hidden from prying eyes.

Lots of things can behave like a capacitor, which is two conducting plates separated by a dielectric medium. If the Ark were covered in gold leaf, this external surface would be a good conductor. The Ark could store a charge if the frame was a bad conductor and the internal surface was also covered in gold leaf.

The ancients possibly knew more about using electricity that we realise. They might even have been able to electrogild objects - the alchemical belief in the transmutation of base metals into gold might have been a misdirected search for the lost technology. There was likely no deep understanding of the technology such as we have today, however.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baghdad_Battery

Electrochemistry in the modern era was invented by Luigi Brugnatelli in 1805.
 
Asbo Zaprudder said:
Supposedly, the Knights Templar took the Ark of the Covenant to Ethiopia and it's currently secreted in the Chapel of the Tablet in Aksum, where it's kept hidden from prying eyes.

Lots of things can behave like a capacitor, which is two conducting plates separated by a dielectric medium. If the Ark were covered in gold leaf, this external surface would be a good conductor. The Ark could store a charge if the frame was a bad conductor and the internal surface was also covered in gold leaf.
Click to expand...


That's correct I think it's a small church or something in Ethiopia where it is claimed the Ark is under lock and key.

You're right about the capacitor effect.

The Ark was a box covered in gold sheet made of wood with gold on the inside as well. The wood acts like a dialectric and once the lid is on boom instant capacitor. But then again the Ark story is a handed down story that's been translated and changed several times so there is just no way to say "its true" or not
 
I suspect the capacitative effect was more by accident than design - although perhaps the priests could make sparks fly between the seraphims' wings to impress the doubtful.
 
Tetragrammaton Invictus said:
I remember watching some show I think it was "in search of" and they described a replica of the Ark being built but when the lid was put on it functioned like a capacitor and built up a huge electrical charge and could not be handled without shock. There have been several shows with this allegedly happening so not sure on all that.
Click to expand...
I may very well be misremembering, but I think it was a page or so in von Däniken's Chariots of the Gods, and maybe a minute or two of screen time in the movie version.
 
Despite the original post in this thread, the conversation, itself, has proved most intriguing! Most intriguing, indeed ...
 
The 2nd level Mythbusters crew built a replica and deliberately electrified it. Adam was seriously pissed off with them when he was the “victim.”
 
Regardless of its electrical properties, the Ark was all-powerful as an iconic symbol. I know that sounds corny, but it's true. It's why the Jews took it with them to battle; it's why their enemies wanted it for themselves. Some part of my hopes that it does end up being discovered in my lifetime, because I know it would be very inspiring. Very reaffirming of my own faith, like the Tel Dan Stela, or even the Pilate stone, for that matter.
 
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