Email: drsrmdejonge@hotmail.com

December 21, 2009

A SWORD FOR AMERICA(Kirkburn, East Yorkshire, England, c.250 BC)

Dr. R.M. de Jonge ©, drsrmdejonge@hotmail.com

IntroductionIn his excellent book “Exploring the World of the Celts”, author Simon James writes (Ref.1, pg.100): “East Yorkshire in northeast England stands in stark contrast with the rest of the British Isles in that it has yielded literally thousands of Iron Age burials. Clustered together in cemeteries, these date mainly from the third to first centuries BC.” In 1987 a spectacular sword was found at an excavation in Kirkburn, near the town of Driffield (figs.1&2). It was made of iron, but the scabbard was bronze plated, polished, and engraved. It has a total length of 70cm (27.5 inches). Both sword and scabbard are covered with many pieces of scarlet ena-mel and glass (half beads). Crafted from over seventy separate components, each of these fi-nished to the highest standard, it turns out to be the most beautiful sword of Europe from this time period.

The cemeteries in East Yorkshire are located at 54°N (fig.4). This might be a holy latitude. Below and above the grip of the sword are five and four red beads, respectively, confirming this latitude. The Strait of Gibraltar, at the entry of the Mediterranean Sea, is situated at the complementary latitude, at 90-54= 36°N. In antiquity the use of complementary latitudes was very common (Ref.2). It may mark the sailing route towards Egypt, for a long time the great-est civilization on Earth. The graves are located near the east coast of England, and many ske-letons, including the one with the sword (figs.2,3), ‘look’ in easterly direction, both suppor-ting this idea.

The latitude of Gibraltar is also symbolic for the circumference of the planet Earth, having a length of 36 Moiras, or 360° (1 Egyptian Moira= 10 degrees of latitude). This huge circle a-long the equator is symbolic for Maat, the Egyptian goddess of law and order in the universe. It was associated with the Wheel of the Law (as literally illustrated in fig.3). With a sword she created the Realm of the Dead, and in the grave this sword lies behind the back of the (male) skeleton, in the west (fig.2). So, probably, the sword refers “to the west, to the other side of the waters (the Atlantic Ocean), to the land where the Sun sets (America).” After Death peop-le hoped to reach this paradise! (Refs.2-6)

Fig.1 The reconstructed Sword of Kirkburn, unearthed in 1987. The numbers of scarlet beads in the various groups tell the story of the discovery of America during the Old Kingdom of E-gypt. (Driffield, 54°N, East Yorkshire, England, c.250 BC) (Ref.1, Courtesy S. James)

Fig.2 Left: The grip of the Kirkburn Sword shows the discovery of America by the fifth king Menkaure of the Fourth Dynasty. (Courtesy S. James)Right: The NS-oriented, rectangular grave of the adult male of Kirkburn, interred with a joint of meat and the famous Sword. (Driffield, 54°N, East Yorkshire, c.250 BC) (Ref.1, Courtesy British Museum)

Egyptian Discovery of AmericaHowever, likewise it may refer to the first time that Egyptians encircled the planet Earth (Refs.7-12). So, the sword in East Yorkshire might deal with the discovery of America! Quite recently I wrote an article about this subject, using a European petroglyph of c.2300 BC (An-cient American magazine, Vol.12, No.76, Ref.8). Let us further explore this interesting idea. The main part of the golden-coloured scabbard contains six circular engravings, which may correspond to the six dynasties of the Old Kingdom (fig.1). It suggests that pharaohs of this early time period discovered America.

At the back side of the sword is a small iron loop (fig.1). Note its very low position! Accor-ding to Simon James (Ref.1, pg.112): “the sword must have tended to tip upside down when worn.” This is strange, but the reason of this feature should be understood. It appears we have to start paying attention to the lower part of the sword. This part points to the south. It con-tains a group of 2+1= 3 red beads, corresponding to the Nile Delta, at 30°N. It confirms the important role of Egypt in this culture, as already suggested above.

