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All things Woy, ancient Egypt, Australia, fraud, Gosford, hieroglyphs, hoax, Kariong, Khufu, Nefer-Djeseb, Nefer-Ti-Ru, Ray Johnson, Rex Gilroy
Australia brings up images of exotic landscapes and vast tracts of wilderness. It was originally inhabited by Aborigines tens of thousands of years ago and, much later, by Europeans as a penal colony. Australia has brought us colorful characters like Crocodile Dundee (I’m dating myself by that reference) and Steve Irwin. The dialect of English spoken there is charming and immediately recognizable. This land is a modern tourist destination for those among us who want to experience the culture of Sydney and the adventures of the Outback.
But who would’ve thought that one of the first bands of tourists were ancient Egyptians, thousands of years ago? Few would imagine that the builders of the Great Pyramid and the founders of the world’s first nation-state would also sail the wide-open seas and find themselves Down Under.
If you find yourself in southeast Australia in the area of Gosford, not far from the coast, you can see the evidence for yourself. There, on numerous sandstone rock faces, are hieroglyphs carved by Egyptians themselves. If you have Google Earth, plug in the coordinates 33°27’4.69″S, 151°18’9.44″E and you can explore the area yourself. Google “Gosford Glyphs” and you’ll come up with all sorts of photos of these enigmatic hieroglyphs, such as this one:
Gosford Glyphs: Courtesy of All things Woy
What do the glyphs tell us? What story lay hidden in the ancient script?
Well, of course, the glyphs have been translated and the translation is widely available on the internet. I shall share the story here:
Thus speaks his Highness the Prince from this wretched place within this land, transported there by ship.
Doing this writing for the Crown of Lower Egypt, according to God’s Words. The fellaheen call out from this place in this strange land, for Suti.
I, Nefer-Djeseb, Son of the King Khufu, The King of Upper and Lower Egypt, beloved of “Ptah” have transported “Suti.”
“He (Nefer-Ti-Ru) is kind (and) benevolent, (a) follower (of the) golden-haired God, “Ra-Heru.” “Two years* that I (He ?) make way westwards, I (He, Nefer Ti-Ru) (put) up strong front, praying, joyful, smiting Insects. His Highness, a Servant of God, He (say’s) God brings the Insects, thus thine own Fellaheen protect.”
The snake bit twice, all those behind the divine Lord of Khufu, the Lord of the two Adzes , mighty one of LOWER EGYPT. Not all go back. (we are) marching forward, (we) do not look back.
(We) all damaged the Boat at low tide. Our boat is tied up. The snake caused the death. (We) gave half an egg (from Medicine) Box (or Chest), (and) prayed to the Hidden One, for he was struck twice.”
A hard road, we all wept over the body, keeping to that, which is allowed. “Seated (by) the Side way.” “With concern and deep love, (the) Fellaheen.
Plants wilting, Land dying, is this my lot from the most high God, of the sacred Mer. The Sun pours down upon (my back), O! Khepera, most High, this is not as the Oracle said. My Obelisk is overturned, but not broken.
The bandaged one is confined, Hear, The Red Earth Region.” Then of Time to grow, (i.e. Spring), We walled in with local Stones the entrance to the side chamber. I counted and impounded the daggers (of the) Fellaheen.
The three doors to Eternity are connected to the rear end behind the bulwark (of the Grave).
A Necklace placed by his side. A Royal Token, signifying Heavens Gift, as from thou…! O Holy Shining Ones. Taken across (to) private sanctuary (of this) Tomb. (Along with) the Silver Dagger, a Royal Token (of the) Great Maker.
Separated from (the city of) “ PENU” (is) the Royal Body (and from) all others. That Regal Person that came from the House of God, Nefer-ti-ru, the Son of Khufu, King of Upper and Lower Egypt , who died before, is laid to rest.
He is not of this place. His home is Penu. Return him to his town . One third of (the) fruits, I myself divided for the burial service. Hold his Spirit with love, O most High. Worms in the basket of fruit, going into (him), shall not be.
May he have Life, everlasting. Am I not to go back besides the Waters of the Sacred Mer, Then clasp him, my Brother’s Spirit to thy side, O Father of the Earth.
