David Pybus describes himself as a “21st century alchemist and aromancer”, and says his mission in life is to “get people to stop their frenetic living from time to time and to smell the roses”. He’s underselling himself, of course. He’s really a chemist with more than 20 years’ experience at the world’s largest perfume makers.
During an appearance on the BBC’s Dragon’s Den in 2007, he convinced entrepreneurs Theo Paphitis and Peter Jones to part with £40,000 each to help launch Scents of Time, a range of fragrances based on ancient themes.
Submitted by Sean Williams on Wed, 12/02/2009 - 15:28
Remember the story we reported about three months ago, about the Mayan pyramids being giant musical instruments? The idea seems to have struck a chord with experts based in Malta, who - either by design or jealousy - have heralded the acoustic talents of their own megalithic landmarks. The tiny Mediterranean island was once home to a highly developed civilisation, who between the fourth and third millennia BC created some of the world's most striking ancient architecture. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the huge temple complex is a majestic wonder which predates Stonehenge by up to a thousand years.
Submitted by Sean Williams on Wed, 11/04/2009 - 10:02
Archaeologists exploring the lost Maya city of El Mirador claim they've found the world's biggest pyramid. The massive structure, called La Danta (The Tapir), may have its summit hidden beneath Guatemala's jungle canopy. Yet its volume is reckoned to be larger than that of the Great Pyramid of Khufu in Egypt's Giza Plateau. The city itself, dubbed the 'Maya Cradle of Civilization', is the size of a modern metropolis; bigger than downtown Los Angeles. And experts believe there are thousands more pyramids yet to be found.
Kiuic (meaning 'gathering place' in Mayan) is a biological reserve and former Maya city located in the Puuc (hilly) region of Yucatan state, Mexico, around 30 miles from the state capital Mérida. It has been mooted as one of the keys to potentially unlocking the secrets of the Maya collapse, for it holds material evidence for a massive exodus around a thousand years ago. Its jungly surroundings were thought to have been empty of human history until 2009, when a national archaeological team uncovered two pyramids and nine palaces. Also found were many tools and everyday items, such as corn-grinding stones, or metates.
Many experts have pointed to Kiuic as a perfect example of the sudden demise of the Maya culture, dubbing it a 'Maya Pompeii'. Many weapons and tools appear to have been downed on the spot, as locals fled for the Yucatan peninsula's northern coasts. Its pyramids are in excellent condition, albeit having been taken over by the rainforest, and the area is gathering pace as a tourist destination, both for its Maya history and for the vast biological diversity present. The Kaxil Kiuic Research and Education Centre takes small groups around the region regularly.
“I came back from England last year and, man, they had me fed up with this stuff,” said Apolinario Chile Pixtun, a Mayan elder, speaking to Discovery News. He’s determined that the perceived end of the Mayan Longcount Calendar on December 21 2012 and the Armageddon it will seemingly herald is firmly a creation of western imagination, and has no rooting in Mayan beliefs.
Kaminaljuyu, an archaeological park in Guatemala, is one of the earliest Maya sites to have survived up to present day. It is found in the country's capital at Guatemala City, and has been the site for numerous archaeological excavations.
Kaminaljuyu, which means "place of the ancestors" in the Mayan K'iche' language, was settled as late as the 8th century BC. But the ancient city was abadoned by 1000 AD, coinciding with the collapse of Maya civilization.
Leftover remnants of the city and its earthen complexes include pyramid-like mounds, funerary chambers, monuments and other relics. These findings have helped shed light on the early history of Mesoamerica. Tourists can still visit the site today. But the surrounding urbanization has already encroached on the original site. Lack of funds and the challenges of maintaining the park continue to the threaten the preservation of Kaminaljuyu.
David Pybus describes himself as a “21st century alchemist and aromancer”, and says his mission in life is to “get people to stop their frenetic living from time to time and to smell the roses”. He’s underselling himself, of course. He’s really a chemist with more than 20 years’ experience at the world’s largest perfume makers.
It’s probably not the end of the world for 
