Map of the world created in the year 3500 BC
In Tomb 100 of Hierakonpolis
Tomb 100 was excavated in 1902 in the ancient Egyptian city of Nekhen, located in the Upper Nile, called Hierakonpolis (city of falcons) in Greek and Al-Kom al-ahmar in Arabic. Tomb 100 is believed to date back to between 3500 and 3300 BC, an era commonly considered “pre-dynastic”.
While studying the image of an Egyptian panorama depicted in the large wall painting of Tomb 100 (1.50 m high and 4.50 m long) the scholar Leon “Flying Eagle” became convinced that the ancient work of art constituted actually the first geographical map of the entire world. Amazingly, this planisphere was drawn by the predynastic Egyptians over 5000 years ago.
Only fragments of the original wall painting remain, but detailed scientific studies of the tomb and the artwork it contains were fortunately conducted in the 1890s-1910s, and studies of this important site continue today. The mural in question was designed by FW Green of Cambridge, and published by the British School of Egyptian Archaeology, in 1902. The overwhelming similarities between the Tomb 100 mural and the outlines of a world map appear quickly, almost obviously. The regular darker blue color of the background highlights the contrast between the land and the sea. Continents, oceans, inland seas, and even large lakes, mud houses and streets are easy to identify.
The two authors of this study began calling the mural “World Map of the Earth Tribes” because they noticed the various civilizations marked on the map, which are represented by different boats.
This fascinating, and now controversial, work of art revolutionizes the ancient history of the world and sheds new light on the adventurous spirit and navigational ability of the ancient Egyptian sailors, who reached the farthest reaches of Mother-Gaia, and then recorded the flows of the great Ocean over 5000 years ago.
Fig. 1- The map of Tomb 100 shows an incredibly precise knowledge of the geography and bathymetry of the ancient world. The Mediterranean Sea is shown to be much shallower than it is today, which is consistent with the modern theory of global sea level rise. You see mud houses, with shallows and canals, around the Mediterranean Sea.
Note well the fact that the Mediterranean appears divided into two parts, corresponding to the pre-1200 BC situation, according to our studies on Atlantis (see figure below). Italy, Sicily and the territory of Atlantis separate the two western (connected to the Ocean via the Strait of Gibraltar) and eastern (internal sea, isolated) basins.
The human figures, boats, animals and structures of the mural, are early pictographs that will develop into well-known images, later in Dynastic Egypt. The depiction of a powerful hero or king, holding two lions by the throat, is the earliest known depiction of this famous symbol, which became a common symbol in Mesopotamia, 600 years later. Next to the Lion King is a depiction of a circle with five deer surrounding it. The wheel has been interpreted as a calendar, showing a year of five seasons, represented by the five deer. Perhaps the calendar was used as a cultural symbol, for example, as the Mayan calendar is often used today as a symbol of the Mayan civilization. The five deer may also represent a unification of five different tribes. Perhaps the circle indicated a city, a gathering place, or a large market, where the tribes gathered five times a year to exchange their products, animal skins, and other goods.
A high-prowed boat is the symbol of Egypt.
Ancient map of Egypt and the Red Sea.
Prominently positioned near the center of the mural is a dark-colored, high-prowed boat that stands out in contrast to the five white boats that surround it. The high-prowed boat is the symbol of Egypt. Egypt has a central location and the most important boat. Perhaps the boat actually symbolizes the Nile River, and honors the deities who keep the flow of its life-giving waters. The five white boats represent the other major nations in the world at that time.
Evidence of ancient horses in the Americas.
Antique map of North and South America.
The familiar contours of North and South America are unmistakable. It is surprising to see horses in South America, because horses were thought to have become extinct in North and South America, around 10,000 BC, only to be reintroduced by the Spanish conquest. The presence of horses has been debated on these images. Most people see horses, especially when confronted with a nearby image of what looks like a donkey tied to a rope. Some have speculated that it could be llamas.
A procession of sailing boats crosses the millennia, carrying a mysterious load of ancient knowledge.
Long centuries before Odysseus and the Argonauts, an ancient pre-Egyptian sailor set out on an epic journey, circumnavigating the world... over 5,000 years ago.
