tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77601248477467338552024-03-19T01:33:22.588-06:00Rock Art Blogby Peter Faris
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Peter Farishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925168522417380667noreply@blogger.comBlogger781125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7760124847746733855.post-15035703621150711542024-03-16T10:33:00.002-06:002024-03-16T10:33:27.904-06:00HORSE PETROGLYPHS AS INDICATORS OF CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION – PART 2:<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUJe4vA08eotG4TPfr4ZFoiTHmplt4WYe2PBDOa8wxEzvi7o-JXbD0dH7UkBSc9cnobUiQ7DBLeTEHOJQIKKcTDeFqpW8dnXvXWjMdjfngs6LEanaFzhLu8tx_5ClU26Q8Bv0XbltquP8NuVCDgADgQ-9K0PIrCtoohGc68CNtuUHap7oOKThKkwaj3tRb/s350/Howling%20Wolf's%20ledger%20art.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="257" data-original-width="350" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUJe4vA08eotG4TPfr4ZFoiTHmplt4WYe2PBDOa8wxEzvi7o-JXbD0dH7UkBSc9cnobUiQ7DBLeTEHOJQIKKcTDeFqpW8dnXvXWjMdjfngs6LEanaFzhLu8tx_5ClU26Q8Bv0XbltquP8NuVCDgADgQ-9K0PIrCtoohGc68CNtuUHap7oOKThKkwaj3tRb/w411-h309/Howling%20Wolf's%20ledger%20art.jpg" width="411" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The Cheyenne acquiring their first horse by trading. Ledger Book art by Howling Wolf (Southern Cheyenne). Online image, public domain.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In Part 1 of this series I presented the concept of the
early Iconic Mode of horse portrayals illustrating them as somewhat
otherworldly spiritual beings. At this stage the horse was shown separately and
usually alone. The latter Iconic Mode shows the beginnings of integrating the
horse into the Native American culture.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Blackfoot name for the horse translates as “elk dog”. A
name like “elk dog” expresses the results of fitting a new element into
preconceived mental templates. When they saw their first horse it was an animal
the size of an elk, but domesticated like the dogs around their own camp – thus
“elk dog”. Predictably this was not unique to the Blackfoot. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Other tribes of the Great Plains also
regarded the horse as strong medicine. Witness the Sioux name for this animal –
Shonka Wakan, “Medicine Dog.” </i>(Ewers 1997:207)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIAt3XzkAIPlnRyIc8yjXCCwz-xYUxFmw4TDtm4LXC_XY_MSuavrjj3mPf5PyaQLRskaZm1yu1y0iWRpysVQBKdEcbyPw2IsWYe_asPAeSp11p6iHDmTGV7SFFEcQU0DBvbW5fTo2Ai3sez4TwtEyQvwbSBokv_NZDsYkMkkaS1SW3I6NaZ0tP_jDnx5Tq/s3322/Shavano%20Canyon,%201981.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2182" data-original-width="3322" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIAt3XzkAIPlnRyIc8yjXCCwz-xYUxFmw4TDtm4LXC_XY_MSuavrjj3mPf5PyaQLRskaZm1yu1y0iWRpysVQBKdEcbyPw2IsWYe_asPAeSp11p6iHDmTGV7SFFEcQU0DBvbW5fTo2Ai3sez4TwtEyQvwbSBokv_NZDsYkMkkaS1SW3I6NaZ0tP_jDnx5Tq/w400-h263/Shavano%20Canyon,%201981.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Equestrian figure, Shavano Canyon, Montrose County, Colorado. Photograph Peter Faris, 1981.</b></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Piegan name for the horse was <i>"Missutuim - Big Dogs"</i> (Secoy 1966:36). As the dog was the only domesticated animal that the inhabitants of the Great Plains knew, variations of Dog were natural for naming horses. As Michael Klassen (1998:67) stated: <i>"An individual's first encounter with horses would have been a unique, astonishing, and totally unprecedented experience, which would not immediately fit within the explanatory cultural framework available. The uniqueness of this event, and its lack of cosmic or mythical precedence, may have on a certain level encouraged the recognition of its 'historicality.'"</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8MaIVGCFz3Vfvfol-aVo2GJytYmuh6QbpTT9T3TDIZDpDn3_Y8UTfaLb3wHuSUJAItqsPqDorehtwvLJ-qnxlCnM4R9RKhU6AUwmFJHEBBK8btxinQYLheqAYuEvaBWKQfzB4HJedENKklUX4PYU44Y7F-1z_PFP6NDAzQb6bzT79Bop55E9M2cyd_kN/s2576/Farrington%20Springs,%20Bent%20County,%202002.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2249" data-original-width="2576" height="349" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8MaIVGCFz3Vfvfol-aVo2GJytYmuh6QbpTT9T3TDIZDpDn3_Y8UTfaLb3wHuSUJAItqsPqDorehtwvLJ-qnxlCnM4R9RKhU6AUwmFJHEBBK8btxinQYLheqAYuEvaBWKQfzB4HJedENKklUX4PYU44Y7F-1z_PFP6NDAzQb6bzT79Bop55E9M2cyd_kN/w400-h349/Farrington%20Springs,%20Bent%20County,%202002.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Equestrian figure, Farrington Springs, Bent County, Colorado. Photograph Peter Faris, 2002.</b></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In later stages of the Iconic Mode, horse portrayals are usually shown with a rider, but anonymously, without details or characteristics that identify the image as representing a specific occasion or individual. This implies an acceptance and appreciation of what the horse and rider together can represent, but shown as an abstract concept instead of an individual portrayal. These modes of representation are both classifiable as iconic. Klassen (1998:53) noted that mounted Horse motifs do not intrinsically display a greater degree of narrativity than that noted for the unmounted Horse motif.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVXpZ6xpbeAQR2b7ETSobtsfdQ91o2Xm79h7V5l2oTb0_2xC7R08PvhEHqMHe_-njqID0qNwenRNeQSrUDtc8GLOHT-ZNKZ3qtpoPjEdOCZVgVXP2XZJhIuDq2xVhiFNNNEUuL30YHAl1d0UK3zzHYqB4rGNu3dIGXlKi7aJ9DSrZ5L0YRlx2ToxPi9cg9/s1469/Hayden-2,%20Route%20County,%20CO,%20Photo%20Peter%20Faris,%201986.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1137" data-original-width="1469" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVXpZ6xpbeAQR2b7ETSobtsfdQ91o2Xm79h7V5l2oTb0_2xC7R08PvhEHqMHe_-njqID0qNwenRNeQSrUDtc8GLOHT-ZNKZ3qtpoPjEdOCZVgVXP2XZJhIuDq2xVhiFNNNEUuL30YHAl1d0UK3zzHYqB4rGNu3dIGXlKi7aJ9DSrZ5L0YRlx2ToxPi9cg9/w400-h310/Hayden-2,%20Route%20County,%20CO,%20Photo%20Peter%20Faris,%201986.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Equestrian figure, Hayden, Routt County, Colorado. Photograph Peter Faris, 1986.</b></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Images portrayed in the Iconic mode lack time sequence relationships (Maurer et al. 1992:23) so they do not represent a specific time, place, or event, but rather evoke the eternal present of the spirit world. Iconic images can be recognized as presentations of sacred subject matter and themes, such as the objects and beings associated with visions and medicine powers. Furthermore the thematic and formal repetition of Iconic motifs reflects the ritualized nature of sacred activities (Klassen 1998:45) </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The development of horse imagery through the Iconic Mode
presents the early phases of Plains Biographic Style art.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxjeaAaVGXV5OIhYwc21mW1VBA8VGfdXvCKdxinkVLkXts3AJ_hdn5epcqbJ237XTtC0blJ-ILlShwEoFX9Hf0qVqbHMbCPWrmYOaVcWg9miaZP_75dIGPgiLZv0n-mH6MUePAvaRiglpRNXP0lHf4vxvPFqT3PgdXONf9mcS8PctmfH0E3tO9FoB0NqH/s2977/Shield%20Cave,%20Glenwood%20Canyon,%20EAgle%20County,%201991.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2977" data-original-width="2400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxjeaAaVGXV5OIhYwc21mW1VBA8VGfdXvCKdxinkVLkXts3AJ_hdn5epcqbJ237XTtC0blJ-ILlShwEoFX9Hf0qVqbHMbCPWrmYOaVcWg9miaZP_75dIGPgiLZv0n-mH6MUePAvaRiglpRNXP0lHf4vxvPFqT3PgdXONf9mcS8PctmfH0E3tO9FoB0NqH/w323-h400/Shield%20Cave,%20Glenwood%20Canyon,%20EAgle%20County,%201991.JPG" width="323" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Equestrian figure, Shield Cave, Glenwood Canyon, Eagle County, Colorado. Photograph Peter Faris, 1991.</b></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As the use of, and dependence upon, the horse became integrel to Indian societies Iconic portrayals continued to be produced in some instances (such as records of visions) but the bulk of these were supplanted by portrayals in the Narrative Mode (Faris 2001:5-6). The Narrative Mode represents the more familiar imagery that we are used to in Plains Biographic Art, in with the artist is recording a deed or event, or telling a story. This can also be seen in rock art produced in the Plains Biographic Style. I will go into this in the next part of the series.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>NOTE:</b>
Some images in this posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for
public domain photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public
domain, I apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner
will contact me with them. For further information on these reports you should
read the original reports at the sites listed below.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>REFERENCES:</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Ewers, John C.</b>, 1997, <i>Plains Indian History and Culture: Essays in Continuity and Change</i>, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman.<span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;">.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span><b>Faris, Peter K.</b>, </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5in;">2001, </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5in;">Horse Petroglyphs as Indicators of Cultural
Transformation, pages 1 - 13, in </span><i style="text-indent: -0.5in;">Southwestern
Lore</i><span style="text-indent: -0.5in;">, Winter 2001, Vol. 67, No. 4, Colorado Archaeological Society, Denver.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-indent: -0.5in;"><b>Klassen, Michael A.</b>, 1998, Icon and Narrative in transition: contact-period rock art at Writing-On-Stone, Southern Alberta, Canada. In <i>The Archaeology of Rock Art</i>, edited by Christopher Chippindale, and Paul S. Ta</span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -48px;">çon, pp. 42-72. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -48px;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Maurer, E. M., L. Lincoln, G. Horse Capture, D. W. Penney and Father P. J. Powell</b>, 1992, <i>Visions of the People: A Pictorial History of Plains Indian Life</i>. The Minneapolis Institute of Arts.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -48px;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Secoy, F. R.</b>, 1966, Changing Military Patterns on the Great Plains (17th Century through Early 19th Century), in <i>Monographs of the American Ethnological Society No. 21</i>. Edited by Esther S. Goldfrank, University of Washington Press, Seattle.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in;"><br /></span></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2009, Peter Faris</div>Peter Farishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925168522417380667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7760124847746733855.post-13038367371501043902024-03-09T14:09:00.000-07:002024-03-09T14:09:19.701-07:00HORSE PETROGLYPHS AS INDICATORS OF CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION – PART 1:<p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkBcLJQJLjlHxzICOyV3pDGgtPiVFDvwvne2HCgEn0ziiAJa1eo2FKV_FA_edJcV6V1zhyphenhyphenERfeiZYmgOzMD3V0uX8FH4916pB43Fdsfn82H0zJVly4D09tuzrrjX1y6QXOLPNF8sv_JDgVBfvsehaVC2nBBxBOSPVknaWAPJptUj4ZFYK1LDdbY0z_ojf/s1413/Little%20Bighorn%20Battlefield%20031.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1404" data-original-width="1413" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkBcLJQJLjlHxzICOyV3pDGgtPiVFDvwvne2HCgEn0ziiAJa1eo2FKV_FA_edJcV6V1zhyphenhyphenERfeiZYmgOzMD3V0uX8FH4916pB43Fdsfn82H0zJVly4D09tuzrrjX1y6QXOLPNF8sv_JDgVBfvsehaVC2nBBxBOSPVknaWAPJptUj4ZFYK1LDdbY0z_ojf/w400-h398/Little%20Bighorn%20Battlefield%20031.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Horses at Little Bighorn (Custer) battlefield, Montana. Photograph Peter Faris.</span></b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Every
once in a while, inexplicably, some of the columns disappear from RockArtBlog.
