“2 Sets of Barges” My Summary Thesis

I believe the Jaredites plausibly traveled on foot from the Tower of Babel area to *near Kuwait, built their first set of barges and crossed “many waters”, beginning at the Persian Gulf. After sailing through this Gulf, they continued through other many waters, the Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, Laccadive Sea, Bay of Bengal, Gulf of Thailand, South China Sea and perhaps the Philippine Sea. They plausibly arrived in either Japan, Taiwan, or near Shanghai, China. Here they built their 2nd set of barges to sail to the Promised Land in the Great Deep. Read more below about the 2 sets of barges, and the travel route.

Many Waters vs. Great Deep

There is a big distinction of the 1st and 2nd sets of barges as the waters were very different. The 1st barges sailed over the Many Waters, not oceans but bays, gulfs, inlets, and seas. The 2nd set of barges were built smaller and tighter and so they could sail on the top of the water and below in the Ocean, specifically the huge Pacific Ocean.

We read Ether here: “For behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon you. Nevertheless, I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea; for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth, and also the rains and the floods have I sent forth.

And behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come. Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea?” Ether 2:24-25

From the eastern shore of Asia, the smaller, tighter and more buoyant barges would likely have followed the ocean flow of the Kuroshio Current (NE) to the North Pacific Drift, (East) right into the State of Washington or Oregon, or southern Canada. Remember it is very likely the Jaredites consisted of a mixture the lineage of Ham, Shem, and Japeth.

I will show you later that the Jaredites had the Priesthood so we know they had a mixture of Shem, which is the Priesthood Lineage. A translation by Joseph Smith I will explain later mentions the lineage of Ham. The Asian lineage is also very possible as the Lord needed all lineages to travel to the Promised Land of North America to share in the covenant. 

These three lineages could have split up somewhat after arriving in America. For Example, Ham’s lineage may have traveled from the Northwest USA to California and Mesoamerica. (The Olmecs lived near Mexico in 1500 BC). Shem as the Priesthood lineage may have traveled to the Land of Ramah where the Lord lead the Nephites to live as well. Yes the Brother of Jared had the Priesthood in my opinion and was a Hebrew through Shem and Eber. Also know that there were many tribes that came over the years to Canada, USA and Mexico who were not Jaredites at all. People likely spread out all over North and South America from 2200 BC to the time of the Nephites.The Adena Culture (1000 to 300 BC), is a likely Jaredite time frame, The Adena lived in the Heartland near Ohio. The descendants of Shem may have been led to this area of the Heartland, as we know the many prophets of the Book of Ether had the Priesthood, including Ether. Since the rivers are the highways of the Nephites, the Shemites may have traveled the the Columbia River to the Snake River, to the Missouri and Ohio rivers. Migration to the Heartland of North America would be possible on rivers to New York and the Hill Cumorah or Ramah.

*Ancient Ships near Kuwait/Eridu

In my understanding of the Jaredite route, they may of built ancient ships near Kuwait. (There is much evidence of this country as an ancient port for sea travel). “Kuwait is a sovereign state in Western Asia located at the head of the Persian Gulf. The geographical region of Kuwait has been occupied by humans since antiquity, particularly due to its strategic location at the head of the Persian Gulf….

Following the post-glacial flooding of the Persian Gulf basin, debris from the Tigris–Euphrates river formed a substantial delta, creating most of the land in present-day Kuwait and establishing the present coastlines. One of the earliest evidence of human habitation in Kuwait dates back to 8000 BC where Mesolithic tools were found in Burgan.

During the Ubaid period (6500 BC), Kuwait was the central site of interaction between the peoples of Mesopotamia and Neolithic Eastern Arabia, including Bahra 1 and site H3 in Subiya. The Neolithic inhabitants of Kuwait were among the world’s earliest maritime traders. One of the world’s earliest reed-boats was discovered at site H3 dating back to the Ubaid period. Other Neolithic sites in Kuwait are located in Khiran and Sulaibikhat.

Mesopotamians first settled in the Kuwaiti island of Failaka in 2000 B.C. Traders from the Sumerian city of Ur inhabited Failaka and ran a mercantile business. The island had many Mesopotamian-style buildings typical of those found in Iraq dating from around 2000 B.C.

Ancient Coins found on Failaka Island.

Wikipedia continues, From 4000 BC until 2000 BC, the bay of Kuwait was home to the Dilmun civilization. At its peak, Dilmun may have included Al-Shadadiya, Akkaz, Umm an Namil, and Failaka.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Kuwait

Eridu

“Eridu is located on a natural hill in a basin approximately 15 miles long and 20 feet deep, which is separated from the Euphrates by a sandstone ridge called the Hazem. This basin, the As Sulaybiyat Depression (formerly: Khor en-Nejeif), becomes a seasonal lake (Arabic: Sebkha) during the rainy season from November to April.[7] During this period, it is filled by the discharge of the Wadi Khanega. Adjacent to eastern edge of the seasonal lake are the Hammar Marshes.

In the 3rd Millennium BC a canal, Id-edin-Eriduga (NUN)ki “the canal of the Eridug plain”, connected Eridu to the Euphrates river, which later shifted its course. The path of the canal is marked by several low tells with 2nd Millennium BC surface pottery and later burials.The site contains 8 mounds:

Mound 1 – Abū Šahrain, 580 meters x 540 meters in area NW to WE, 25 meters in height, Enki Temple, Ur III Ziggurat (É-u₆-nir) Sacred Area, Early Dynastic plano-convex bricks found, Ubaid Period cemetery
Mound 2 – 350 meters x 350 meters in area, 4.3 meters in height, 1 kilometer N of Abū Šahrain, Early Dynastic Palace, remnants of city wall built with plano-convex bricks
Mound 3 – 300 × 150 meters in area, 2.5 meters high, 2.2 kilometers SSW of Abū Šahrain, Isin-Larsa pottery found
Mound 4 – 600 × 300 meters in area, 2.5 kilometers SW of Abū Šahrain, Kassite pottery found
Mound 5 – 500 × 300 meters in area, 3 meters high, 1.5 kilometers SE of Abū Šahrain, Neo-Babylonian and Achaemenid periods
Mound 6 – 300 × 200 meters in area, 2 meters high, 2.5 kilometers SW of Abū Šahrain
Mound 7 – 400 × 200 meters in area, 1.5 meters high, 3 kilometers E of Abū Šahrai
Mound 8 – Usalla, flat area, 8 kilometers NW of Abū Šahrain, Hajj Mohammed and later Ubaid…

Ziggurat at Eridu

The site (see map above) was initially excavated by John George Taylor, the British Vice-counsel at Basra, in 1855. Among the finds were inscribed bricks enabling the identification of the site as Eridu.Excavation on the main tell next occurred by R. Campbell Thompson from April 10 until May 8 in 1918, and H. R. Hall from April 21 until May 8 in 1919, who also conducted a survey in the area around the tell. An interesting find by Hall was a piece of manufactured blue glass which he dated to c. 2000 BC. The blue color was achieved with cobalt, long before this technique emerged in Egypt.

This lump of glass is currently dated to the twenty-first century BC or even earlier, and is considered as perhaps the earliest such glass object in the world in the History of glass. It was produced during the Akkadian Empire or the early Ur III period….

Ancient Mesopotamian Ships

*“Excavation there (Eridu near Ur of the Chaldees) resumed from 1946 to 1949 under Fuad Safar and Seton Lloyd of the Iraqi Directorate General of Antiquities and Heritage. Among the finds were a Ubaid period terracotta boat model, complete with a socket amidship for a mast and hole for stays and rudder, bevel-rimmed bowls, and a “lizard type” figurine like those found in a sounding under the Royal Cemetery of Ur. Soundings in the cemetery showed it to have about 1000 graves, all from the end of the Ubaid period (Temple levels VI and VII). They found a sequence of 17 Ubaid Period superseding temples and an Ubaid Period graveyard with 1000 graves of mud-brick boxes oriented to the southeast. The temple began as a 2 meter by 3 meter mud brick square with a niche. At Level XI it was rebuilt and eventually reached its final tripartite form in Level VI. In Ur III times a 300 square meter platform was constructed as a base for a ziggurat. These archaeological investigations showed that, according to A. Leo Oppenheim, “eventually the entire south lapsed into stagnation, abandoning the political initiative to the rulers of the northern cities”, probably as a result of increasing salinity produced by continuous irrigation, and the city was abandoned in 600 BC. In 1990 the site was visited by A. M. T. Moore who found two areas of surface pottery kilns not noted by the earlier… excavators…” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eridu

As Hugh Nibley said, “The oldest accounts of the ark of Noah, the Sumerian ones, describe it as a ‘magur boat,‘ peaked at the ends, completely covered but for a door, without sails, and completely covered by the waters from time to time, as men and animals rode safe within.” (Ether 3:6, 6:3). This shows ancient ship building was common in Noah and the Jaredite times.

Uncovering a 4,000-Year-Old Mesopotamian Ancient boat uncovered from the ruins of Uruk (Just North of Ur)

“With archaeologists returning to Iraq, many finds are coming to light, including a 4,000-year-old Mesopotamian boat from the ancient Sumerian city of Uruk. According to a press release by the German Archaeological Institute, the boat was discovered largely intact by a joint German-Iraqi team. The Mesopotamian boat was constructed out of organic materials covered in bitumen, a substance made from crude oil and commonly used for waterproofing across Mesopotamia. This construction technique is similar to that used in the building of Noah’s ark (Genesis 6:14). Since the boat’s burial, however, the organic material has completely decomposed, leaving behind only the outer bitumen cover, which served to preserve the boat’s original shape and size.” Source

E-abzu temple of Eridu

Excavation there resumed from 1946 to 1949 under Fuad Safar and Seton Lloyd of the Iraqi Directorate General of Antiquities and Heritage. Among the finds were a Ubaid period terracotta boat model, complete with a socket amidship for a mast and hole for stays and rudder, bevel-rimmed bowls, and a “lizard type” figurine like those found in a sounding under the Royal Cemetery of Ur. Soundings in the cemetery showed it to have about 1000 graves, all from the end of the Ubaid period (Temple levels VI and VII).[19][20][21][22][23] They found a sequence of 17 Ubaid Period superseding temples and an Ubaid Period graveyard with 1000 graves of mud-brick boxes oriented to the southeast. The temple began as a 2 meter by 3 meter mud brick square with a niche. At Level XI it was rebuilt and eventually reached its final tripartite form in Level VI. In Ur III times a 300 square meter platform was constructed as a base for a ziggurat.[24] These archaeological investigations showed that, according to A. Leo Oppenheim, “eventually the entire south lapsed into stagnation, abandoning the political initiative to the rulers of the northern cities”, probably as a result of increasing salinity produced by continuous irrigation, and the city was abandoned in 600 BC.[25] In 1990 the site was visited by A. M. T. Moore who found two areas of surface pottery kilns not noted by the earlier excavators.[26]” Wikipedia

Indian Ocean Currents

“Like the prevailing winds for the Indian Ocean, it is useful to look at the predominant currents for the northern and southern Indian Ocean separately. …It must be emphasized that in coastal waters currents can be contrary to the main oceanic flow or can be in the same direction but greater…The pattern of currents in the Bay of Bengal changes radically between the NE and SW monsoons.” schoonerman.com. “During winter, the flow of the upper ocean is directed westward from near the Indonesian Archipelago to the Arabian Sea. During the summer, the direction reverses, with eastward flow extending from Somalia into the Bay of Bengal.”  Wikipedia  Indian Monsoon Current

Scriptural Facts

The Jaredite Route according to many scriptures, follow these 11 statements. Their journey began somewhere near the Tower of Babel.

