--- In cybalist@..., "Glen Gordon" <glengordon01@...> wrote:
>
> Torsten states:
[snip]
> >Speaking of the color red: Many civilizations used vermillion, a
> >deviously toxic mercury compound, for coloring things red,
including
> >themselves. The excavators at one Mayan pyramid had to take special
> >precautions not to get themselves poisoned. IMO this could very
well
> >be the reason for the demented behaviour and eventual decline of
the
> >Mayan kingdoms.
>
> Actually, I don't see this being the prevailing view. Demented
behaviour?
> Examples? If you're talking about bloodletting and the many feuding
between
> the citystates, this was part of their very ordered beliefs and
culture, no
> less ordered and clockwork than those of Christianity where
Catholics are
> known to kill Protestants and vice versa. Someone's not talking
like an
> objective anthropologist. Perhaps there are high levels of mercury
in
> Northern Ireland, eh? Does that mean that Canada has no traces of
mercury?
> Does that mean that the Canadian civilisation will remain forever?
Let's all
> come back down from the clouds.
>
> - gLeN
>
>
I thought you knew that when I open my mouth you won't hear the
prevailing view;-)
Some years ago, there was a lot of debate about the use of mercury in
dental amalgam and its possible toxic effects. So I became interested
in heavy metals and history and went to the library and did some
research (which makes me the expert here, ta-dah!)
1. According to analyses of Roman bones, the Roman had high level of
lead in their bodies. Cause: their use of <sapa>, a lead compound, to
sweeten their wine. Demented behavior: read Suetonius. Western Rome
fell to the Germanic tribes, who drink beer, and Eastern Rome fell to
Muslims, who don't drink at all. Neither drink wine.
2. National Geographic, some years back, did an excavation of
Columbus' first camp on Hispaniola. On one of the pictures you see a
broken bottle, filled with mercury. Columbus eventually behaved in
such a manner that he had to be taken home to Spain in chains.
3. Another picture in National Geographic: a diving expedition to a
Spanish galleon: broken clay containers of mercury. Mercury spilling
out on the sea bottom. Spain transported 150 tons of mercury each
year to the New World (from Spain and the Philippines). One broken
container and mercury would spill out in the ship sailing for months
in the tropics. Without a thorough clean-up (which they most likely
didn't do, there's no record of it) anybody sleeping below deck would
become brain-damaged, deranged and stark raving mad. As to the
behavior of the Spanish, I don't think I have to comment on that. The
mercury was used in the gold mines, mercury in a gold pan would
amalgamate the gold specks, and then mercury was gotten rid of by
heating to evaporation. Anybody's guess how that affected the
panners. This happened especially in Mexico, Colombia and Peru.
4. There was a massive mercury poisoning (eating treated seed grain)
in Iraq in 1971. Several hundred died. Several thousand were
hospitalized. As to those with only subclinical symptoms (personality
changes, irate and rigid behaviour etc), no further comment.
5. Shoko Asahara, the demented leader of the Aum cult (is it OK if
call him demented and not religious?) was born in a seaside town in
Japan 50 km from Minamata in 1956, at the time of the mercury
disaster.
6. The "first" emperor Chin, famous for his cruelty, was buried with
a landscape, in which the rivers were mercury.
Self-mutilation is self-destructive, no matter what religious belief
you put up to defend it. Please note that this is not a criticism of
your or anybody else's analysis of Mayan religious beliefs. All I'm
saying is that there is vermillion in Mayan graves, and that if Mayan
kings were at any time in contact with that they would engage in
aggressive and self-destructive behaviour.
Torsten