Now I have no idea if this is done by blogger.com, by hackers, or poltergeists,
but I have found it has happened again. A series of columns on horses in rock
art that I posted years ago just isn't here anymore. Therefore I am rewriting
this series of columns under the title </span><u style="font-family: verdana;">Horse Petroglyphs as Indicators of
Cultural Transformation.</u></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUd-xgfGI2y5uLcsaOYN7qKCIMNwbn2adVsVeNmBrsIpLSBCXoaPnuiq8sUxCWQXuDobYrEwyYzqCVoc2xuZeQAzt_CLOJVeOl8rw52cdpm5TN4RXVfYC9StmQ6EN_Q27JGO9DRyIC7jQMF7zLtsQDzDiwXSIA5CJgHlQ2a03v9eoy2QtM6qU1N8DbsaY0/s1960/5BN66,%20Purgatoire%20Canyon.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1570" data-original-width="1960" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUd-xgfGI2y5uLcsaOYN7qKCIMNwbn2adVsVeNmBrsIpLSBCXoaPnuiq8sUxCWQXuDobYrEwyYzqCVoc2xuZeQAzt_CLOJVeOl8rw52cdpm5TN4RXVfYC9StmQ6EN_Q27JGO9DRyIC7jQMF7zLtsQDzDiwXSIA5CJgHlQ2a03v9eoy2QtM6qU1N8DbsaY0/w421-h346/5BN66,%20Purgatoire%20Canyon.JPG" width="421" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Horse petroglyph, Purgatoire Canyon, Bent County, Colorado. Photograph Peter Faris.</b></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>The
acquisition of horses by Native peoples led to a rapid transformation of Plains
Indian life. Not only was the horse a powerful agent of change to the tribes of
Plains and Plateau Indians who acquired it, it became a symbol of that change
as well. The style of portrayals of horses in rock art changed over the years
indicating the people’s attitude toward, and cultural assimilation of, the
horse. This process is illustrated by examples of horses in rock art as well as
other media used by Native American artists.</i> (Faris 2001:1)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMjTjLWnuBsp1xoScD_c2KHPBZSD68tv63oBw0s8cywpsYuOp9JNIzJRzrrfXAvwPW7u2VGW6WPSP6SCVjaIGuQ4YLgRzKyUaei7C8vcSEt95xNaDwAgbHjx1d3yYqHbsPnG6FNiA1wKd2Rwbizg4FjXskvpGFPyarwj9dlLH4vTltyJXwGHPqZZ5Wt1wk/s520/Horse%20petroglyph%20from%20Writing-on-stone%20Provincial%20Park,%20Canada..jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="520" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMjTjLWnuBsp1xoScD_c2KHPBZSD68tv63oBw0s8cywpsYuOp9JNIzJRzrrfXAvwPW7u2VGW6WPSP6SCVjaIGuQ4YLgRzKyUaei7C8vcSEt95xNaDwAgbHjx1d3yYqHbsPnG6FNiA1wKd2Rwbizg4FjXskvpGFPyarwj9dlLH4vTltyJXwGHPqZZ5Wt1wk/w400-h264/Horse%20petroglyph%20from%20Writing-on-stone%20Provincial%20Park,%20Canada..jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Horse petroglyph from Writing-on-stone Provincial Park, Canada. Photograph Peter Faris.</b></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I first
addressed this subject in my 2001 publication of Horse Petroglyphs as
Indicators of Cultural Transformation, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">in
Southwestern Lore</i>, Winter 2001, Vol. 67, No. 4, the quarterly journal of
the Colorado Archaeological Society, pages 1 - 13. It resulted from a period of
research into various horse petroglyphs and pictographs with attention to the
implications that details of the portrayals might carry. Starting with the fact
that the presence of the horse at all allows us to make age estimates I wanted
to look for other forms of information that the horse images might infer.
Michael Klassen’s 1998 paper on Icon and Narrative in transition:
contact-period rock art at Writing-On-Stone, Southern Alberta, Canada. In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Archaeology of Rock Art</i>, edited by Christopher
Chippindale, and Paul S. C. Ta<span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC";">ç</span>on, pp. 42-72. Cambridge University
Press, Cambridge, presented the concept of the varying Modes of Plains
Biographic art and provided the framework that I had been looking for. The
results, although now somewhat dated, may still prove of interest and provide
some value in our thinking about contact period rock art.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVT8tQWX84VeWLWamm8T6CIU5Ph2ES0hek1MnyJdhAsoB80RvVYp78WppKLc96EBu5ahXvOOYg0ZS_WkHpVG8O7YL07coqD6TFRDEnd9Vf-85tBtokBhou4o1oP8AD9yBQwd6mAXAelKA2x4DGT_yYJmt92yFcasnnGovJKCQza5k7IwRSuud_3Ow0Kih3/s3401/Lakota%20Painted%20Shield%20cover,%201850,%20Norman%20Feder,%20American%20Indian%20Art..JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2327" data-original-width="3401" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVT8tQWX84VeWLWamm8T6CIU5Ph2ES0hek1MnyJdhAsoB80RvVYp78WppKLc96EBu5ahXvOOYg0ZS_WkHpVG8O7YL07coqD6TFRDEnd9Vf-85tBtokBhou4o1oP8AD9yBQwd6mAXAelKA2x4DGT_yYJmt92yFcasnnGovJKCQza5k7IwRSuud_3Ow0Kih3/w423-h315/Lakota%20Painted%20Shield%20cover,%201850,%20Norman%20Feder,%20American%20Indian%20Art..JPG" width="423" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Lakota Painted Shield cover, ca. 1850. Illustration from Norman Feder, American Indian Art.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyOMQPLSY1aAJ0WOZRdcyJ3Py7XIoqWRjIPxm6HyOj0pfmdItWHHY3taNqh5ShdhuuLmJdFnEJRVVenCwu4Z4tn7j9UVetoJrkckw4UTBl5tlJZSEOQw6bWgNnrPGD01hX-JHymnlvures_v9ZJ7ZRqh6HTNHR04sG0IlMelSLo0QjHIzq9Blw-CIngu-V/s1835/Cheyenne%20sunshade,%201860s,%20collected%20at%20Fort%20C.%20F.%20Smith,%20Fr.%20Feder,%20American%20Indian%20Art.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1835" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyOMQPLSY1aAJ0WOZRdcyJ3Py7XIoqWRjIPxm6HyOj0pfmdItWHHY3taNqh5ShdhuuLmJdFnEJRVVenCwu4Z4tn7j9UVetoJrkckw4UTBl5tlJZSEOQw6bWgNnrPGD01hX-JHymnlvures_v9ZJ7ZRqh6HTNHR04sG0IlMelSLo0QjHIzq9Blw-CIngu-V/w400-h261/Cheyenne%20sunshade,%201860s,%20collected%20at%20Fort%20C.%20F.%20Smith,%20Fr.%20Feder,%20American%20Indian%20Art.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Cheyenne sunshade, 1860s, collected at Fort C. F. Smith. Illustration from Feder, American Indian Art.</b></div></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The acquisition of the horse by the societies of the Great Plains is reflected in the art that was produced by members of those societies. Those portrayals consisst of images painted on hides for shields, war shirts, robes, and tipis, as well as later in ledger books. Other examples may be found that were created in quillwork or beadwork on clothing and leather accessories. The most durable examples of their art are the petroglyphs and pictographs caved into cliffs and boulders, or painted in rock overhangs and caves. Horse images in rock art can be divided into two modes designated iconic and narrative (Klassen 1998:44) which represent the Plains Ceremonial and Plains Biographic traditions defined by Keyser (1977:49-55). The designation of Iconic Mode refers to images created for what appear to be spiritual purposes and Narrative Mode designates images that seem to record events and illustrate deeds. In this context mode refers to the qualities of the image that provide insight into the artist's attitude toward the subject. Mode is thus essentially independent of stylistic qualities. (Faris 2001:1)</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4iLpjuWhUdQwlI40GRMRXhzkPhRpk1nmC77Emk-7T-L-M7yN0fFzI9OCbMRYfFZJeGiZ-FMm7Wbmkf8TYqs1ogZfQ6qZ7PUHaHZOsRpwtBct8_DFHfBEPIVusafR06NckVcReem0mh7AD2IYkSceGOlKpl5kgaHW2PP_6o4e0qkrRPlq-sJ0KBClZ_L_/s1704/5BN66,%20Purgatoire%20River-2..JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1385" data-original-width="1704" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4iLpjuWhUdQwlI40GRMRXhzkPhRpk1nmC77Emk-7T-L-M7yN0fFzI9OCbMRYfFZJeGiZ-FMm7Wbmkf8TYqs1ogZfQ6qZ7PUHaHZOsRpwtBct8_DFHfBEPIVusafR06NckVcReem0mh7AD2IYkSceGOlKpl5kgaHW2PP_6o4e0qkrRPlq-sJ0KBClZ_L_/w400-h325/5BN66,%20Purgatoire%20River-2..JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Horse petroglyph, Purgatoire Canyon, Bent County, Colorado. Photograph Peter Faris.</b></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The importance of the horse can be inferred from their frequency of portrayal. Mayhall (1987:159) found that <i>"the most frequently depicted figures were those of horsed, showing the concern of the Plains Indians with the horse, its capture, and its use",</i> and Keyser (1987:52) states that <i>"horses are second only to human figures as the primary components of Biographic art." </i></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Plains
Indian artists reflected aesthetic concerns in their use of horse imagery, yet
their representations also reflect the broader social contexts in which the
images were produced. These broader contexts were also reflected in horse
images produced in rock art.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTuIm7EeCXijCUcJeP5dkWnHXgz1pfxz4SLQWblwvxPsEDe-kHe3X07FHOhQJJlnhkVkre1slCFPQIjvBUkuChIgN6TTxiw0JlyG1RA8iFr-7L3psky0uVKZpiAzTUBFivb7-F92svT7gTJR8lgKtCsWqyp3MZOg8Y9W00c_73RLPDQmz610XKWo3utJiB/s2751/Picture%20Canyon,%20Baca%20County,.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2033" data-original-width="2751" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTuIm7EeCXijCUcJeP5dkWnHXgz1pfxz4SLQWblwvxPsEDe-kHe3X07FHOhQJJlnhkVkre1slCFPQIjvBUkuChIgN6TTxiw0JlyG1RA8iFr-7L3psky0uVKZpiAzTUBFivb7-F92svT7gTJR8lgKtCsWqyp3MZOg8Y9W00c_73RLPDQmz610XKWo3utJiB/w400-h295/Picture%20Canyon,%20Baca%20County,.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Picture Canyon, Baca County, Colorado. Photograph Peter Faris.</b></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Iconic Mode:</b> Iconic portrayals present the subject as an essentially isolated figure, essentially as a record of the subject as a repository of spiritual power, not as part of a larger event or composition. Earlier portrayals of the horse tend to present it as an isolated figure, without accessories or specific details, and usually without a rider or other human accompaniment. This implies that the concept of the horse was seen as an "other", something with medicine power of its own that can be spiritually, if not physically, separate from the people in general and from the individual in particular. The horse is present because of that spiritual power, or the impact it separately has upon the life of the people. It was seen as a special contributor to the well-being of the society. (Faris 2001:4-5)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There were some stylistic changes in horse portrayal with the passage of time. Ewers (1939:33) noted that the hook-like hoof had a wide distribution in the early nineteenth century paintings of horses. It may be seen (painted) on hides from tribes as remote from one another as the Blackfoot and the Wichita. This wide distdribution, coupled with the fact that this feature is usually a part of a relatively crude representation of the horse, suggests that it is an old way of representing the hoof in Plains Indian painting which was later discarded in some localities where a more realistic form of hoof came into use along with a more realistic representation of the entire animal. (Faris 2001:5) This hook-like hoof can be found on early examples of horse imagery in rock art that represent the early Iconic Mode. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I have
presented this earliest form of Iconic Mode horse portrayal above. Subsequent
postings will follow the development of horse portrayals in rock art imagery
and will illustrate their transition from later stages of the Iconic Mode to
the Narrative Mode as Plains Biographic art is elaborated and spread. The style
of these portrayals suggests the stage of incorporation of the horse into the
cultures of the Native Americans and gives us a basis for rough estimates of
the date of the portrayal as well.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">REFERENCES:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Ewers, John C.</b>, </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;">1939,</span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;"> </span><i style="font-family: verdana; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;">Plains Indian Painting, A Description of an
Aboriginal American Art</i><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;">. Stanford University Press, Palo Alto.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Faris, Peter K.</b>, </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-indent: -0.5in;">2001, </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-indent: -0.5in;">Horse Petroglyphs as Indicators of Cultural Transformation,
pages 1 - 13, in </span><i style="font-family: verdana; text-indent: -0.5in;">Southwestern Lore</i><span style="font-family: verdana; text-indent: -0.5in;">,
Winter 2001, Vol. 67, No. 4, Colorado Archaeological Society, Denver.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Keyser, James D.</b>, </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-indent: -0.5in;">1977,<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-indent: -0.5in;">Writing-On Stone: Rock Art on the
Northwestern Plains. </span><i style="font-family: verdana; text-indent: -0.5in;">Canadian Journal of Archaeology</i><span style="font-family: verdana; text-indent: -0.5in;">, 1:15-80.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">1987,<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A Lexicon for Historic Plains Indian Rock Art:
Increasing Interpretive Potential. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Plains
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Anthropologist</i>, 32(115):43-71.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Klassen, Michael A.</b>, 1998, Icon and Narrative in Transition: contact-period rock art at Writing-On-Stone, Southern Alberta, Canada. In <i>The Archaeology of Rock Art</i>, edited by Christopher Chippindale, and Paul S. Ta</span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: justify; text-indent: -48px;">çon, pp. 42-72. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Mayhall,
M. P.</b>, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">1987,</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The Kiowas</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">. University of Oklahoma
Press, Norman.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2009, Peter Faris</div>Peter Farishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925168522417380667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7760124847746733855.post-74974472051561827392024-03-03T10:25:00.001-07:002024-03-03T10:26:25.283-07:00GEOGLYPHS - GIANT CHALK FIGURE OF HERCULES IDENTIFIED AS SAXON MUSTERING SITE: <p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL0Xzm_3j7cJJQjJg1CFpMn3Tevf90blXmmGtvU4s_H4KsegWyOAgU8-DJ3K0gq__LbyjjezfS00c8VDfsK7-9Fas6qxLy6T7LdClamzLPsH9kr1dD-dvl2AwRnL-ezS_ZTYcqMW25c_PNAGC7gAe23I40FpHXdXbMPmSMCWomvmZ2haTCMBkMTpvlTJrU/s500/fg1_online.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="492" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL0Xzm_3j7cJJQjJg1CFpMn3Tevf90blXmmGtvU4s_H4KsegWyOAgU8-DJ3K0gq__LbyjjezfS00c8VDfsK7-9Fas6qxLy6T7LdClamzLPsH9kr1dD-dvl2AwRnL-ezS_ZTYcqMW25c_PNAGC7gAe23I40FpHXdXbMPmSMCWomvmZ2haTCMBkMTpvlTJrU/w394-h400/fg1_online.webp" width="394" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Cerne Abbas Giant, near the village of Cerne Abbas, Dorset, England. Online image, public domain.</b></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Some of the
