posted on Sep, 11 2009 @ 05:49 PM
I was just reading this article where one of the world's oldest synagogues has been found in the northern part of Israel during excavation for a new
hotel.
www.cnn.com...
What is interesting is the picture that accompanies this article of a large stone that set in the middle of this synagogue. While the archeologists
are all gleeful that it contains one of the oldest renditions of the seven branched menorah, I'm a little more intrigued by the fact it has very
distinguishable "valentine" hearts on it!
pic
i2.cdn.turner.com...
I did some quick research on this and while you can find some sites that have some dubious information with claims that the valentine-shaped heart
icon dates all the way back to paleolithic cave drawings, it appears those claims are tenuous at best.
This book,
books.google.com...
RILYAo&hl=en&ei=CNGqSqOVCJiltgeZ2ZGSCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5#v=onepage&q=&f=false
which is devoted to the history of the "valentine heart" states that what is now being called a heart symbol in the cave drawings was actually
originally interpreted to be signifying the ear flap on an elephant, and that it wasn't until after elephant hunters suggested it was the heart that
the finder of the cave drawing considered it...but never really officially promoted the idea.
It appears, from the brief reading I've done on the subject, that the current valentine heart icon, doesn't have real firm roots past about the
middle ages.
Until now - or is some one off on their dating of this stone to 100 to 50 BCE???
[edit on 9-11-2009 by Valhall]