Archived - Ask the Expert: David Down

David Down is an archaeologist that has been excavating in Israel every year for the past 25 years. He is also the editor of Australia's top selling archaeology magazine entitled, Archaeological Diggings.

Below are the questions and answers submitted while Mr. Down was the featured expert on CreationConversations.com

Comment by Victoria Mabry on October 13, 2010 at 1:58pm: My Dad lives in Chattanooga and there is some kind of conference going on there next week where the topics include "Genesis Stones." What are they talking about? (I'll be away the rest of the day. Back this evening.) Thanks.

Comment by Jeannette Parry on October 14, 2010 at 7:23am: Hi

This isn't a science question but I wanted to look up something on the previous "Ask the Expert" and it's disappeared!

Is there an "Ask the Expert" archive section?

Comment by Justin Mooney on October 18, 2010 at 8:10pm: Dr. Down,

I'm not sure if this is in your area of expertise, but do you know if luminescence dating is a reliable age dating method?

Comment by jeb smith on October 21, 2010 at 2:34pm: Dr down, do you believe there is enough time from the tower of babel for people to get to south America and other places?
Than build cities shortly after? what would be some good resources to read about that subject? of advances cities being built around the world shortly after babel.
thank you

Comment by Jennifer O. White on October 25, 2010 at 8:20am: Mr. Down has had technical difficulties this past week. We apologize he has not been able to answer your questions up to this point. You can expect him to begin answering early this week. Thanks for your patience.

Comment by David Down on October 28, 2010 at 7:43pm: Victoria, my apologies for the delay in response to your question. Sorry, I have no information about this conference

Comment by David Down on October 28, 2010 at 7:50pm: Nathan - in regards to your question: What have been the subsequent developments in the last 9 years since your publication of "Searching for Moses" in the TJ back in 2001 with regards to the revised Egyptian chronology?

No new evidence has come to light over the last nine years to support the revised chronology, nor has any evidence come to discredit it. Some recent TV documemtaries have been aired claiming evidence that the crossing of the Red Sea was at Nuweiba on the east side of the Sinai Peninsula, but none of these claims have been submitted to archaeologists and such a crossing is quite impossible. The minimum depth of the Red Sea on that side of the peninsula is nearly 800 metres whereas on the west side at Adabiya maximum depth is only 8 metres. Moreover it would have been quite impossible for Ergyptian chariots to cross the Sinai desert 300 km without food and water on the way. Their chariots would have got bogged down in sand.

Comment by David Down on October 28, 2010 at 7:53pm: Jeb,to answer your question - do you believe there is enough time from the tower of babel for people to get to south America and other places?

The Bible is silent on this question and there is little evidence from those countries. We can only conclude that populations multiplied rapidly and quickly spread across the continents.

Comment by Victoria Mabry on October 28, 2010 at 10:50pm: David, I was wanting to know what these "Genesis Stones" are that these people are touting. Do you know what they are talking about? From what I read it seems like they might not be legit.

Comment by STEVE A JEFFREY on October 29, 2010 at 4:23am: If we had a super computer that could calculate all of earths geology.
And we entered all of the data and left out Noahs flood.
It would give garbage out as an answer as we had put garbage in.GIGO.
To pretend Noahs flood never happened with all of the historical evidence is just garbage.
To say there is no evidence at all is what modern geology claims

Comment by STEVE A JEFFREY on October 29, 2010 at 5:12am: If creation science had a supercomputer of my design.
It would add equations imported from the net at random 1+1=2 and 2+2=4 Ying Yang.
1 ODD+ 1 EVEN= 2 ODD.
and 2 ODD+ 2 EVEN= 4 EVEN.
The result would not be a thoery of everything but bable it would be adding apples to oranges.
And this is the nature of the 10^500 universes with different laws that Steve hawking talks about they would be bable and since they are in ten dimensions they could only have circular orbits which are unstable by their very nature.An eliptical orbit is only possible in three dimensions and it alone can lead to life.
Because randomness produices bable it can print it out reams of paper and millions of meaningless equations.
It can never be an intelligent theory of everything.
God does not play dice.

Comment by STEVE A JEFFREY on October 29, 2010 at 5:16am: Do you know someone who is good at maths and computing that can program supercomputers to do creation science.It seems everybody has one these days why not creation science.
WHy not a geology supercomputer that includes the Flood of Noah with all of the information entered.
And a phsyics supercomputer designed to prove ex-nihilo./

Comment by STEVE A JEFFREY on October 29, 2010 at 5:31am: Iam sorry If Iam interupting but I want to know if creational science will atttempt t build a supercomputer with my model that Produces an putput of bable in order to show that random quantum theories of everything are false.
If it is impossible to prove the evolution of physics wrong let us say so right now.
If it is not impossible then let us agree to prove hawking wrong which is the task at hand.
I know that is not your area of experise.

