Rubber Olmec Balls


Cache of Rubber Balls found in Mexico.


http://science.howstuffworks.com/bearing3.htm

If this be true then I must say this...I know how the ancient Olmeca moved large stones and why the Maya always had causeways in their cities...It has to do with the Rubber Ball that was developed long ago in Mexico. Recently a large find in Mexico stated that Olmec artifacts were discovered and then under the discovery they stated that there were many rubber balls found for their Ball Game. I am sorry, every kid remembers putting their sports balls under a board or in a box and moved things around using the “ball-bearing” means of motivation or methodology to move heavy objects or themselves. I thought of this in a dream some time back but the new find supported the contention (see Archaeology Magazine on Olmecs 2007). I was the first to say something about this and I darn sure better get credit for it. www.enigmni.com..

I will expand on this later at my site and others. They used the hard rubber balls to move tons of stones all over Mexico...that is why they did not need the wheel...they had the better means. Where the rubber meets the road...an old Firestone ad. My Dad had a Firestone store in my youth.

This is a very important breakthrough in thinking. They use rubber balls to move everything around ancient Mexico form the Olmecs on to today. Hard Rubber Balls and three guys can move a mountain. All you need are about 20 to 30 rubber balls and a pitcher, feeder, and a mover or pusher to keep the load moving in the right direction. Then came the other inventions. The ancients loved the rubber ball so much, they invented a game that flourished all over Mexico.

This is a very important breakthrough in thinking. They use rubber balls to move everything around ancient Mexico form the Olmecs on to the Maya.

Strange as it may seem, i've read this theory before. I think it was on the graham hancock message board some time ago.

Yep, and If you would look, you would see Mr. Me. I posted it some time back but the readership is good here also.

That's certainly a plausible theory. I'm not too familiar with the history of rubber though. I didn't think rubber was man-made that far back in time.

That was my primary thought, before realising Rubber (latex) occurs naturally in the South American Para Rubber Tree. Just tap a tree with a sharp stake and the Latex will run, albeit slowly, out.

Indeed, It was back in the mid 1950s down at my Dad's Firestone Store that I saw this display sitting over some of dad's tires. It had the story of the ancient Olmeca's use of rubber for their ball game which was later adopted by the Maya. It does not take much mentality to see how things roll around better with some round river rocks underneath serving as ball bearings. Now wrap the stones in rubber and make them perfectly round...and you have a great concept. We did stuff like this when I was a kid with our baseballs. We moved heavy stuff all over the neighborhood with our balls being shepherded by about five or six of us little guys who picked up the balls in the back and threw them forward to be deposited under the big wooden boxes that we used to move things all over the 'hood. It came natural to us. No thinking. Expediency! We had paved streets so it was easy. The ancients had paved causeways. It is a no brainer.

Olmec...means rubber people.

It does make an intresting theory an i feel it would work mocing large stones. ive just googled these balls an found no pictures of them. ive been reading the giant olmec stone balls, i wonder if they had the same principle.
do we have proof of these rubber balls.

Yes, I think Archaeology Magazine ran a story of some cache of smaller balls found recently. It was in one of the 2007 issues. I have it somewhere around here but my wife keeps everything so clean that I cannot ever find what I just put down. It is probably filed away nicely.

Cool. when you find the pics, post them here, id like to see them

Here is a Meso-American rubber ball, (the small black one) the larger stone behind is used in the 'Hitting' of the playing ball. Also this example measures only 8 centimetres suggesting it was used for a Hand game.



source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoamerican_rubber_balls

I have had a number of relatives who are somewhat archaeological in their fields and some things just go over their heads when it comes to a creative concept. In Mexico, they do things as a matter of fact...not always about fertility and such. After all the Maya had easily over 1,000 cures for various sicknesses and such. Athlete's Foot was cured and not just treated. Honey was used for wounds and things. Why do we tend to make our ancestors dumber than us??? Living with nature is smart...like dancing with what brung us...

I have had a number of relatives who are somewhat archaeological in their fields and some things just go over their heads when it comes to a creative concept. In Mexico, they do things as a matter of fact...not always about fertility and such. After all the Maya had easily over 1,000 cures for various sicknesses and such. Athlete's Foot was cured and not just treated. Honey was used for wounds and things. Why do we tend to make our ancestors dumber than us??? Living with nature is smart...like dancing with what brung us...

