Ben van Kerkwyk

Date: 2025-11-25 | Duration: 2h 53m

Category: Paranormal & Conspiracy, Science

Episode Overview

Ancient history researcher Ben van Kerkwyk returns to pick up where a previous conversation left off, diving deeper into the evidence for lost advanced civilizations and the mechanisms that erased them. The episode opens with the frustrating academic habit of sitting on inconvenient findings until a paper can be published — or never publishing at all. Van Kerkwyk walks through limestone erosion studies that allow precise dating of ancient structures, and the African Humid Period, when the Sahara was green and Egypt received consistent rainfall, significantly changing how we should read the age of the Sphinx. Classical writers Herodotus, Strabo, and Diodorus Siculus all referenced the Sphinx as being vastly older than its conventional dating, a fact mostly ignored by Egyptology. The conversation moves to South America: Arthur Posnansky's 50-year investigation of Tiwanaku, dated at 15,000 BC, and underwater ruins in Lake Titicaca 90 miles northeast of La Paz. The Younger Dryas Impact Theory provides the catastrophic framework for why these civilizations vanished. The episode ends with the legend of the Shamir — a mysterious worm or tool from ancient Jewish texts capable of cutting stone without iron, stored in wool inside a lead container.

About Ben van Kerkwyk

Ben van Kerkwyk is an independent researcher renowned for his deep dives into ancient mysteries, blending history, archaeology, and modern technology to uncover hidden truths about our past. As the creator of the YouTube channel UnchartedX, he has captivated audiences with his thought-provoking analyses and unique insights into ancient civilizations, lost technologies, and unexplained phenomena. Ben's passion for unraveling the enigmas of history has made him a prominent voice in the field, engaging listeners on platforms like the Joe Rogan Experience, where he shares his compelling theories and discoveries, challenging conventional narratives and inspiring curiosity about our world’s ancient heritage.

Key Moments

– Limestone erosion studies for dating ancient structures
– African Humid Period — green Sahara and its effect on Egypt's age
– Sphinx dating — Herodotus, Strabo, and Diodorus Siculus say it's vastly older
– Tiwanaku — Posnansky's 50-year investigation dated at 15,000 BC
– Underwater ruins in Lake Titicaca near La Paz
– Younger Dryas Impact Theory as the catastrophic eraser of civilizations
– The Shamir — ancient stone-cutting tool or creature from Jewish texts
– Academic suppression of inconvenient archaeological findings
0:11:05 – If psychics were real, why not make all the money? The fundamental test
0:24:52 – Limestone erosion studies — nearly endless conveniently dated slabs to calibrate against
0:37:45 – African Humid Period — the Sahara was green; much more water in the Nile
1:05:39 – Academics sitting on inconvenient findings until publication — or never publishing
1:16:54 – Herodotus, Strabo, and Diodorus Siculus all say the Sphinx is 12,000+ years old
1:32:31 – Calculating the Great Pyramid's original height from surviving casing stones at the base
1:48:27 – Tiwanaku — Posnansky spent 50 years there, dated site at 15,000 BC
2:02:27 – Underwater ruins in Lake Titicaca 90 miles northeast of La Paz — footage exists
2:36:11 – Younger Dryas Impact Theory — natural catastrophes that erased advanced ancient cultures
2:48:04 – The Shamir — mythical stone-cutting worm from Jewish texts, stored in wool and lead

Transcript Excerpt

Starting point is 00:00:00 Joe Rogan podcast, check it out. The Joe Rogan Experience. Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night, all day. Ben? You can see him. So last time you were on, we barely scratched the surface of all the things that we wanted to talk about. So immediately we're like, we've got to do another one quick. Because you wanted to talk to them about the Sphinx. Starting point is 00:00:22 The Sphinx, yes. Yeah, we were on, we got into the, well, the labyrinth was kind of the big. Labyrinth is nuts. I still haven't been able to get over it. The 40-meter. metallic shape, tic-tac shape thing that's in the ground? Like, what is that? Well, I hope we'll find out. Starting point is 00:00:37 I mean, I don't know. It's the wheels do turn a little slowly, but the point of that was to try and drive some awareness. Maybe we'll get some sort of angel investor in there to go and look at it and solve the problem, do something. Someone needs to talk to Elon. Yeah, maybe. I'm not the guy. Starting point is 00:00:52 I talked to him too much as it is. He's too busy, but someone who can annoy him. He's solving other problems. Yeah, someone, or maybe Bezos would like to be the. the first guy to get in there. Someone has to get in there. You have to figure out what that thing is. That's crazy. This might be one of the biggest mysteries in the entire human civilization record. Yeah. Who's the guy? Who's the director that went to the bottom of the off? Oh, Cameron. Cameron. I mean, he likes going places that nobody's gone before. They tell the hall and get there. Maybe Starting point is 00:01:16 someone should do it. They just, I don't think enough people know. A lot of people know that we're listening to this podcast, but not enough people that would do something, that can do something. You know what I mean? It's like we reach a lot of knuckleheads. with some wide variety of people but the percentage of people that have the resources to make something happen they have to...

More Episodes

Frequently asked about this episode

Who was the guest on Joe Rogan Experience #2417?

Ben van Kerkwyk was the guest on JRE #2417. This page includes the episode overview, topics discussed, and related resources.

What topics were discussed on JRE #2417?

On Joe Rogan Experience #2417 with Ben van Kerkwyk, topics include Limestone erosion studies for dating ancient structures, African Humid Period — green Sahara and its effect on, Sphinx dating — Herodotus, Strabo, and Diodorus Siculus, and Tiwanaku — Posnansky's 50-year investigation dated at.

Where can I read the transcript for JRE #2417?

The full searchable transcript for Joe Rogan Experience #2417 with Ben van Kerkwyk is available on this page, along with key topics and timestamps.