1.And it came to pass that the Lord commanded them that they should go forth into the wilderness: Ether 2:5 Jaredites traveled on foot from the Tower of Babel to Kuwait, and built their first set of barges Why South?

2.“Yea, into that quarter where there never had man been.” Ether 2:5 (See map below)

3.They crossed “many waters”  beginning at the Persian Gulf. After sailing through this Gulf, they continued through the Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, Laccadive Sea, Bay of Bengal, Gulf of Thailand, South China Sea and perhaps the Philippine Sea.

(“Reed boats and rafts, along with dugout canoes and other rafts, are among the oldest known types of boats. Often used as traditional fishing boats, they are still used in a few places around the world, though they have generally been replaced with planked boats. Reed boats can be distinguished from reed rafts, since reed boats are usually waterproofed with some form of tar. As well as boats and rafts, small floating islands have also been constructed from reeds.

The earliest discovered remains from a reed boat are 7000 years old, found in Kuwait. Reed boats are depicted in early petroglyphs and were common in ancient Egypt. A well-known example from the Book of Exodus is the ark of bulrushes in which the baby Moses was set afloat.”) Wikipedia

4.“And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness” Ether 2:7

5.They plausibly arrived in either Japan, Taiwan, or near Shanghai, China. (Called Moriancumer) They stayed 4 years

6.The Lord said: Go to work and build, after the manner of barges which ye have hitherto built.” Ether 2:16. They built their 2nd set of barges to sail to the Promised Land.

7.”For ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea.“ Ether 2:25  (2nd set of barges smaller and tighter)

8.“And they were small, and they were light upon the water, even like unto the lightness of a fowl upon the water.  And they were built after a manner that they were exceedingly tight, even that they would hold water like unto a dish; and the bottom thereof was tight like unto a dish; and the sides thereof were tight like unto a dish; and the ends thereof were peaked; and the top thereof was tight like unto a dish; and the length thereof was the length of a tree; and the door thereof, when it was shut, was tight like unto a dish.” Ether 2:16-17

9.”Were driven forth, three hundred and forty and four days upon the water.” Ether 6:11. They followed the ocean flow of the Kuroshio Current (NE) to the North Pacific Drift, (East) right into the State of Washington or south-western Canada.

10.From here they spread to Canada, to Mexico, to South America, and to the Heartland of the United States.

11.The Historical Adena Culture prospered near Ohio, as the Jaredites and Adena may be related. The Jaredites could easily taken the Columbia River to the Snake and then the Missouri and Ohio rivers, to migrate through the Heartland to New York and the Hill Ramah where their last battles occurred.

I will evaluate 5 different Jaredite Route Theses below:

 

Above is my summary. Some of you will want to just read that summary and look at the map, which is fine with me. If you are patient and can endure research, you will want to read on, as this long and insightful blog was a lot of fun writing. You have been notified! STOP OR READ ON?

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Gather Thy Flocks- Following the Jaredites Beginning

“Which Jared came forth with his brother and their families, with some others and their families, from the great tower, at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people, and swore in his wrath that they should be scattered upon all the face of the earth; and according to the word of the Lord the people were scattered.” Ether 1:33

41 Go to and gather together thy flocks, both male and female, of every kind; and also of the seed of the earth of every kind; and thy families; and also Jared thy brother and his family; and also thy friends and their families, and the friends of Jared and their families.

42 And when thou hast done this thou shalt go at the head of them down into the valley which is northward. And there will I meet thee, and I will go before thee into a land which is choice above all the lands of the earth.

43 And there will I bless thee and thy seed, and raise up unto me of thy seed, and of the seed of thy brother, and they who shall go with thee, a great nation. And there shall be none greater than the nation which I will raise up unto me of thy seed, upon all the face of the earth. And thus I will do unto thee because this long time ye have cried unto me.” Ether 1:41-43

Traveling North First, before Traveling South to the Persian Gulf!

I understand comments as I agree the Jaredites first traveled north from Babel as it says in Ether 1:41-42, “Go to and gather together thy flocks, both male and female, of every kind; and also of the seed of the earth of every kind; and thy families; and also Jared thy brother and his family; and also thy friends and their families, and the friends of Jared and their families. And when thou hast done this thou shalt go at the head of them down into the valley which is northward. And there will I meet thee, and I will go before thee into a land which is choice above all the lands of the earth.”

The question becomes why north or why south after the initial northern direction? The Jaredites may have gone north into the valley to gather herds and flocks and bees and water and fowls etc because north of where they were, had the appropriate valley’s to gather these things. So the Lord said, “I will go before thee into a land which is choice above all the lands of the earth”, the Lord does not say they traveled north or south after that time.

However, the Lord says in Ether 2:5, “the Lord commanded them that they should go forth into the wilderness, yea, into that quarter where there never had man been.” Where is that quarter where man had never been? Likely, man had been north into Europe and Asia and southwest into Africa, but not locating in todays “Empty Quarters” of Saudi Arabia. 

Remember the Jaredites left Babel over 150 years after the flood, so there was plenty of time for the earth to recuperate from commotion and upheavel. Remember also that there were two sets of barges so where do you think the first set was built and where was the second set was built if the Jaredites stayed north of Babel? Also could any location north of Babel have water sufficient to be on it for 344 days? Not on the Atlantic, only in the Pacific in my opinion.

Remember the 344 days fits perfectly from Japan or China to Seattle with the natural current of ocean. (I discuss below the details of debris drifting for about 1 year from Japan to Seattle). It is also important to remember the type of water the first set of barges traveled on “Many Waters” (gulfs, bays, inlets seas explained below) and the type of water they sailed on with the 2nd set of barges, (Great Deep and Great Seas explained below). Also remember the archaeology in the eastern USA has to be older than Hopewell time frames (also explained below). In Alaska, Washington, and Oregon there are thousands of 3000 b.c. artifacts. I agree the Jaredites  first went north (Likely that is where the animals and game and bees were located) from Babel but very soon soon went south into the empty quarter of land where man had never been, which could not be Europe, Asia and Africa as many had settled there after Noah’s Ark came to a rest in Turkey.  

Jaredites Route from Babel- 5 Different Thesis’

Some researchers believe that the Jaredites come from the Near East traveled the Mediterranean Sea and took the Atlantic Ocean and arrived at the St Lawrence River near the Great Lakes in America. Some believe the Jaredites traveled east from the Tower of Babel crossing the Zargos Mountains to the Caspian Sea and then over 4,000 miles across Asia’s wilderness and stopped in China, and then traveled the Pacific Ocean to land in America. Some believe the Jaredites went far north into the wilderness to Sumer and Valley of Nimrod before making way to the Mediterranean Sea for travel on the Atlantic.

I will cover each thesis briefly, and then share with you my thesis, which is the 5th one. My Summary Thesis is at the top of the page to give you an overview.

1st Thesis Wayne May

This route in red below, could be correct as it was continuous sea travel without stopping using the first set of barges, which would fulfill Mormon’s words of, “The Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness” Ether 2:7. 

However, the travel from Gibraltar to the St Lawrence Seaway in Canada would only be 40 to 60 days travel, not 344 days as the scripture says.  Also, no travel from the Tower of Babel farther east on foot, to the Pacific Ocean would allow any water travel at all. On foot from the tower to the Persian Gulf would only be about 650 miles which the Jaredites could walk and then travel the “many waters” by sea continuously, as I show on the map titled, “Jaredites. Not Suffer that they Should Stop Beyond the Sea.”

I know Jonathan Neville likes the Pacific Landing, and Wayne May likes the Atlantic. After much research I am convinced the Pacific is the most feasible.

This is a great quote by Hugh Nibley, that may support an Atlantic landing.. “The first land settled by the Jaredites was Moron… Now the Nephite land in the borders, by the seashore on the edge of the wilderness was called by them Moroni… Moroni as meaning ‘belonging’ to Moron… the old -i ending being the most familiar and unchanging suffix from the oldest Egyptian and Babylonian to modern Arabic… Both the time—the very end of Jaredite history—and the place—the outer borderland—agree in bringing the two names Moron and Moroni together in a cultural overlap…” Lehi in the Desert Hugh Nibley

Philip Beale Captain of the “Phoenicia”

Beale said, “I think in general the so called Northern route [Gibraltar to St Lawrence Seaway] is a non-starter for an historical/maritime point of view because as you will see from the attached chart,(left) the currents and winds (which have been the same for thousands of years) go against the northern route. [Gibraltar to Florida]. Unless the Phoenicians invented the internal combustion engine or sailed to meet the Vikings first in Norway, it just does not make sense.

However the southern route is just like a conveyer belt all the way to the Caribbean from the Med. For the rivers we would have to look at the distances involved but I think at best you would be looking at 10 miles per day through rowing.

Happy to do a bit more work on this but I thought I would send this to get started.” Philip Beale

Kinderhook Plates

Moroni lived in Cumorah so Moron makes it seem possible they came from the Atlantic.
KINDERHOOK PLATES 1843 PIKE COUNTY, IL “Joseph Smith has translated a portion and says they contain the history of the person with whom they were found and he was a descendant of Ham through the loins of Pharaoh king of Egypt…” Journals of William Clayton. Parley P. Pratt identified the engravings as “Egyptian,” containing a genealogy of a descendant of the Jaredites back to Ham and Noah.”

The picture above is from 2013 video by Wayne May titled, Jaredites. In that presentation Wayne also said, “The Jaredites of the Book of Mormon are direct descendants from Ham’s Lineage” which may support the information with the Kinderhook Plates.

Olmecs

Personally I believe the Jaredites are a mix of Asian and Semite, but I would not be surprised with many descendants of Ham coming to America with the Jaredites. The Olmecs are a possible race that came through Ham to America and migrated south to Mesoamerica.

