The Archaeology Of Myth Part Two

A series of 10 lectures

Part 1.  Civilization Out Of Egypt:  The many ‘Mysteries of Ancient Egypt’ examined in great detail from the mysterious incomplete pharaoh lists & strange unidentified mummies, lost structures, heretic rulers & multiple gods, to the possibility of hydraulics, electricity, pyramid technology, lost arts & science, even airplanes !

Part 2.  The Celts:  What, where, & when ? A visual feast of Scythian / Celtic history & archaeology, their development from possible origins in the east, Turkey, & Southern Russia, Bronze Age migration, art, culture, industry, society, the very origins of Britain, legends, where did they go & where are they now ?

Part 3.  The Druids:  A look at all the actual surviving written sources for Druids in Classical times & our surviving knowledge of what they actually believed.  Greek, Roman, & Christian reactions to their encounters with Druids.  What do we really know from classical sources, archaeological sites, chance finds, more legends & beliefs, the Celtic Church, & what about the Druid Revival in recent years ?

Part 4.  King Arthur - The Book:  Based on best selling books ‘The Keys To Avalon’ and ‘Pendragon – The Search For The Real Arthur’, evidence is put forward to establish Arthur & his men in North Wales, Wirral, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Shropshire, Lancashire & Staffordshire.  This third presentation in the series looks at the details given by the oldest surviving literary sources, their use & implications.

Part 5.  Origins Of The Knights Templar:  The philosophies of the Middle East arrive in Medieval Europe.  Jerusalem & The Crusades, Warrior Monks, history of the orders, Hospitallers, Templars, Gothic Architecture, Templar Mysteries, Freemasons, the orders today, traditions kept alive for almost 600 years from the Vikings to the English Civil War.  Was it just the Church at war or much more than just mere Crusades ?

Part 6.  Witches In History:  Down the centuries the female contribution to British spirituality has often been undervalued yet in prehistoric times it appears man was the worshipper & the goddess the worshipped !  From the Venus figures of Europe, laws passed against them by Hebrews, Romans, & Saxons, to the ‘Burning Times’ of the Middle Ages, all the way to the ‘coming out’ of the 20th Century, plus the intriguing part the North West had to play in the current world-wide revival.

Part 7.  Wizards & Magical Signs:  Magicians & Secret Societies are enjoying something of a come-back but have they ever gone away ?  An eye-opening look at the rituals, signs & symbols, practices, & characters of such organizations as the Illuminati, Jesuits & The Holy Office, Rosicrucian’s, & much more.  We then take a look at Signs & Symbols, some popular images are in use every day but what are they, where do they come from, & what do they mean ?  Is the world just controlled by power & might or is it all a kind of magic ?

Part 8.  A Long History Of Science Fiction:  Science Fiction presented in ’13 Chapters’ from the first Medieval musings about reality, through the cartoons and fantasies of the Renaissance, to the Victorian obsession with things alien and scientific, & how this has propelled us into the 21st Century where it now exerts its powerful presence over everything we do.

Part 9.  A History Of UFO’s:  An over-view of the last few decades of strange sightings, unusual encounters, & generally weird images that often defy rational explanation.  Includes the USA release ‘European Roswell’ DVD & reveals new & previously un-seen UFO crash debris.  The truth is out there ?

Part 10.  A Return To Lost Treasures (Pre-Christmas Special):  Half a million years of North West regional history condensed into just two hours based on the fast moving popular ITV1 Granada / Sky History Channel television series of the same name written & presented by Mark Olly, your very own ‘Time Lord - The Man In Black’.  The best finds, stories, & adventures from 5 years filming the 22 episode series & beyond.