Recap

The Legend of J.C. Brown

In the first hour, writer Stephen Sindoni discussed the legend of J.C. Brown, a man who supposedly worked as a geologist for the Lord Cowdray Mining Co. in the early 20th century and claimed to have discovered an ancient Lemurian civilization in the hollows of Mt. Shasta, California.

Sindoni said he became intrigued by Lemuria and the story of Brown while searching for the subject of his next screenplay. According to Sindoni's research, Brown entered an opening into the earth somewhere on Mt. Shasta, journeyed 11 miles deep into the mountain, and found a village with streets, hidden treasure, and ancient artifacts. Brown also claimed to have found mummified bodies and 10-ft tall skeletons of the Lemurians or their descendants.

Further research revealed J.C. Brown was really a man named J.B. Body, Sindoni said. Body organized an 80-man expedition to further explore the ancient tunnel, Sindoni explained, but vanished mysteriously on June 19, 1934, before it could take place.

George hosted live Open Lines during the middle two hours of the program. The last hour featured Open Line calls from 2/25/05.

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Crystal Skulls

In a new Archaeology article, Smithsonian anthropologist Jane MacLaren Walsh shares her quest to uncover the origins of crystal skulls. Crystal skulls first surfaced in museums during the second half of the 19th century and were attributed to various "ancient Mesoamerican" cultures. Walsh's own adventure began sixteen years ago, when she was called in to examine a hollow rock-crystal skull (pictured) sent to the museum anonymously. An accompanying letter suggested it the 30-pound, 10-inch-high artifact was of Aztec origin. "Although nearly all of the crystal skulls have at times been identified as Aztec, Toltec, Mixtec, or occasionally Maya, they do not reflect the artistic or stylistic characteristics of any of these cultures," Walsh writes. What else did Walsh discover about the crystal skulls? Where did they come from, and why were they made? Find our more at archaeology.org.