I doubt this natural rubber could stand up to the stresses.

That is not to say that they couldn't have used stone spheres as "ball bearings," though.

Harte

if they were using rubber balls for moving stones etc, why arnt they finding many many rubber ball bearings/balls all over the place. of many diffrent sizes. diffrent size stones would mean diffrent size rubber balls needed. maybe im wrong im just trying to think in a logical way.

Well they are finding them in various places all over the sites but heretofore they did not understand what they were since they are corroded and worn down. None are in great condition but they are finding them. See Archaeology Magazine and look under Olmec.

Took your advice - don't see the evidence for "all over the sites."

Plenty of ballcourts - and balls associated with courts have been found.

Here's the link to a search of "Olmec" at Archaeology Magazine.

Care to point out to me what on Earth you're talking about?

Harte

I wouldn't hold your breath, not in anything less than novel length, anyway.

--Jaylemurph

Man moves huge blocks!

Harte,

I think you're slipping. Taken from Orion's previous post, rubber as a non-metallic substance, does not corrode.

cormac

Natural rubber may not /corrode/ as such, but it doesn't last very long. Certainly not very long in the putative conditions mentioned.

--Jaylemurph

it does not oxidize, but it sure corrodes:

Great video, thanks for posting it.

I wonder if in the distant future if people are going to look at what he did and then dismiss all of his work and give the credit to aliens...

1 to 5000, yes!

True enough, and I know what Orion was meaning. Was just ribbing Harte a bit as usually he'd be all over this technicality like white on rice.

cormac

Wally has a nice theory but how did ancient man get the blocks uphill using his technique? i think he has only part of the answer.
And no i don't think that aliens had anything to do with it

Mac,

Are you referring to this statement I made?


A poster had suggested that natural rubber balls could have been used as rollers, or ball-bearings, to facilitate moving megaliths.

The stresses I was talking about were the stresses of the use of natural rubber as rollers for megaliths, not the corrosion of natural rubber.

I maintain that natural rubber balls would be crushed into smears of former rubber balls in very short order if they were used this way.

This does not, however, preclude the idea that I might be slipping. Happens to the best of us!

Harte

No, from one of Orion's previous posts talking about the rubber balls.



I just thought you might be slipping since you didn't catch that. And yes, I know what he meant.

cormac

Dude,

That is not evidence of me "slipping." That's evidence that I don't read Orion's posts in full.

It's really a waste of time, you know.

Harte

Well The Silver Thong deserves the thanks for posting it on this thread first: link

...but even as much as I like some alien/fallen angel theories myself and their contribution to ancient technology I had to lol at your comment

Judging from what looks an awful lot like his plagiarism, not even Orion reads all of what Orion posts.

--Jaylemurph

Someone has an eternal stick up his mental irregular — Plagiarism does not exist with my communications. I have too much of my own work, to use others. I do read a lot though and have a grand library that I built over the years.

I do wonder about dogs that do not hunt, but always sniff about pointing their tails in other people's faces. Must be in dire need of attention and adulation. The ancients moved large stones on causeways using ball bering technology of rubber balls or latex-like wrappings of round river rocks which have been found all over their ancient lands. If American kids can roll their heavy objects around the neighborhoods using baseballs and etc., I am sure the ancient Olmec did the same. It is well known that Archaeologist say they did not know the principle of the wheel, (Ha, look at their toys) then they sure must have known about the ball bering because they did move those big heads to various places. Rolling, rolling rolling rawhide.

Cheers,
Orion

At least one point has been solved. lol.

I asked you before if you were "Enigmni" and you said "No." If you aren't, you're using a lot of his writing without attribution. That's the classic definition of plagiarism, whatever your over-blown prose suggests.

So, if you were lying then and you are Enigmni, excuse me. If you're lying now and you're not, I stand by my claim.

--Jaylemurph

Whatever. All here know I wrote Enigmni and perhaps some 1000 other papers on the net. Where have you been hunting. Perhaps we all need to read a little deeper.

Rubber balls are not used today to move anything. Who told you that? Your theory that rubber balls were used to move things during the Pre-Colombian Olmec or Aztec is not supported by any evidence.

All the rubber balls that your referring to especially those found in El Manatí, were associated with the ball game.
Yes, ancient Mesoamericans were the first people to invent rubber balls, sometime before 1600 BCE, and used them in a variety of roles. The Mesoamerican ballgame employed various sizes of solid rubber balls and balls were burned as offerings in temples, buried in votive deposits, and laid in sacred bogs and cenotes.