world’s most famous geoglyphs are the chalk figures found in England. The
Uffington White Horse, the Long Man of Wilmington, and perhaps the most famous
of all the Cerne Abbas Giant.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">“The Cerne Abbas Giant was formed by
cutting trenches two feet deep into the steep hillside and then filling them
with crushed chalk. Some scholars believed the giant might date back to the
Iron Age as a fertility symbol. Local folklore holds that copulating on the
giant’s crotch will help a couple conceive a child, and there is an Iron Age
earthwork known as the Trendle at the top of the hill in which the giant has
been carved. However, there is no mention of the figure in a 1540s survey of
the Abbey lands, nor in a 1617 survey conducted by the English cartographer
John Norden.”</span></i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif""> (Ouellette<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>2021)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkKb1bOEXSwv7pZBuaKug79yec2jtz-U40iI0TU0DPYg6_8G92a3KT1aP2Mo4Q29oZCyk3Ti7h3AfEaau08t0i-qKoY3TVbTpxPDZ65nucUzp6YOp6A_eL4SVL1iUXqQbQdgIeHxRlbG9bIoAPMEcEes9KDPzuFxl_L2Mccl5_2a9ujWQ4HdKHQFNfx_N/s500/images_medium_fg3_online.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkKb1bOEXSwv7pZBuaKug79yec2jtz-U40iI0TU0DPYg6_8G92a3KT1aP2Mo4Q29oZCyk3Ti7h3AfEaau08t0i-qKoY3TVbTpxPDZ65nucUzp6YOp6A_eL4SVL1iUXqQbQdgIeHxRlbG9bIoAPMEcEes9KDPzuFxl_L2Mccl5_2a9ujWQ4HdKHQFNfx_N/w400-h266/images_medium_fg3_online.gif" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Chalk-filled trench of Cerne Abbas Giant. Online image, publlc domain.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">“A study conducted in 1996 observed
alterations in certain characteristics over time. It concluded that when
originally carved, the figure had a cloak draped over its left arm and
potentially held an object, speculated to be a severed head beneath it is left
hand. Tests conducted by the National Trust in 2021 determined that the giant
was carved in the Anglo-Saxon period between AD 700-1100, when the land was
owned by the West Saxon royal family in the 9<sup>th</sup> Century and 10<sup>th</sup>
Century.”</span></i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif""> (Milligan
2024)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1TAwLb-otvphZjzzp_BH-HUA9go6JaBRk5GEdHapxk7xoKLoxvISR-Ie2r-GFUzbYR7gf3FPTvHLzKYI2B0qtpdZjs0hBMMcvJMXlOJfrunav7GE6-SVLxqnNLgQrNRTLNZ-dm44Y_YpOb_YcVrLL8RdfymeuZoQZ8sSFiIwyRiN5I2PT0fkBCBiz-PT3/s500/Sculpture%20depicting%20Hercules,%20late%20Roman,%20Corbridge,%20England.%20Corbridge%20Roman%20Town%20Museum,%20DP045083.%20Photo%20Copyright%20Carole%20Raddato..gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="394" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1TAwLb-otvphZjzzp_BH-HUA9go6JaBRk5GEdHapxk7xoKLoxvISR-Ie2r-GFUzbYR7gf3FPTvHLzKYI2B0qtpdZjs0hBMMcvJMXlOJfrunav7GE6-SVLxqnNLgQrNRTLNZ-dm44Y_YpOb_YcVrLL8RdfymeuZoQZ8sSFiIwyRiN5I2PT0fkBCBiz-PT3/w315-h400/Sculpture%20depicting%20Hercules,%20late%20Roman,%20Corbridge,%20England.%20Corbridge%20Roman%20Town%20Museum,%20DP045083.%20Photo%20Copyright%20Carole%20Raddato..gif" width="315" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Sculpture depicting Hercules, late Roman, Corbridge, England. Corbridge Roman Town Museum. Photograph Copyright Carole Raddato.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This figure
has since been recognized as a representation of the Classical Hercules. The
draped cloak and severed head align with Classical representations of the
demigod.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“The club is the clue, according to the
new study.<b> </b>Hercules was one of the most frequently depicted figures
in the classical world, and his distinctively knotted club acted as an
identificatory label, like the <a href="https://www.artsy.net/artwork/pietro-perugino-delivery-of-the-keys-to-saint-peter" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">keys of Saint Peter</span></a> or the <a href="https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/learn-about-art/paintings-in-depth/painting-saints/recognising-saints-objects/recognising-saints-wheel" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">wheel of Saint Catherine</span></a>. Hercules’ signature mantle—his
cloak—may have also been included in the original Cerne Abbas outline, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2024/jan/01/cerne-abbas-giant-is-hercules-and-was-army-meeting-point-say-historians" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">draped</span></a> over the
giant’s free hand, the researchers hypothesize.” </span></i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(Anderson 2024)</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">“A further study by researchers from
Oxford University now suggest that the figure was a muster station for West
Saxon armies during a period when Saxon kingdoms were in conflict with invading
Vikings. According to the researchers, the giant’s position, protruding from a
ridge and situated near major route ways, combined with nearby fresh water
souces and the locality to a West Saxon estate made it the perfect mustering
spot.”</span></i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif""> (Milligan
2024)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">So, perhaps now we know.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif""><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black;">NOTE:</span></b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black;"> Some images in this
posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain
photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public domain, I
apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will
contact me with them. For further information on these reports you should read
the original reports at the sites listed below.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">REFERENCES:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">Anderson, Sonja</span></b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">, 2024, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">This mysterious Hillside Carving is Actually Hercules, Researchers Say</i>,
2 January 2024, <u><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/">https://www.smithsonianmag.com</a>.</u>
Accessed online 4 January 2024/</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">Milligan, Mark</span></b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">, 2024, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mystery of Cerne Abbas Giant solved?,</i> 1 January 2024, <a href="https://www.heritagedaily.com/">https://www.heritagedaily.com</a>.
Accessed online 2 January 2024.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">Morcom, Thomas and Helen Gittos, </span></b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">2024, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Cerne Giant in Its Early</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Medieval
Context</i>, Speculum, Volume 99, Number 1, Published by University, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/727992">https://doi.org/10.1086/727992</a>.
Accessed online 10 January 2024.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 204.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">Ouellette, Jennifer</span></b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">,<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>2021, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A</i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 16.0pt;">rchaeologists
“flabbergasted” to find Cerne Giant’s origins a medieval, </span></i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 16.0pt;">12 July 2021, Ars Technica, <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/07/">https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/07/</a>.
Accessed online 10 January 2024.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2009, Peter Faris</div>Peter Farishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925168522417380667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7760124847746733855.post-18742299563594011862024-02-24T15:36:00.000-07:002024-02-24T15:36:05.123-07:00HUMAN INTERACTION WITH GIANT GROUND SLOTHS:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMr_1OSA0qTz-a_NC-yxbOj18wCLjLTMOWQjsfy4tgiZIHuq2lm1HOvwEASRyDhoWg-3gcgUOWz2Q50QjXobO7F22K7fyHlwZxq_R1ysM3xM-idJ86zaiYHfALzA5w9y0O2u4Z13JPZhSacHlJ683FvYseCes1sBbQXO7KVXHvEb-pRYakGsnTBAs-EeXh/s850/Giant-Ground-Sloth,%20www.extinctanimals.org.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="850" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMr_1OSA0qTz-a_NC-yxbOj18wCLjLTMOWQjsfy4tgiZIHuq2lm1HOvwEASRyDhoWg-3gcgUOWz2Q50QjXobO7F22K7fyHlwZxq_R1ysM3xM-idJ86zaiYHfALzA5w9y0O2u4Z13JPZhSacHlJ683FvYseCes1sBbQXO7KVXHvEb-pRYakGsnTBAs-EeXh/w431-h303/Giant-Ground-Sloth,%20www.extinctanimals.org.jpg" width="431" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Artist's rendition of human interacting with a Giant Ground Sloth. Image from www.extinctanimals.org.</b></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">One of the
iconic megafauna of the Paleolithic period is the Giant Ground Sloth with more
than a dozen related species of Giant Ground Sloths distributed throughout
North and South America. Ground Sloths ranged in size from small, just a few
pounds, to the truly giant Megatherium. Interest in Megatherium began centuries
ago, President Thomas Jefferson had tasked Lewis and Clark to attempt to locate
them in the West on their journey of exploration.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRU9gqAFWgYU55eTCsnED7GqJ1K6uhTlgFTZmhoKLUZ_lu96v3qw4ITDyUfTdJqtHdH68lnVK5OQkonybvYTc0g7oXQhnq4gcGgoURMnwP1QGXKRmvCJYcAwQn3FNOK3hrqPniwJR32lPZopKI1nuGImfNgq0FI1Midi_UXGqmWsZ0CzXJPjMasfQFyus/s768/4d85f054b7cef3a6f67e356b93b823ad.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRU9gqAFWgYU55eTCsnED7GqJ1K6uhTlgFTZmhoKLUZ_lu96v3qw4ITDyUfTdJqtHdH68lnVK5OQkonybvYTc0g7oXQhnq4gcGgoURMnwP1QGXKRmvCJYcAwQn3FNOK3hrqPniwJR32lPZopKI1nuGImfNgq0FI1Midi_UXGqmWsZ0CzXJPjMasfQFyus/w440-h346/4d85f054b7cef3a6f67e356b93b823ad.jpg" width="440" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Human with Giant Ground Sloth skeleton. Internet image, public domain.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">“Megalonyx, which means ‘giant
claw’, was a widespread North American genus that lived past the close of the
last Wisconsin glaciations, when so many large mammals died out. Remains have
been found as far north as Alaska and the Yukon. Ongoing excavations at Tarkio Valley
in southwestern Iowa may reveal something of the familial life of Megalonyx. An
adult was found in direct association with two juveniles of different ages,
suggesting that adults cared for young of different generations. The earliest
known North American Megalonychid, Pliometanastes protistus, lived in the
southern U.S. about 9 million years ago and is believed to have been the
predecessor on Megalonyx. Several species of Megalonyx have been named; in fact
it has been stated that ‘nearly every good specimen has been described as a
different species.’ A broader perspective on the group, accounting for age,
sex, individual and geographic differences, indicates that only three species
are valid (M. leptostomus, M. wheatleyi, and M. jeffersonii) in the late
Pliocene and Pleistocene of North America, although work by McDonald lists five
species. Jefferson’s ground sloth has a special place in modern paleontology,
for Thomas Jefferson’s letter on Megalonyx, read before the American
Philosophical Society of Philadelphia in August 1796, marked the beginning of
vertebrate paleontology in North America. When Lewis and Clark set out,
Jefferson instructed Meriwether Lewis to keep an eye out for ground sloths. He
was hoping they would find some living in the Western range. Megalonyx
jeffersonii was appropriately named after Thomas Jefferson.”</span></i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif""> (Wikipedia) <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>"The earliest megatherid in North America was Eremotherium eomigrans whish arrived 2.2 million years ago, after crossing the recently formed Panamanian land bridge. With more than five tons in weight, 6 meters in length, and able to reach as high as 17 feet (5.2 m), it was larger than an African bush elephant bull. Unlike relatives, this species retained a plesiomorphic extra claw. While other species of Eremotherium had four fingers with only two or three claws, E. eomigrans had five fingers, four of them with claws up to nearly a foot long." </i>(Wikipedia)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We now have a number of lines of proof of human interaction with Giant Ground Sloths. Speaking on the PBS Newshour about the recent discovery of Paleolithic footprints at White Sands of both animals (including megafauna) and humans, David Bustos of White Sands National Park stated <i>"We were brushing out a set of sloth prints, and Matthew found the human pring right iside the middle of the sloth print. And that's sort of sealed the deal, Oh, yes, you definitely have the megafauna and humans together. So that's sort of where the the human side of the story all began." </i>(Sy and Jackson 2022) </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM6guaX51PWMSWOSIT9r60ZiNrowkrRfPOV7TWAhpYFPsbWw9Yptnca0iX4AZXIblpHBsOk0PpCsWIjvM3vCfe9kKPRtYORwMmF-apIYuqhXEfYpUu_6sn0sGiK1dQcZx5fsbH558XqDaU8WxGZQaetxQ83hl6Wmok_ObY1y18P7VtT3c9QcY1KpfS8upk/s630/Human%20footprint%20inside%20sloth%20track,%20The%20Atlantic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="630" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM6guaX51PWMSWOSIT9r60ZiNrowkrRfPOV7TWAhpYFPsbWw9Yptnca0iX4AZXIblpHBsOk0PpCsWIjvM3vCfe9kKPRtYORwMmF-apIYuqhXEfYpUu_6sn0sGiK1dQcZx5fsbH558XqDaU8WxGZQaetxQ83hl6Wmok_ObY1y18P7VtT3c9QcY1KpfS8upk/w400-h266/Human%20footprint%20inside%20sloth%20track,%20The%20Atlantic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHbb-_43JFAM73AswQO5y1nq68RjCojYF98_yQQ3kDvVYE1drMz-1udyIPBVT_yqYlFj350kpNHq2E21oc6Dmy4aRVx0bUAf0uv94OkoM0Qav0EdSRFYahsOm7cIzmaStXqOGa4dpoUpy_BL6GF7u3ZYZcHK6Hnit94_5NGHseXXKvqDW9PUwqVJETqyI/s453/SCIENCENEWS.ORG%20-%20Copy%20-%20Copy%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="453" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHbb-_43JFAM73AswQO5y1nq68RjCojYF98_yQQ3kDvVYE1drMz-1udyIPBVT_yqYlFj350kpNHq2E21oc6Dmy4aRVx0bUAf0uv94OkoM0Qav0EdSRFYahsOm7cIzmaStXqOGa4dpoUpy_BL6GF7u3ZYZcHK6Hnit94_5NGHseXXKvqDW9PUwqVJETqyI/w400-h373/SCIENCENEWS.ORG%20-%20Copy%20-%20Copy%20(2).