Robert M. Schoch
Encyclopedia
Robert M. Schoch is an associate professor of Natural Science at the College of General Studies, a 2 year non-degree granting unit of Boston University
. He received his Ph.D. in geology and geophysics
from Yale
in 1983, and is best known for his argument that the Great Sphinx of Giza
is much older than conventionally thought and that possibly some kind of catastrophe
has wiped out other evidence of a significantly older civilization. In 1991, Schoch redated the famous monument to 7000–5000 BC, based on his assertion that its erosion was due mainly to the effects of water, rather than wind and sand, and also based on seismic studies around the base of the Sphinx and elsewhere on the plateau.
Schoch's other theories include the belief that possibly all pyramids — in Egypt
, Mesoamerica
and elsewhere — represent (in the sense that the general concept of pyramids is inherited, along with many other cultural commonalities) a much older global culture, or at least that there was cultural contact around the world in ancient times. He is also known for his research on the Yonaguni
underwater "monuments," where he has dived on several occasions, beginning in 1997; his analysis of the formations is that it is a natural site modified by man to suit their needs. He has said that "We should also consider the possibility that the Yonaguni Monument is fundamentally a natural structure that was utilized, enhanced, and modified by humans in ancient times."http://www.morien-institute.org/yonaguni.html
In 1993, Schoch lent his name to a genus
of extinct mammals, Schochia
, of which Schochia sullivani is the genoholotype
.http://www.nmmnh-abq.mus.nm.us/nmmnh/pdf_files/NMMNHTypes.pdf
In 2006, Schoch investigated the so-called Bosnian pyramid excavations, at the invitation of the locals. He concluded "absolutely no evidence of pyramids per se or of a great ancient civilization in the Visoko region." http://download.dailygrail.com/subrosa/SubRosa_Issue6-Spread.pdf
Besides his work on ancient monuments and cultures, Schoch is interested in environmental issues (he is co-author of the college textbook Environmental Science: Systems and Solutions) and he is involved in the study of parapsychology
.
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
. He received his Ph.D. in geology and geophysics
Geophysics
Geophysics is the physics of the Earth and its environment in space; also the study of the Earth using quantitative physical methods. The term geophysics sometimes refers only to the geological applications: Earth's shape; its gravitational and magnetic fields; its internal structure and...
from Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1983, and is best known for his argument that the Great Sphinx of Giza
Great Sphinx of Giza
The Great Sphinx of Giza , commonly referred to as the Sphinx, is a limestone statue of a reclining or couchant sphinx that stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt....
is much older than conventionally thought and that possibly some kind of catastrophe
Catastrophism
Catastrophism is the theory that the Earth has been affected in the past by sudden, short-lived, violent events, possibly worldwide in scope. The dominant paradigm of modern geology is uniformitarianism , in which slow incremental changes, such as erosion, create the Earth's appearance...
has wiped out other evidence of a significantly older civilization. In 1991, Schoch redated the famous monument to 7000–5000 BC, based on his assertion that its erosion was due mainly to the effects of water, rather than wind and sand, and also based on seismic studies around the base of the Sphinx and elsewhere on the plateau.
Schoch's other theories include the belief that possibly all pyramids — in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica is a region and culture area in the Americas, extending approximately from central Mexico to Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, within which a number of pre-Columbian societies flourished before the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 15th and...
and elsewhere — represent (in the sense that the general concept of pyramids is inherited, along with many other cultural commonalities) a much older global culture, or at least that there was cultural contact around the world in ancient times. He is also known for his research on the Yonaguni
Yonaguni
is one of the Yaeyama Islands. It is the westernmost inhabited island of Japan and lies from the east coast of Taiwan, between the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean proper....
underwater "monuments," where he has dived on several occasions, beginning in 1997; his analysis of the formations is that it is a natural site modified by man to suit their needs. He has said that "We should also consider the possibility that the Yonaguni Monument is fundamentally a natural structure that was utilized, enhanced, and modified by humans in ancient times."http://www.morien-institute.org/yonaguni.html
In 1993, Schoch lent his name to a genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of extinct mammals, Schochia
Schochia
Schochia sullivani is a primitive species of Taeniodont mammal from the early Paleocene of North America.-References:Lucas, Spencer G. and Thomas E. Williamson. "A New Taeniodont from the Paleocene of the San Juan Basin, New Mexico." Journal of Mammology Vol. 74, No. 1 , p. 175-179....
, of which Schochia sullivani is the genoholotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
.http://www.nmmnh-abq.mus.nm.us/nmmnh/pdf_files/NMMNHTypes.pdf
In 2006, Schoch investigated the so-called Bosnian pyramid excavations, at the invitation of the locals. He concluded "absolutely no evidence of pyramids per se or of a great ancient civilization in the Visoko region." http://download.dailygrail.com/subrosa/SubRosa_Issue6-Spread.pdf
Besides his work on ancient monuments and cultures, Schoch is interested in environmental issues (he is co-author of the college textbook Environmental Science: Systems and Solutions) and he is involved in the study of parapsychology
Parapsychology
The term parapsychology was coined in or around 1889 by philosopher Max Dessoir, and originates from para meaning "alongside", and psychology. The term was adopted by J.B. Rhine in the 1930s as a replacement for the term psychical research...
.
Published works
- Case Studies in Environmental Science, 1996. ISBN 0-3142-0397-4.
- Development of Evolutionary Thought, with Peter Busher, Sally Sommers Smith, 2005. ISBN 0-6186-5882-3.
- Environmental Ethics: A Case Studies Approach, 2007. ISBN 0-7637-2687-7.
- Environmental Science, with Andrew H. Lapinski, Anne Tweed, 2007. ISBN 0-1306-9900-4.
- Environmental Science: Systems and Solutions, with Michael McKinney, 2003. ISBN 0-7637-0918-2.
- Environmental Science: Systems and Solutions, with Michael L. McKinney, Logan Yonavjak, 2007. ISBN 0-7637-4262-7.
- Horns, Tusks, and Flippers: The Evolution of Hoofed Mammals, with Donald R. Prothero, 2003. ISBN 0-8018-7135-2.
- Phylogeny Reconstruction in Paleontology, 1986. ISBN 0-4422-7967-1.
- Pyramid Quest: Secrets of the Great Pyramid and the Dawn of Civilization, 2005. ISBN 1-58542-405-6.
- Stratigraphy: Principles and Methods, 1989. ISBN 0-4422-8021-1.
- The Parapsychology Revolution: A Concise Anthology of Paranormal and Psychical Research, 2008. ISBN 1-5854-2616-4.
- Voices of the Rocks: A Scientist Looks at Catastrophes and Ancient Civilizations, 1999. ISBN 0-609-60369-8
- Voyages of the Pyramid Builders: The True Origins of the Pyramids from Lost Egypt to Ancient America, 2003. ISBN 1-58542-320-3.