The causeways in the Yucatan were used for water distribution.

I didn't know...
Unsourced re-runs under pseudonyms suck. Maybe you need to cite sources a little more clearly. I get a sense that this is an attempt at self promotion rather than any real attempt at discussion. In particular because you don't answer any questions or respond to any posts that counter what you imply are your own theories or ideas.

I saw on tv about a Ball game (a deadly one too) played by the meso-americans.
I have read about it too.
I just looked it up in wikipedia and here it is

Source - Mesoamerican Ball game


another link to the deadly sport- Ball Game

Hide and watch. They utilized hard rounded river rocks, that were very black. Then they put rubber from the rubber plant (Latex) around the river rocks to approach a perfect roundness. Thes balls were used to move heavy objects about.

Orion

Rubber Plant ? Latex is tapped from tree's...

"All" here know...? Do you really think that highly of yourself? Good grief, get a grip.

Perhaps a straight answer next time might serve you better.

I love FB.

You are right young rabbit; but, I have paid my dues and have given much to others, have you? What I have tried to do is create forums of information for dialogue, while others sit in judgement and constantly supply retorts and cuts. It is a shame we cannot speak nicely to one another.

Cheers,
Orion

It may be out of turn, but I'm going to pipe up and say "Yes, almost certainly Fluffy has given more Orion here." I'd plonk down for a fireman over a 'professor' any day of the week.

--Jaylemurph

I may not have done anything so noble as creating a forum of information and dialogue; but we cant all be perfect. I have given more than you can imagine...up to and including risking my life for complete strangers during nine 24 hour shifts a month. After 2 knee surgeries, 2 back surgeries, multiple burns and broken bones resulting from helping people I will likely never see again, I think I can fairly say that I have paid my dues.

I only sit in judgment of people who come to the forum I belong to and treat people I care about as if they were all mindless idiots unless they fawn over your ideas. Don't talk to me about speaking nicely to one another until you read through your posts and see how condescending you have been towards the other members...

Dude this means your either a Fireman or a doctor my uncle was a fireman so heres to you man

Wow!... check out these weird prehistoric balls,,


http://www.hunterian.gla.ac.uk/collections...s/objects.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carved_Stone_Balls


Hundreds of carved stone spheres, roughly three inches in diameter, believed to date to around 2000 BC, have been found in Scotland. Some are carved with lines corresponding to the edges of regular polyhedra. Roughly half have 6 knobs---like the one at right above---but the others range from three to 160 knobs.

I agree. If you have done such, then you indeed have paid your dues. That being said, I have done a few things in my life (saved many lives — taught many livelihoods). I also deserve some respect from you. You try standing and delivering in the courts of humanity with evil steaming out of every mouth. I have always been fair and honest — a real boy scout so to speak. We all could use a little less pithiness. I suggest you look back and see who the initiator of this attitude might have been here. A clue: Looks like a dog.

Cheers,
Orion

From the first few posts here you have treated people poorly here. You have been rude and condescending and then wondered why people have acted in a rude fashion in response. Out of all of the people that I have seen come through here you have been the most pompous by far.



Respect is earned. You have not earned it from anyone at this point and you mistakenly think that you have. You will get respect when you have earned it, by acting like a civil, polite, person who drops the massive ego.

You have continually spouted an ever growing CV looking for respect here, when your ideas would have been more than enough to gain respect had you not been so pompous about it. Your attitude blew any chance at respect, not anyone here.

Had you treated people respectfully and not in such a condescending manner, people might have had respect for you. Unfortunately you treat people as if they are mental midgets at every turn and then wonder why they are rude to you...it is amazing.

Dear Bunny,

As an old educator, I know your game. Go back and reread your little evidence. I merely posted information for you to comment upon. Then the "dog" and Bunny came running around and sniffed up the information and pounced. Now you use informal fallacy and non-sequiturs to position me as the meany. Well, I was warned in PM after PM about you and several others here who go around and shoot at everyone you deem deserving of shooting down. I will not fall, I will post information that deserves comments and retorts but I will not accept that I have done you wrong. LOOK AT YOURSELF. I suggest you try dialogue and a little kindness rather than play games.

Cheers,
Orion