NASA Report: UFO's in Classical Antiquity

[mister]

Interesting read; http://pubs.giss.nasa.gov/abs/st02710y.html

An article on the report; http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/703237-nasa-reports-on-credible-ufo-sightings-in-ancient-times/

Some interesting excerpts;

1. Chariots in the Sky Witnessed by Many

Historian Josephus wrote around 65 A.D. about a fantastical sighting over Judea: “On the 21st of the month Artemisium, there appeared a miraculous phenomenon, passing belief. Indeed, what I am about to relate would, I imagine, have been deemed a fable, were it not for the narratives of eyewitnesses and the subsequent calamities which deserved to be so signalized. For, before sunset throughout all parts of the country, chariots were seen in the air and armed battalions hurtling through the clouds and encompassing the cities.”

Josephus likely witnessed this event himself, said Stothers, though he bolstered his credibility by appealing to eyewitness accounts. The description does not seem to correspond to any natural phenomena, Strothers wrote.

2. Thousands of Roman Soldiers Witness UFO?

Plutarch wrote of a sighting witnessed by thousands. In 74 B.C., the Roman army was moving to engage the forces of King Mithridates VI in the area of modern-day Turkey.

“With no apparent change of weather, but all on a sudden, the sky burst asunder, and a huge, flame-like body was seen to fall between the two armies,” he wrote. “In shape, it was most like a wine-jar (pithoi), and in color, like molten silver. Both sides were astonished at the sight, and separated. This marvel, as they say, occurred in Phrygia, at a place called Otryae.”

Stothers pointed out that freshly fallen meteorites are black, not “molten silver” color, which suggests it was not a meteorite. Plutarch also made no mention of the impact.

Stothers wrote: “The object must have measured much more than a meter across, since it was easily resolved at a distance greater than half the range of a bowshot. If it had remained on the ground, a meteorite of such size would doubtless have become a cult object in Phrygia, with its long tradition of meteorite worship, yet later historical records referring to Phrygian meteorites are silent about it.”

Nonetheless, there is a chance the UFO was a bolide, a bright meteor that often explodes.

3. Sightings During the Second Punic War in Rome

Hannibal crossing the Alps during the Second Punic War (218-202 BC). Engraved by J.Cousen, published 1862. (Shutterstock)

Many sightings were recorded during and following the Second Punic War (218–201 B.C.) in Livy’s prodigy lists. The lists were derived from the Annales Maximi, published by the Pontifex Maximus of Rome. This source is considered trustworthy and accurate, explained Stothers, because of the time-consuming and thorough procedure required by Roman authorities to investigate claims before they would be recorded.

In Rome, in the winter of 218 B.C., “A spectacle of ships (navium) gleamed in the sky.”

In 217 B.C., “at Arpi, round shields (parmas) were seen in the sky.”

In 173 B.C., “at Lanuvium a spectacle of a great fleet was said to have been seen in the sky.”

It is not likely that suggestive cloud formations would have been mistaken for UFOs, Strother said, since these formations had long been understood and were familiar features. These sightings are also not likely a mock sun, because mock suns are routinely described as “double suns” or “triple suns.”

4. ‘Angel Hair’ Glassy Fibers

Image of a cobweb, perhaps similar to the gossamer substance said to be left in the wake of UFOs. (Shutterstock)

In modern UFO reports, it is common to hear about either glassy fibers or a chalky substance left behind by the UFO, known as angel hair. Ancient reports also include angel hair.

In 196 A.D., the historian Cassius Dio wrote: “A fine rain resembling silver descended froma clear sky upon the Forum of Augustus. I did not, it is true, see it as it was falling, but noticed it after it had fallen, and by means of it I plated some bronze coins with silver; they retained the same appearance for three days, but by the fourth day all the substance rubbed on them had disappeared.”

Two other “rains of chalk” were reported in Cales 214 B.C. and in Rome 98 B.C.