The front side of the sword has a total of 4+5+2+1= 12 red beads (fig.1), corresponding to Cape York in Queensland, Australia, at 12°S, 12 Moiras, or 120°, east of the Nile Delta, when measured along the equator. The position of this Cape is close to New Guinea. The red circu-lar chape at the bottom of the sword represents Australia, literally. The three beads of the lo-wer part encode the Third Dynasty. The two higher beads suggest the second king. The two

red beads at the back side, above the mysterious loop, confirm it. Thus, the second king Djo-ser (c.2753-2723 BC) of the Third Dynasty discovered the southern island of Australia. It ap-pears to be the first message of the Kirkburn Sword.

Above and below the grip of the sword are four and five red beads, respectively (fig.2), enco-ding the discovery of America by the fifth king Menkaure (Mycerinos, c.2580-2562 BC) of the Fourth Dynasty. The cemeteries are located four degrees above Cornwall, which is the south point of England, at 50°N, confirming it. He discovered the new continent via the south-ern Aleutian Islands at this latitude, but he also discovered the crossing of the Bering Strait, in the upper north. The front side of the sword has a total of 12 red beads (fig.1), encoding its la-titude, twelve degrees above Yorkshire, at 54+12= 66°N. (Refs.7-12)

Above and below the main part of the scabbard are five and two red beads, respectively, enco-ding the discovery of the Southern Crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by the second king Sahura (c.2510-2498 BC) of the Fifth Dynasty. For the first time he reached Cape São Roque (the Holy Rock), Brazil, at 5°S, after sailing, with the wind and the current, a distance of about 2 Moiras, or 20°. The back side of the sword has two red beads at the grip, encoding the disco-very of the return route from Newfoundland to the Azores by the same, second king. Starting with a sailing direction of 20°ESE, and after sailing, with the wind and the current, a distance of 2 Moiras, Sahura reached the two islands of the West Azores. So, this second king disco-vered two Crossings of the Atlantic. (Refs.13,14)

Down below the front side of the scabbard is a single red bead. When the sword is in vertical position, it points to British soil. It means, that Britain was involved in the next discovery. To-gether with the two other beads, it forms a group of three. These correspond with the Northern Crossing of the Ocean, from the Shetland Islands, via the south point of Greenland, to Cape Chidley, Canada, all three situated at the complementary latitude of the Nile Delta, at 90-30= 60°N. This third Crossing was discovered by the third Egyptian king Nefererkare (c.2498-2478 BC). (Refs.15-17)

The top of the sword has four red beads (figs.1&2), corresponding to the little island of Ber-muda, four degrees south of Gibraltar (but in the middle of the western Ocean), at 36-4= 32°N. The five beads below the grip show its discovery in the Fifth Dynasty. All other red beads together form a group of 4+2+2+1= 9 beads, encoding the nine islands of the Azores, and the discovery of the return route via Bermuda to these islands by the ninth king Unas (c.-2403-2370 BC).- Note, that this whole story is identical to the previous one in Ancient American magazine, mentioned above (Ref.8). However, this history of discovery dates from two millennia later (c.250 BC)! Note also, that the sword consists of three parts, which sym-bolize the continents of North America (top), South America (center), and Australia (bottom) (fig.1). (Refs.18-22)

DiscussionThe cemeteries of the so-called Arras culture (Ref.1) are located above the Humber River, in East Yorkshire, at the holy latitude of 54°N (fig.4). This is in honour of the fifth king Men-kaure of the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt, who discovered America at about this latitude. Each in-dividual grave, or gravemound, is surrounded by a characteristic square ditch (with sides of about 11m), which symbolizes America, discovered in the Fourth Dynasty (fig.3). It was con-sidered as the Realm of the Dead in the west. The burial itself symbolizes the 4+1= 5th king Menkaure, the substitute of the SunGod, who discovered this continent.

The four sides of the rectangular graves in figs.2 and 3 confirm the discovery of America in the Fourth Dynasty. The width/length ratio of the graves themselves equal 3/5, in honor of the 3rd king Nefererkare of the Fifth Dynasty, who discovered the Northern Crossing from the British Isles. The cemeteries date from the Iron Age (Ref.1), just before the Roman Conquest of Great Britain. It coincided with the start of Christianity, which ended the supremacy of the Egyptian civilization after three millennia.

