Comments on: Wowowie

Wowowie

maniactown — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 14:22:26 -0800

5000 year old carved skull "HEAVILY carved with mysterious buddhism objects, symbols and Tibetan letters." Crazy.
(Via Boing Boing)

By: fenriq

fenriq — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 14:31:29 -0800

There's a pretty HUGE difference between a 5000 year old skull and a 500 year old skull. That said, the skull is pretty impressive, I don't see myself plunking down $8K for it (especially from a seller with a 0 feedback rating) but it's kind of neat in a morbid sort of way. And for $8K the seller should pay for the shipping. $32 is incredibly lame.

By: 327.ca

327.ca — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 14:35:01 -0800

Just curious. If you can't sell a kidney on eBay, how come you can sell a (nudge, wink) "medical use" skull?

By: quonsar

quonsar — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 14:36:50 -0800

mysterious buddhists everywhere object.

By: DenOfSizer

DenOfSizer — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 14:38:35 -0800

If this really is such a big archeological deal, isn't it likely to be an antique illegally removed from its country of original? Should like, Interpol's Artifacts Trafficking Division be notified?

By: Peter H

Peter H — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 14:50:50 -0800

I hope they waited until he was dead to do all of that to him.

By: picea

picea — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 14:55:54 -0800

500 years old? Ha! This relief figure is holding a cell phone! It's a fake!

By: maniactown

maniactown — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 14:56:51 -0800

s/5000/500 Sorry... I read 5000, which was neater, but 500 is still pretty old. Anybody able to translate the text on the skull? Or have any idea what something like this was for? Would it be religious in nature, like some relic of a saint, or a "tourist" item, produced solely for it's aesthetic appeal?

By: 327.ca

327.ca — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 15:03:01 -0800

500 years old? Ha! This relief figure is holding a cell phone! It's a fake! Now, now, et's not be hasty. The skull could be 500 years old but just carved last week, right?

By: mr_roboto

mr_roboto — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 15:12:58 -0800

picea: That is awesome.

By: fenriq

fenriq — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 15:16:47 -0800

So who wants to write an email to the seller asking about the cell phone? Whoever does MUST post the reply here.

By: Keyser Soze

Keyser Soze — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 15:29:29 -0800

WOW GUYZ ITS REAL

By: mr_roboto

mr_roboto — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 15:38:58 -0800

fenriq: picea photoshopped it! That's the awesome part! In the original, it's a dorje or vajra.

By: elendil71

elendil71 — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 15:52:52 -0800

The characters are a script called Devanagiri, used in Sanskrit-based languages. I cant read the letters exactly, but I recognize the majority of them as being, in part or whole, of the very common "mani" or prayer used in Buddhism, "Um mani padme oom". I cant recall exactly what that translates to, but I do remember that it has various meanings and interpretations depending on how its translated. I saw something very much like this when I was in a temple in Kagbeni ( I think), in northern Nepal.

By: quonsar

quonsar — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 15:58:31 -0800

I saw something very much like this when I was in a temple in Kagbeni ( I think), in northern Nepal. mr. peterman? is that you?

By: elendil71

elendil71 — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 16:25:47 -0800

As a corrollary to my previous comment, that skull is actually pretty neat because it probably represents some major aspects of the old Bon religion, an indigenous, very shamanistic/animistic religion that got absorbed into Tibetan Buddhism. I couldn't find a good academic link to Bon practices and iconography, but it's pretty fascinating stuff. I recall a Nepalese village once that had this really really old painted figure on a crumbling stone wall in a sort of cul-de-sac. It was clearly not one of the traditional Buddha images, and had this gigantic three foot phallus sticking out. Some kids were swinging on it. Made a great photo. According to some folks I talked to, that imagery is a hold-over from the ancient Bon practices.

By: fenriq

fenriq — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 16:37:53 -0800

mr_roboto, DOH! I'm crawling back under my rock now. Nicely done photoshop job!

By: fleener

fleener — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 17:06:05 -0800

Hey Bubba, it's on ebay. It must be legit. Cuz the internut never done me wrong.

By: mwhybark

mwhybark — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 20:09:39 -0800

anybody want some wood?

By: alms

alms — Sat, 09 Oct 2004 09:15:11 -0800

eBay pulled this down. Did anyone save a copy of the photo? A friend of mine is interested in seeing it.

By: page404

page404 — Sat, 09 Oct 2004 10:22:47 -0800

alms, photo (via boingboing).

By: kablam

kablam — Sat, 09 Oct 2004 11:04:34 -0800

Those tattoos must have hur-urt!

By: homunculus

homunculus — Sat, 09 Oct 2004 15:06:17 -0800

The Rock Art of Lake Namtso, Tibet