“The Olmecs flourished during Mesoamerica’s formative period, dating roughly from as early as 1500 BCE to about 400 BCE. Pre-Olmec cultures had flourished since about 2500 BCE, but by 1600–1500 BCE, early Olmec culture had emerged, centered on the San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán site near the coast in southeast Veracruz. They were the first Mesoamerican civilization, and laid many of the foundations for the civilizations that followed.

Among other “firsts”, the Olmec appeared to practice ritual bloodletting and played the Mesoamerican ballgame, hallmarks of nearly all subsequent Mesoamerican societies. The aspect of the Olmecs most familiar now is their artwork, particularly the aptly named “colossal heads”. The Olmec civilization was first defined through artifacts which collectors purchased on the pre-Columbian art market in the late 19th century and early 20th centuries. Olmec artworks are considered among ancient America’s most striking.” Wikipedia

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2nd Thesis Hugh Nibley’s Jaredite Route

“Nibley’s route (article here) is the most popular belief among Book of Mormon scholars, and currently found in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, stating Nibley’s belief that the Jaredites were “from the warring steppes of Asia issuing forth from the well-known dispersion center of the great migrations in western Asia and moved across the central plains, crossing the shallow seas (left over from the last ice age) in barges and… reaching the great sea.

Showing a likely Pacific Ocean path for the Jaredites, Hugh Nibley also said, “Their mode of travel from the shores of Asia was in barges ‘upon the waters,’ and their motivated power was furnished by ‘furious winds‘ (v. 5). Quite probably their route was in the Japan Current, which travels from east to west at a rate of between twelve and twenty-one miles a day, and if the Pacific is about seven thousand miles across, the ‘three hundred and forty and four days’ that they were upon the water would be pretty well consumed. They disembarked near the land called Desolation by the Nephites, ‘it being the place of their first landing’ (Alma 22:30).” (A. L. Zobell, Sr., A Book of Mormon Treasury, p. 169)

Nibley’s route (map above) covers crossing either the Caucasus or Zagros Mountains from the Babylon area in Mesopotamia to start out, then finishing by crossing the Atlai Mountains in Mongolia/China on the way to the Pacific Ocean.” Nephi’s Code

I feel it is good to learn about other geography theories of the Book of Mormon. The Nephi Code group, believe in a South American Andes Theory, which is why they have the map above of Nibley landing in the Andes or landing in Mesoamerica.

Hugh Nibley said, “In sharp contrast to other cultures in the book, the Jaredites carried on the warring ways of the steppes of Asia “upon this north country” (Ether 1, 3- 6). Issuing forth from the well-known dispersion center of the great migrations in western Asia, they accepted all volunteers in a mass migration (Ether 1:41-42). Moving across central Asia they crossed shallow seas in barges (Ether 2:5-6). Such great inland seas were left over from the last ice age (CWHN 5:183-85, 194-96). Reaching the “great sea” (possibly the Pacific), they built ships with covered decks and peaked ends, “after the manner of Noah’s ark” (Ether 6:7), closely resembling the prehistoric “magur boats” of Mesopotamia.

The eight ships were lit by shining stones, as was Noah’s ark according to the Palestinian Talmud, the stones mentioned in the Talmud and elsewhere being produced by a peculiar process described in ancient legends. Such arrangements were necessary because of “the furious wind…[that] did never cease to blow” (Ether 6:5, 8). In this connection, there are many ancient accounts of the “windflood”-tremendous winds sustained over a period of time-that followed the Flood and destroyed the Tower (CWHN 5:359-79; 6:329-34; 7:208-10).” Hugh Nibley

Ether 6:7 they were tight like unto the ark of Noah

“There are more similarities between Noah’s ark and the Jaredite barges than one might think. Both had to be built to withstand torrential rains and tidal waves. Therefore, they were both built “tight,” in other words, completely sealed when the hatch was closed. For the Jaredites, we know that this design meant that extraordinary means would be needed to provide light. Well then, what did Noah and family do in order to see when they were sealed up in their “tight” ark? By rabbinical and ancient Oriental tradition, they also were given lighted stones to illuminate the ark.” https://www.gospeldoctrine.com/book-mormon/ether/ether-6

Hugh Nibley said, “Truly remarkable is the statement in Ether that the submarine nature of Jared’s ships made them ‘like unto the ark of Noah,’ since that aspect of the ark, perhaps its most characteristic, is not specifically mentioned in the Bible, and has led to great confusion among Bible illustrators, ancient, medieval, and modern…They lead us directly to the most puzzling problem of all-that of the illumination of the ark, for while the window is called a zohar (more properly tsohar), i.e., shiner or illuminator…in a boat equipped to go under water other sources for both [light and ventilation] would have to be found, and it is in the lighting department that the Jewish sources are most specific. For the Rabbis do not settle for the zohar-the lighter of the Ark-as being simply a window: for some of them it was rather a miraculous light-giving stone…Rabbi Akiba ben Kahmana, for example, says it was a skylight, while Rabbi Levi said it was a precious stone. He quotes R. Phineas as saying that ‘during the whole twelve months that Noah was in the Ark he did not require the light of the sun by day or the moon by night, but he had a polished gem which he hung up; when it was dim he knew that it was day, and when it shone he knew it was night.'” Hugh Nibley, (A Book of Mormon Treasury, p. 140)

Hugh Nibley also said, “The oldest accounts of the ark of Noah, the Sumerian ones, describe it as a ‘magur boat,’ peaked at the ends, completely covered but for a door, without sails, and completely covered by the waters from time to time, as men and animals rode safe within. But the remarkable thing about Jared’s boats was their illumination by stones which shone in the dark because they had been touched by the finger of the Lord (Ether 3:6, 6:3).

“The Rabbis tell of a mysterious Zohar that illuminated the ark, but for further instruction we must go to much older sources: the Pyrophilus is traced back to the Jalakanta stone of India, which shines in the dark and enables its owner to pass unharmed beneath the waters; this in turn has been traced back through classical and Oriental sources to the Gilgamesh Epic, where Alexander’s wonderful Pyrophilus stone turns up as the Plant of Life in the possession of the Babylonian Noah.

“A large number of ancient traditions, first brought together in the present century, justify one in assuming some sort of legendary shining stones in the ark of Noah. Whether or not there is any historical reality behind it, the fact is that we now know, from sources completely inaccessible to the world of Joseph Smith, that such a tradition actually did exist in very ancient times. It is nothing to laugh at after all.” (The Prophetic Book of Mormon, p. 244)

Ether 6:11 they were driven forth, three hundred and forty and four days

“Even though the Jaredites traveled for a very long time, Noah and his family had to suffer even longer. Noah and his family remained on the ark for a record 366 days (see Gen 7:11-13; 8:14-16).” https://www.gospeldoctrine.com/book-mormon/ether/ether-6

“Their mode of travel from the shores of Asia was in barges ‘upon the waters,’ and their motivated power was furnished by ‘furious winds‘ (v. 5). Quite probably their route was in the Japan Current, which travels from east to west at a rate of between twelve and twenty-one miles a day, and if the Pacific is about seven thousand miles across, the ‘three hundred and forty and four days’ that they were upon the water would be pretty well consumed. They disembarked near the land called Desolation by the Nephites, ‘it being the place of their first landing’ (Alma 22:30).” (A. L. Zobell, Sr., A Book of Mormon Treasury, p. 169)

3rd Thesis Mesoamerican

Guided by the Cloud

“In applying the premise that volcanic eruptions served as a navigational guide, it should not be assumed that the Jaredites were leapfrogging from one volcano to another, since it is clear that they were “being directed continually by the hand of the Lord” (Ether 2:6) and were traveling at times through areas where no volcanoes were located or active. Volcanic activity would have been principally useful in offering navigational guidance in areas that might not have had populations or trade routes and when maintaining a specific direction was necessary, such as in barren territory or open sea/ocean, as is indicated by the fact that they traveled in “that quarter where there never had man been.”

For the second and third legs of the journey, an examination of all volcanoes or volcanic fields and their history of eruption to the east of Mesopotamia and easterly through and beyond the Mediterranean indicates only two volcanoes had eruptions during the departure timeframe of the Jaredites (2600–2700 BC); the Harrat Ash Shamah volcanic field (eruption in 2670 BC +/– 200 years), in current northwestern Saudi Arabia near the Jordanian border, and the Tenerife volcano in the Canary Islands (eruption approximately 2650 BC). There were no volcanic eruptions of any sort east of Mesopotamia, again confirming that the Jaredite journey moved west through the Mediterranean Sea. 

The approximate route shown in figure 21 indicates that the Jaredites crossed a portion of the Syrian Desert, using the volcanic cloud as a guide and that the third leg of the trip took them to a spot in the ocean where another volcanic cloud would have been extremely useful as a directional navigational guide, especially if one is aiming to arrive at a small island.

Figure 21 should not be viewed as an exact route, since the Jaredites may have launched at Travel Path of the Jaredites a slightly different point in the eastern Mediterranean and probably stopped at various locations along the way for supplies. The arrival at the Canary Islands would have required a bit of open-water travel in the barges, since the islands are located 60 to 70 miles offshore, but in calm weather this would not have been much different from sailing the Mediterranean Sea.” Travel Path of the Jaredites Author: Jerry D. Grover, Jr. Book of Mormon Central (BOMC)

Editors Note: I have no idea why BOMC spends so much time speaking about volcanoes. It probably has to do with the desire for the events to seem like they happened in Mesoamerica. No where in the Book of Mormon speaks about volcanoes. Besides, why does a cloud have anything to do with a volcano the Lord must follow? I think the Lord could create any cloud He needs for the Jaredites to follow, don’t you?

Another Mesoamerican Thesis

4th Thesis Jonathan Neville

“The Jaredites originated in what is now Iraq, roughly, although we don’t know the origin of their “friends.” For many years they traversed land (“that quarter where there never had man been”) (Ether 2:5) and “many waters” (maybe the Black Sea, Caspian Sea, etc.) before arriving at the ocean. Nibley and others (including me) think the description matches Asia, meaning they ended up in China. After all this journey, they stayed at the seashore for 4 years before launching their barges. That makes it likely they would have picked up Asian followers and maybe intermarriage, but it’s impossible to tell from the text…

I’ve seen one study in which a non-LDS anthropologist rejects the Bering Strait hypothesis because he says people crossed by water from Asia to British Columbia and migrated both north (to Alaska) and south and east from there. That fits well.

Had the Jaredites crossed Europe or Africa to get to the ocean, the journey would have been shorter and more difficult to reconcile with the text, including 344 days on the water. It took Columbus only 36 days to cross the Atlantic. The Adena were concentrated in Ohio, with some in W. Virginia, Kentucky, and a bit of Penn. Because it’s a cultural designation, anthropologists don’t identify a specific origin. DNA appears to be mostly Asian, the same as the Hopewell.

