Imagine my Schoch

This is Robert Schoch's first book, “Voices of the Rocks”, published in 1998. Schoch had shocked the scholarly world a few years previously, claiming that the Sphinx at Giza is thousands of years older than the pyramids. Being a geologist by trade, Schoch had reached his heretical conclusion after actually analyzing the weathering of the Sphinx and its enclosure. Egyptologists were not amused, especially not since Schoch had carried out his study at the suggestion of John Anthony West, a so-called “pyramidiot” (a lone enthusiast making wild claims about the pyramids and Egypt). More seriously, people in Egypt had hardly left the hunting and gathering stage of human prehistory at the time Schoch claimed that the Sphinx was carved. An early Sphinx (sans pyramide) lacks archaeological context, and for that reason virtually all Egyptologists cling to the traditional date. (Egyptologically inclined geologists claims to have demonstrated that the weathering of the Sphinx, while anomalous, is nevertheless consistent with the commonly accepted date.)

“Voices of the Rocks” is Schoch's attempt to demonstrate that Stone Age civilization was sufficiently advanced for somebody to actually carve a large sphinx out of the Giza rocks. Among the tantalizing clues offered are Göbekli Tepe, Catal Hüyük, Nabta Playa and Plato's legend of Atlantis. Schoch clearly believes in “the Lost Civilization”, although it's not entirely clear from his account exactly how advanced he believes this civilization to be. Late Stone Age? Bronze Age? The author adopts a catastrophist perspective, arguing that the Lost Civilization was destroyed by rapidly rising sea levels after the end of the last Ice Age. He also speculates that comet or asteroid impacts may have caused widespread destruction during historical times. Thus, the so-called Bronze Age collapse in the Eastern Mediterranean could have been caused by such a cosmic disaster.

“Voices of the Rocks” discusses various old and new “pseudo-scientific” claims about lost civilizations, including Charles Hapgood's analysis of the Piri Reis map, the Face on Mars, and the claims of an ancient underwater monument of major proportions outside Yonaguni, Japan. Somewhat surprisingly, the author rejects them. Despite this, his book could be seen as a friendly dialogue with Graham Hancock and other “alternative” researchers. Schoch believes their voices should at least be heard. The maverick geologist did become something of a hero in the “alternative” community, greeted with standing ovations at New Age fairs.

Despite everything, “Voices of the Rocks” is actually relatively moderate. It's also extremely well written (Schoch's co-author Robert Aquinas McNally may perhaps take the credit for this). Schoch seems to have become less cautious when writing his next oeuvre, “Voyages of the Pyramid Builders” where he argues for hyper-diffusionism with Sundaland (Lemuria-Mu to enthusiasts) as the founder culture from which all other advanced civilizations are derived (especially those building pyramids). While I wouldn't go that far, I do consider this earlier book to be well worth pondering. I therefore give “Voices of the Rocks” five stars.

The Lost Civilization is out there, Agent Mulder. Imagine my Schoch!