Dear Robert

This is actually all a great shame, because spats of any kind on the internet are merely indicative of weak personalities and/or over-inflated egos. Neither are very attractive or educational. I don't really give a damn if you try and ridicule or belittle me - Chris and I had to learn about thick skins pretty fast after the publication of G:TT, especially with JAW's astringent tongue around - and I especially have learnt to only direct anger and unpleasantness at people I actually care about ;-)  So everyone, including you, can make of this response what they will. But rather than compose some witty and sarcastic reply, which I am sure you must realise I am more capable of than most - and, to be frank, far more capable than you - I will just tell it from the heart.

When Chris and I first came across your theory many years ago we were, like many others, enticed by it - especially the 10,500 BC aspect. When we discovered information that appeared to argue strongly against it we felt duty bound to report as much. I guess, given that I still feel that there are many enigmas about our ancient forebears that not only have we yet to fully understand but that also we probably need to learn from, I would have liked for you to be able to argue against me and even to prove me wrong. It certainly worked with Colin Reader over the age of the Sphinx, even if it took a great deal of refinement of arguments and evidence. Colin, Chris and I spent hours on this, in private, before anyone else even knew about our discussions. And the upshot was that Chris and I gave Colin all the support to air his views and fundamentally new pieces of evidence and analysis that we could. And reached a certain degree of rapprochement with Robert Schoch as a result, by pointing out to him that, although his own evidence and analysis had not convinced us at the time, it had undoubtedly laid out the ground for Colin to come in and add the few bits we discovered had been missing, for which Robert clearly deserves great credit. Indirectly we have said the same about JAW's foundation laying, even if we find his arguments about possible age tenuous in the extreme, but he has been so busy making personal attacks on us that I doubt he has noticed.

In any case, debating vigorously, being prepared to change your mind in the face of new evidence, not having a totally entrenched position that your whole livelihood depends on - that is how the enhancement of knowledge should work. Graham Hancock was prepared to do this over the Khufu quarry marks, although this was somewhat confusing since the two of you never really suggested the GP was actually built before the orthodox date anyway. But what the heck, let's try and give credit where it is due. And I have never been afraid to admit that there are aspects of Graham's work, and of your work both with him, with Simon Cox, and with Adrian Gilbert, that I have great respect for. For that matter this is true of the work of people like Chris Dunn, Zecharia Sitchin and Alan Alford, people that I have also had a real go at as regards certain elements of their theories. You have all helped to raise the profile of "alternative history" in recent years, and are responsible for getting people like me, and thousands of others, interested and ready to question the orthodoxy.

However in the alternative camp we cannot put forward new theories left right and centre and just expect them to be accepted. There is just as much requirement for peer review. It is less organised, admittedly, but it is there. And we should accept that sometimes it must come in the first instance from within our own community if it is to stand a chance of peer review in the orthodox world.

In any case, I am sure you are aware that there are many "alternative historians" who are now defending entrenched positions from a totally subjective position, and against the available evidence, as there are members of the orthodox school doing the very same. Unfortunately, in my humble opinion, you have now allowed yourself to fall into that very category. If you want to play politics, power, influence and money, that is fine, and entirely up to you to decide. But please don't think that the people that matter in any real sense of the word are fooled by it. And, above all else, you have to live with your own view of personal and universal karma.

If I am being naive I am sure I will drift into eternal obscurity, because there seems to be little enthusiasm in this world for people who just tell it like it is. But rest assured I will drift happy in the knowledge that my integrity, humour, and sense of the ridiculousness of the pomp and circumstance that we humans adopt, remains intact...

Best regards as always

Ian