This is why I think the Jaredites came from Asia, branched off into different groups, and by the time the descendants of Jared migrated to the Ohio area, they developed the culture we know today as Adena. Lots of possibilities, of course…

If they crossed the Pacific, the Jaredites could have landed on the west coast and spread throughout the land until a portion of them reached the Great Lakes area. This is the scenario I find most persuasive, although I think the text and the data are equivocal on this point. Here is my rational.” 

“First, the text says when they left the tower they went into ‘that quarter where there never had man been.’ At a minimum, that means they avoided populated areas. This would exclude much of the ancient world, particularly along sea coasts, but seems most possible if they traveled across Asia. This is the route Hugh Nibley favored, for example.
Second, the Jaredite barges seemed to have no means of propulsion; ‘they were driven forth, three hundred and forty and four days upon the water’ (Ether 6:11).

That is a very long time to cross the Atlantic… Just as there is actual precedent for Lehi’s travel across the Atlantic, there is also precedent for ships drifting across the Pacific. Debris from the tsunami that struck Japan on March 11, 2011, took about a year to reach North American shores. One fishing vessel that broke free from the dock in Japan after the tsunami drifted for about a year before being sunk by the Coast Guard off the coast of Alaska.

Third, the text says they grew in numbers and spread upon the face of the land… The text suggest the Jaredites spread out. Moroni specifically limited the scope of the record he abridged to the area where he lived… Ether himself was the descendant of at least 30 generations of descendants of Jared, and possibly many more… I think the text not only allows but implies that descendants of the Jaredites spread throughout the Americas. Evidence of their influence in Central America, such as among the Olmec’s, is consistent with this view. Fourth, related to the third point, is that the Jaredites presumably had Asian DNA, which is the predominant source of indigenous DNA throughout Latin America. I say presumably because they originated in Asia and crossed Asia before coming to the promised land.
Fifth, migratory patterns show a general migration from the west coast throughout the Americas. Indian legends are consistent with this. One tribe in British Columbia claims their ancestors came from the west in ‘tight barges’ each of which contained a pearl that gave light. One Haida artist has created sculptures of the ‘first Men’ squeezing out from clam shells.” Moroni’s America page 258-259 Jonathan Neville

To follow up on Jonathan’s theory, I include additional information about this “First Man” sculpture below.

The Raven and the First Men

During my visit to Canada I was fascinated by the Haida people and their story of creation. The Haida are an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Their main territory is the archipelago of Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands) in northern British Columbia.

From the Bill Reid foundation website: “The sculpture of The Raven and the First Men depicts the story of human creation. According to Haida legend, the Raven found himself alone one day on Haida Gwaii. He saw an extraordinary clamshell and protruding from it were a number of small human beings. The Raven coaxed them to leave the shell to join him in his wonderful world. Some of the humans were hesitant at first, but they were overcome by curiosity and eventually emerged from the partly open giant clamshell to become the first Haida.

“In Haida culture, the Raven is the most powerful of mythical creatures. His appetites include lust, curiosity, and an irrepressible desire to interfere and change things, and to play tricks on the world and its creatures.”

In Greek mythology ravens are associated with Apollo, the god of prophecy. They are said to be a symbol of good luck, and were the god’s messengers in the mortal world.

In other mythology and mysticism the raven is symbolic of rebirth and renewal or for direction – showing a way through a difficult time in you life.

On a more ornithological note – the Raven is in the crow family Corvidae (corvids) which also includes crows, magpies, jays, choughs, rooks, and nutcrackers. Crows and ravens are considered to be the most intelligent of birds – even fashioning tools.

Haida are an indigenous group who have traditionally occupied Haida Gwaii, an archipelago just off the coast of British Columbia, Canada, for at least 12,500 years. (I don’t believe this dating, but it suggests from the earliest times these people showed up in Canada).

The Haida are known for their craftsmanship, trading skills, and seamanship. They are thought to have frequently carried out raids and to have practised slavery.The Haida have been compared to the Vikings by Diamond Jenness, an early anthropologist at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.” Wikipedia

5th Thesis. Rian Nelson

My Summary Repeated:
I believe the Jaredites traveled on foot from the Tower of Babel area to near Kuwait, built their first set of barges and crossed “many waters” beginning at the Persian Gulf. After sailing through this Gulf, they continued through the Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, Laccadive Sea, Bay of Bengal, Gulf of Thailand, South China Sea and perhaps the Philippine Sea. I feel likely they arrived in either Japan, Taiwan, or near Shanghai, China. Here they built their 2nd set of barges to sail to the Promised Land. They followed the ocean flow of the Kuroshio Current (NE) to the North Pacific Drift, (East) right into the State of Washington or southern Alaska. They probably used the Columbia River to migrate all over North America to the Hill Cumorah.

Two Set of Barges

The Book of Mormon mentions that the Jaredites used two different sets of barges for various travel, whether over small or many waters or a over a great sea. Many of the above thesis’ don’t mention the two sets of barges, which may be new to some readers. I explain it in detail below.

I have researched for quite some time now, and I am now confidant to share my research and opinion with you. The past many years, understanding that the Jaredites made two different types of barges for a very different level of travel, has helped me tremendously as I have read, studied, and prayed about it. As you read Ether 2 with me below, you will see how obvious the two sets of barges is. It will probably be the first time you have heard or remember such a thing, but it is in our scriptures just waiting to be read and understood.

Did the Brother of Jared Hold the Priesthood?

The sons of Noah, were Ham, Shem, and Japeth whom along with wives were the only survivors of the flood in apx 2345 BC. (UM Estimate) (See 1 Peter 3:20)

I believe the Jaredites likely landed near Seattle Washington. I also believe the Jaredites who were blessed with keeping the Adamic Language likely had the Priesthood. Bruce R. McConkie said, “These promises of God to the Jaredites contain the essential elements of the everlasting covenant detailed later to Father Abraham and to every covenant people. These elements include priesthood, posterity, and a land of inheritance” Bruce McConkie, A New Witness 505

Joseph Smith also said, “All the prophets had Melchizedek priesthood.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 181)

Also, “The book of Moses described the language of Adam as “pure and undefiled”. It is intimately connected with the “Priesthood, which was in the beginning, [and] shall be in the end of the world also.” MOSES 6:5 Thomas R. Valletta, “Jared and His Brother,” in Fourth Nephi, From Zion to Destruction, ed. Monte S. Nyman and Charles Tate Jr. (BYU Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center

Knowing that the jaredites held the priesthood, we know that some of the Shemites of Noah were art of the Jaredites. It also makes sense that some of the Hamites from Noah were part of the Jaredites contingency. We read that Joseph may have translated a portion of the Kinderhook Plates printed again in the Times and Seasons, “I have translated a portion of them, and find they contain the history of the person with whom they were found. He was a descendant of Ham, through the loins of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the ruler of heaven and earth.” (Then followed a reprint of material from the Times and Seasons article.) Deseret News Sept 3, 1856

So Pharaoh, king of Egypt apparently received his Kingdom, but we know from the scriptures that Ham’s offspring could not hold the Priesthood, but they were likely part of the Jaredites group.

We also know that Japeth another son of Noah was likely part of the Jaredite group who came to America. If my thesis of the Jaredites landing in their first set of barges in Asia (Japan, Taiwan or China) makes sense, then some sons of Japeth were part of the Jaredites. Understanding the Lord was repeopling the world after the flood, why wouldn’t He bring all the righteous lineage of Noah to the Promised Land, which would include Ham, Shem, and Japeth? The Jaredites were some of the most righteous people as we read, “Because of thy faith thou hast seen that I shall take upon me flesh and blood; and never has man come before me with such exceeding faith as thou hast.” Ether 3:9 

Haplogroup D DNA Anzick-1

In my research I have found some possible evidence of the connection between the Jaredites in Asia with North American’s in the northwestern United States area using Haplogroup D.

“Anzick-1 was a young (1–2 years old) Paleoindian child whose remains were found in south central Montana, United States, in 1968. He has been dated to 12,990–12,840 years Before Present.[1] The child was found with more than 115 tools made of stone and antlers and dusted with red ocher, suggesting a deliberate burial.[2] Anzick-1 is the only human whose remains are associated with the Clovis culture, and is the first ancient Native American genome to be fully sequenced.[3]
Paleogenomic analysis of the remains revealed Siberian ancestry and a closer genetic relationship to modern Native Americans of Central and South America than to those of North America.[4][3] These findings support the hypothesis that modern Native Americans are descended from Asian populations who crossed Beringia between 23,000 and 14,000 years ago.[4][3]

Nuclear DNA analysis

The genome of Anzick-1 was sequenced and analyzed to look for specific mutations that might shed light on the population history of modern Native Americans.[4] Anzick-1’s genome was compared to over 50 Native American genomes for comparison, and researchers found that it was significantly more similar to these than to any modern Eurasian population.[4] Anzick-1’s genome was closer to 44 Native American populations from Central and South America than to 7 Native American populations from North America; samples from North America were limited as tribes in the United States have been reluctant to participate.[4]

After the remains of Anzick-1 were excavated in 1968, they were analyzed by several teams of researchers and eventually returned to the Anzick family.[5][6] The daughter of the Anzick family, Sarah Anzick had become a genetic researcher. She hoped to conduct genomic analysis on the Anzick-1 skeleton.[5] She was cautious because a previous case, involving the ancient remains of a Native American called Kennewick Man, caused a great deal of controversy.[5] 

Editors note: Kennewick Man has the X haplogroup like the west Eurasians near Israel. See article here: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/131120-science-native-american-people-migration-siberia-genetics

It seems as though there is evidence that Kennewick man discovered in Washington State is very similar to the Ainu people in Japan. This continues to validate the possibility of the Jaredites leaving Japan or China and landing on the west coast of North America.

