Real History: Gunung Padang | Megalithic Pyramid in Prehistoric Java 22,000 BC | Megalithomania

 A nice close up look of Gunung Padang on the island of Java.

Real History: Kiribati Coconut Armour

Kiribati armor was designed to offer protection from the shark-toothed swords, spears, and daggers that rival warriors often carried. The suit was a set of overalls and sleeves which were woven from coconut fiber. On top of this, a coconut cuirass was worn. This cuirass was distinctive, in that it often came with a high backboard to protect from back attacks.

Kiribati Coconut Armor - Not as Nutty as it Sounds! 

Netflix: Ancient Apocalypse

Graham Hancock, the author of books such as Magicians of the Gods has a new Netflix series out called Ancient Apocalypse. In the first episode he visits Gunung Padang in Indonesia. It is possibly a 20,000 year old megalithic site. I first discovered the idea that a civilisation existed at the end of the last ice age through Graham's books and the inspiration for this setting comes from some of his speculations.

Whether he's right or not, it certainly fuels my imagination.

To promote the show he is back on the Joe Rogan show which you can listen to on Spotify.

Real History: New dates suggest Oceania's megafauna lived until 25,000 years ago, implying coexistence with people for 40,000 years

For most of Australia's human past sea levels were lower than they are today. Australia's mainland was connected to Papua New Guinea and Tasmania as part of a larger landmass called "Sahul". 

During the Ice Ages Sahul was home to a unique range of megafauna, which included giant marsupials, birds and reptiles. The extinction of megafauna in Sahul remains one of the most contested debates in Australian science.

Now, our new paper published in Archaeology in Oceania provides compelling evidence megafauna may have coexisted with people in the region longer than previously thought—and as recently as about 25,000 years ago. 

Read the rest here:

New dates suggest Oceania's megafauna lived until 25,000 years ago, implying coexistence with people for 40,000 years

Real History: Strange Animals From The Ancient Past

Nothing says Sword & Sorcery like strange looking animals from bygone eras. While we might be used to seeing dinosaurs that managed to survive to meet humans how about carnivorous horses, giant Amphibians and predatory flightless birds.

Check out these YouTube channels which provide loads of inspiration for Sword & Sorcery type beasts and monsters.

I learned from from one of these videos that there is evidence that humans in South and Central America hunted the Wikipedia: Gomphothere up to 11, 000 years ago.

And here's a clip from 10,000 BC. A cheesy movie but I do take some inspiration from it.

Real History: Virtual Angkor

I take a lot of inspiration from civilisations that seem to have developed 'low density tropical urbanism' like the Mayan and the Khmer civilisations.

The Virtual Angkor project is an educational site that was created to give people an idea of what 13th Century Angkor might have been like. This video gives you a little preview.

Orichalcum: The Magical Metals of Sundaland

According to Plato Orichalcum was abundant in Atlantis and second only to gold in value. But we don't know which metal it was.  Supposedly it was mined but others believe it was simply an alloy of copper, zinc, nickel and iron. Of course readers of this blog will know that Sundaland is a good candidate for the real Atlantis.

So is Orichalcum a simple alloy or a magical metal? If it's the latter what kind of properties does it have? Are there other magical metals in Sundaland?

Roll some d10s to discover the qualities of the magical metals of Sundaland.

Extraordinary Properties 1d10

1. Lighter than Aluminium

2. Stronger than Tungsten

3. More dense and heavy than Iridium

4. More elastic than Steel

5. Conducts electricity better than Silver

6. More beautiful than Gold

7.  More dazzling than Diamonds

8. More rust resistant than Stainless Steel

9. Can be polished to reflect light like a glass mirror

10. Sharper than a Diamond or Obsidian blade

Supernatural Properties 1d10

1. Can provide and/or store an electrical charge like a battery

2. Anti-gravitational

3. Glows in the dark

4. No known melting point

5. Can be shaped to amplify sound waves

6. Can be shaped to reflect light like a laser

7. Does not reflect light at all. It's darker than Vantablack 

8. Antimicrobial or healing properties

9. Magnifies or enhances brain waves and/or facilitates Psionic / Psychokinetic / Telepathic abilities.

10. Can not rust or corrode at all

Colour 1d12

1. Transparent

2. White

3. Yellow

4. Orange

5. Red

6. Brown

7. Olive

8. Green

9. Blue

10. Purple

11.  Black

12. Grey