There you have it. We have two princes, Nefer-Djeseb and Nefer-Ti-Ru, sons of the great king Khufu, leading a band of Egyptian sailers to far-off Australia. Their ship ran aground, and evidently Prince Nefer-Ti-Ru succumbed to a snake bite. He was interred there, in the rocky outcrops near modern Gosford, 4,500 years ago.
We know the timeline because of the clear mention of Khufu, builder of the Great Pyramid, one of the mightiest edifices of pharaonic Egypt. Khufu reigned around 2547-2524 BCE, the second king of Dynasty 4, early in the Old Kingdom. His father was Sneferu (2597-2547 BCE), builder of three large masonry pyramids.
So, we know the backstory, we know the timeline, we know the main players. We can see the hieroglyphs for ourselves, splashed over those sandstone rock faces. The inscriptions are most commonly referred to as the Gosford Glyphs due to the nearby community of Gosford. They’re also known as the Kariong Glyphs because they’re located in the Brisbaine Water National Park, Kariong, which is a wilderness area governed by Australia’s National Parks and Wildlife Service.
But are the inscriptions real? Did a hardy band of Egyptian sailors really set out from Early Bronze Age Egypt and ply the open waters of the ocean for thousands of miles to travel to Australia? Logic and reason would tell you, no.
Logic and reason would be correct, of course.
This is absurd on the face of it. Nevertheless, the Gosford hoax has a zealously loyal band of believers, most of whom seem to be a number of Australians who passionately build on the hoax to deliver it to us as authentic. Whether some or most of these Australian believers had anything to do with the creation of the hoax is not clear, and it’s not even clear if they honestly believe in it themselves, but goodness, do they rise up in defense of it!
So in honor of the Gosford Glyphs I’m writing this article to explain and demonstrate in no uncertain terms why they’re so obviously a fraud. If nothing else, my humble article will be one more voice of reason out there on the Net. There is too much material to cover in one segment, so I intend to break it up into more than one entry.
To begin, let’s introduce a couple of the modern players who defend the Gosford Glyphs. The above translation was concocted by an Australian named Ray Johnson, who passed away some years ago. You will see on any number of web pages mentioning that Mr. Johnson was an Egyptologist. This is not accurate. By the statements Johnson made and by the things he wrote, it is abundantly clear that Johnson did not possess much understanding of pharaonic Egypt and definitely did not understand the protocols and techniques necessary to translate hieroglyphs.
You will see any number of people who promote the Gosford Glyphs proclaiming themselves to be archaeologists and/or Egyptologists, when it’s clear none of these people possess any credentials in those fields. You’ll also notice they love attaching “Ph.D.” to their names. While I’ve spent years studying Egyptian hieroglyphs myself, and have worked hard on my ability to conduct translations, I have no problem stating outright that I am neither an archaeologist nor an Egyptologist. Honesty is critical in historical studies and research, so few things push my buttons like folks who enjoy pretending to be things they are not.
Some of the characters in this Gosford drama have written documents you can find and download on the internet. They’re in this format, of course, because no publisher would dare to touch them. I am not interested in promoting their work or linking you to their “papers,” so I leave it to you to hunt them down, if you wish to.
Ray Johnson is obviously something of a cult hero to these fringies. They proudly refer to him as an Australian Egyptologist and intimate that Johnson performed cutting-edge linguistic research at the Gosford site. As laughable as the whole thing is, admittedly I’ve taken the time to download and read their papers. There is immediate confusion with the name Ray Johnson, and to me this is troublesome.
Many people familiar with the field of Egyptology will probably have encountered an Egyptologist named Ray Johnson. Indeed there is one. Dr. Ray Johnson is from the University of Chicago, Oriental Institute, and is the director of the Chicago House in Luxor, Egypt. Dr. Johnson is a leader in the field of Egyptian epigraphy.
It must be stressed that the Australian Ray Johnson and the University of Chicago Ray Johnson are two different men. Do the acolytes of the Australian Johnson make this clear? One would think so, especially given the fact that the Australian Johnson is deceased and the University of Chicago Johnson is still very much with us (he was one of the speakers around five years ago at the Oriental Institute when I was training to be a docent there). But it’s not always that clear, in fact.