Kennewick Man blog here:

“The discovery of Kennewick Man adds a major piece of evidence to an alternative view of the peopling of North America. It, along with other evidence, suggests that the Jōmon or related peoples were the original settlers of the New World. If correct, the conclusion upends the traditional view that the first Americans came through central Asia and walked across the Bering Land Bridge and down through an ice-free corridor into North America.” Complete Article Here: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/kennewick-man-finally-freed-share-his-secrets-180952462/?preview=_page=3_page=3&page=1

Wikepedia continues, “Morten Rasmussen and Sarah L. Anzick et al. sequenced the mitochondrial DNA of Anzick-1 and determined that the infant represents an ancient migration to North America from Siberia. They found that Anzick-1’s mtDNA belongs to the haplogroup D4h3a, a “founder” haplogroup that might represent people taking an early coastal migration route into the Americas.[4] The D haplogroup is also found in modern Native American populations, which provides a link between Anzick-1 and modern Native Americans.[13] Although it is rare in most of today’s Native Americans in the US and Canada, D4h3a genes are more common in native people of South America. This suggests a greater genetic complexity among Native Americans than previously thought, including an early divergence in the genetic lineage some 13,000 years ago. One theory suggested that after crossing into North America from Siberia, a group of the first Americans, with the lineage D4h3a, moved south along the Pacific coast and finally, through thousands of years, into Central and South America. Another line may have moved inland, east of the Rocky Mountains, ultimately populating most of what is now the United States and Canada.[4]” Wikipedia

“In human mitochondrial genetics, Haplogroup D is a human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroup. It is a descendant haplogroup of haplogroup M, thought to have arisen somewhere in East Asia, between roughly 60,000 and 35,000 years ago (in the Late Pleistocene, before the Last Glacial Maximum and the settlement of the Americas).[2]

In contemporary populations, it is found especially in Central[3] and Northeast Asia.[4] Haplogroup D (more specifically, subclade D4) is one of five main haplogroups found in the indigenous peoples of the Americas, the others being A, B, C, and X. Among the Nepalese population, haplogroup D is the most dominant maternal lineage in Tamang (26.1%) and Magar (24.3%).[5]” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_D_(mtDNA)

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Ancient DNA from Siberian boy links Europe and America

Scientists have mapped the genome of a four-year-old boy who died in south-central Siberia 24,000 years ago.

It is the oldest modern human genome sequenced to date, researchers report in the journal Nature, external.

The results provide a window into the origins of Native Americans, whose ancestors crossed from Siberia into the New World during the last Ice Age. [Editor Note: I dont believe this]

They suggest about a third of Native American ancestry came from an ancient population related to Europeans…

“When we sequenced this genome, something strange appeared,” he explained. “Parts of the genome you find today in western Eurasians, other parts of the genome you find today in Native Americans – and are unique today to Native Americans.”

DNA from the boy’s Y chromosome and from the mitochondria (the cell’s batteries) were of types found today in a region encompassing Europe, West and South Asia and North Africa, but rare or absent in Central Asia, East Asia and the Americas.

The researchers estimate that 14-38% of the ancestry of Native Americans traces to a population like the one living at Mal’ta 24,000 years ago.

But the most puzzling part of this finding was that the boy showed no clear affinities with East Asian populations such as the Chinese, Koreans or Japanese.

Today’s Native Americans are most closely related to East Asians, so the scientists had to work out how the Mal’ta boy could be related to indigenous Americans, but not to East Asians.

The most likely scenario, they argue, is that a population like the one living in Siberia 24,000 years ago mixed with the ancestors of East Asians at some point after the boy died.

“Native Americans are composed of the meeting of two populations – an East Asian group and these Mal’ta west Eurasian populations,” said Dr Willerslev. However, it remains unclear where this mixing took place.” https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-25020958

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Dating the Jaredites/Adena Culture

I have quoted Rod Meldrum below about the Adena Culture:

1. “The Adena culture existed from 2200 BC to 300 AD, in a time known as the Early Woodland period. The Adena culture refers to what were probably a number of related Native American societies sharing a burial complex and ceremonial system. The Adena lived in an area including parts of present-day Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, Kentucky, New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

 

2. “Adena sites are concentrated in a relatively small area (see pink area in map to the left)- maybe 200 sites in the central Ohio Valley, with perhaps another 200 scattered throughout the other states, although they may once have numbered in the thousands. The importance of the Adena complex comes from its considerable influence on other contemporary and succeeding cultures. The Adena culture is seen as the precursor to the traditions of the Hopewell culture, which are sometimes thought as an elaboration, or zenith, of Adena traditions.

3. “The Adena were notable for their agricultural practices, pottery, artistic works and extensive trading network, which supplied them with a variety of raw materials, ranging from copper from the Great Lakes to shells from the Gulf Coast. The Adena culture was named for the large mound on Thomas Worthington’s early 19th-century estate called ‘Adena’, in Chillicothe, Ohio.

4. “The Miamisburg Mound is the best known, but least understood major prehistoric Indian feature in Ohio. It is the largest conical shaped burial mound or earthwork of its kind east of the Mississippi, and the most recognizable land mark in in the city of Miamisburg.”

5. “The origin of these very advanced peoples is not known. They arrived or developed in the Ohio river valley beginning 1500 BC They were the first to domesticate plant food such as squash, sunflower and pumpkins. They lived in permanent settlement near streams. Sometimes their villages were enclosed with earthen walls from four to five feet in height. Their principal weapon was the spear. The Adena Indians were the first in Ohio to build earthworks and burial mounds giving rise to their popular name, Mound Builders.

6. “This civilization, unlike the Hopewell Mound Builder civilization which followed them tended to create their mounds in conical form. Both buried their honored dead within large earthen mounds.

7. “Their culture strongly correlated with the Book of Mormon Jaredite people in time frame and location in relation to the Nephites and several criteria. Their skills were advanced and many of their remains were truly monumental.” The Book of Mormon in America’s Heartland page 100 by Rodney Meldrum

Adena Mounds

We have information dating Louisiana mounds (Poverty Point 1700 – 1100 BC), (Watson Brake 3500 BC), and Georgia mounds (Bilbo 3560 AD) as places of the oldest North American known civilizations. We also know about the Olmec culture of Mesoamerica in about 1500 BC. Some of these ancient mounds and cities would be long before the flood of Noah and others would be just after.  We know Adam was placed in North America at Missouri at about 4000 BC, so it makes sense the people of the earth would spread all over both Hemispheres, as during Adam’s time there were not separate Hemispheres. Noah’s flood was in about 2345 BC and the City of Enoch was taken to heaven in about 3313 BC. We believe the Jaredites came to America after the great flood, in about 2200 BC after the Tower of Babel fell.

Important Dates

2943 BC Noah Born
2345 BC Noah’s Flood (UM Date)
2275 BC Eber Born (Hebrews)
2241 BC Peleg Born
2200 BC Brother of Jared (To America)
2052 BC Abraham Born
1993 BC Noah Died
Source:

Key Information- 344 Days

I have considered that the Jaredites after being sent from Babylon (Baghdad, Iraq) and after landing in North America, they spread all over into Canada, the USA and Mexico. However, the most important fact we know is, as the Book of Mormon says, the Jaredites “were driven forth, three hundred and forty and four days upon the water.” Ether 6:11. Understanding this fact from the Book of Mormon, I believe it is most likely the Jaredites traveled across the Pacific and not the smaller and shorter Atlantic Ocean.

Three hundred and forty four days is a very long time to be on the water, but I think it is the most import clue which helps us understand the Jaredites most plausible route from the Old world.

Newly Shared Truth- Phoenicia Voyages

I love the scripture in D&C 121:33 that says, “How long can rolling waters remain impure? What power shall stay the heavens? As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints.”

Because of amazing hard work and inspiration of Rod Meldrum, Wayne May, Mike and Betty LaFontaine, John Lefgren, Dean Sessions, Hannah Stoddard, Jonathan Neville, Russ Barlow, Steve Smoot, and hundreds of other Latter-day Saints, we are receiving new knowledge and understanding about this world, and the people of this world. I am thankful for each of these wonderful friends and other contributors searching for and seeking truth.

Before I continue with the probable voyage of the Jaredites, I want to review some previous voyages by Captain Philip Beale on his two amazing Phoenicia voyages. He has traveled over 30,000 nautical miles form the Old World to America and back, twice. This has nothing to do with the Jaredites sailing the Pacific to America, but it does in my opinion validate the voyage of the Lehites and the Mulekites across the Atlantic. In context to the Jaredite voyage, this information is fantastic.

Philip Beale Validates Travel Days from Japan to America

Philip Beale said to me in an email dated Jan 23, 2023 the following. “The  ocean currents move at about half a mile per hour or 12 miles per day. So any voyage from say Japan to the Americas would take a few hundred days, depending on the distance (4000 miles – Japan to North America, would equal 333 days at sea).” Philip Beale British Navy and Captain of the Phoenicia Ship sailed in 2009 and 2020 on a replica 600 BC Ship. Read more below.

Travel on the sea from the Old World to America is spoken about in all the many accounts of the Book of Mormon. Historians had it very wrong as they claimed the Bering Strait was the way in which the New World was populated. Today’s world is just now beginning to understand the truth. Our non-Mormon friend Philip Beale from England’s Navy, has done Atlantic crossings on the Phoenicia Ship. Our good friends Mike and Betty LaFontaine, and John Lefgren now own that replica 600 BC ship, and it is being re-constructed in Montrose, Iowa across the Mississippi River from Nauvoo, Illinois.

Jules Verne 7- A Pattern for the Phoenicia

“Two thousand six hundred years ago, the truth of the PHOENICIA’s original design was in the low oxygen mud of the ancient French seaport of Marseilles on the coast of the Western Mediterranean Sea.

In 1993 construction workers discovered the shipwreck, and she soon became known to the archaeological world as Jules Verne 7.

Twenty-two years ago, Royal Navy officer, Philip Beale, determined that he would use the design of the 600 BC shipwreck to show how the ancient Phoenicians built seaworthy vessels capable of crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

The shipwrights of Arwad, Syria, took on the challenge of handcrafting the ancient ship by using the same materials their forefathers had used to build the best ocean vessels of the ancient world.

Today, on the western banks of the Upper Mississippi River, in Montrose Iowa, the PHOENICIA is on display for the world to see how in the Sixth Century Before Christ, the Prince of Judah, Mulek, came to America seeking refuge from the agents of the King of Babylon. Visit us at Montrose Iowa, across the river from Nauvoo, Illinois and volunteer to help us re build the 600 BC replica Phoenicia.” John Lefgren  Read more about the Phoenicia here.

Gyptis: Sailing Replica of a 6th-century-BC Archaic Greek Sewn Boat

Patrice Pomey and Pierre Poveda Aix-Marseille Univ., CNRS, MCC, CCJ, Centre Camille Jullian, F-13000, Aix-en-Provence, France, [email protected], [email protected]
A sailing replica based on the archaeological remains and structural analysis of the 6th-century archaic Greek sewn boat Jules Verne 7& 9 was built in Marseille as part of the city’s European Capital of Culture 2013 program. Full-scale reconstruction allowed investigation of specific aspects of the methods used to build a shell-first, sewn-plank, and lashed-frame vessel, as well as learning the gestures and know-how of the original shipbuilders. The first two seasons of sailing trials, including short journeys in the Bay of Marseille and longer, coast-hopping expeditions, reflecting the uses of the original vessel have taken place and are reported. here in a PDF

Phoenicia Voyages vs. Mesoamerican Route

Phoenicia Voyage 2009 Oman to Lebanon

In the Phoenicia Ship, Philip Beale’s 2009 voyage from Oman to near Florida took about 120 to 180 days, and his trip in 2019 from Tunisia to Florida only took 38 days. It only took Columbus about 36 days to land in the Bahamas. This is a very quick voyage time on the Atlantic, compared to traveling the large Pacific ocean. This is one of the reasons I believe the Jaredites probably used the Pacific Ocean in their voyage to the New World, as the scriptures say they traveled for 344 days.