Fig.3 NS-oriented grave with a dismantled vehicle, situated within a square ditch (at the left side above). (Wetwang Slack, 54°N, East Yorkshire, England, c.250 BC) (Ref.1, Courtesy British Museum)

Fig.4 The Sword was found in East Yorkshire, at 54°N. It is located due north of London, c.-2° above the capital (at c.52°N) (see both latitude-lines, Ref.23).

References1. James, S., Exploring the World of the Celts, Thames & Hudson, London, 2005 (ISBN 0-500-27998-5).2. De Jonge, R.M., and Wakefield, J.S., How the Sungod Reached America, c.2500 BC, A Guide to Megalithic Sites, MCS Inc., 2002 (ISBN 0-917054-19-9). Available: MCS Inc., Box 3392, Kirkland, Wa 98083, also on CD. Website: www.howthesungod.com3. Siliotti, A., Egypt, Temples, People and Gods, Bergamo, Italy, 1997.4. Kemp, B.J., Ancient Egypt, Anatomy of a Civilization, London, Routledge, 1991.5. Wallis Budge, E.A., Osiris and the Egyptian Resurrection, 2 Vol., Dover Pub., N.Y., 1973 (ISBN 0-486-22780-4).6. Tompkins, P., Secrets of the Great Pyramid, Harper & Row, London, 1971 (ISBN 0-06-090-631-6) (Dr. Stecchini).7. De Jonge, R.M., Website: www.slideshare.net/rmdejonge8. De Jonge, R.M., “The Discovery of Three Continents (Santo Stefano, North Sardinia, Italy, c. 2300 BC)”, Ancient American, Vol.12, No.76, pgs.28-29 (2007), Ref.7.

9. De Jonge, R.M., “Houghton’s Petroglyph (Copper Country, Michigan, 2500-1200 BC)”, Ref.7, to be published.10. De Jonge, R.M., “The Mystic Symbol, mark of the Michigan Mound Builders”, Ref.7, to be published.11. De Jonge, R.M., “The Discovery of America and the Flood (c.2300 BC, Ita Letra, Villar-rica, Paraguay)”, Ref.7, to be published.12. De Jonge, R.M., The Phaistos Disc Decoded, New Testimony of a Lost Civilization, Mid-western Epigraphic Journal, Vol.20, 111-115 (2006), and Vol.21, 74-80 (2007), to be published.13. Casson, L., Ships and Seafaring in Ancient Times, British Museum Press, 1994 (ISBN 0-7141-1735-8).14. Wachsmann, S., Seagoing Ships and Seamanship in the Bronze Age Levant, College Station, Texas, 1998.15. De Jonge, R.M., and Wakefield, J.S., “The Discovery of the Atlantic Islands”, Ancient American, Vol.13, No.81, pgs.18-25 (2008).16. De Jonge, R.M., and Wakefield, J.S., “Greenland, Bridge between the Old and New World, c.2500 BC”, Ancient American, Vol.11, No.67, pgs.12-20 (2006).17. De Jonge, R.M., and Wakefield, J.S., “A Nautical Center for Crossing the Ocean, Ameri-ca’s Stonehenge, New Hampshire, c.2200 BC”, Migration & Diffusion, Vol.4, No.15, pgs.60-100 (2003).18. Rydholm, C.F., Michigan Copper, The Untold Story, Winter Cabin Books, Marquette, 2006 (ISBN 0-9744679-2-8).19. Wakefield, J.S., and De Jonge, R.M., Rocks & Rows, Sailing Routes across the Atlantic and the Copper Trade, MCS Inc, 2010 (ISBN 0-917054-20-2). Available: MCS Inc, Box 3392, Kirkland, Wa USA 98033.20. Fell, B., America BC, Pocket Books, Simon & Schuster, 1994 (ISBN 0-671-67974-0).21. Bailey, J., Sailing to Paradise, Simon & Schuster, 1994 (ISBN 0-684-81297-5).22. Thompson, G., American Discovery, Misty Isles Press, Seattle, 1994 (ISBN 0-9612990-4-4).23. Grote Winkler Prins Encyclopedie, 7de druk, Elsevier, Amsterdam (1975). (Dutch)