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRdIaDA9bT2-Ck9psZC-XRcHQgdj06x69OOfReba8_-FeR9Vmxkuh6O8vwRYzqDWODttksQoXAlAg4wKM86FXJROzpIUT2sdT5USSQZgl-GdMK6vHVdZ4QKZ6t0IYoe3u-zRl_XM9VPSECpNth9-h8Lv9rU7RLWKMduuRboLWhvdctZ2E9W46sq5rxf1JB/s730/SCIENCENEWS.ORG%20-%20Copy%20-%20Copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="87" data-original-width="730" height="48" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRdIaDA9bT2-Ck9psZC-XRcHQgdj06x69OOfReba8_-FeR9Vmxkuh6O8vwRYzqDWODttksQoXAlAg4wKM86FXJROzpIUT2sdT5USSQZgl-GdMK6vHVdZ4QKZ6t0IYoe3u-zRl_XM9VPSECpNth9-h8Lv9rU7RLWKMduuRboLWhvdctZ2E9W46sq5rxf1JB/w400-h48/SCIENCENEWS.ORG%20-%20Copy%20-%20Copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span>"A human footprint is shown above with a raised heel mark inside the larger, curved footprint of a giant sloth. Below, researchers mapped the sloth and human tracks to re-create the chase scene, with 'flailing circles' to mark where the the animal reared up on two feet to defend itself."</span> <span>Illustration from Garisto, 2018.</span></span></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>"Tests of sediment showed the sloth and human prints were made at the same time. An analysis of the track also suggested the two species were interacting with one another. 'We're getting a view into the past, of an interaction between two species,' says Sally Reynolds, a paleontologist at Bournemouth University in Poole, England. ' This was a moment of action, a moment of drama.' Raynolds, Bustos and their colleagues reconstructed the chase. Humans stalked a sloth, of several sloths, which the hunters surrounded in the open. At seven places, a sloth reared up on its hind legs - towering over the humans - to fendd off an attack. But the chase continued, with the humans in hot pursuit. The encounter 'wasn't luck or happenstance; it was cold calculation,' Reynolds says. 'Our intention was to kill them.' The trail of footprints ends, though, and it's not clear who came out victorious."</i> (Garisto 2018) This would have been a windfall of food for the Paleolithic hunters, although difficult to procure.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So, we now have evidence of humans tracking and hunting Giant Ground Sloths, is there any other evidence of interactions? <i>"The Santa Elina rock shelter in Central Brazil shows evidence of successive human settlements from around the last glacial maximum (LGM) to the Early Holocene. Two Pleistocene archaeological layers include rich lithic industry associated with remains of the extinct giant ground sloth Glossotherium phoenesis. The remains include thousands of osteoderms (i.e. dermal bones), three of which were human modified."</i> (Pansani et al. 2023)<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisuEPOn0gCW5b_5waCdid0Pou4_rddnUYHQ_bC20mVBmTYmFNRzD8CV0SdEK49I7e_wH7hy7kjf3hjLzqAtMSS7ZMd6zOPDZsnLmzEfQxYyEFfiEkTh3z0TLg_0t_l10DJtDjpn3vKiwV2kfRzNrkofqxhKmj3idcnFqgD615oviZt3K9l_kF9h2t55WvH/s443/giant-sloth-bone-pendants-2%20-%20Copy%20(3)%20-%20Copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="245" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisuEPOn0gCW5b_5waCdid0Pou4_rddnUYHQ_bC20mVBmTYmFNRzD8CV0SdEK49I7e_wH7hy7kjf3hjLzqAtMSS7ZMd6zOPDZsnLmzEfQxYyEFfiEkTh3z0TLg_0t_l10DJtDjpn3vKiwV2kfRzNrkofqxhKmj3idcnFqgD615oviZt3K9l_kF9h2t55WvH/w221-h400/giant-sloth-bone-pendants-2%20-%20Copy%20(3)%20-%20Copy.jpg" width="221" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCuaR2-40qr3hoPizjhh47dCUzVZEOJ-oMyHaWtLQ-aad111_oCk7hUZZmbSbuIteRXC3G1HoGBEPZb3LuemnFlviiMaBpShDlHiUS_ngnI06TXN-SrwQY0G-K_l0-WSLvB1CO9YLezeS6wW0JXW1sxJXXxABAWEi4xHA0KnuvDgKa_IL6iUyfJWCjuDIA/s531/giant-sloth-bone-pendants-2%20-%20Copy%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="368" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCuaR2-40qr3hoPizjhh47dCUzVZEOJ-oMyHaWtLQ-aad111_oCk7hUZZmbSbuIteRXC3G1HoGBEPZb3LuemnFlviiMaBpShDlHiUS_ngnI06TXN-SrwQY0G-K_l0-WSLvB1CO9YLezeS6wW0JXW1sxJXXxABAWEi4xHA0KnuvDgKa_IL6iUyfJWCjuDIA/s320/giant-sloth-bone-pendants-2%20-%20Copy%20(2).jpg" width="222" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDIP9BsYW6XL2KB1mTCTeyPhOZ5pszDi8Afh5JyRIsUTGQcq1dwEyuF7YD3SzQrXO8-8j-01moODqQfFdI4h28WuP_2zqso0uQBgC8_RHVVz-MRB7PLDfsMEAI6z8fRZX30yNz0Zxw9Dmtpy34WG0-jSzUftVAqBRPnm_JI3xFSBptyquNQHgJxV02mbz/s512/giant-sloth-bone-pendants-2%20-%20Copy%20(2)%20-%20Copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="417" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDIP9BsYW6XL2KB1mTCTeyPhOZ5pszDi8Afh5JyRIsUTGQcq1dwEyuF7YD3SzQrXO8-8j-01moODqQfFdI4h28WuP_2zqso0uQBgC8_RHVVz-MRB7PLDfsMEAI6z8fRZX30yNz0Zxw9Dmtpy34WG0-jSzUftVAqBRPnm_JI3xFSBptyquNQHgJxV02mbz/s320/giant-sloth-bone-pendants-2%20-%20Copy%20(2)%20-%20Copy.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Giant Ground Sloth osteoderms drilled and polished for use as adornment. Images from Pansani et al., 2023.</b></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In this case the term modified means holes drilled in the osteoderms, apparently for use as jewelry. The modifications include the drilling of the holes as well as polishing. <i>"We document the smoothing of the surface; traces of stone tool interaction with bone, including incisions and scars, scraping marks, scratches, percussion notches; polish and gloss; use-wear smoothing of the rim and the attachment systems. - Unmodified mylodontid osteoderms show a naturally rough external surface, notably different from the smooth polished surfaces of the three human-modified osteoderms. Among the thousands of fossil osteoderms on the site, the perforated and polished state of the three osteoderms studied here is exceptional."</i> (Pansani et al. 2023)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So now, in addition to apparent hunting of Giant Ground Sloths by early human inhabitants, we have the use of parts of the animal for adornment. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCTk3XNVzJNLeA5ZIlUo3EMRBUOwWhQJQLDag6AIuMqNA-F04R_k0MoIzdvvqNWM2xwRyG91Kl2mE6Jb9a1ieNhzDUQpNUNKgOuH1CdguDA1TiWKIjxOMumKwxFjJD07MsQXM-_7DVafouqAINhsjiS9gWph2-p1YaiLQBLjC8c9dCcx7aKLY1g8K0RU4b/s1024/cymasbxfi0z41.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCTk3XNVzJNLeA5ZIlUo3EMRBUOwWhQJQLDag6AIuMqNA-F04R_k0MoIzdvvqNWM2xwRyG91Kl2mE6Jb9a1ieNhzDUQpNUNKgOuH1CdguDA1TiWKIjxOMumKwxFjJD07MsQXM-_7DVafouqAINhsjiS9gWph2-p1YaiLQBLjC8c9dCcx7aKLY1g8K0RU4b/w400-h300/cymasbxfi0z41.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLl22Dpm3YcVWCsy8bPuU1kW8bw2HZteQbTelPrcansKryAFh5MvTtKhyC8FzmFLUrJn1ISpuZLf8LRKzBR6yfKj5cGmB5lHwcTOOkg-CNx8aT6-T0NYxEef4PvtNm5Y8hn8gurBquV__WlSo0fVlP2orAMERNddVP4CDaybsGbqSe7Tg9-exsD91akXu/s505/closwup,%20cymasbxfi0z41%20-%20Copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="505" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLl22Dpm3YcVWCsy8bPuU1kW8bw2HZteQbTelPrcansKryAFh5MvTtKhyC8FzmFLUrJn1ISpuZLf8LRKzBR6yfKj5cGmB5lHwcTOOkg-CNx8aT6-T0NYxEef4PvtNm5Y8hn8gurBquV__WlSo0fVlP2orAMERNddVP4CDaybsGbqSe7Tg9-exsD91akXu/w400-h270/closwup,%20cymasbxfi0z41%20-%20Copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Panel and close-up of the image from La Lindosa, Colombia of what is assumed to represent an adult and juvenile Giant Ground Sloth interacting with humans. Online image, public domain.</b></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">My final example of human interaction with Giant Ground Sloths comes from a painted cliff in Colombia. Among the recently recorded pictographs at the remarkable site of La Lindosa in Columbia is a figure that has been identified as a Giant Ground Sloth. <i>"The animal is accompanied by an offspring and surrounded by animated miniature men, some of whom extend their arms towards the painting. The relationship of the animal with the men appears to be central to the artist's message." </i>(Irarte et al. 2020) This could almost be considered a visual illustration of the interactions recorded at the White Sands track site of human interaction with one or more ground sloths. Identification of this animal as a Giant Ground Sloth is apparently based on body and head shape, the relative length of front and rear legs, and an emphasis on the toes and claws projecting from the feet. It is being shown with an offspring is reminiscent of the Iowa discovery of an adult skeleton with two juveniles referenced above from Wikipedia.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Given the
size of these creatures, and the length of their claws, they would have been
formidable prey for early human residents in the New World.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black;">NOTE 1:</span></b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black;"> Some images in this
posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain
photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public domain, I
apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will
contact me with them. For further information on these reports you should read
the original reports at the sites listed below.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black;">NOTE 2:</span></b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black;"> I have recollections in
the past of having seen a photograph of a petroglyph of an animal in Brazil
somewhere that had been identified as a Giant Ground Sloth. But, apologies, I
have been unable to relocate it. If anyone knows of such a picture please share
it with me for posting on RockArtBlog.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">REFERENCES:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">Garisto, Dan</span></b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">, 2018. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Footprints prove humans hunted giant sloths during the Ice Age</i>, 25
April 2018, <span style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/">https://www.sciencenews.org</a>.</span>
Accessed online 3 January 2024.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">Irarte, Jose, et al., </span></b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">2022, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ice Age megafauna rock art in the Columbian Amazon?, </i>Philosophical
Transactions of the Royal Society B, https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2020.0496.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">Pansani, Thais R. et al</span></b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">., 2023, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Evidence of artefacts made of giant sloth bones in central Brazil
around the last glacial maximum</i>, Published online by Royal Society
Publishing, 12 July 2023, DOI:10.1098/rspb.2023.0316. Accessed online 20
Novmeber 2023.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">Sy, Stephanie, and Lena I. Jackson</span></b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">, 2022, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ancient Footprints in New Mexico raise questions about when humans
inhabited North America</i>, 4 April 2022, PBS Newshour, </span><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/ancient-footprints-in-new-mexico-raise-questions-about-when-humans-inhabited-north-america#transcript"><span style="color: black;">https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/ancient-footprints-in-new-mexico-raise-questions-about-when-humans-inhabited-north-america#transcript</span></a>.
Accessed online 9 February 2024.</span></span><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2009, Peter Faris</div>Peter Farishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925168522417380667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7760124847746733855.post-43484213098662810832024-02-17T11:11:00.001-07:002024-02-17T11:11:37.085-07:00THE OLDEST KNOWN ROCK PAINTING IN AUSTRALIA: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHp8MTlE_JbSQ3M5zDMiNaxOub1ozAUihhAe6iKyv0K5O3mSOzf6MQFFqLBNj2K9VtaUYgu4P1NXbQy4A7mGqjCNhg1kT1xhaCSOMcMnmyMIzzsIeUazyrST4S0S4p-jKVhWgambe3d_6Ul2aGgoq506o8k_m09OVv0GIjc3dgfz1qgWSIEorc1uzo2d6/s402/festifair.co%20-%20Copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="265" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHp8MTlE_JbSQ3M5zDMiNaxOub1ozAUihhAe6iKyv0K5O3mSOzf6MQFFqLBNj2K9VtaUYgu4P1NXbQy4A7mGqjCNhg1kT1xhaCSOMcMnmyMIzzsIeUazyrST4S0S4p-jKVhWgambe3d_6Ul2aGgoq506o8k_m09OVv0GIjc3dgfz1qgWSIEorc1uzo2d6/w264-h400/festifair.co%20-%20Copy.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>17,300 year old kangaroo dated with mud dauber wasp nests. Illustration from Finch et al.</b></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Back on 20
June 2020, I wrote a column titled “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dating
Australian Rock Art With Mud Wasp Nests</i>” about using small samples of mud
wasp (or mud dauber) nests that overlay old pictographs to date them using
optically stimulated luminescence dating. This practice has now produced dates
for an image in the Kimberly region in Australia as old as 17,300</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">BCE.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwtuePJEuSmmivLv2g-os1X_gHdFpAireLg487NssXel3G1n8-PxPvTrdEml8B9NGtkYe1grzjKd8yt2lb7dxC0W1TY2ux-1Svfva7Pp10HGCTngm6yhGIFvaeEPxHZeh1nu51dSXD2i-4QmiAFgUbsko8jln2cAZ5WwLFuRRUtGhzVuYTRzFGxUkIAqD6/s432/festifair.co.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="298" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwtuePJEuSmmivLv2g-os1X_gHdFpAireLg487NssXel3G1n8-PxPvTrdEml8B9NGtkYe1grzjKd8yt2lb7dxC0W1TY2ux-1Svfva7Pp10HGCTngm6yhGIFvaeEPxHZeh1nu51dSXD2i-4QmiAFgUbsko8jln2cAZ5WwLFuRRUtGhzVuYTRzFGxUkIAqD6/w276-h400/festifair.co.jpg" width="276" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">17,300 year old kangaroo dated with mud dauber wasp nests. Illustration from Finch et al.</b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">“In two of the most extensive provinces
for painted rock art in Australia, the Kimberley and Arnhem Land, naturalistic
animals are the most common subjects in the oldest stylistic period</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #3b699e;">
</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">on
the basis of superimposition analysis, but there is debate about their
antiquity and the adequacy of the definitions of these earliest styles. The
same or similar animals are also depicted in more-recent art periods, but using
different stylistic techniques (for example, solid or regular infill rather
than irregular infill, and solid infill of the extremities of the head, tail
and limbs); further evidence is therefore required to test these ideas as no
old, radiometric age constraints have been published for any of these motifs.
