Ancient Egyptians in Australia

Did the Ancient Egyptians visit Australia - 5,000 years ago - long before the Europeans did in the post-Columbus era? History is full of surprises so it could be ... but did they?

Arguments pro:

• There are valid Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs carved in Gosford on the west coast. With a cartouche with the birth name of pharaoh Khufu (2589–2566 BC). Discovered in the early 1900s
• Ancient Egyptians used tobacco and cocaine. They only grew in the continent which makes up modern America

Arguments contra:

• Number of hieroglyphs increased in time (after 1975)
• Carved in a disorganised manner
• Some hieroglyphs are carved backwards
• Some of the used shapes were invented 2,500 years later
• Less erosion than nearby 250-year-old Aboriginal petroglyphs
• Gosford is on the east coast and you'd expect them to land on the west coast

A possible explanation is that they were carved in 1920s by Australian soldiers who served in Egypt in WWI. Back then there was a widespread interest in ancient Egypt after the discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamun.

Sources: 1, 2 and 3

Cartas

Valentines day 2017. I love reading love letters.

I started reading - two weeks ago - António Lobo Antunes (1942) 'Mijn Winterkat mijn Lief. Brieven aan mijn vrouw' (2012). It's the Dutch translation of the war letters António wrote to his wife Maria José Xavier da Fonseca e Costa (1946-1999) while he stayed in Angola as a drafted soldier. Original title 'Cartas da Guerra. D'este viver aqui neste papel descripto' (2005).

Literally Illuminated in Gold

What a great way of living life is the Japanese 'kintsugi'! Embracing what is broken, flawed or imperfect. Not throw it away, not flee from it but simply ... repair it with gold. Accept change, sweet and sour as aspects of human life.