Eden in the Altai: The Prehistoric Golden Age and the Mythic Origins of Humanity

Reveals how humanity’s first advanced culture originated in the Altai-Baikal region of southern Siberia • Explores how this prehistoric culture is the source of the pervasive mythic symbolism of the number 7, found in ancient cosmologies and myths around the world • Traces the Altaic influence on the Rishis of India, the creation of the Vedas, and the origin of the sacred legend of Mount Meru • Explains how the Hellenic cults of both Apollo and Artemis originated in southern Siberia as well as the pervasive bear symbolism found throughout the ancient world Myths of a Golden Age, a paradise at the beginning of human existence, are nearly universal in all cultures. But where was this “Eden” located? Refuting the traditional assumption that the cultures of the Middle East and Mycenae filtered northward into Europe and North Asia, noted historian Geoffrey Ashe instead identifies the northern Altai mountain range and Lake Baikal region of southern Siberia as the true cultural home of humanity and the source of the widespread myths of a prehistoric Golden Age. With evidence dating back as far as 24,000 BC, Ashe shows how the culture of prehistoric southern Siberia was matrifocal, Goddess-worshiping, and heavily shamanic and served as the progenitor of advanced ancient culture in the Western world, the missing link that later influenced Indian, Middle Eastern, Native American, and European society, culture, and religion. He reveals how ancient Altaic culture was the source of the pervasive mythic symbolism of the number 7, found in cosmologies and mythological traditions around the world, as well as reverence for the seven stars of Ursa Major, the Big Dipper, and the idea of a “sacred mountain to the North.” He traces the transmission of these cosmological beliefs into Babylon and ancient Greece by migrating tribes, including those that crossed the now-vanished land bridge to the New World. Ashe reveals how this transmission of beliefs had a profound influence on the seven