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Sitting around a huge oval table built of teak and reseer, Dirk and Summer Pitt and St Julien Perlmutter Seated next to Summer was historian Dr John Wesley Chisholm, professor of ancient history at the University of Pennsylvania Everything about Chishole The hair a e br

own that e about his personality He smiled constantly and was extremely warm and courteous His mind went far above the level of ordinary

Everyone was paying rapt attention to Dr Elsworth Boyd, who stood in front of a large e of photos and lectured on the artifacts and is recovered and recorded at Navidad Bank The story that was co, so fabulous, that everyone seated around the spacious table sat in awed silence as Boyd described the artifacts, their approxi to the stone carvings

Boyd, a limber man with the body of an acrobat, sinewy and nior of his early forties, stood erect, occasionally brushing back a forelock of yellow-red hair, and gazed at his rapt audience through eyes as gray as a pigeon wing A professor ee, Dublin, he devoted his energies to researching the early history of the Celts He had published numerous books on every aspect of the complex Celtic society When invited by Adton and study the artifacts under conservation, he was on the next plane froe of the wall sculptures, he ca into complete shock

At first, Boyd refused to believe what he was seeing were not forgeries froht of exa the artifacts, he became convinced of their authenticity

Su of excite it with a lightning display of the lost art of shorthand on a legal-sized tablet

"Unlike the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans," explained Boyd, "the Celts have been sidetracked by most historians, despite the fact that they were the keystone of Western civilization Much of our heritage--religious, political, social and literary traditions--was born within Celtic culture Industry too, since they were the first to produce bronze and then iron"

"So why aren't we more aware of Celtic influence?" asked Sandecker

Boyd laughed "There lies the rub Three thousand years ago, the Celts transe orally Their rituals, custoenerations by word of in to write anything down Much later, when Rome swept over Europe, they considered the Celts little more than uncouth barbarians And what little the Ro"

"And yet they were inventive," added Perlmutter

"Contrary to what many people think, the Celts were advanced in ed in a written language and elaborate architecture Actually, their culture and civilization predates the Greeks by several hundred years"

Yaeger leaned forward in his chair "Does your dating of the artifacts agree with my computer calculations?"

"In the ballpark, I'd say," Boyd replied, "if you consider plus or ht case I also believe the pictographs give us an excellent time frame for Navinia"

Summer smiled "I love that name"

Boyd held a re one wall of the conference room A three-diht have looked when built filled the screen "What is interesting," Boyd continued, "is that the structure was not only the dwelling of a very ih priestess, but it also became her tomb"