In the Kimberley region, it is now known that paintings from the superimposed
and inferred to be more-recent Gwion stylistic period proliferated around 12 ka</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #3b699e;">18</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">,
so the generally agreed relative rock art sequence predicts that the earlier
paintings of naturalistic animals should be older than this.” </span></i><span class="fontstyle01">(Finch
et al. 2021)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi6HA1m3z69LCqnMVIF4pt676uUtxwNgHSKre3zvufgDdw3qmSKPr_thJYPg4A4yU7fj_OFlleQS-utEwasSeycYOKwnrkfHu3wcRR_u3oMedvCBo0bI94acuqpdyakBFCnkc16oI7RTcmKKzxepM92T3st8FOxQBCWSsNMZjpaR-aUMPx_jZ4HVAVSjnE/s1150/Ian-Waina-inspecting-the-painting.-Photo-via-Peter-Veth-Balanggarra-Aboriginal-Corporation.-Illustration-by-Pauline-Heaney-and-Damien-Finch..jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1150" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi6HA1m3z69LCqnMVIF4pt676uUtxwNgHSKre3zvufgDdw3qmSKPr_thJYPg4A4yU7fj_OFlleQS-utEwasSeycYOKwnrkfHu3wcRR_u3oMedvCBo0bI94acuqpdyakBFCnkc16oI7RTcmKKzxepM92T3st8FOxQBCWSsNMZjpaR-aUMPx_jZ4HVAVSjnE/w400-h235/Ian-Waina-inspecting-the-painting.-Photo-via-Peter-Veth-Balanggarra-Aboriginal-Corporation.-Illustration-by-Pauline-Heaney-and-Damien-Finch..jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>12,700 year old kangaroo pictograph. Ian Waina nspecting the painting. Photo via Peter Veth, Balanggarra Aborigina Corporation. Illustration by Pauline Heney and Damien Finch.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Optically stimulated
luminescence (OSL) dating relies on the transfer of energy from cosmic rays to
crystalline materials. If these materials are in the light the energy bleeds
back out but, if they are in complete dark the energy accumulates and is stored
up until it can release. If this small piece of material is hidden underground
(or incorporated into a mud wasp nest) it can be taken back to the
archeologists lab and handled under controlled conditions. Then, when hit with
a pulse from a laser the energy is released at once, its intensity indicating
how much had built up and thus how long it was in the dark. If the mud wasp
nest was taken from the surface of a rock art image, the date found in it
represents the possible minimum age of the image. It can be older, but not
younger, then the OSL date.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsmEHR8WsfEZ_sjlvvIXx1iiz_PqWLTx5dEX0L-SnSZ9P91QkwUQ8I7Vll5EYQmzVPIWTZ2y17YD2XAJ1D0bwKEXF2rDS6PeDsKnJkygpKF3aUMfYfgOqb56kw2Qg-9DQlkfiSADVcWLdj8ohUOjwgHx4bAm5-iLVwAiSqtLzBC7sYPAZwJDbBAsaPUMp5/s976/www.bbc.com.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="976" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsmEHR8WsfEZ_sjlvvIXx1iiz_PqWLTx5dEX0L-SnSZ9P91QkwUQ8I7Vll5EYQmzVPIWTZ2y17YD2XAJ1D0bwKEXF2rDS6PeDsKnJkygpKF3aUMfYfgOqb56kw2Qg-9DQlkfiSADVcWLdj8ohUOjwgHx4bAm5-iLVwAiSqtLzBC7sYPAZwJDbBAsaPUMp5/w400-h225/www.bbc.com.webp" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The team recording rock art. Image from www.bbc.com.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">“In the Kimberley rock art stylistic
sequence, these naturalistic animals belong to the earliest known phase of
painted rock art, the Irregular Infill Animal Period (IIAP). Notwithstanding
the abovementioned debate about the classification of similar motifs in the
Arnhem Land region (some 700 km to the east), we adopt the comprehensive
definition of the Kimberley IIAP by Walsh</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #3b699e;"> </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">and
Welch</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #3b699e;"> </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">as a starting hypothesis. This definition
of IIAP motifs includes some styles of hand stencils, hand prints, stencils of
boomerangs and other objects, and some freehand depictions of plants (such as
yams), animals (particularly kangaroos but also echidna, birds, goannas, fish
and possum) and, more rarely, anthropomorphs. Here we report radiocarbon ages
determined from 27 mud wasp nests, which were collected from 8 separate
sandstone rock shelters, that constrain the ages of 16 IIAP motifs. Fifteen
nests overlay ten</span></i><span class="Heading1Char"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></span><span class="fontstyle01"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">IIAP motifs and six nests were
underneath a further five motifs. Importantly, three overlying and three
underlying nests were dated from one further IIAP motif, thereby providing a
bracketed age constraint for that individual painting.” </i></span><span class="fontstyle01">(Finch
et al. 2021) These bracketed ages give maximum and minimum ages for that
particular image narrowing down its date.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>“The age estimates for 27 mud wasp nests
in contact with 16 different rock paintings of the Kimberley IIAP style suggest
that these motifs were painted between 17.2 and 13.1 cal kBP. The age of one
IIAP macropod motif is well-constrained by six radiocarbon dates on three
overlying and three underlying wasp nests to be between 17,500 and 17,100 years
old, corresponding to the middle of the age range for the European figurative
motifs.</i></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv2q-PBRgRzz2OcDROf7polEyTOR-kIn-0BnlVMLkO6Ex20JhPzpHytLs8ii3Bflb-m0KJr5MtUvNYU-LolM5H5uxfQ-ZzL-xk2sraWS1xNW7y-srJAOgxY4ReYZr8L8r7lr1oCx4o1kWXPz5xZSYCNTi6G6T_lDktl2hOgTGwinu25HTzBe2f6vkvNv8_/s892/b5047d3b36fa1a605295541361a5224884cc134307fdb174943e06bf91b2.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="892" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv2q-PBRgRzz2OcDROf7polEyTOR-kIn-0BnlVMLkO6Ex20JhPzpHytLs8ii3Bflb-m0KJr5MtUvNYU-LolM5H5uxfQ-ZzL-xk2sraWS1xNW7y-srJAOgxY4ReYZr8L8r7lr1oCx4o1kWXPz5xZSYCNTi6G6T_lDktl2hOgTGwinu25HTzBe2f6vkvNv8_/w400-h271/b5047d3b36fa1a605295541361a5224884cc134307fdb174943e06bf91b2.webp" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Rock shelter containing the 17,300 year old painting. Image from University of Melbourne, Australia.</b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><i><o:p></o:p></i></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">This is a period during which sea levels
in the nearby Joseph Bonaparte Gulf began to rise from a low of ~125 m below
present sea levels during the Last Glacial Maximum (21±3 ka) but mostly before
the rapid rise in sea levels between 14.6 and 8 ka. By 12 ka, the coastline to
the northwest had advanced by around 300 km over the continental shelf toward
the area in which our study was undertaken. Many generations of Kimberley
coastal Aboriginal populations experienced a continuing loss of territory over
these millennia. At around the same time, from 14 to 13 ka, a paleo-environmental
record from a nearby mound spring and other Kimberley climate proxies indicate
an improving climate with an increase in monsoonal activity and precipitation</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #3b699e;">.”</span></i><span class="fontstyle01">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Finch et al. 2021) With a 300 kilometer
advance of the coast during that period one has to wonder how many wonderful
sites have disappeared.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In summary,
the study found what they are pronouncing as the oldest rock art yet discovered
in Australia. <span class="fontstyle01"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“These
Pleistocene ages for naturalistic animal motifs from the earliest known period
of Australian rock painting position this creative human activity at the end of
the Last Glacial Maximum. The initial results from eight rock art sites in the
northeastern Kimberley suggest an extended period for the Irregular Infill
Animal style, from 17 to 13 ka. Many more dates from this period are required
before the full chronological extent of the paintings still visible today can
be determined. For now, a robustly dated, approximately 17,300-year-old
painting of a kangaroo is the oldest in situ rock painting radiometrically
dated in Australia.”</i></span><span class="fontstyle01"> (Finch et al.
2021) This is such a fortuitous and clever way to date rock art, working in a
team with an insect to learn marvelous facts.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">NOTE:</span></b><span style="color: black;"> Some images in this
posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain
photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public domain, I
apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will
contact me with them. For further information on these reports you should read
the original reports at the sites listed below.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">REFERENCES:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Faris, Peter</b>, 2020, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dating Australian Rock Art With Mud Wasp Nests</i>, 20 June 2020, https://www.blogger.com.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Finch, Damien et al</b>., 2021, <i>Ages for Australia’s oldest rock paintings</i>, March 2021, Human
Nature Behavior, doi.org/10.1038/s41562-020-01041-0. Accessed online 17 June
2023. </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2009, Peter Faris</div>Peter Farishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925168522417380667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7760124847746733855.post-12877894399983329512024-02-10T10:11:00.001-07:002024-02-10T10:11:37.469-07:00ROCK ART FROM THE LOWER SAND CANYON IN THE MESA VERDE REGION, SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO, USA – IT TURNS OUT THERE IS ROCK ART THERE AFTER ALL – SURPRISE!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjhnOtCYqOMDQSfKIxfuwo44vuhfYjNYidabYMfpbPLcQRirea0-3wlzuR_WKhMg_JdAuXewxdd9PGgR8bjFiUg0VrMdN5EY19NQcIqrJm9xSiv9zi-_o1-7e4_WFJD1whAtZl7s5egqnqVGl0UFy4l2Wzb8uCJ84dAXf9RJQbGhB7qHi3JCe2LdbU53J/s700/jagdelonian%20university.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="700" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjhnOtCYqOMDQSfKIxfuwo44vuhfYjNYidabYMfpbPLcQRirea0-3wlzuR_WKhMg_JdAuXewxdd9PGgR8bjFiUg0VrMdN5EY19NQcIqrJm9xSiv9zi-_o1-7e4_WFJD1whAtZl7s5egqnqVGl0UFy4l2Wzb8uCJ84dAXf9RJQbGhB7qHi3JCe2LdbU53J/w400-h266/jagdelonian%20university.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sand Canyon petroglyph panel. Photograph from the Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.</span></b></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">On
September 19. 2018, I received an e-mail communic</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">ation from one Mariette Eaton
of the BLM who informed me that there wasn’t really much rock art in Canyon’s
of the Ancients National Monument in southwestern Colorado. Her exact statement
was “</span><i style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">unfortunately there is not a great
deal of rock art that is easily accessible</i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">.” This struck me as very strange
because any canyon you enter in that part of Colorado (Montezuma County) is
loaded with rock art and ancient ruins. I was also informed that Canyon of the
Ancients was closed to visitation. On 1 October 2018 I posted a column titled </span><i style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Public Access/Public Servants/Responsiveness/and
Responsibility” </i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">in which I expressed dissatisfaction and disappointment at
being turned away like that, let alone with Mariette Eaton’s lie. Incidentally,
while we were at the Monument Headquarters one very nice park ranger confirmed
that there was a huge amount of rock art there, and had no idea why I would
have been denied visitation rights.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Now, I have
found out that literally at the same time that I was being turned away with
this brush off, a team of researchers from Poland was in there doing
archaeological work, and recording Rock Art. Now, I have no objections to
foreign visitors in our National Monuments, indeed I welcome them up to a
point, that point being when Americans are being lied to and turned away. This
Polish team was led by Radoslaw Polonka who has published a number of papers
and chapters on the rock art of Canyon of the Ancients.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Palonka’s
comments about Winter Solstice observation in December 2018 and Spring Equinox
observation in March 2019 (page 251) would seem to prove that he was there at
the same time that I was told that there is really not much rock art in Canyon
of the Ancients. Additionally, Palonka’s three pages of References includes;
David Breternitz, Kenneth Castleton, Sally Cole, Scott Ortman, Polly Schaafsma,
Dennis Slifer, and Mark Varien as well as many others who seem to have thought
that there was rock art in the area. But enough of my whining about Mariette
Eaton’s lies, let’s look at some of the things that Palonka found in Sand
Canyon of Canyon of the Ancients National Monument.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYo6qhbeCtkSnWYl8S7EBvFsWg4irl02PPParByo-sNPC8RY1pyckkt8mKw4kxR-BbrdFHvof77dgW1jyleuoH2SrfewBp6FQPptoLDIBvuHtx-JIF8M2zNi6hsakBt_TBDmDSPOYLCp9Q96wLuypFb0b-zM7WtfA4_87Zn0WicnL0UBwVc-U_MBCYDNG/s700/jagdellonian%20university.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="700" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYo6qhbeCtkSnWYl8S7EBvFsWg4irl02PPParByo-sNPC8RY1pyckkt8mKw4kxR-BbrdFHvof77dgW1jyleuoH2SrfewBp6FQPptoLDIBvuHtx-JIF8M2zNi6hsakBt_TBDmDSPOYLCp9Q96wLuypFb0b-zM7WtfA4_87Zn0WicnL0UBwVc-U_MBCYDNG/w400-h300/jagdellonian%20university.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sand Canyon petroglyph panel. Photograph from the Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.</span></b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Palonka and
team apparently did some very good work during their time in Canyons of the
Ancients. They report on a number of sites we did not have records of up to
now.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">“Since
2011, archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology at the Jagiellonian
University in Krakow have been taking part in the Sand Canyon-Castle Rock
Community Archaeological Project in the central Mesa Verde region. This
research focuses on the reconstruction of settlement structure and documentation
of rock art at dozens of sites that may have functioned as one Puebloan
community. In particular, the project explores the inter-relationships between
particular settlements, and the role of the towers and shrines as a means of
visual communication in the functioning of this system.”</span></i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> (Palonka et al. 2020:492) This Krakow
university must have one heck of an archeology program, references to it keep
popping up in papers from all over the world.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">“The
team has also obtained dates from dendrochronological samples and pottery
analysis that are more accurate than previously achieved. This evidence has
allowed us to speculate that, contrary to some earlier research (or at least
questioning if some or most), small sites may have functioned contemporaneously
with the community centre. The community centre was the largest site in the
community that also comprised public buildings, such as plazas or large kivas
(ritual buildings). Together, these sites may have formed a community that was
connected by strong religious and social ties. <o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Additionally,
we have collaborated with the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, Crow
Canyon Archaeological Center, the Maryland Institute College of Art and the
Hopi Cultural Preservation Of</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a+fb; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">fi</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">ce to gather more
comprehensive information concerning past landscape use, based, in part, on the
Pueblo oral tradition. Taken together, these </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a+fb; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">fi</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">ndings
