The reason this is a significant anachronism is one I develop at length on my website, on the Holy Lord page and Power and Polities, as well. Ancient Mesoamerica’s entire cultural evolution was influenced by the most powerful polities of the day. These polities were ruled by an ideology that totally enmeshed religion and politics. They were one and the same. Other, less powerful polities mirrored the practices of the powerful. In this manner, the entire region developed in a manner that reflects this basic enmeshment of religion and politics. IE, “Holy Lord”.
Aside from the possibly inflated numbers provided, the description of socially complexity described within the Book of Mormon identifies an advanced culture with several layers of bureaucracy. By the knowledge scholars have today regarding ancient Mesoamerica, this would be an even more powerful polity than any other during that time period. In size and force it would have rivaled the later Aztecs.
This polity would have had a powerful impact on the evolution of ancient Mesoamerica. This was the way it worked. We would see other polities copying the same ideology and practices of this powerful Judeo-Christian culture. It is not possible for the polity described in the Book of Mormon, that lasted almost a 1000 years to have had zero impact on the evolution of the culture of ancient Mesoamerica.
Of course study of ancient Mesoamerica continues, and discoveries continue to be made. However, any discovery that could possibly alleviate this most serious anachronism would have to overturn almost every bit of knowledge we’ve acquired about ancient Mesoamerica. Not impossible, but highly unlikely. I rate it about as likely as uncovering information that would lead us to conclude aliens built the ancient Egyptian pyramids.
Runtu was correct when he asserted:
But that's the problem. If they "dominated," they would have left some traces of their dominant culture, religion, and technology. Since none of that appears to have happen, it's unlikely that they dominated the people they interacted with.
Rcrocket is a crock to claim that this is incorrect. As I explain in depth on my website, other polities would have been heavily influenced by a polity that rivaled the later Aztec civilization. To suggest that the groups described within the Book of Mormon could disappear without a trace is the equivalent of claiming the Aztec culture would have also feasibly disappeared without a trace. Perhaps they should be hunting for Book of Mormon evidence in the Atlantic ocean, along with Atlantis.
crocket’s response is quite sly:
And I submit you're not all that well-read on the subject. There are many similarities between middle-eastern culture and culture in the Americas. Many volumes have been written on the subject -- some speculative, some pretty good, some things just can't be explained. But, many credentialed people have tried to show with varying degrees of success a relationship between the middle east and the Americas. It isn't all that cut and dried, and it isn't "none of that appears to have happen[ed]."
Of course there are similarities between middle-eastern cultures and the culture in the Americas. But they are quite generic similarities, and just as many similarities could be noted between Mesoamerica and just about any ancient culture.
by the way, the best speculations have nothing to do with ancient Israel, and are more focused on Asia. Many “credentialed” people have tried their very best to make a connection between ancient America and ancient Israel. It was the dominant idea for quite a while, and many scholars devoted their lives to making this connection. Their efforts were for naught. While inter-continental contact is not impossible, there is no good evidence for contact between ancient Israelites and ancient Mesoamerica. Some of the attempts were quite specious, including crocket’s favorite Cyrus Gordon.
crocket
I suggest for reading on this subject -- and it will cause you to change your tune that "none of that appears to have happen[ed]," the works of Michael Coe -- Breaking the Maya Code, Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs, as well as two works with numbers as titles -- 1421 and 1491. As well the works of Cyrus Gordon, who spent his life as a Brandeis professor attempting to show a Jewish connection to the Americas.
I find it remarkable and nearly unbelievable that crocket has actually read Breaking the Maya Code. This is a man who claims the ancient Maya didn’t even have a written language, and Coe’s entire book is devoted to describing the language and how it was finally deciphered. Any person who can read that book and walk away asserting the Maya had no written language has reading comprehension bordering on nonexistent.
But aside from that, I would like Bob to provide evidence from Breaking the Maya Code and Mexico that support his assertion that there are many similarities between middle-eastern culture and ancient American culture. Please don’t bother with generic similarities that could be connected to practically any ancient culture.
crocket
Each of these works have problems -- Coe is a polemicist and would be scandalized to see his name linked with Mormons and on this subject; 1421 engages in too much speculation; but 1491 is rather solid. Gordon had a major hobby horse going on but his photos and conclusions yield some useful stuff.
Please provide evidence that Coe is a polemicist as well as your assertions above.
Gordon is “useful” if one is particularly persuaded by a man without any particular background in ancient Mesoamerica looking at Olmec statues and declaring they must be “negroid”.
crocket
The problem you have on this board is that you have a pretender, Beastie, of somewhat intellectual capacity, who lacks the ability to apply discrimination and rigor to works of unequal ability to attempt to synthesize some truths or facts from the hubris. Instead, by sheer dint of the volume she puts out (does she have a life?) the more reasoned voices for discriminating synthesis are drowned out. Have an open mind on the subject.
No doubt if I possessed your “ability to apply discrimination and rigor to works of unequal ability to attempt to synthesize some truths for facts” I would be as impressed with Cyrus Gordon as you are.
By contrast to you, I rely solely on the work of highly qualified Mesoamerican scholars.
And, by the way, Nehor claims that the Book of Mormon peoples “dominated” the cultures they encountered. This is an assertion that would make more educated apologists shudder. They spend most of their time explaining why this Book of Mormon culture would disappear without a trace. Asserting that they were actually “dominant” would be a nightmare come true for them. Of course, this is just what the Book of Mormon describes, a dominant culture. But Book of Mormon apologists have never let the text of the Book of Mormon stand in their way, have they?