Phoenicia Voyage 2019 Tunisia to Florida

 

To read more about both of these Phoenicia Voyages you can see my blog here and here.

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Jaredite Voyage 5th Thesis Continued

Jaredite Voyages- 1^st Set of Barges (“Many Waters”)

I believe the Jaredite information is so ancient (Apx 1800 to 2200 BC) which makes it difficult to be very accurate in determining the correct route of the Jaredites, but it is very interesting to speculate on the possibility of each voyage. With many hours of research, study and prayer I have come up with a very plausible route of the Jaredites to America.

Ether 2: 5 And it came to pass that the Lord commanded them that they should go forth into the wilderness, yea, into that quarter where there never had man been. And it came to pass that the Lord did go before them, and did talk with them as he stood in a cloud, and gave directions whither they should travel.

(See map below. I have divided the map in quarters using the location of the Tower of Babel (Baghdad, Iraq) as the center point, where we believe the Jaredites lived close by. The quarter that is most likely to be where the Lord said, “that quarter where there never had man been“, is most likely the south east quarter.

We know after the flood, Noah had three sons, Ham, Shem, and Japeth who began civilization near Mount Ararat in Turkey. After Noah landed at just north of Baghdad, Ham Shem and Japeth with family’s spread all over. They went northwest into Turkey, Greece, Poland and Europe. They spread northeast into Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia. They also spread far into Egypt, Libya, Sudan and Ethiopia. It seems likely to me that they least traveled to the area of Burma, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore as ship travel probably made it not as feasible to travel there. The people getting on a ship to go anywhere far away for just travel, seems unrealistic with all the land and water close by. Sea travel of course was great for trade around the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf, as the Phoenicians have proven.

It says in Ether 2:6, they traveled in the wilderness, built barges, and crossed many waters. In my opinion it is most likely they traveled on foot towards the best water source to complete their long few voyages ahead. I don’t think they traveled towards the Mediterranean, as that is an area that many people were already located and not as the Lord said, “that quarter where there never had man been” Also travel to the north or east would require traveling over high mountainous terrain. See Map Below

With the Jaredites in the area of Babylon, any movement to the Steppes or more mountainous areas would require a considerable distance through and over a series of very tall mountains, that have restricted traffic and migration for millennia now. See the solid mass of mountains to the northwest, north, and northeast of Mesopotamia and the home of the Jaredites. In brown text above see the many mountain ranges surrounding Babylon to the North and the East.

As you can see above the majority of migration was to the North, and West of Babylon. Some travel went northeast and southwest.  I am proposing “that quarter where there never had man been” is most likely towards the south east and the Persian Gulf.

Grok AI was asked March 27, 2026 the following:

Most likely the Jaredites built barges near today’s city of Kuwait just before taking their voyage. “And it came to pass that they did travel in the wilderness, (Baghdad to Persia Gulf 655 Miles) and did build barges, (We aren’t told how many) in which they did cross many waters, (Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, Laccadive Sea, Bay of Bengal, Andaman Sea, Malacca Strait, South China Sea, and Yellow Sea), directed continually by the hand of the Lord.” Ether 2:6. Italics added.

7 And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness, but he would that they should come forth even unto the land of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people.” Ether 2:5-7

Not stopping beyond the sea in the wilderness, in my opinion means, they would continue on the “many waters” continually, crossing many different named seas without stopping, until they arrived at the final destination of the Lord, (Taiwan, Shanghai or Japan?) to begin building new barges that were appropriate for crossing the larger Pacific Ocean to America. They were led by the Lord in a cloud.

Jaredite Voyage 2^nd Set of Barges (“Cross this Great Water”)

At this point we believe the crossing of the many waters had to end on land, in order to build the next barges necessary to make the 344 day journey to the Promised Land. And, judging by my personal reading of these verses, the 2nd set of barges were apparently almond-shaped and perhaps 35-70 feet (10-20 meters) long. (Length of a tree?)

Let me suggest the places they may have stopped to build the 2nd set of barges. Hong Kong, Taiwan, Shanghai or in Japan near Kogoshima, which is at the far southern tip of Japan in the East China Sea. Any of these places would be a convenient place with a lot of forest to build barges near the China Sea/Pacific Ocean in preparation to taking the long journey to the Promised Land. I’m sure the Lord guided then in the cloud, to a place that had the proper raw materials for building the final barges.

2 Jaredite Voyages with Two Varied Types of Barges

The Lord instructs the building of the 1st Barges, by saying In verse 6 of Ether, “Many Waters.” With the 2nd Barges, the Lord says, “Cross this Great Water“

Very different barges for very different purposes. The first barges may have been perhaps bigger but swifter, possibly even using a sail. Their route over smaller gulfs, inlets, and straits, they would not have those fierce winds and waves of the great ocean. They possibly only traveled by day without needing light. That is why two similar but unique type of barges would need to be made. We know with the lord leading them in a cloud, they could have made any barge or ship work.

“16 And the Lord said: Go to work and build, after the manner* of barges which ye have hitherto built. And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did go to work, and also his brethren, and built barges after the manner which they had built, according to the instructions of the Lord. And they were small, and they were light upon the water, even like unto the lightness of a fowl upon the water.

*After the Manner

After the manner reminds us of what the Lord said to Nephi when he was to build the first Nephite Temple, “after the manner” of the Temple of Solomon. Obviously building a temple or a ship had many similar building instructions, and Nephi or the Brother of Jared would just need slightly modified building plans, “after the manner.”

17 And they were built after a manner that they were exceedingly tight, even that they would hold water like unto a dish; and the bottom thereof was tight like unto a dish; and the sides thereof were tight like unto a dish; and the ends thereof were peaked; and the top thereof was tight like unto a dish; and the length thereof was the length of a tree; and the door thereof, when it was shut, was tight like unto a dish.” Ether 2:16-17

The adjectives in verse 17 above make it obvious the 2nd set of barges were much different than the first ones. The 2nd set seems to be “Light and Tight.”

Cross this Great Water/ Light and Steering?

18 And it came to pass that the brother of Jared cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, I have performed the work which thou hast commanded me, and I have made the barges according as thou hast directed me.

19 And behold, O Lord, in them there is no light; whither shall we steer? And also we shall perish, for in them we cannot breathe, save it is the air which is in them; therefore we shall perish.

20 And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: Behold, thou shalt make a hole in the top, and also in the bottom; and when thou shalt suffer for air thou shalt unstop the hole and receive air. And if it be so that the water come in upon thee, behold, ye shall stop the hole, that ye may not perish in the flood.

21 And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did so, according as the Lord had commanded.

22 And he cried again unto the Lord saying: O Lord, behold I have done even as thou hast commanded me; and I have prepared the vessels for my people, and behold there is no light in them. Behold, O Lord, wilt thou suffer that we shall cross this great water in darkness? Ether 2:16-22.

Needing light, steering and air holes for the 2nd set of barges was crucial. This is the big difference between the 1st set of barges and the 2nd set. Crossing the “great water” vs. the “many waters.” It is absolutely clear to me as I study this out in my mind.

A Most Righteous Man. Mahonri Moriancumer

Most of us know the incredible story about the Lord touching the 16 stones that would give light to the Jaredites in the 2nd set of barges. It is a very faith promoting story of the incredible faith of the Brother of Jared. However, I won’t emphasis the story in this blog.

I will just quote these verses. “And because of the knowledge of this man he could not be kept from beholding within the veil; and he saw the finger of Jesus, which, when he saw, he fell with fear; for he knew that it was the finger of the Lord; and he had faith no longer, for he knew, nothing doubting. Wherefore, having this perfect knowledge of God, he could not be kept from within the veil; therefore he saw Jesus; and he did minister unto him.” Ether 3:19-20

It is absolutely amazing to even think about beholding the Savior as a Spirit or with a Ressurrected body. What an incredibly faith promoting experience.

Connection of Joseph Smith and the Brother of Jared

In addition to the 16 stones the Lord touched, He touched two more to assist the Prophet Joseph Smith in translation of the gold plates in 1827. Wow! I just touched on it here, as it is most remarkable.

“And behold, these two stones will I give unto thee, and ye shall seal them up also with the things which ye shall write. For behold, the language which ye shall write I have confounded; wherefore I will cause in my own due time that these stones shall magnify to the eyes of men these things which ye shall write.” Ether 3:23-24 Blog Here

Understanding 344 Days on the Ocean to Cross this Great Water

Ether 2:24 says, “For behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon you. Nevertheless, I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea.” This indicates to me a far larger body of water and a very different body of water than the “many waters” spoken of above with the first set of barges.

(Here also the Brother of Jared uses the phrase, “cross this great water“, which to me shows a singular body of a very large body of water, unlike the many waters which seem smaller and less vast and easier perhaps to navigate.) Similar definitions of seas in the Book of Mormon is found in 1 Nephi that says, “And we beheld the sea, which we called Irreantum, which, being interpreted, is many waters.” 1 Nephi 17:5

The definitions below help us understand the two main descriptions in the book of Ether about water, ocean, or seas. I feel it is obvious that the term,  cross this great water, means our oceans today, and many waters most likely applies to what we call today seas, gulfs, inlets, etc.

I believe I now understand the term “many waters.” The term describes a lot of differently named gulf’s, inlet’s, or sea’s that are all connected by other water or seas. This would be unlike the Great Lakes which is “many waters” but they are all connected with some type of land, peninsula, or geological feature. I am sure anciently the Great Lakes were one complete body of water but that may have been during the time of Adam and predates the flood.

Remember also, my friend and Phoenicia Captain who has sailed 30,000 nautical miles in a 600 BC replica ship, from the Old World to Florida, said to me in Jan of 2023, “the  ocean currents move at about half a mile per hour or 12 miles per day. So any voyage from say Japan to the Americas would take a few hundred days, depending on the distance (4000 miles – Japan to North America, would equal 333 days at sea).” Philip Beale

[Wow, another incredibly accurate piece of information].

Sea as a River?

I love how Jonathan Neville explained the River Sidon as a possible Sea. “I looked up the word sea in Biblical Hebrew concordances. Strong’s Concordance transliterates the Hebrew as yam, with the number 3220. The NAS Exhaustive Concordance defines yam as sea and notes variations, including seacoast, west, west side, and westward. Brown-Driver-Briggs offer usages in context, including the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Dead Sea, Sea of Galilee—and “a mighty river.”

The example given for “a mighty river” is the Nile River. The Hebrew term yam is used in Isaiah 19:5 and Nahum 3:8 (twice in one verse), both in connection with Thebes, or the modern Luxor.