illuminate the<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Operation
and </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a+fb; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">fi</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">nal days of one of the largest communities
of Ancient Pueblo culture in the Mesa Verde region in the thirteenth century
AD.” </span></i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">(Palonka et al. 2020:492)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkrHEOlpxkIyw6H6P0d1u3Lk17cSDOlCvNFCNOR5y1Yuac3bH06tGFpD5zetGlAUwXtKXAuE3T-2gCEv_oLIXaGpotU8Wz97NR8Xgj3AxXQOMAqxmuh__NSGUQAD5kOIFhp-nqNZqza_JfFmQf6GxG1Lvw54wpelTMnTTxumI79stkdXI2Vja2lUJVTNx/s640/Petroglyph-panel-depicting-three-fighting-warriors-from-Castle-Rock-Pueblo-the-community_Q640.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkrHEOlpxkIyw6H6P0d1u3Lk17cSDOlCvNFCNOR5y1Yuac3bH06tGFpD5zetGlAUwXtKXAuE3T-2gCEv_oLIXaGpotU8Wz97NR8Xgj3AxXQOMAqxmuh__NSGUQAD5kOIFhp-nqNZqza_JfFmQf6GxG1Lvw54wpelTMnTTxumI79stkdXI2Vja2lUJVTNx/w400-h400/Petroglyph-panel-depicting-three-fighting-warriors-from-Castle-Rock-Pueblo-the-community_Q640.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Three warriors, Castle Rock Pueblo community, Sand Canyon, Montezuma County, Colorado. Photograph from Radoslaw Polonka, 2019, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">They work
focused on Castle Rock community in Sand Canyon of the Canyons of the Ancients.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">”We
documented ancient Pueblo rock art at 15 Castle Rock Community sites,
represented by both petroglyphs and paintings, including warriors </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a+fb; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">fi</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">ghting
with bows and arrows (a well known panel from Castle Rock Pueblo), concentric
circles, spirals, zig-zag lines, bird tracks and foot- and handprints. Other
motifs could be interpreted as being connected with astronomical observations.
The rock art can be roughly dated to the Pueblo III period (AD 1150</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a+20; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">–</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">1300),
and was probably created sometime in the thirteenth century AD, based on
stylistic comparison to other well-dated rock art panels. There are, however, a
few cases where we can observe much older rock art within these Late Pueblo III
settlements, including anthropomorphic </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a+fb; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">fi</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">gures
with triangular or trapezoidal bodies that are either pecked (at site 5MT127:
Vision House) or painted with red and white (at site 5MT264: The Gallery). They
are often included in the so-called San Juan Basketmaker Anthropomorphic Style,
examples of which are also present in nearby Mancos Canyon, and as far as
Durango to the north-east. At least two sites in the Community, The Gallery and
Two Story House, have surviving </span></i></span><i style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">plaster
murals on the building walls. These were placed in the buildings</span></i><i style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a+20; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">’ </span></i><i style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">second
storey, while the </span></i><i style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a+fb; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">fi</span></i><i style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">rst storey could have served
as storage rooms, based on its masonry, which is roughly shaped with no plaster
or paintings on the wall, while the second storey has been done with more care
and often contains plaster and murals. The example at Two Story House comprises
brown/reddish and white murals, including what appear to be three roughly
preserved triangles. Similar triangles are found in Cliff Palace and other
sites from the Mesa Verde National Park. They may represent the mountains
(perhaps different peaks of the Ute Mountains) and might have been important
religious symbols for the local Pueblo society. As with most of the cliff-dwelling
sites in the area, Two Story House faces south, with a clear view of Sleeping
Ute Mountain range.” (</span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Palonka
et al. 2020:504)</span><span style="color: red; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">I have previously published about the three triangle
depiction of mountains on RockArtBlog (see the cloud index at the bottom) and
while Palonka suggests they may represent Sleeping Ute Mountain, my vote is for
Huerfano Butte in northern New Mexico or San Francisco Peaks. But it</span><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana;"> might even be the case
that all three are correct. Perhaps the ancestral pueblo peoples who found significance
in the Three Mountain theme applied it to nearby features that they were
familiar with, so at Mesa Verde the Huerfano Butte had this significance to
them, and at Chevelon pueblo it might well have been the San Francisco Peaks
while in the Canyons of the Ancients the Sleeping Ute range may have been their
inspiration.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BoV1G8lyeongLZE9WZ1tsotSI4h2bfWR5ZHnBjtRr_oVOLjRoa_ywdpxmi5tz8SwjwtFTgwL7CjGIBPAwA_sBEToWrJjWceR8nvzD3gjLr_nQEpa8N7MaV9OvxksdYZ1xn24paAZQNpab51WP7BkES7rtjhgOC3JZLh0njFphQdZ3aBGV8Yy4diPhzd4/s132/Rock-art-paintings-in-the-central-part-of-the-Site-5MT264-The-Gallery-and-murals-o%20-%20Copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="71" data-original-width="132" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BoV1G8lyeongLZE9WZ1tsotSI4h2bfWR5ZHnBjtRr_oVOLjRoa_ywdpxmi5tz8SwjwtFTgwL7CjGIBPAwA_sBEToWrJjWceR8nvzD3gjLr_nQEpa8N7MaV9OvxksdYZ1xn24paAZQNpab51WP7BkES7rtjhgOC3JZLh0njFphQdZ3aBGV8Yy4diPhzd4/w400-h215/Rock-art-paintings-in-the-central-part-of-the-Site-5MT264-The-Gallery-and-murals-o%20-%20Copy.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sand Canyon mural painting. Photograph from the Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.</span></b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Also recent
articles in popular sources have been trumpeting some of their discoveries as
newly recorded archeoastronomical sites.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: AdvTT8c09bbd9; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">“Some Pueblo period
rock art iconography documented by our project may be connected with
astronomical observations and could have served as a kind of calendar or
solar/lunar markers, such as the petroglyphs at the sites 5MT129, 5MT261,
5MT1803, 5MT1823, and 5MT1843 and maybe the mural at the site 5MT264. These
representations, with a fairly large potential for research, can shed new light
on, for example, knowledge of celestial bodies and astronomical phenomena by
the Ancient Pueblo communities once inhabiting these canyons. The observations
conducted during the Winter Solstice in December 2018 and Spring Equinox in
March 2019 at the Site 5MT129 in Sand Canyon brought very interesting results
of light-shadow interactions with the particular sections of rock art panel,</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: AdvTTa91f22a0; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: AdvTT8c09bbd9; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">suggesting that it
was some kind of solar marker or calendar, although further observation </span></i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvTT8c09bbd9; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">in the field and
additional ethnographic analogies as well as consultations </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvTT8c09bbd9; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">with different
Pueblo groups elders are needed. It seems that, in addition to accurate
documentation, visualization using new technologies like laser scanning and the
photogrammetry may provide invaluable help. Conducting this documentation and
later analysis in different graphic programs and </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvTT8c09bbd9; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">a virtual
environment (for example, using the RTI- Reflectance Transformation Imaging)
allowed us to reveal many details and entire depictions that are not visible
using only traditional documentation. Using these techniques we were able to
document colored plaster and murals found on the walls of buildings at two
sites of the surveyed area, The Gallery in the East Fork of Rock Creek Canyon,
and Two Story House in Graveyard Canyon. They were done in reddish brown, white
and yellow, and placed on two opposite walls of the second floor of Room B at
The Gallery site, where even several layers of multicolored plaster have been
preserved. The paintings on this mural include geometric images that have been
preserved, </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvTT8c09bbd9; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">such as dots,
zig-zag lines or depictions of a snake and three birds, probably </span></i><i style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: AdvTT8c09bbd9; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">turkeys. At the Two
Story House, along with the white/reddish brown plaster, there are geometric
motifs, probably in the form of several triangles that might symbolize
mountains. The rock shelter where the Two Story House site is located faces
directly south to the highest summit in the area (Sleeping Ute Mountain), which
rises to a height of around 3000 m above sea level, and is 3</span></i><i style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: AdvTT8c09bbd9+20; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">–</span></i><i style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: AdvTT8c09bbd9; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">4 km away from the
site. It is a sacred mountain for the contemporary Ute Indians, who have a
reservation there today, and it almost certainly had special significance for
the ancient Pueblo Indians (modern Pueblo groups, like the Hopi, claim that
this mountain certainly </span></i><i style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: AdvTT8c09bbd9; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">had a sacred
meaning for their ancestors, who built stone settlements in rock niches). This
may be just one example of the relationship of architecture, settlement location
and rock art iconography to the surrounding landscape and probably religious
practices associated with it </span></i><i style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: AdvTT8c09bbd9+20; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">– </span></i><i style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: AdvTT8c09bbd9; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">an aspect that is still being studied by our project.”</span></i><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvTT8c09bbd9; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> (Palonka 2019:251) I think that the
archeoastronomical conclusions have to wait for considerably more research.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvTT8c09bbd9; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvTT8c09bbd9; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7CjQyOdIKNjVgGgcSaXlKPSR80lEzp63ws0VFQxGy0s5APqQ6Sauki1Shr4XslEa8F7JJa0TxePSljpKIdmXv_py5FT0dsuhctr2HPCh03NJcuOWYjAn_h6QTMC_UE11edr1eJuN1bJ4p2c7lYimvOfPB-xvm5wp7j4BwqKO1HDKy7eICu1lyDLKG3ib_/s700/coloradopetrogplyphs4jagdellonian%20university.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="700" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7CjQyOdIKNjVgGgcSaXlKPSR80lEzp63ws0VFQxGy0s5APqQ6Sauki1Shr4XslEa8F7JJa0TxePSljpKIdmXv_py5FT0dsuhctr2HPCh03NJcuOWYjAn_h6QTMC_UE11edr1eJuN1bJ4p2c7lYimvOfPB-xvm5wp7j4BwqKO1HDKy7eICu1lyDLKG3ib_/w400-h300/coloradopetrogplyphs4jagdellonian%20university.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvTT8c09bbd9; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"><b>Sand Canyon petroglyph panel. Photograph from the Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">“The
chronological and cultural associations of the Ancestral Pueblo petroglyphs are
well established, based on style, content and associated archaeological data by
previous research in the region. The oldest Ancestral Pueblo petroglyphs (</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "AdvOT819bc6ec\.I"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">c</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">. 1000</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a+20; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">–</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">1300
AD) include pecked and/or incised human </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a+fb; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">fi</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">gures
with upraised arms and a few abstract motifs. They are located on the lowest
section of the wall and have endured rough treatment by wind, soil deposits,
sheep and cattle. Older Ancestral Pueblo petroglyphs may well be buried
underground: our geophysics and test-pit excavations revealed the possibility
that some structures are located approximately 1.6</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a+20; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">–</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">2.0m
deep (such accumulation of soil is probably due to catastrophic </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a+fb; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">fl</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">oods
that occurred in the past).”</span></i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">
(Palonka 2023:6)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0dicyIdCJj1okR6ukr-DNX1pUkMQ0ttH7xZ_XppDGu0TD1WOF3iwZwj1MDr-ThAuvzU2g2q8vV3rAI8wRPwKSMBDcQW1DYt-NEgCkfC_Pu-B0tDhzQHsz11peMtB6fqy2uTNyZgmgGciHEKyuDZN6CLttBa87FaFm5G5V1LpgBlxWk0nyXkJuAe-9ZDn1/s859/Sand%20%20Canyon,%20Radoslaw%20Polonka,%202019%20-%20Copy%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="651" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0dicyIdCJj1okR6ukr-DNX1pUkMQ0ttH7xZ_XppDGu0TD1WOF3iwZwj1MDr-ThAuvzU2g2q8vV3rAI8wRPwKSMBDcQW1DYt-NEgCkfC_Pu-B0tDhzQHsz11peMtB6fqy2uTNyZgmgGciHEKyuDZN6CLttBa87FaFm5G5V1LpgBlxWk0nyXkJuAe-9ZDn1/w304-h400/Sand%20%20Canyon,%20Radoslaw%20Polonka,%202019%20-%20Copy%20(2).jpg" width="304" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Sand Canyon, Montezuma County, Colorado. Photograph by Radoslaw Polonka, 2019. - Listed as two "serpentine forms" these are probably rabbit sticks or fending sticks for fending off atlatl darts.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">All in all this work provides considerable
new data on an area that still has a great deal to tell us. Good work Radislaw
Palonka. I’ll bet you can tell that I am jealous.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvOT35fdff1a; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>NOTE:</b>
Some images in this posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for
public domain photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public
domain, I apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner
will contact me with them. For further information on these reports you should
read the original reports at the sites listed below.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">REFERENCE:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">Faris, Peter</span></b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">, 2018, Public Access/Public
Servants/Responsiveness/and Responsibility, 1 October 2018,
https://rockartblog.blogspot.com.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">Milligan, Mark</span></b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">, 2023, Archaeologists have
discovered Pueblo astronomical carvings and paintings in Colorado, 13 December
2023, <a href="https://www.heritagedaily.com/">https://www.heritagedaily.com</a>.