5. UFO Inhabited

Pope Pius I’s brother was probably the only witness of this UFO sighting near Via Campana, Italy, around 150 A.D.: “On a sunny day, a ‘beast’ like a piece of pottery (ceramos) about 100 feet in size, multicolored on top and shooting out fiery rays, landed in a dust cloud accompanied by a ‘maiden’ clad in white.”

Stothers concluded “This collection of what might be termed ancient UFO reports has been culled from a much larger number of reports of aerial objects, most of whose identifications with known phenomena are either certain or at least probable. Embedded in the mass of relatively explicable ancient reports, however, is a small set of unexplained (or at least not wholly explained) reports from presumably credible witnesses.”

[Sweetpumper]

And of course none of them got any pics.

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

The thing about Joesphus, the first thing we should all remember about him is ... he lies. We have "Joesphus' record" and we have "historical record" and sometimes, many times, they match. But sometimes they don't. So "he said X" should be taken with a wee small grain of salt.

[mister]

@Sweetpumper, same way we don't have pics of the sack of Rome.

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

@Sweetpumper, same way we don't have pics of the sack of Rome.

He was being facetious.

[mister]

@Sir Wearer of Hats, do you mean he outright lied, or made mistakes? And if he did lie, were his lies politically/culturally motivated?

[CuriousRey]

And of course none of them got any pics.

Could have easily painted something really quick though.

[Sweetpumper]

Could have easily painted something really quick though.

They did, but they're all blurry.

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

@Sir Wearer of Hats, do you mean he outright lied, or made mistakes? And if he did lie, were his lies politically/culturally motivated?

Well that's just it, we can't know his motivation other then "what he wrote and what we know of classical antiquity don't always match", but given the era and the things he was "off base" over, I personally suspect a political motive.

[mister]

I know ancient historians lied for political reasons. Mostly out of fear of upsetting people especially the rulers. But I just don't see a motive for Josephus to lie about this one.

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

I know ancient historians lied for political reasons. Mostly out of fear of upsetting people especially the rulers. But I just don't see a motive for Josephus to lie about this one.

He was a Jew living in Roman Occupied lands, saying "we saw things JUST LIKE THAT IN THE TORAH" could serve to reinforce the cultural "rightness" of Isrealites.

Rmeember, the things in the Torah were messengers from Y-H-W-H, so to say "He's still sending his messegners, don't lose the faith!" would be culturally beneficial.

[mister]

He was a Jew living in Roman Occupied lands, saying "we saw things JUST LIKE THAT IN THE TORAH" could serve to reinforce the cultural "rightness" of Isrealites.

Rmeember, the things in the Torah were messengers from Y-H-W-H, so to say "He's still sending his messegners, don't lose the faith!" would be culturally beneficial.

Could be. I would have to read this Josephus quote in full context. But when I say motivation I am referring to self-preservation or self-gain, which are the main incentives for historians to lie. The reason your proposing is cultural, which is a much weaker motive. But possible.

[Hawken]

And of course none of them got any pics.

And if they did then they would be photoshoped.

[Davros of Skaro]

Here's the entire paragraph from Josephus.Read it in entirety and judge for yourself and keep in mind he talks about God opening a huge bolted Iron Door too.