Comment by STEVE A JEFFREY on October 29, 2010 at 5:41am: You will exist when people sing my song the computer program INDESCRIBABLE.
We can simulate universes with 10^500 different sets of laws and show on a supercomputer how none of those universes can actually exist................
with eliptical orbits like in our universe and circular orbits are the only other possiblility in ten dimensions and they are totally unstable.
So the 10^500 universes would have laws that are BABLE.
And are totally unstable and unsuitable for life./

Comment by STEVE A JEFFREY on October 29, 2010 at 5:42am: The computer program is called INDESCRIBABLE after the song.

Comment by STEVE A JEFFREY on October 29, 2010 at 6:13am: The computer program to simulate the random laws of 10^500 universes.
Is called INDESCRIBABLE-UNBELIEVABLE.
Which is what the bable that the printer on this computer will output.
Unbelievable bable we can try to simulate these 10^500 universes on our supercomputer to show that they can't possibily exist without a God to make them possible.
It will be fait accompli.
We need to all get togther and build this supercomputer to prove Hawking wrong and prove God right.
You are either for jesus or against Him.
Multitudes in the valley of decision.

Comment by STEVE A JEFFREY on October 29, 2010 at 6:30am: The beauty of the Indescribable program.
Is that it can be set up on an IBM 486 with a dot matric printer just as easily as with Cosmos Stephen Hawkings Supercomputer.
So little creationist universities can run simulations of Stephen hawkings 10^500 universes.
Just as easily as Cosmos.
And prove them wrong.............
If Iam wrong then tell me the wrong...........If Iam right then why not agree with me.
I only want to prove God right and Hawking wrong about the big bang I have no other adegenda.
I believe in ex-nihilo creation not everything out of something but everything out of nothing.
Steve

Comment by David Down on October 29, 2010 at 8:38am: Steve - we will keep the discussion here about archaeology. Thanks

Comment by STEVE A JEFFREY on November 2, 2010 at 4:28pm: Lord help me to think like the creation scientists.
Their simplicity is a beautiful thing to behold.
There is a lot of good in creation science but a lot of evil as well a lot of self satisfaction and know it all attitudes.
And an unwillingness to make friends with people of different views.

Comment by Allen J Dunckley on November 5, 2010 at 11:35am: Steve, why are you hogging the discussion? And taking up valuable space that allows people to dialogue about archaeology?

Comment by Violet on November 5, 2010 at 1:47pm: OH WOW! I just received the e-mail message mailed out to the members of this wonderful community and realized I'd been sleeping on this section! I LOVE your Unwrapping the Pharaohs resource! I'm using it to set the records straight while I teach our children history. I had the wrong thinking about the Egyptians before reading that book. I actually thought Hollywood had gotten it right with the Prince of Egypt!

Thank you so much for setting the records straight!

Do you have any other comments on teaching children the true biblical timeline of Ancient Egypt?

Comment by David Thomas Posey on November 5, 2010 at 3:52pm: Dr. Down,

What is the possibility of artifacts surviving in the Red Sea since the exodus? As many Egyptian soldiers and chariots as were there, there must have been lots of weapons and equipment. Is there much of a chance that some of it could still be on the bottom somewhere?

Comment by MaryAnn Stuart on November 5, 2010 at 6:59pm: Dr. Down, I recently watched "Jericho Unearthed" by Expediton Bible, a place that Kenyon studied in the 1950's and reportedly said was not the Biblical scenario because of her pottery-dating beliefs. Now, the DVD says that is the true Jericho and supports the story in Joshua. Do you think this is a reliable DVD for sharing with other people?

Comment by David Down on November 7, 2010 at 8:32pm: There is only one possible site for the crossing of the Red Sea and that is at Adabiya 10 km south of the Suez Canal. Here is an area 7 km from Egypt to Arabia. It is about 500 metres wide and maximum depth is only 8 metres. No traces of Pharaoh's army have been found here but no one ha looked for them, That happened 3500 years ago and they would have been buried under all the silt and sand that would have been washed down from the land on either side.