Accessed 16 December 2023.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: ArialUnicodeMS; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Palonka, Radoslaw,
et al.</span></b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: ArialUnicodeMS; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">, 2023, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Digital documentation and analysis of Native American rock art and
Euro-American historical inscriptions from the Canyons of the Ancients National
Monument, Colorado</i>, Antiquity, Vol. 97 (393), 1-9. Accessed online 16
December 2023.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: ArialUnicodeMS; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Palonka, Radoslaw</span></b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: ArialUnicodeMS; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">, 2019, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rock Art
from the Lower Sand Canyon in the Mesa Verde Region, Southwestern Colorado, USA</i>,
KIVA, 85:3, 232-256, DOI:10.1080/00231940.2019.1643071</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialUnicodeMS; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Palonka, Radoslaw,
et al.</span></b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: ArialUnicodeMS; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">, 2020, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ancestral Pueblo settlement structure and sacred landscape at Castle
Rock Community, Colorado</i>, Antiquity, Vol. 94 (374), 491-511. Accessed
online 16 December 2023.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2009, Peter Faris</div>Peter Farishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925168522417380667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7760124847746733855.post-16142299611772693892024-02-04T10:07:00.000-07:002024-02-04T10:07:03.636-07:00 THE ROLE OF PAREIDOLIA IN CAVE ART:<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLo6EuY76bg-6ENMlyQMFUZyfnajA9dW6Xo3Q1MRX9pBpoDqf6fOrmCwYnSHnt33j78EdzuIOGXo2CuLwfF-iaBwqyUktlXyk6-03Wt1ja3IVHRQIseWyHX7fccANtccKPUo59YTF-XTOJuc1gGhQWlXAr-f-lZ_RnZWb7Hw7v5gUA7YZlGFNzL6ZlEbL_/s600/Pech-Merle-leopard-horses-%20Feb-2015,%20Scientific%20American%20blogs,%20public%20domain.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="600" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLo6EuY76bg-6ENMlyQMFUZyfnajA9dW6Xo3Q1MRX9pBpoDqf6fOrmCwYnSHnt33j78EdzuIOGXo2CuLwfF-iaBwqyUktlXyk6-03Wt1ja3IVHRQIseWyHX7fccANtccKPUo59YTF-XTOJuc1gGhQWlXAr-f-lZ_RnZWb7Hw7v5gUA7YZlGFNzL6ZlEbL_/w400-h198/Pech-Merle-leopard-horses-%20Feb-2015,%20Scientific%20American%20blogs,%20public%20domain.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Spotted horses, Pach Merle Cave, France. Online image, public domain.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The history
of rock art research is replete with good ideas that get over-applied. From the
original interpretation of “hunting magic” to David Lewis-William’s “shamans”
interpretations that can be applied to some of the original examples are often
then taken up and overused time and time again. Now a paper attributing the
inspiration for painted caves in Spain to pareidolia seriously threatens to
cause another run on that particular bank.Perhaps the
first reference to the phenomenon of pareidolia in cave art involves the bison
ceiling at Altamira Cave in Spain where rounded humps on the ceiling of a
chamber seemingly inspired images of reclining bison.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5StZGdwLBlwwhY9ckAe0kCJMgkojpYi07e18VQ9Ju8bQhkVdwpEAEXx3EL_sXLeAS6GOwR0MYhvoWQQAvetv5kbJKp-fwaYdAL9qP_tL0u0jYj9CaQWScBmYTHteCCgM0W4RL8rv6zWblwzBIefU9HlkjkJHcIwJOnTNwtvwhVjLX2VH1nl7HRJf8xQq0/s488/Altamira%20-%20Public%20Domain.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="488" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5StZGdwLBlwwhY9ckAe0kCJMgkojpYi07e18VQ9Ju8bQhkVdwpEAEXx3EL_sXLeAS6GOwR0MYhvoWQQAvetv5kbJKp-fwaYdAL9qP_tL0u0jYj9CaQWScBmYTHteCCgM0W4RL8rv6zWblwzBIefU9HlkjkJHcIwJOnTNwtvwhVjLX2VH1nl7HRJf8xQq0/w400-h268/Altamira%20-%20Public%20Domain.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Bison ceiling, Altamira Cave, Spain. Online image, public domain.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">“The influence of pareidolia has often been
anecdotally observed in examples of Upper Palaeolithic cave art, where
topographic features of cave walls were incorporated into images. As part of a
wider investigation into the visual psychology of the earliest known art, we
explored three hypotheses relating to pareidolia in cases of Late Upper
Palaeolithic art in Las Monedas and La Pasiega Caves (Cantabria, Spain).
Deploying current research methods from visual psychology, our results support
the notion that topography of cave walls played a strong role in the placement
of figurative images—indicative of pareidolia influencing art making—although
played a lesser role in determining whether the resulting images were
relatively simple or complex. Our results also suggested that lighting
conditions played little or no role in determining the form or placement of
images, contrary to what has been previously assumed.”</span></i><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;"> (Wisher et al. 2023) Sorry gentlemen, I
totally disagree with your suggestion that lighting conditions played no role.
The lighting conditions would have controlled the appearance of the features
that you are attributing the pareidolia to.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNqw4n46qIxNDKFb7bMnPwbA89UGcma53C_vEXZ9wnvT8BLZWhpNk-GgwioBmsq_lqcRQ4krPzPfMQpFFiG2N8nECfEFkebgYwHVzOSKG_aQAl-OGIUrYP4qZq-Tia84QChhA1ChW6ESpBV_hJYcSJvF-yEJkifJs1ZA18RlmZc0F-_UtmDhhj8hVjUa2D/s991/urn_cambridge.org_id_binary_20230915013207932-0050_S0959774323000288_S0959774323000288_fig4%20-%20Copy.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="991" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNqw4n46qIxNDKFb7bMnPwbA89UGcma53C_vEXZ9wnvT8BLZWhpNk-GgwioBmsq_lqcRQ4krPzPfMQpFFiG2N8nECfEFkebgYwHVzOSKG_aQAl-OGIUrYP4qZq-Tia84QChhA1ChW6ESpBV_hJYcSJvF-yEJkifJs1ZA18RlmZc0F-_UtmDhhj8hVjUa2D/w400-h254/urn_cambridge.org_id_binary_20230915013207932-0050_S0959774323000288_S0959774323000288_fig4%20-%20Copy.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Horse on cave wall, Las Monedas Cave, Spain. Image from cambridge.com.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #333333;">“Pareidolia—the psychological phenomenon of seeing meaningful
forms in random patterns, such as perceiving faces in clouds—is a universal
feature of our visual system. It is likely a consequence of the evolution of
our visual system adapting to allow partial or obscured profiles of potential
predators to be rapidly identified through the conferral of meaning, and hence
to minimize risk.”</span></i><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">(Wisher et al. 2023)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8oUPQt16HV-JvxFy4zUVoc-ixyQ6Mp-7U5TYhs2pEXmXmlMiLHwFagQllo6LL8oAB0-TXFkKR6nXlegoXDLLlBmw0GVSOyAQQ1T_P3haqhYHwdK6-buhOJe05z8cRYLG0t0gsCT5xLHiNjTWY_d4B_k3BkMTDFbjSki2g3xFLccDluCATkrvBsu7jFwl/s991/urn_cambridge.org_id_binary_20230915013207932-0050_S0959774323000288_S0959774323000288_fig4%20-%20Copy%20(4).png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="991" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8oUPQt16HV-JvxFy4zUVoc-ixyQ6Mp-7U5TYhs2pEXmXmlMiLHwFagQllo6LL8oAB0-TXFkKR6nXlegoXDLLlBmw0GVSOyAQQ1T_P3haqhYHwdK6-buhOJe05z8cRYLG0t0gsCT5xLHiNjTWY_d4B_k3BkMTDFbjSki2g3xFLccDluCATkrvBsu7jFwl/w400-h253/urn_cambridge.org_id_binary_20230915013207932-0050_S0959774323000288_S0959774323000288_fig4%20-%20Copy%20(4).png" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Horse on cave wall, Las Monedas Cave, Spain. Image from cambridge.com.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #333333;">“This process has been the subject of extensive psychological
study, with existing debates regarding the particular cultural mechanisms that
may cause pareidolia, e.g. do modern Western people see faces relatively
frequently because our visual system has evolved to treat the visual stimuli of
faces as ‘special’, or merely because we have visual expertise in face
perception?”</span></i><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">(Wisher et al. 2023) An obvious example of
this is represented by the spotted horses of Pech Merle Cave in France where
the shape of a horse’s head at the edge of a rock face suggested the panel of
spotted horses.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrqxR9KiwTH8lBfR2E7fBOUsZf7conpd073ow7n5f20RlDztWNsV5Xa10qEa5cbYLpf-ZkD3V3_WuuGcP-rExe7b0tAlpSGhhoZCLFjNaGsYO60xr8C_mEIFcZm5vsjxCskyy6G70DTY9gEyfsGV9U_rfZ6WIriTdpPD3DbFwb4uoEPc9K5npMc3QNEExF/s997/urn_cambridge.org_id_binary_20230915013207932-0050_S0959774323000288_S0959774323000288_fig5%20-%20Copy%20(2).png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="997" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrqxR9KiwTH8lBfR2E7fBOUsZf7conpd073ow7n5f20RlDztWNsV5Xa10qEa5cbYLpf-ZkD3V3_WuuGcP-rExe7b0tAlpSGhhoZCLFjNaGsYO60xr8C_mEIFcZm5vsjxCskyy6G70DTY9gEyfsGV9U_rfZ6WIriTdpPD3DbFwb4uoEPc9K5npMc3QNEExF/w400-h249/urn_cambridge.org_id_binary_20230915013207932-0050_S0959774323000288_S0959774323000288_fig5%20-%20Copy%20(2).png" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Bison on cave wall, La Pasiega Cave, Spain. Image from cambridge.com.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #333333;">“This discussion has focused on how heightened sensory awareness
and the ambiguous nature of visual stimuli, induced by the darkness of caves,
would have likely caused Palaeolithic people to experience visual imagery,
priming them to depict the same animals they had perceived. There has also been
extensive previous discussion pertaining to the integration of the rock support
and its role in determining the placement of depictions within a cave, for example
with the rock used to frame depictions or add depth and dimensionality to an
animal motif.”</span></i><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">(Wisher et al. 2023)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUJHgcwzhvUXArN0QYXqLq0jGTs3APpIXwH3_bo8qw8WltqSCl40BmdUOYp03Hk_kj4qVw1ZiuCIjeCABGBFI25xG0-g8z-T2k_0PeTL-0eVzF1BudcTk14qbUcKDoiYwlns45jKdEydx124_mkdmC2nPUfLZynyAuoD-4UR6GkGse5mvK4YV4Tnm2y1jc/s989/urn_cambridge.org_id_binary_20230915013207932-0050_S0959774323000288_S0959774323000288_fig5%20-%20Copy%20(3).png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="622" data-original-width="989" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUJHgcwzhvUXArN0QYXqLq0jGTs3APpIXwH3_bo8qw8WltqSCl40BmdUOYp03Hk_kj4qVw1ZiuCIjeCABGBFI25xG0-g8z-T2k_0PeTL-0eVzF1BudcTk14qbUcKDoiYwlns45jKdEydx124_mkdmC2nPUfLZynyAuoD-4UR6GkGse5mvK4YV4Tnm2y1jc/w400-h251/urn_cambridge.org_id_binary_20230915013207932-0050_S0959774323000288_S0959774323000288_fig5%20-%20Copy%20(3).png" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Aurochs in niche on cave wall, La Pasiega Cave, Spain. Image from cambridge.com.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“<u>Hypothesis
1</u>: The majority of </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fi</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">gurative depictions should integrate natural
topographic features of cave walls.</i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>Secondly</u></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> ( and building on
Hypothesis 1): As pareidolic imagery of animals generally does not incorporate
detail beyond salient outline form or the natural features that triggered the
pareidolic image, we further propose that simpler depictions of animals that
are incomplete in form and/or feature no additional details beyond the outline
should integrate natural features. By contrast, detailed depictions, i.e. those
complete in form and/or featuring internal detail such as pelage, hair, eyes,
and particularly those with stylistic features consistent with other
contemporaneous depictions, may thus re</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fl</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ect pareidolia having no or minimal in</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fl</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">uence over the form
and placement of depictions. It may therefore be expected that detailed
depictions are less likely to be scaffolded onto natural topographic features
when compared to simple depictions.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRgHYN3eTl9F4t-ezYUr1dSAMqz5HHf6QXQ5v9DsYm91xFN8CqGABi8stVqSlFoCSnJzRNJ4eRLxVuhECOju4UaBxiEisuGLIXMms0wOS7UMw_9IQdSG_Jyy-yIsU-KionjC-Ysyk8W3dfFMdvjhFr-DsYC83umMkfOFQX7rijFvz4jm5LYr3_sXCb2dy-/s991/urn_cambridge.org_id_binary_20230915013207932-0050_S0959774323000288_S0959774323000288_fig5%20-%20Copy%20(4).png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="991" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRgHYN3eTl9F4t-ezYUr1dSAMqz5HHf6QXQ5v9DsYm91xFN8CqGABi8stVqSlFoCSnJzRNJ4eRLxVuhECOju4UaBxiEisuGLIXMms0wOS7UMw_9IQdSG_Jyy-yIsU-KionjC-Ysyk8W3dfFMdvjhFr-DsYC83umMkfOFQX7rijFvz4jm5LYr3_sXCb2dy-/w400-h251/urn_cambridge.org_id_binary_20230915013207932-0050_S0959774323000288_S0959774323000288_fig5%20-%20Copy%20(4).png" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Horse on cave wall, La Pasiega Cave, Spain. Image from cambridge.com.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>Hypothesis 3</u></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">: Simpler
depictions should have a stronger relationship to natural topographic features
of the cave wall than detailed depictions.”</i> <span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">(Wisher et al.
