New Views over Megalithia

[macausland]

Perhaps a causeway above the water would take a much greater battering from the sea. Build something lower and it may last longer.

Tidal Venus pools must work because of the tide. Rather like a dry dock. Float in on the tide, close the gates and expel the water if necessary. Presumably the Venus pools would have to rely on the ability to float in on a high tide and remain there once the tide had dropped, unless I've got the wrong end of the stick.

The Mediterranean doesn't have tides in the oceanic sense but it was much lower in the past. We know that by the flooding of the Black Sea and also with the finds off the coast of Spain, Egypt and elsewhere. Large areas were flooded.

Cyprus has an importance if we accept that it was the main source of copper. The north eastern arm seems to point directly towards that huge oblong 'dock' type area in the corner as the land does a right angle south. On the google satellite photographs we can see long piers with ships tied up. If it's perfect harbour today I would imagine it would have served the same purpose thousands of years ago. With the lower level of the Med I would imagine that north eastern extension to Cyprus would have got very close to the mainland and provided every opportunity for a causeway.

[Chad]

Tidal Venus pools must work because of the tide. Rather like a dry dock. Float in on the tide, close the gates and expel the water if necessary. Presumably the Venus pools would have to rely on the ability to float in on a high tide and remain there once the tide had dropped

Pretty sure I proposed something like this on the AEL site (or maybe I thought about it, but didn't bother posting).

The argument against, is that the Channel Island Venus Pools are far too dangerous to approach, even at high tide.

[macausland]

That would create a problem.

But I came across a video about Chausey island on youtube and it mentioned that there was an earthquake in about 790AD which sank the surrounding land.

If that area sank, would it be possible that those areas not affected rose as a result of that sinking.


In which case it's possible that the Venus pools were more accessible before the earthquake?

[spiral]

The Venus pools are man made swimming pools.

[Mick Harper]

Since recreational swimming appears to have been a British invention of c 1780 this would mean the Venus Pools were constructed since then. There being no evidence of such, this would appear unlikely.

[spiral]

Since recreational swimming appears to have been a British invention of c 1780 this would mean the Venus Pools were constructed since then. There being no evidence of such, this would appear unlikely.

Folks have always swam. Like fishing and sailing it is a mighty useful skill, if you live by the sea or by a river. And where better to learn than in a safe Venus pool.

[macausland]

Scottish islanders were famous for never learning to swim. Their thought was that if they were shipwrecked it would be better to drown quickly than to struggle for a long time and then drown. Perhaps Channel islanders were made of sterner stuff?

[Mick Harper]

Folks have always swam. Like fishing and sailing it is a mighty useful skill, if you live by the sea or by a river. And where better to learn than in a safe Venus pool.

Folks have never swum. Unlike fishing and sailing it is not a mighty useful skill wherever you live. As Macausland nearly points out it was universally regarded as unlucky (tempting fate?) for sailors to learn to swim. And this was still true in, for example, the Royal Navy until hyper modern times.

But if, at sometime in the past, it was really thought that to learn to swim was the thing I doubt very much whether anyone would build enormously expensive Venus Pools in the remotest possible locations to achieve it. In any case they are out of one's depth at all points -- there is no shallow end -- hardly encouraging for beginners. Better for drowning miscreants I would have thought.

PS. Here's a pub quiz question -- and which might have wider resonance. Which is the only mammal that cannot swim? Answer: the adult human being (I believe babies can naturally swim but I will be guided on this point).

[spiral]

the earliest recording of swimming dates back to Stone Age paintings from around 7,000 years ago. Written references date from 2000 BC. Some of the earliest references to swimming include the Gilgamesh, the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Bible, Beowulf, Quran and other sagas

Swimming and diving are both useful.

[macausland]

The late Elaine Morgan wrote a book in which she argued that humans developed through living in the sea. Russians have a tradition of putting young babies into swimming pools where they swim instinctively, even under water. Other hairless animals like pigs and elephants can do it.

However, Robert Ballard has a couple of very interesting videos on youtube where he finds wrecks at the bottom of the Black Sea and the Med. There is a good discussion of ancient sailing techniques. He believes that the sailors made direct lines rather than hugging the coast. Which is why he finds so many ancient wrecks. Apparently there are over a million wrecks in the Black Sea alone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIun8FdqCE4

This video is called Ghosts of the Black Sea if the link doesn't work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHU8G6ic ... Oun8R3mdec

This one is Robert Ballard Exploring the oceans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHU8G6ic ... Oun8R3mdec

And this one is a talk he gave Exploring the ocean's hidden worlds.

To understand how sailors got from Cornwall to France or wherever it would be useful to know how ships and sailing work.

Imagine tying up to a jetty and forgetting that the tides go out? Knowledge of how the sea works is essential to successful navigation and survival.