Comment by David Down on November 7, 2010 at 8:32pm: MaryAnn - I take a group round the Middle East every year. I take them to Jericho and show them the toppled walls and the thick layer of ash all over the site. No archaeologist will deny that Jericho's walls fell down or that it was destroyed by fire but they say it all happened 600 years before Israel arrived there. I agree with the scholars who say there has been a mistake in calculating the dates assigned to Egypt and Israel and that the fallen walls and destruction by fire should be ascribed to the time of Joshua. I do not know which DVD you refer to. I made a DVD called Archaeology Unearthed which takes you to Jericho and explains these things. If you type in diggings on the internet you will find information on these DVDs.

Comment by David Down on November 8, 2010 at 3:51pm: Violet - praise the Lord you are trying to bring your children up for the Lord. I am glad my unwrapping book helped.

You did not mention ages of your children but they would probably enjoy the DVDs I made in Egypt on site. When I explain about a pyramid I am standing in front of it or in some cases standing on top. For information about these DVDs and the magazine I publish get on the internet and type in diggings. The magazine is called Archaeological Diggings, comes out every two months. 64 glossy pages with lots of pictures.

Comment by Violet on November 8, 2010 at 6:06pm: My children are 8,7,3,2,6mos. =) Thanks for answering me! We have one DVD that came with the book. I LOVE seeing the pyramid with hair! =) The straw the Isrealites used!

Comment by Diana Bogardus on November 12, 2010 at 3:54pm: I received an email from a well traveled friend who is a fellow photographer and well educated engineer/scientist. He has read your book Unwrapping the Pharaohs. He is a believer in Christ, but typically would lean toward old earth creationism and science. When talking about one of his many trips to Egypt here was the comments he made, perhaps you would like to respond:

Don't know when the Jews left Egypt, if they really did, and we don't know who the pharaoh was at that time (not simply Rameses.....we don't know). Also, for emphasis: JEWISH SLAVES DID NOT BUILD THE PYRAMIDS!!!. Slaves of any type did not build the pyramids. these were Egyptians, well cared for. The pyramids, for whatever purpose they existed, were perhaps built a thousand years or more before any Exodus (Exodus is simply Greek for exit, as I noticed on a Greek ship last year!!!!) the more you dig into Egyptian history, the more you realize how much we don't know. And I have a very large library on Egypt now.

Were the Hebrews actually captives of the Egyptians? I'm not sure about that either. Were they the Hyksos (I may have that spelling wrong)? Not sure.

I've even read that Moses may have been associated with Akhenaten, the pharaoh who pushed monotheism. After his death, King Tut took over and restored the old Amun religion (for political reasons as much as anything else).

I am pretty well convinced that the Great Pyramid (that of Khufu, not Khafre), was not a tomb for a pharaoh. I don't know if I'll go inside on this trip since it's hard to get tickets, and the temps are still in the upper 90s, even low 100s in Luxor. there are perhaps 80 some pyramids in Egypt, and I don't know how many were actual tombs, since (with a couple of exceptions), no ancient burials have been found within the pyramids. Were the bodies simply stolen? Not necessarily. There are just too many unknowns.

Comment by David Down on November 16, 2010 at 9:27am: Diana - I do not think your questioner has read my book very carefully. If he had he would have known there are answers to the questions he has raised. He is also out of touch with archaeologists none of whom would question that pyramids were for the burial of the Pharaohs.

Comment by Kelly Rivera on November 30, 2010 at 11:41pm: I am sure you have heard this story more times than you can remember. My son is now 14 and continues to say he wants to be an archaeologist. He reads and watches many shows on dinosaurs but is convicted in the sense to follow his faith in creation. He has had a very strong desire to be educated and work in this field. What is the best path for him to go down to become a creation archaelogist? He saw the video Jurassic Prank and past it on to the pastor of our church. Can you send me info on books, dvds and other resources? He feels the Lord is leading him in this direction and I want to encourage him not discourage him.

Comment by David Down on December 2, 2010 at 7:22am: I would encourage this young man to pursue his ambition to be an archaeologist, but he should be aware that practically all field work is done on a volunteer basis. He would have to go to university to study archaeology with a view to earning his living as a lecturer in some related field. He would then do excavations in his holiday periods.

I would also recommend him to go on a dig to learn what it is all about. Working on a dig often proves to be different to what they imagined. We conduct a one week dig in Israel every year and he would be welcome to work as a volunteer on the dig. It would cost him about $900 for accommodation and site charges.

He should not be upset by dinosaurs. They existed but not millions of years ago. Two would have gone into the ark with Noah but thousands would have perished in the flood. They have since become extinct.

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