Alternate translations show the term is translated as either sea or river.

A useful online source is here: http://bit.ly/Moroni12. Moroni’s America page 34

1828 Webster’s Dictionary-

By looking at the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary we can see the definition of word during the time of Joseph Smith. We all have many varied definitions of the various bodies of water mentioned in the Book of Mormon. I give you these definitions to help you evaluate the names of oceans, lakes, rivers, seas, and other bodies of water you will come across.

Sea

“A large body of water, nearly enclosed by land, as the Baltic or the Mediterranean; as the sea of Azof. Seas are properly branches of the ocean, and upon the same level. Large bodies of water inland, and situated above the level of the ocean, are lakes. The appellation of sea, given to the Caspian lake, is an exception, and not very correct. So the lake of Galilee is called a sea, from the Greek.” Source

Water

The ocean; a sea; a lake; a river; any great collection of water; as in the phrases, to go by water to travel by water. Source

Ocean

“The vast body of water which covers more than three fifths of the surface of the globe, called also the sea, or great sea. It is customary to speak of the ocean as if divided into three parts, the Atlantic ocean the Pacific ocean and the Indian ocean; but the ocean is one mass or body, partially separated by the continents of Europe, Asia and Africa on one side, and by America on the other.” Source

Irreantum

IRREANTUM is one of the few Book of Mormon names that is defined with a textual gloss in the Book of Mormon. This gloss signals that its meaning was not readily discernible to readers of the plates and was not in their language. A number of different etymologies have been proposed for IRREANTUM, one Semitic and four EGYPTIAN. Source

Semitic languages and would mean “somewhat literally, ‘abundant watering of completeness,’ or ‘fully abundant waters.’”1 The second proposed origin for the word Irreantum is Egyptian, and when parsed “the elements would mean ‘great watercourse of all.’”2 

Ripliancum

“And it came to pass that he came to the waters of Ripliancum, which, by interpretation, is large, or to exceed all; wherefore, when they came to these waters they pitched their tents; and Shiz also pitched his tents near unto them; and therefore on the morrow they did come to battle.” Ether 15:8

Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (3/11/11)

Now, so we may better understand the importance of 344 Days on the Ocean to Cross this Great Water, let us see if we find in the world today, some event or travel that may help us confirm, that 344 days, non stop towards America on the Pacific is feasible. It is not only feasible, it happened.

“Japan earthquake and tsunami of 2011, also called Great Sendai Earthquake or Great Tōhoku Earthquake, severe natural disaster that occurred in northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011.  The event began with a powerful earthquake off the northeastern coast of Honshu, Japan’s main island, which caused widespread damage on land and initiated a series of large tsunami waves that devastated many coastal areas of the country, most notably in the Tōhoku region (northeastern Honshu). The tsunami also instigated a major nuclear accident at a power station along the coast…

The magnitude-9.0 earthquake struck at 2:46 PM. (The early estimate of magnitude 8.9 was later revised upward.) The epicenter was located some 80 miles (130 km) east of the city of Sendai, (see red circles in map left) Miyagi prefecture, and the focus occurred at a depth of 18.6 miles (about 30 km) below the floor of the western Pacific Ocean…

As the search for victims continued, the official count of those confirmed dead or still missing rose to about 28,500. However, as more people thought to be missing were found to be alive, that figure began to drop; by the end of 2011 it had been reduced to some 19,300.” Source

Predicted Distribution of Debris (One year)

The Tsunami of March 2011 struck the northeast coast of Japan. The  image below shows the predicted distribution of debris by April 3, 2012, which would end up in the State of Washington or a little further north in Alaska within 1 to 2 years depending on the size of debris, currents and temperatures.

As we have discussed, the Jaredite 2nd set of barges traveling from Hong Kong, Taiwan, China or Japan to the United States,(see map above) would have taken 344 days as the scriptures say.

“When the monstrous tsunami of March 2011 struck the northeast coast of Japan, the retreating waves pulled many pieces of civilization and many lives out to sea. The Japanese government estimated that 5 million tons of debris was swept up by the event, with about 70 percent sinking to the seafloor and 1.5 million tons left floating. More than a year later, the debris from that tragedy is still drifting on the Pacific Ocean…

The map above shows the output of the Surface Currents from Diagnostic (SCUD) model, an attempt to simulate where and how that debris would disperse. Orange and red shaded areas represent parcels of water with a high probably of containing floating debris. The deeper the red color, the higher the likely concentration. The debris field stretches roughly 5,000 kilometers by 2,000 kilometers across the North Pacific.

The model begins with more than 678,000 “tracers” being released from various points along the northeastern coast of Japan on March 11, 2011. The initial distribution is based on the density of population and development…

Debris was initially carried by the potent Kuroshio Current, which whips past eastern Japan much like the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic. The Kuroshio carries surface waters northeast, before eventually turning east in the Kuroshio Extension and then the North Pacific Current. Some debris should reach the west coast of North America within a year or two, while much of it is likely to end up in the floating debris field in the middle of the North Pacific Gyre that is referred to as “the garbage patch…

“in Canada recently detected an abandoned 150-foot Japanese fishing vessel floating offshore of British Columbia. Other reports of debris in Washington and Hawaii came in months ago. But in most cases, the objects were larger and standing above the water line, where they could be pushed like sails at higher speeds. The model shown above tracks objects sitting at or just below the water line.”

NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen, using model data courtesy of Jan Hafner, International Pacific Research Center. Caption by Michael Carlowicz.

Summary of Multi-Model Simulations of Debris Drift from the 2011 Japan Tsunami

“The models agree that windage, a variable characterizing debris exposure to the wind, stratifies the debris and affects the pathways during the eastward drift from Japan: high-windage items reaching North America first, at the end of 2011, (260 to 300 days) with lower windage items arriving up to approximately 36 months later. Only SCUD model, however, successfully reproduced all main peaks of tsunami-boat arrivals reported from the US/Canada West Coast indicating that surface currents and surface drift remain a challenging task for ocean models.” International Pacific Research Center More Info

The IPRC Model for tracking the Japan tsunami debris across the Pacific has been adjusted to reflect the effects of wind on different types of debris. The original model was based on data from scientific drifting buoys with large drogues at 15 meters below the surface to measure the movements of currents. To this model, Senior Scientist Nikolai Maximenko and Scientific Computer Programmer Jan Hafner have now added five levels of windage to provide a more complete simulation of the debris field and a more accurate estimate of the present location of various types of debris. Objects with the highest windage in the model started to arrive on the West Coast already at the end of 2011. The new animations generated by the model are available to the public at the International Pacific Research Center Marine and Tsunami Debris 

After the March 11, 2011 Japan Tsunami, this scan (Pictures above) of the International Pacific Research Center Marine and Tsunami Debris Center, shows you where the debris field was located 8 months later, 10 months after the disaster, and 12 months later. You can see a large drift of debris landed right in the northwest corner of the United States, very close to where the Columbia River would empty. This helps validate the 344 days it took the Jaredites to follow the currents of the same ocean at a similar distance as the debris of the tsunami. Click the link below for an animated video of the drit motion. http://iprc.soest.hawaii.edu/users/hafner/PUBLIC/TSUNAMI_DEBRIS/WINDAGE_03/ANIMATION_1/movie_windages.gif

Jaredites Led by the Lord

Nephi made a thorough documentation of the route taken by his group when leaving Jerusalem to Oman which they called Bountiful. I believe at Oman they traveled in September at harvest time, and went the direction of the currents in the fall and traveled west around the tip of Africa to Florida.

The Book of Ether offers us clues of travel to “that quarter where there never had man been“, probably south east on foot towards Kuwait, and then on the many waters.  

They were led spiritually by the brother of Jared, one of the mightiest prophets of whom we have record. The brother of Jared recognized in this task something fundamentally different from their previous efforts at barge-building: These barges would be used to cross the “great deep” in an extended voyage. But the barges were not fit for long voyages for at least two reasons: First, there was no light source inside the barges, rendering the interiors inky black, with no ability to see in order to steer or take care of other necessities; and second, the barges were airtight, with no mechanism to allow the passengers to breathe when the air became stale. Since these were problems that were beyond the ken of the Jaredites to solve on their own initiative, the brother of Jared took them to the Lord, and the Lord gave him instructions to help them resolve the problems. (For a fascinating and instructive take on this scriptural account, read or listen to Elder Bruce R. McConkie’s BYU devotional speech “Agency or Inspiration – Which?“)

In short, the Jaredites’ earlier barge-building efforts appear to have been for a shorter-duration voyage, so no special construction was required. It was only when crossing the sea, a journey of nearly a year, that they needed such special construction and conditions.

David Read  Face of a Nephite
Kennewick Man Has Haplogroup X DNA

The Kennewick Man is a human skeleton that was found in Kennewick, Washington in 1996. The skeleton is claimed to be over 6-8,000 years old, and is believed to be from a male who was around 40-50 years old when he died. The Kennewick Man generated huge public interest, as claims were made over who the skeleton belonged to. Native American tribes claimed him as their ancestor, and the skeleton was eventually returned to them in 2017.

Our friend David Read has shared a lot of information about how Kennewick man most likely validates the Book of Mormon timeline. If he is correct, it will also validate the Jaredite landing near the west coast of the United States near the State of Washington.

“Nephites in North America: New DNA Evidence”
Despite popular belief, the currently available DNA evidence supports the Book of Mormon. Critics who attempt to rely on DNA evidence to attack the truth of the Book of Mormon misinterpret or misconstrue what the DNA evidence actually shows. In this presentation, Mr. Read will present more DNA evidence that has recently come to light supporting Book of Mormon claims.

As one example, Mr. Read will discuss further scientific studies which again confirm that mitochondrial DNA haplogroup X (previously publicized by Rod Meldrum) is found among Native Americans and originated in the Middle East. Indeed, one recent study found a variety of haplogroup X in Egypt that is just one mutation away from the type found in Native Americans, which undermines the critics’ previous claims that Native American haplotype X2a has “too many mutations” from the haplogroup X haplotypes found in the Middle East to fit a Book of Mormon timeframe for a migration from the Middle East to the Americas.

Mr. Read will also present new DNA evidence regarding Y DNA haplogroup R, which is a second non-Asian DNA type found in large numbers among some Native American groups. Mr. Read will present evidence showing that this non-Asian DNA type also predates Columbus and has a distribution pattern in common with haplogroup X. This means that there is now a second and separate line of DNA evidence that corroborates the haplogroup X information and is again consistent with the Book of Mormon.