One of those papers you can download from the internet is called “Burial Site of Lord Nefer-Ti-Ru,” by an individual called Dr. R.M. de Jonge. The manner in which de Jonge provides citations and references is very loose and free, and at least two different references definitely refer to the University of Chicago Ray Johnson in a manner that seems to imply he was involved with the study of the Gosford Glyphs. I can’t outright state that de Jonge is trying to pull a trick on us because it might be nothing more than a case of an individual not knowing how to cite properly.
This matter was brought to the attention of the University of Chicago Ray Johnson, who kindly replied by email and explained:
That Ray Johnson is not me. I have never translated any faux Egyptian hieroglyphic inscriptions in Australia (those rock inscriptions were clearly not done by any ancient Egyptians). That Ray Johnson, whoever he is/was, has/had no association with the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, and I suspect is not an Egyptologist…
That’s clear enough, then. But the real Dr. Ray Johnson is not the only Egyptologist who’s weighed in on this issue. Professor Nageeb Kanawati, from the Department of Egyptology at Macquarie University, stated in May 2011:
…A few years ago I examined, only from photographs, these so-called Egyptian inscriptions at Kariong, and am sure that they mean nothing and are mere scratches made by a amateur…
Additionally, another Australian Egyptologist named Dr. Gregory Gilbert, noted in 2000:
I recognise these photographs as being from an Australian rock depiction which supposedly has evidence of Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. I believe that the inscription is a modern forgery, and not a good one at that.
I bother to share the words of these three Egyptologists because one of the claims of the fringies who so ardently support the Gosford Glyphs is that they’ve never received attention from academia and that all counterarguments are sloppy and incorrect. In other words, they present their own work as infallible while all negative comments are inherently flawed. As arrogant and unrealistic as this is, it is a common tactic of fringe adherents.
Incidentally, another big promoter of Gosford is an Australian named Rex Gilroy. He has his own website. I’m sure pretty much everyone living in Australia must know of Rex Gilroy, and no doubt many fringies enjoy his work. Gilroy argues that not only Egyptians but Phoenicians were ancient visitors to his land. Then again, Mr. Gilroy also argues in favor of UFOs and the Australian version of Bigfoot (Yowie), so I don’t know how credible he is to begin with. I’ll bet he’s a hell of a story teller, however.
In my next installment I’ll break down the specifics of the Gosford Glyphs: when they actually date to, the nature of the hieroglyphs, the story the Australian Ray Johnson concocted, and how we know for certain all of this is just a tremendous load of bull-flop.
On a closing note, the photos I’m sharing in the Gosford articles are used with the permission of Steve S., author of a terrific Australian blog named All things Woy (LINK). More than probably anyone Steve has documented the Gosford phenomenon, its origins, its development, and its investigations. I’m indebted to Steve and highly recommend his blog.
great piece… am looking forward to the next installment…
Thanks much, archaeologicallinks. I’ve finished Part 2 but it might be a few days till I have the time to write Part 3. I hope you keep reading.
will do
Hi kmtsesh awesome blog
Thanks a lot, Joe. I’m glad you like it.
Very well written and ‘researched’. My sincere compliments to you! Well, dear kmtsesh, recently Tony Robinson of Time Team fame as well as an American film crew who worked with John Anthony West have filmed the glyphs. so, thats something in favour of the believers. On the other side of the coin, Kanawati and his team have shaken their heads at the thought of Egyptians coming this far – by intention or accident. Also, Ray Johnson – mmm, what can one saaay other than Ray Who? No Egyptologist of any repute has been approached to decipher the glyphs and its obviously highly important this happens. ( i ask Is it likely the scribe wasnt fully versed in the art? Why is it necessary that the man/boy be highly proficient in this trade? Could the designated scribe have died here or on the voyage? worthy of thought) Neverthless, not only have two film teams done their thing here but also the grapevine says there is far more interesting evidence than the glyphs that has come to light of late and this obviously deserves review before any more pronouncements are made. Im aware the actual dig/ research on, under and near the cleft in the rocks has been absolutely appaling – non-existant – a joke really. Lets see what eventuates in coming months. will patience hugely reward us or leave us rolling in the aisles with mirth?