3. Thus were the miserable people persuaded by these deceivers, and such as belied God himself; while they did not attend nor give credit to the signs that were so evident, and did so plainly foretell their future desolation, but, like men infatuated, without either eyes to see or minds to consider, did not regard the denunciations that God made to them. Thus there was a star (20) resembling a sword, which stood over the city, and a comet, that continued a whole year. Thus also before the Jews' rebellion, and before those commotions which preceded the war, when the people were come in great crowds to the feast of unleavened bread, on the eighth day of the month Xanthicus, (21) [Nisan,] and at the ninth hour of the night, so great a light shone round the altar and the holy house, that it appeared to be bright day time; which lasted for half an hour. This light seemed to be a good sign to the unskillful, but was so interpreted by the sacred scribes, as to portend those events that followed immediately upon it. At the same festival also, a heifer, as she was led by the high priest to be sacrificed, brought forth a lamb in the midst of the temple. Moreover, the eastern gate of the inner (22) [court of the] temple, which was of brass, and vastly heavy, and had been with difficulty shut by twenty men, and rested upon a basis armed with iron, and had bolts fastened very deep into the firm floor, which was there made of one entire stone, was seen to be opened of its own accord about the sixth hour of the night. Now those that kept watch in the temple came hereupon running to the captain of the temple, and told him of it; who then came up thither, and not without great difficulty was able to shut the gate again. This also appeared to the vulgar to be a very happy prodigy, as if God did thereby open them the gate of happiness. But the men of learning understood it, that the security of their holy house was dissolved of its own accord, and that the gate was opened for the advantage of their enemies. So these publicly declared that the signal foreshowed the desolation that was coming upon them. Besides these, a few days after that feast, on the one and twentieth day of the month Artemisius, [Jyar,] a certain prodigious and incredible phenomenon appeared: I suppose the account of it would seem to be a fable, were it not related by those that saw it, and were not the events that followed it of so considerable a nature as to deserve such signals; for, before sun-setting, chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor were seen running about among the clouds, and surrounding of cities. Moreover, at that feast which we call Pentecost, as the priests were going by night into the inner [court of the temple,] as their custom was, to perform their sacred ministrations, they said that, in the first place, they felt a quaking, and heard a great noise, and after that they heard a sound as of a great multitude, saying, "Let us remove hence." But, what is still more terrible, there was one Jesus, the son of Ananus, a plebeian and a husbandman, who, four years before the war began, and at a time when the city was in very great peace and prosperity, came to that feast whereon it is our custom for every one to make tabernacles to God in the temple, (23) began on a sudden to cry aloud, "A voice from the east, a voice from the west, a voice from the four winds, a voice against Jerusalem and the holy house, a voice against the bridegrooms and the brides, and a voice against this whole people!" This was his cry, as he went about by day and by night, in all the lanes of the city. However, certain of the most eminent among the populace had great indignation at this dire cry of his, and took up the man, and gave him a great number of severe stripes; yet did not he either say any thing for himself, or any thing peculiar to those that chastised him, but still went on with the same words which he cried before. Hereupon our rulers, supposing, as the case proved to be, that this was a sort of divine fury in the man, brought him to the Roman procurator, where he was whipped till his bones were laid bare; yet he did not make any supplication for himself, nor shed any tears, but turning his voice to the most lamentable tone possible, at every stroke of the whip his answer was, "Woe, woe to Jerusalem!" And when Albinus (for he was then our procurator) asked him, Who he was? and whence he came? and why he uttered such words? he made no manner of reply to what he said, but still did not leave off his melancholy ditty, till Albinus took him to be a madman, and dismissed him. Now, during all the time that passed before the war began, this man did not go near any of the citizens, nor was seen by them while he said so; but he every day uttered these lamentable words, as if it were his premeditated vow, "Woe, woe to Jerusalem!" Nor did he give ill words to any of those that beat him every day, nor good words to those that gave him food; but this was his reply to all men, and indeed no other than a melancholy presage of what was to come. This cry of his was the loudest at the festivals; and he continued this ditty for seven years and five months, without growing hoarse, or being tired therewith, until the very time that he saw his presage in earnest fulfilled in our siege, when it ceased; for as he was going round upon the wall, he cried out with his utmost force, "Woe, woe to the city again, and to the people, and to the holy house!" And just as he added at the last, "Woe, woe to myself also!" there came a stone out of one of the engines, and smote him, and killed him immediately; and as he was uttering the very same presages he gave up the ghost.

Jewish Wars Book 6 chapter 5 part 3

http://sacred-texts.com/jud/josephus/war-6.htm

[Davros of Skaro]

And if they did then they would be photoshoped.

No Blacksmith or Stonemason shopped.

[Kurzweil]

Not to take away anything that is the greatness of this thread but it reminds me of the time I went to a Billy Idol concert. I remember thinking to myself "what the hell am I doing here".