The Questing Conference 2001 Reviews

 

 

The Questing Conference 2001, the annual alternative history and forbidden archaeology conference organised by renowned author Andrew Collins, kicked off to a packed auditorium at its old home the Conway Hall in central London.

Now in its estimated 15th year, the conference is a well-established annual event attracting around 5 to 600 people to the day long series of lectures. Each year the subject matter is diverse but the speakers are mostly well respected in their fields, although some present lectures and ideas more controversial than others.

This year was no exception and with the addition of the Club Room the audience had the option to listen to some more way out theories and ideas. This room was run in parallel with the lectures in the main hall and was also used as an intimate way of having a question and answer session with some of the authors speaking in the main auditorium.

On the whole the lectures are presented by knowledgeable respected and well-researched authors and it is this that has given the conference it's long-standing and credibility. Hopefully some of the more alternative less prepared speakers presenting in the Club Room will not bring the conferences reputation down.

Opened as usual by Andy Collins but this year with a new streamlined haircut, he gave the expectant audience a brief overview of his recent research and the amazing follow-ups that have occurred after the publication of his book "Gateway to Atlantis". After this initial introduction the conference got underway.

Deciding to be brave we left the main auditorium and climbed the stairs to the Club Room. Thinking we were to be treated to a lecture on Egyptian statues in London I prepared myself for the talk as it was hopefully going to provide me with some information I could use for another project. Unfortunately this was not to be the case and we were presented with a lecture that really had no relevance to statues in London at all. After about 20 minutes I decided that I should leave as essentially all we were being shown were pictures of cats. Feeling rather awkward as I was sat close to the front in a small room directly opposite to the exit I tentatively made my way towards the door. By the time I had reached the exit I discovered around six other people were following me. This made me feel rather more relaxed at my decision to leave the lecture early.

Back in the main auditorium we were treated to a controversial lecture by Ian Lawton on the state of alternative history research. This was a most enjoyable lecture and one for which Ian wins of a prize of the best heckler. Although bound to cause friction in the minds of some authors Ian's arguments were well considered and well presented.

After a short break and Ian being escorted off the stage with a bodyguard, joke, Adrian Gilbert, co-author of "The Orion Mystery" described his discoveries detailed in his recent book "Signs In The Sky". This lecture was for us a surprise as we have not always been impressed with previous lectures given by Adrian however he more than surpassed himself this time.

After lunch David Elkington took to the stage, a lecture that I personally had been looking forward to since 1998. After hearing David speak at another conference in that year I have been waiting to hear him talk ever since. Discussing his recent book "In The Name Of The Gods" he explained his discoveries of the use and understanding of acoustics in the ancient world. This has always been of great interest to me as my background is in audio engineering. David presented a humorous lecture unfortunately some of the more interesting points he was unable to discuss due to a contract with a television company and a forthcoming documentary detailing his work. This clever piece of marketing even trapped me into buying a copy of his book, which however I have been meaning to purchase since its publication. I look forward to reading the book and discovering if some of the claims David made in the lecture do in fact hold water.

Following on from David were the ever controversial Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince. It was of their inclusion in this conference that caused Robert Temple to withdraw his lecture; the pair have never really been accepted since the publication of their book "The Stargate Conspiracy". However their lecture entitled "Hess: Double Standards" was delivered to a relatively packed auditorium.

As usual with these events the timetable was now running over and Laurence Gardner was one of the first lecturers to be really affected by this. Starting late he gave his exclusive lecture to a totally packed auditorium. This was an exclusive lecture to the Questing Conference and it certainly went down a storm, even if it did run over by almost half an hour.

After a well needed break Michael Carmichael, veteran of last year's conference, delivered a lecture supposedly on the origins of shamanism that has shaped our heritage and originated in Egypt. We listened to Michael's lecture last year and this year's lecture was we felt very similar to the previous one. However Michael is a very detailed speaker and his presentation was very well designed. If he could make his delivery as interesting as the content it would certainly help to liven up his lecture.

In conclusion The Questing Conference is always an excellent annual insight into the alternative history and archaeology scene. It is a good way to catch up on new developments but it is also an excellent way to decide which of the many books on offer may be worth the expense and read. The organisation of the event was as usual impeccable and the addition of the Club Room, if filled with better-prepared lectures, will certainly add variety to the day. It should be mentioned that conferences like this are by no means easygoing on the audience especially if, to get your monies worth, you sit and watch every lecture. Apart from being hard going on the brain it can also be hard going on the bum! However the Questing Conference has consistently proved to be a successful and worthwhile annual event and we look forward to Andy's offering for 2002.

