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Science Frontiers ONLINE No. 85: Jan-Feb 1993 |
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Europe's mystery people
The researches of R. Frank, a scholar at the University of Iowa, suggest that the Basques were far-advanced in navigational skills and other aspects of technology long before the rise of the Roman Empire. The Basques, she believes, are the last remnants of the megalith builders, who left behind dolmens, standing stones, and other rock structures all across Europe and perhaps even in eastern North America.
Two facts set the Basque peoples apart from the other Europeans who have dominated the continent the past 3,000 years: (1) The Basque language is distinctly different; and (2) The Basques have the highest recorded level of Rh-negative blood (roughly twice that of most Europeans), as well as substantially lower levels of Type B blood and a higher incidence of Type O blood.
Some probable technological feats of the Basques or their ancestors are:
- Stonehenge and similar megalithic structures oA unique system of measurement based on the number 7 instead of 10, 12, or 60
- Regular visits to North America long before Columbus to fish and to trade for beaver skins. Recently unearthed British customs records show large Basque imports of beaver pelts from 1380-1433.
- The invention of a sophisticated navigational device called an "abacus." (No relation to the common abacus.)
(Haddingham, Evan; "Europe's Mystery People," World Monitor, p. 34, September 1992. Cr. A. Rothovius.)