Hello. If you've been here in the past, you'll notice a radical change.
We used to present one theme here: all 88 of the constellations.

The Constellations are still here: see the table below.

Now included, for those select few of you who are interested in archaeology,
(specifically of the Near East and of Britain),
are several papers of mine written in the early- to mid-1980s,
papers which express various avenues of research.
I publish them here; otherwise they risk never seeing the light of day.

I am rather proud of these papers and believe they contribute to the British and
the Near Eastern cultural scene.

These papers are copyright 1985-1990 by the author.

The papers are all in pdf form and may be saved and reprinted for personal use.
Any other use requires the author's permission.

Seven papers by Richard Dibon-Smith

1. Neolithic Art and Ideology

The first of two papers which deal with the importance
of the ibex in the ancient world; its use is traced
from as far back as 20,000 BC to about 3000 BC.

2. The Ibex: History of a Near Eastern Time Symbol

This paper could be subtitled: "The Last Days of Gaia, Earth Goddess"
as it shows that the ibex was a symbol of Maternal rebirth and renewal,
until its demise and replacement by the Bull, symbol of power and Masculine Might.

3. The Horn in Antiquity

A general study of the relation between the horn and the moon in antiquity.

4. The Search for Megalithic Quanta

The proposition (once widely believed) that Neolithic Man in Britain
used a unit of measure—the Megalithic Yard—
to build his stone monuments is examined in detail.

5. Mineral Exploration and Fort Placement in Roman Britain

The only gold mine known to have been worked in Britain
by the Romans was in Wales.
I propose that they also mined gold in Scotland and
that the famous battle of Mons Graupius was fought over its mineral rights.

6. The Pictish Tattoo: Origins of a Myth

Historians to this day insist that the Pictish people of Scotland
tattooed themselves, citing 'historical tradition' as their reason.
I trace this whole notion from its beginnings to its conclusion
and discover along the way the writer who invented the myth.

7. The Stirrup as a Revolutionary Device

Several decades ago Lynn White Jr. was considered the expert
in the history of the stirrup, even contributing an article
in the Encyclopedia Britannica which bolstered his reputation.
His argument is meticulously discussed and shown to be seriously flawed.

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If you have any comments or useful criticism concerning any of the above papers,
right click on the envelope, copy the email address,
paste into your email app, then delete the obvious attempts to foil spammers.