Robert Speight

www.thenoiseroom.com

 

Ian Lawton - Alternative History Research: Time for a Radical Shake-up

review by Hannah Hardiman

Ian Lawton’s lecture began by covering the main schools of thought on alternative history, then moved on to the crisis that we currently have within this field, with suggestions on how they can be tackled. For hundreds of years, there has been speculation on the purpose of the pyramids at Giza. Both orthodox Egyptologists and alternative writers have attempted to answer questions such as how and why the pyramids were built. Over the years, views have drifted apart with a number of schools of thought emerging, but what has remained relatively constant throughout is the lack of respect given to Egyptologists by alternative historians. This is what provoked the backlash seen in the Horizon programme in 1999.

Of the many schools of thought, one has particularly caught the public’s imagination – archaeo-astronomy. This gives an appreciation of astronomical functions of sites, but it is not a dating method.Extraterrestrial impacts experienced over the ages would have changed the earth’s orientation slightly. Even minor impacts would alter alignments so that dating based upon them would become impossible. In "Keeper of Genesis", Hancock and Bauval worked on the alignments observed in the Great Pyramid. Their view was that the date for the construction of the pyramids was in line with the orthodox view, but argued that the ground plan had been laid out thousands of years earlier. This was highlighted by Ian as an example of where, even where there is agreement, some writers still want to cast doubt upon the Egyptologists’ views.

An earlier author, on whose views much of Hancock and Bauval’s work appears to be based, is Sitchin. His influential works over the past thirty years have shaped many writers and readers views on both the pyramids themselves and the archaeologists who have worked on them. Unfortunately most of the theories are based on purported forgeries by archaeologists.

Another theory on the Giza pyramids is that they are some sort of "Power Plant". However, this theory does not take account of the many other pyramids found away from the Giza plateau. The construction of the pyramids all over Egypt says more about the level of organisation present in the society than anything else. A number of writers have looked at mythology and linguistics to develop an understanding of the past. But the problem lies in the interpretation. When looking at the Epic of Creation, it is clear that it is a god that was dismembered and a part him made the world. It is not a planetary cataclysm as described by Sitchin. Descriptions of the Watchers, Nephilim and Fallen Angels do contain a degree of historical content. There seems to be evidence of the emergence of a race 100,000 years ago, who were wiped out around 13,000 BC.

Ian Lawton explained the need to publicly question theories that have caught the public imagination because they have great influence. Inconsistencies and weaknesses in the theories need to be given the same amount of coverage as the theories themselves. There is a growing need for alternative writers to research orthodox work before publishing their theories. In particular, writers should review the original source material rather than perpetuating the sometimes misguided ‘truths’ of other writers, e.g. Sitchin. Authors do not currently take part in any form of peer review process. In orthodox circles, authors’ work is published in academic journals for review. Ian obviously did not expect this view to be universally received, but was probably as surprised as the rest of us when the heckling began from one man, in the form of cries of "Rubbish!". In response to the question "why should it work here if it doesn’t work for them?" Ian acknowledged that the process was not perfect, but it was better than what is currently in place. This led us to the crisis in publishing. Book publishers are commercially driven, so even where work has been flawed, if they believe it will sell, they’ll publish anyway. But this lack of quality control has led to publishers dramatically slowing down the number of new titles that they take on – to the point where some writers have resorted to publishing work themselves. The publishers are to a certain extent unable to distinguish between a good and not-so-good book, so state other reasons for not publishing. Some have been known to refuse a new title because they say the theories contradict with other books in their portfolio. They have also said that after the millennium, public interest has gone into decline.

Amongst authors, there is confusion between open debate and personal attacks. Alternative writers feel free to debate issues with academia, but will not debate in-house. It seems that the bigger the name, the greater the reluctance to debate issues with peers. More information on this can be found on the "Giza - the Truth" website. In addition, the fear of expulsion from the ‘in-crowd’ has led to some authors supporting their colleagues’ theories even if they blatantly contradict with their own. Of course, readers could be left to read all the books available and make up their own minds. But most people simply don’t have the time to read and study the books fully, and most published work can appear very scholarly and persuasive. As a first step towards a peer review process, the "Group with No Name" has been set up, of which Ian Lawton is a member. Ten regular attendees meet once a month to have open discussions and a limited attempt at peer review. They don’t necessarily agree with all other members, but more importantly they don’t take the discussion personally. Ian believes that a more spiritual view is needed to understand ancient cultures. Stories tell of the karmic destruction of a forgotten race. Reincarnation is key here – the soul of modern man is more advanced than that of primitive man, and this now allows more advanced souls to walk the earth. However, we now face the same dilemma as the forgotten race.

Ian Lawton’s new book is called "Genesis Unveiled".

 

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