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[Hickory Dickory Dock]

What evidence do you want me to provide?

[jimwalton]

Evidence of the life spans of people during the era of the Sumerian kings, let's say for the sake of argument, 20,000 BC.

[Hickory Dickory Dock]

You're very wrong. Please look up if humans live more than 900 years and you'll see only biblical figures had this and it was meant to be more symbolic and because of re calendar.

http://www.ancient-origins.net/human-origins/did-ancient-people-really-have-lifespans-longer-200-years-002093

[jimwalton]

I read that article, and it doesn't seem to be saying anything in support of your argument, which is still without evidence. The article starts off, "It isn't only biblical figures who lived to well-seasoned ages of 900 years or more. Ancient texts from many cultures have listed life spans most modern people find simply and literally unbelievable." Of course sometimes numbers in the Bible are symbolic. That I will easily grant. And often they had different calendars, but almost all of them were gauged by nature (lunar, agricultural), so they probably aren't that far off. You still haven't substantiated your opinion that it's not possible to live as long as the ancient records, both biblical and extra-biblical, claim.

[Hickory Dickory Dock]

That is proof. You are undermining it.

[jimwalton]

Hm. Are we reading the same article? The article you linked me to says,

"It isn't only biblical figures who lived to well-seasoned ages of 900 years or more. Ancient texts from many cultures have listed life spans most modern people find simply and literally unbelievable."

Arthur Mendez comes up with a solution to explain the truth of the ancient records. He "thinks the rate of decline in longevity from pre-flood times as recorded in ancient texts to today matches the rate of decay observed in organisms when they are exposed to radiation or toxins."

Dr. Pou seems to think the ancient lifespans could have some accuracy to them: "In ancient China, super-centenarians were also commonplace, according to many texts." He gives examples of people living to as long as 300.

Then the article, confirming long life-spans, says,"The Shahnameh or Shahnama ('The Book of Kings') is a Persian epic poem written by Ferdowsi around the end of the 10th century A.D. It tells of kings reigning 1,000 years, several hundred years, down to 150 years, and so on."

Then the article says there are modern claims of longevity: "Even today, people report lifespans of some 150 or more years."

He concludes with a neutral statement, and not something "that is proof" at all: "For now, modern scientists are left either to believe what ancient records and village memory have to say about seemingly unbelievable lifespans, or to consider the accounts exaggerations, symbolism, or misunderstandings."

So please explain how this article is proof, and how I am undermining it.