Western civilization
has long been fascinated by mythology. Nowhere is this better
illustrated than in blockbuster movies such as the Indiana Jones
series, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Avatar, and Clash of the
Titans, along with television standards such as Hercules and Xena.
This is all great fun...but what if myths were actually based on
demonstrable historical fact? What might these stories tell us about
humankind’s mysterious past and how might this knowledge help to
serve as a guide for our future? Drawing upon archaeology, astronomy
and the earth sciences, this talk provides a unique exploration
through the mythological roots of humankind.
Bruce Masse (far right) and friends at the 2008 centennial
celebration for the 1908 Siberian Tunguska asteroid impact.
W. Bruce Masse is an
environmental professional with the Environmental Stewardship Group
at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Prior to joining the Laboratory
in 1999, Masse conducted archaeological and anthropological
fieldwork in California, Hawaii, Micronesia, and throughout the
American Southwest. When his LANL workday is over, Masse pursues
research on the astronomy and mythology of past cultures, and
strives to identify past volcanic eruptions and impacts by asteroids
and comets that may have played a significant role in human
biological and sociocultural evolution.
He recently co-edited
the Geological Society of London special publication Myth and
Geology, and has published numerous articles and book chapters on
traditional astronomy, cosmic impact, solar eclipses, mythology, and
environmental archaeology. He currently is under contract with the
University of Hawaii Press for a book on traditional Hawaiian
astronomy and mythology. Masse has appeared as a subject matter
expert in several National Geographic and History Channel
documentaries.