Thanks for your comment, ezotericalien. I appreciate your reading the article. Some points of clarification pertaining to your comments. If you review Part 1 of this article, you will see that three different Egyptologists have in fact examined photos of the site, and all concur the glyphs are a hoax. One of these men is an Egyptologist named Ray Johnson (not the Australian Ray Johnson but a real Egyptologist from the University of Chicago) who is an expert in epigraphy and is therefore especially qualified to render this conclusion. So then, experts have indeed concluded Gosford is a fake.
In Part 2 and Part 3 I broke down the “story” as rendered by the Australian Ray Johnson and the nature and character of the hieroglyphs themselves. Beyond a shadow of a doubt these glyphs say nothing whatsoever. As I argued in my article, this isn’t simply the case of a poorly trained scribe. These are just randomly scattered glyphs that do not relay at all in the ancient Egyptian script. They make about as much sense as you or I closing our eyes and randomly pecking at a keyboard. There is no getting around it: the Glyphs are an obvious hoax.
I have one more installment to write on this article, and then likely I’ll not return to it anytime soon. I suspect the “more interesting evidence” you mention is that being promoted by Hans Dieter von Senff, one of the acolytes of Johnson who continues to stand behind the glyphs. I believe I made mention of Hans Dieter in one part of my article. I’ve debated this man in depth in a forum and have found his argument to be profoundly lacking. In my opinion Hans Dieter brings nothing new to the table, aside from possibly elaborating on the hoax. Trust me, I would not bother getting excited about it. Neither people like von Senff nor any number of TV cameras can make an obvious hoax turn into something real.
Nothing to do with von Sneff and I assume you were the one who debated him at Karoing ArtsBarn. i wasnt there but I am aware of the latter. Im pleased you took him to task.
We should leave this aside for a few months and, if there is, as I suspect, more evidence, I’ll get back to you – if you’re still interested. i realise the proof needs to be irrefutable – and proof that cant use the glyphs at all at this stage.
Sorry to give an incorrect impression. I’ve never met von Senff in person. It was on an internet discussion forum where I debated him. He’s been going on about “new” glyphs being discovered at Gosford, and he’s put a 149-page PDF on the internet to publish his findings. It’s more of the same drivel—a random scattering of hieroglyphs that don’t really say anything.
I honestly don’t see the situation changing. All of the Gosford glyphs as known right now are a clear hoax. Nothing will ever change that.
Utter drivel indeed!!!!!! I was stupid enough to print the damned thing and was only able to churn through several pages before binning it. What a waste of paper!! Cant chat about what else is happening but there is much more to come that doesnt involve the darned glyphs. The latter are merely an unimportant segment of a bigger picture. In recent days Ive become somewhat excited with whats come to light. Case of caveat emptor of course but its beginning to look better almost day by day. Stay tuned, dear boy – but I cant promise a quick resolution. You’ll realise, ( finally) good research takes quite a while to authenticate.
LOL Perhaps I should’ve included you in my article, ezotericalien, as one of the Gosford promoters. No matter, the article grew long enough. I mean, four parts—and plenty more could be said. I’m not sure who you really are but it probably doesn’t matter, my friend. The site’s most important feature is the glyphs, and they are on record—by numerous experts—as a fraud. That’s all that matters. There is no “bigger picture.” As I said in my article, the idea that ancient Egyptians sailed to Australia is absurd on the face of it, and that alone sinks the promoters’ fantasies. Still, it’s fun to point out the myriad of comical errors at the site, as well as to lay out its actual modern history, so that’s why I wrote this four-part piece.
My advice is to accept it and move on. Perhaps you or other hoaxers are secreting away homemade Egyptian “artifacts” at the site, for a near-future “discovery,” but it will change nothing. Gosford will always be known as a hoax, and a particularly bad one at that. And that’s the reality of it. But thanks for reading.