Finally, Mr. Read will explain the significance of recent findings about an ancient Native American skeleton known as Kennewick Man, whose DNA is haplogroup X, but whose carbon dating has been commonly reported as being over 8,000 years old. Because of the reported carbon dating, Kennewick Man is now often used by critics to argue that haplogroup X in the Americas predates Book of Mormon timeframes. However, this again misconstrues the evidence. Mr. Read will demonstrate that a more complete analysis of the carbon dating for Kennewick Man shows that his correct age is within Book of Mormon timeframes and once again supports the DNA evidence in favor of the Book of Mormon.
David possesses many intellectual interests. Before finishing his juris doctorate in law and becoming a patent attorney and later a judge, he earned undergraduate degrees in chemistry and philosophy. Over the past 10 years, he has completed a considerable amount of research into the historical authenticity of the Book of Mormon with a particular emphasis on DNA evidence related to the Book of Mormon. Through this research, he has recently uncovered additional DNA evidence that corroborates and supports the historical authenticity of the Book of Mormon. Register to see his video here bookofmormonevidence.org/streaming

Warning

I now share with you a plethora of additional information about the Jaredites possible landing places in Eastern Asia, with artifacts that date to the Jaredite time frame. I only warn you as I have taken up most of your day already, with this previous information on the Jaredite route, and if you are a sucker for punishment you will endure more fascinating information.

I want to say, Wow! The amount of information available today is massive. We know the Book of Mormon is the absolute truth, and I love finding the secondary evidence to validate its spiritual truth. Information is everywhere if you just look and study and research and don’t forget to pray!

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Connection/China/Mexico/North America

Jaredites Landed in China?
Chinese Artifacts in Western North America

New Evidence Ancient Chinese Explorers Landed in America Excites Experts 
By Tara MacIsaac , Epoch Times  

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Jaredites Landed in Taiwan?

The Saoba Stone Pillars of Taiwan Present A Peinan Culture Conundrum

Taiwan is a modern and dynamic country, but it also has a rich culture and history, which is often forgotten by the wider world. The island has been home to a variety of communities and cultures since the Neolithic age. One of the most remarkable archaeological sites in Taiwan are the Saoba stone pillars in the Satokoay Historical Site which is a third-grade national historic monument and one of Taiwan’s most popular tourist attractions.

The Enigmatic Saoba Stone Pillars

The stone pillars are two large, badly-weathered standing stones that may have once had carvings on them. The pillars are of different heights – one is 18 feet (6 meters) and the other is 12 feet (4 meters) high. They are situated on a slope north of the Wuhe terrace and face a deep river valley. The Satokay Historical Site is located in an area of outstanding natural beauty and the pillars can be seen from a distance.

Circles of small rocks surround both pillars, and how the two large stones were transported and erected at this site is a mystery, but given their remarkable location, Saoba stone pillars may have been used for ceremonial or religious purposes.

The Peinan Culture

The stones are believed to be part of the ancient Peinan Culture, also known as the Beinan Culture. There has been an excavation of the Saoba site, but it yielded little of historical value. And at another Peinan site, similar stone pillars were found which has led many experts to accept that the stones are important relics of Peinan culture. 

Jade earing found at a Peinan Cultural site (Beinan Site Academic)

A similar standing stone to the one at Saoba can also be seen at National Museum of Prehistory and Peinan Culture Park. This Neolithic culture flourished in Taiwan about 2,000 to 3,000 years ago.  It was fairly advanced when compared to previous societies on the island. It is noted for its distinctive stone coffins that have been found all over the Pacific and South-East Asia, convincing many that Taiwan was the birthplace of some of the Asian-Pacific cultures and civilizations. There is evidence that migration from Taiwan was very important in the spread of civilization in the region. While experts generally accept the stone pillars are from the Peinan culture, their role and purpose are not known.

Niumatou Site: An Archaeological Preservation of Taiwan’s Lost Aborigines

The Taiwan aborigines are termed Austronesian, with linguistic and genetic ties to a list of ethnic groups including those of New Zealand  and Hawaii,  Timor-Leste, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei and others from the African region, to name a few.

Mother Found Still Cradling Baby After 4800 Years

Jaredite/Near East Mummies DNA?

The First Genome Data from Ancient Egyptian Mummies: Ancient Egyptians Were Most Closely Related to Ancient Populations from the Near East

“An international team of scientists, led by researchers from the University of Tuebingen (Germany) and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, successfully recovered and analyzed ancient DNA from Egyptian mummies dating from approximately 1400 BCE to 400 CE, including the first genome-wide nuclear data from three individuals, establishing ancient Egyptian mummies as a reliable source for genetic material to study the ancient past. The study, published on Tuesday in Nature Communications , found that modern Egyptians share more ancestry with Sub-Saharan Africans than ancient Egyptians did, whereas ancient Egyptians were found to be most closely related to ancient people from the Near East…

The Research

For this study, an international team of researchers from the University of Tuebingen, the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, Germany, the University of Cambridge, the Polish Academy of Sciences, and the Berlin Society of Anthropology, Ethnology and Prehistory, looked at 

genetic differentiation and population continuity over a 1,300-year timespan, and compared these results to modern populations. The team sampled 151 mummified individuals from the archaeological site of Abusir el-Meleq, along the Nile River in Middle Egypt, from two anthropological collections hosted and curated at the University of Tuebingen and the Felix von Luschan Skull Collection at the Museum of Prehistory of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Stiftung Preussicher Kulturbesitz”. Source

Chief Joseph Lamb Receipt 2042 BC

Not far from the landing of the Jaredites on the Columbia River, was found an amazing cuneiform tablet dating to 2042 BC, near the time frame of the Jaredites. I found it very interesting that on this square shaped stone was found wedge-shaped characters used in the ancient writing systems of Mesopotamia called cuneiform.

It spoke about the purchase of sheep and goats for a sacrifice. In total there are three artifacts found in the USA with the ancient cuneiform script that have been studied by reputable archaeologists and deemed authentic. They are sales receipts for sheep and goats. Amazing. Below are the details.

“In 1877 the respected leader of the Nez Perce tribe surrendered to the U. S. Government. At his surrender, Chief Thunder Rolling Down the Mountain (known by his Christian name Joseph), presented General Nelson Appleton Miles with a pendant, a 1 inch square clay tablet with writings unrecognizable to General Miles. The writing, which was translated by Dr. Robert D. Biggs, Assyriology Professor at the University of Chicago, turned out to be a sales receipt dating back to 2042 B.C. in Assyria.

It read: “Nalu received 1 lamb from Abbashaga on the 11th day of the month of the festival of An, in the year Enmahgalanna was installed as high priestess of Nanna.”

Chief Joseph said the tablet had been passed down in his family for many generations. How would his family come into possession of a nearly 4,000-year-old tablet? According to the Chief, they inherited it from their white ancestors.” Josephknew.com More detail in my blog here:

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Conclusion: Overwhelming Evidence Shows that the Jaredites and Nephites Fought Final Battles at the Exact Same Hill in Ontario, New York! Once Cumorah!

Where Exactly is Hill Cumorah/Ramah?

“And it came to pass that the army of Coriantumr did pitch their tents by the hill Ramah; and it was that same hill where my father Mormon did hide up the records unto the Lord, which were sacred.” Ether 15:11

SPECULATION ABOUT BOOK OF MORMON GEOGRAPHY.
Within recent years there has arisen among certain students of the Book of Mormon a theory to the effect that within the period covered by the Book of Mormon, the Nephites and Lamanites were confined almost entirely within the borders of the territory comprising Central America and the southern portion of Mexico — the isthmus of Tehauntepec probably being the “narrow neck” of land spoken of in the Book of Mormon rather than the isthmus of Panama.232. 16

This theory is founded upon the assumption that it was impossible for the colony of Lehi’s to multiply and fill the hemisphere within the limits of 1,000 years, or from the coming of Lehi from Jerusalem to the time of the destruction of the Nephites at the Hill Cumorah. Moreover, they claim that the story in the Book of Mormon of the migrations, building of cities, and the wars and contentions, preclude the possibility of the people spreading over great distances such as we find within the borders Of North and South America.

EARTH POPULATED RAPIDLY.
If we are willing to accept the Bible record, which is confirmed by the Doctrine and Covenants, the entire civilization of the earth was destroyed in the flood except Noah and his family. Moreover, this destruction took place less than 5,000 years ago, and today the population of the earth, notwithstanding wars and destructions, is estimated at over 2,000,000,000 souls. (Updated population of the earth, Nov 2022, 8 billion plus here)

The population of Europe, based upon the best records available, is vastly increased over that at the time of the discovery of America; yet upon this hemisphere are to be found hundreds of millions of people, descendants of European and Asiatic ancestors who knew nothing of this land before the discovery by Columbus. The rapid increase of posterity is known to every genealogist who has traced the record of the early settlers in this western country.

LOCALE OF CUMORAH, RAMAH, AND RIPLIANCUM.
This modernistic theory of necessity, in order to be consistent, must place the waters of Ripliancum and the Hill Cumorah some place within the restricted territory of Central America, notwithstanding the teachings of the Church to the contrary for upwards of 100 years. Because of this theory some members of the Church have become confused and greatly disturbed in their faith in the Book of Mormon. It is for this reason that evidence is here presented to show that it is not only possible that these places could be located as the Church has held during the past century.

It is known that the Hill Cumorah where the Nephites were destroyed is the hill where the Jaredites were also destroyed. This hill was known to the Jaredites as Ramah. It was approximately near to the waters of Ripliancum, which the Book of Ether says, “by interpretation, is large, or to exceed all. “And it came to pass that we did march forth to the land of Cumorah, and we did pitch our tents round about the hill Cumorah; and it was in a land of many waters, rivers, and fountains; and here we had hope to gain advantage over the Lamanites.” 

EARLY BRETHREN LOCATE CUMORAH IN WESTERN NEW YORK.
It must be conceded that this description fits perfectly the land of Cumorah in New York, as it has been known since the visitation of Moroni to the Prophet Joseph Smith, for the hill is in the proximity of the Great Lakes and also in the land of many rivers and fountains. Moreover, the Prophet Joseph Smith himself is on record, definitely declaring the present hill called Cumorah to be the exact hill spoken of in the Book of Mormon. 

Further, the fact that all of his associates from the beginning down have spoken of it as the identical hill where Mormon and Moroni hid the records, must carry some weight. It is difficult for a reasonable person to believe that such men as Oliver Cowdery, Brigham Young, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, David Whitmer, and many others, could speak frequently of the Spot where the Prophet Joseph Smith obtained the plates as the Hill Cumorah, and not be corrected by the Prophet, if that were not the fact. That they did speak of this hill in the days of the Prophet in this definite manner is an established record of history.” LOCALE OF CUMORAH, RAMAH, AND RIPLIANCUM. Joseph Fielding Smith Doctrines of Salvation Vol 3 Chapter 12

For a complete PDF file to copy, click the link below.