NOT at all happy with that stupid, inane accusation. If you cant read between the lines that Im faaar from being that type of person, you need to secrete yourself between the cleif in the rocks and stay there for a few months. Believe what you like but the glyphs are NOT now the central piece of Kariong. Now, off you go to Kariong and do what Ive suggested
Goodness, ezotericalien, simmer down. You’re like other Gosford promoters I’ve debated: big on passion but not willing to present substance. I have no plans to visit Gosford any time soon. I’ve studied dozens of photos of the site and can’t see anything of interest beside the fake glyphs, so what else could there possibly be? Stop being cryptic and just come out with it: what else is there?
If you don’t wish to divulge and wish to continue playing the fringe “Wait and see” game, you needn’t bother commenting on my blog anymore. If you’re going to get all upset and escalate into a flame war, I’ll just delete all your comments. I’d rather not, but I will. Better yet, write about it on your own blog. I visited it and saw you’ve got nothing there yet, so this is the perfect opportunity to post something. Then I can read all about it. But enough with the silly guessing games. I’ve put my cards on the table for all to see: Your turn.
I mean accusing me of planting stuff at Kariong is bloody contemptible. Because Im far from the only one involved in this matter, I cant go any further. Period. I am merely able to say I plan to include a DNA scientist of world repute to assist. He’s an acquaintence but is now in the UK for a month so this will take a while. Further to this matter, as you suggested, please delete all my posts and keep on assuring yourself its a total bunch of rubbish. I really dont care. Ive merely very recently attempted to get a WP blog site going but the ‘Kariong’ matter is taking up much time.
How on earth is DNA even remotely relevant to the Gosford site? And by the way, the occasional Gosford promoter has been known to fake evidence at the site, so it’s hardly unusual for me to wonder about it.
Good luck with your new blog. Like I suggested, do a write-up about Gosford and present your side of the story.
Happy to let the DNA thing either intrigue you – but I’ll go no further other than saying the way the Kariong thing has been handled has been appaling! One would even have expected Paul West to have explored the site faaar better than he and his Sydney Uni stiudents did. Umm, the earth in and around the site wasnt even touched! I’ll let you ponder on that. Time we put this topic aside. Bye
I must ask with all sincerity, ezotericalien: have you actually been to Gosford and explored the site? I ask because the more you go on about it, the less you seem to know about Gosford. I admit I have never been there, nor have I even been to Australia, but I’ll put my trust in level-headed and savvy folks like Artemis, who also happens to be a resident of the area. You keep saying we should put this topic aside, ezotericalien, which is not something that is your right to ask of anyone, but by all means it’s your right not to visit or comment on my blog.
Ive been to Kariong numerous times – since visiting there with Paul White late 80′s. As you may know, PW, who initially felt the glyphs were genuine later refuted this and I went along with that and totaly dsmissed them until towards the end of 2011. ‘Chatted’ to Von Sneff a few months ago and dismissed his bumpf. Like you, i dont suffer fools easily. But more was to come my way until relatively recently that got my interest – so lets see what eventuates in coming months. IFFF the results are ‘positive’ it’ll be major news. If not, I stand corrected and havee my tail between my legs. NPW – or others – are ruining the site. Have a look for yourself. At least you’ll enjoy the walk
That lost post is twisted babble I think he means Paul white who is not an archaeologist , geologist or Egyptologist and he would have never gotten permission from the NPWS to conduct excavations at the glyphs site , the Uni students comment is fantasy it just didnt happen , maybe he got confused with John Anthony West who was silly enough to pay Dr Meltzer to try and translate the glyphs and then decided it wasnt going to be worth the trip downunder after all.
I live 10 minutes away from the glyphs site and await this ” new ” DNA evidence eagerly but won’t hold my breath lol
Hey, Artemis, you’ve met the “DNA” guy. I don’t know anything about Paul West but I’m aware of the college students. I didn’t put it in my article but it’s my understanding the Gosford fringe promoters use them as an excuse to explain the fresh nature of the carvings back in the 1980s. Correct me if I’m wrong. It’s all imaginary on their part, anyway. Now, I’m familiar with J.A. West, who’s not the worst of the fringe but still quite a ways out there in his own la-la land.