2023) While I can understand the reasoning behind their second and third
hypotheses, I do not agree with them that having a bump on the cave wall or a
crack in the rock will keep me from adding more detail. While the authors
assume that the viewer will rely on the change of contour to imply whatever
details were supposedly suggested by the rock feature, that would be no reason
to keep me from touching it up to “improve” it. And, as the light source moves
the appearance of the feature may change so it cannot be relied on to imply the
details.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>"Dr. Wisher and colleagues found that as many as 71% of images studied in the Las Monedas caves, and 55% in the La Pasiega caves, showed a strong relationship to the natural features of the cave wall, suggesting pareidolia may havew been a partial influence on the artists. Examples included where curved edges of the cave wall were used to represent the backs of animals such as wild horses, or where natural cracks were used as bison's horns. The archaeologists found that of those drawings with a strong relationship to natural features on the cave wall, the majority (80% in Las Monedas and 83% in La Pasiega) lacked additional details such as eyes or hair, which correlates with the simplistic nature of imagery influenced by pareidolia." </i>(sci.news 2023) But the question is - how subjective or objective were these judgements? Without many more pictures illustrating concrete examples of images that they claim were influenced by pareidolia, I have to wonder how subjective their evaluations were - would you or I agree with their judgements?</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq5BsZEQ4N4fYSJHCcLXtczVv-25rsolfu91ZVjsrcYJPjaO1z4U_Q5_CAgDEwCRaNv8voeKHhyphenhyphenbN9RBTjNPE8XVDvVzAOy4ip5gOPK2AHn_PzfI69443jQ-2zUuHjs9h-PQIYHswwv9hVuYsVnQi9Vlo4ttYKg3AaAbIB_NKfWJCdlDOI7rYVTqWQgE0Y/s1299/urn_cambridge.org_id_binary_20230915013207932-0050_S0959774323000288_S0959774323000288_fig3%20-%20Copy%20(3).png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="1299" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq5BsZEQ4N4fYSJHCcLXtczVv-25rsolfu91ZVjsrcYJPjaO1z4U_Q5_CAgDEwCRaNv8voeKHhyphenhyphenbN9RBTjNPE8XVDvVzAOy4ip5gOPK2AHn_PzfI69443jQ-2zUuHjs9h-PQIYHswwv9hVuYsVnQi9Vlo4ttYKg3AaAbIB_NKfWJCdlDOI7rYVTqWQgE0Y/w418-h230/urn_cambridge.org_id_binary_20230915013207932-0050_S0959774323000288_S0959774323000288_fig3%20-%20Copy%20(3).png" width="418" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Las Monedas, Spain. Image from cambridge.com.</b></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Many cave walls are, by their nature, pretty rough. The rock surface can be smooth but it will still be contoured with swellinngs, low areas, projections, etc. It would be hard to place an image on many cave walls without having it interact with some kind of changes of contour. But, are those changes of contour the reason the image was placed where it was?</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">While I
totally agree that some cave art was probably inspired by pareidolia (remember
the Altamira bison and the Peche Merle horses), as usual I believe that this
goes a little too far. Once someone saw a crack, or a bump, or whatever on the
cave wall reminded him or her of an animal and then pictured it there, the idea
of making pictures on the cave walls has been established and proliferated from
there. They no longer needed pareidolia to prompt them to create cave art. So,
some cave art was certainly inspired by pareidolia, I just cannot believe that
the influence was this extensive.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">NOTE:</span></b><span style="color: black;"> Some images in this
posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain
photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public domain, I
apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will
contact me with them. For further information on these reports you should read
the original reports at the sites listed below.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">REFERENCES:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">News Staff sci.news</b>, 2023, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pareidolia May Have Stimulated Paleolithic Humans to Make Cave Art</i>,
25 September 2023, <a href="https://www.sci.news/archaeology/paleolithic-pareidolia-12293.html">https://www.sci.news/archaeology/paleolithic-pareidolia-12293.html</a>.
Accessed online 25 September 2023.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Wisher, Izzy, Paul Pettit and Robert
Kentridge</b>, 2023, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Upper Palaeolithic Conversations with Caves:
The Role of Pareidolia in the Figurative Art of Las Monedas and La Pasiega
(Cantabria, Spain)</i> 21 September 2023, Published online by Cambridge
University Press. Accessed
online 22 September 2023.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2009, Peter Faris</div>Peter Farishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925168522417380667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7760124847746733855.post-17060892725495460172024-01-28T09:47:00.000-07:002024-01-28T09:47:26.938-07:00PAREIDOLIA AND THE CARVING OF THE GREAT SPHINX:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0vh54jhwFOSI-95cTfyPDNZAIbxER3_T4uSBY0vgxoUf3JWAK2GtTVDAI3ZzzTK9LkxNmPjZ5f9DSnTJ2Uzxy_Pq7fZBOr-15jdiyk8vSEyyseF7ZG4N-d6yS87A-jSg26pw0W7aeZOikB48_Y-YYqm2ZVaitbnoC9iTdq4YBrQbVPEQbGJ7MVCMSrQwV/s900/SEI_177661765.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0vh54jhwFOSI-95cTfyPDNZAIbxER3_T4uSBY0vgxoUf3JWAK2GtTVDAI3ZzzTK9LkxNmPjZ5f9DSnTJ2Uzxy_Pq7fZBOr-15jdiyk8vSEyyseF7ZG4N-d6yS87A-jSg26pw0W7aeZOikB48_Y-YYqm2ZVaitbnoC9iTdq4YBrQbVPEQbGJ7MVCMSrQwV/w400-h266/SEI_177661765.webp" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The Great Sphinx, Giza Plateau, Egypt. Online image, public domain.</b></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Yes Alice,
it is quite possible that Egypt’s Great Sphinx is the result of pareidolia. One
of the most impressive examples of art made from rock in the world might, just
might, have originated as a case of pareidolia.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">“Located
at the Giza Plateau next to the Great Pyramids, the Sphinx is a chimeric
monolith monument of colossal dimensions. In strictly mythological terms a
sphinx represents an androsphinx, that is a monster consisting of the body of a
lion and a human head. While its name is accepted to stem from the Greek verb </span></i><i><span style="color: #252525;">σφίγγω </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #252525;">(“I strangle”), it
cannot be ruled out that it comes from the Egyptian </span></i><i><span style="color: #252525;">shespankh</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #252525;">, meaning “living
image”. Despite having fewer malevolent and more masculine attributes than its
Greco-Oedipean counterpart, it still conveyed an idea of untamed vigour,
thereby winning the denomination of “</span></i><i><span style="color: #252525;">The Terrifying One</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #252525;">”
in modern </span></i></span><i style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #252525;">Egyptian
Arabic.”</span></i><span style="color: #252525; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"> (Galassi 2023)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRfA4ToST1HLk6TGjNYynOT9OfcPsNwGB70CJYc5f1ZCT4qK8B8guuM7wDHJyXpJewwxX1SWM8gmIf5bE_I3UR1jzbLuJu66Np7E_NDfC8FaUxeD7aAB4gBitBULkKvujdfYi54Bn6XgKTqDnZ0dmIrx1_Qd-zZtQlF3tlOeZB5LakYM1YtC5GOPHmnpPU/s2000/GettyImages-Yardang%20in%20China.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRfA4ToST1HLk6TGjNYynOT9OfcPsNwGB70CJYc5f1ZCT4qK8B8guuM7wDHJyXpJewwxX1SWM8gmIf5bE_I3UR1jzbLuJu66Np7E_NDfC8FaUxeD7aAB4gBitBULkKvujdfYi54Bn6XgKTqDnZ0dmIrx1_Qd-zZtQlF3tlOeZB5LakYM1YtC5GOPHmnpPU/w266-h400/GettyImages-Yardang%20in%20China.webp" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>A yardang in China, photograph from GettyImages, retreived online.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #252525;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As residents of the western United
States we have ample evidence around us of the power of wind and weather to
sculpt stone. Most of the great National Parks of the Southwest have marvelous
examples of this. Where sedimentary rock is layered in a formation with
variations in the hardness of the layers, the erosion of the rock will result
in the formations known as ‘hoodoos’ and ‘yardangs.’ <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“A yardang is a streamlined protuberance carved from bedrock or any
consolidated or semi-consolidated material by the dual action of wind abrasion
by dust and sand and deflation. Yardangs become elongated features typically
three or more times longer than wide, and when viewed from above, resemble the
hull of a boat.”</i> (Wikipedia) These forces are at work, of course, all over
the world, not just in the western United States.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #252525;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPM5WmLArr4UyeuFwZHSYnIydd1Q-6F8P4h3zVTpIoPgFxs95NYwZf-8CG7JVpmYWfuNvkAU6R0-49N1rfgyK5wCMhHBOshj1U86GPc2czg22Pc7tyj2fizcCQSGg7Z-sd3J3Q7rhcU6RN0P67BRRCUzbCyLzTYzrGkZ-ntu58dql5WqtWkVC0j1GrJblh/s500/wordsmith.org.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPM5WmLArr4UyeuFwZHSYnIydd1Q-6F8P4h3zVTpIoPgFxs95NYwZf-8CG7JVpmYWfuNvkAU6R0-49N1rfgyK5wCMhHBOshj1U86GPc2czg22Pc7tyj2fizcCQSGg7Z-sd3J3Q7rhcU6RN0P67BRRCUzbCyLzTYzrGkZ-ntu58dql5WqtWkVC0j1GrJblh/w400-h266/wordsmith.org.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="color: black;">Another yardang. Online photograph, public domain.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As we know, at least those of us who don’t attribute
it to the work of aliens from outer space, the Great Sphinx was created by the
carving of an original rock formation with extra features then added on in
masonry. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Historians and archaeologists have, over centuries,
explored the mysteries behind the Great Sphinx of Giza: What did it originally
look like? What was it designed to represent? What was its original name? But
less attention has been paid to a foundational and controversial question: what
was the terrain the ancient Egyptians came across when they began to build this
instantly recognizable structure – and did these natural surroundings have a
hand in its formation?”</i>
(Devitt 2023) In other words which came first, the concept or the yardang?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“To address these questions, which
have been raised on occasion by others, a team of New York University
scientists replicated conditions that existed 4,500 years ago – when the Sphinx
was built – to see how wind moved against rock formations in possibly first
shaping one of the most recognizable statues in the world.”</i> (Devitt 2023)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The team
from New York University set up an experiment to try to replicate the source of
the original rock formation. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The work
centered on replicating yardangs – and exploring how the Great Sphinx could have
originated as a yardang that was subsequently detailed by humans into the form
of the widely recognized statue.”</i> (Devitt 2023)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSI6Mg2TYJzV022vaSWOR1WecRCsMUbN1yyWLN1jLiSWX0msp-9ACFPWMRvs0iYZT3BF2bJwWxMKp7yWa-M9g85uL4uJ86QHbCVP__5TzWiau76RSkVpVcbpnkz1xY3Ox5imuKan96OeljIp8WL2JkqQltYUXIMiTI4S5YS-s33tTYWgPbI11gqZxl2tN/s2309/IMG_20231103_0001%20-%20Copy%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="928" data-original-width="2309" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSI6Mg2TYJzV022vaSWOR1WecRCsMUbN1yyWLN1jLiSWX0msp-9ACFPWMRvs0iYZT3BF2bJwWxMKp7yWa-M9g85uL4uJ86QHbCVP__5TzWiau76RSkVpVcbpnkz1xY3Ox5imuKan96OeljIp8WL2JkqQltYUXIMiTI4S5YS-s33tTYWgPbI11gqZxl2tN/w400-h205/IMG_20231103_0001%20-%20Copy%20(2).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>NYU laboratory experiment replicating the erosion of a yardang. Image from Boury, 2022.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The team, led by New York
University’s Leif Ristroph, originally studied how water eroded clay. After
building several bentonite clay mounds with non-erodible plastic (standing in
for ‘hard inclusions’) at the upstream end of each one, water flowed over the
mounts parallel to its long axis. Over time, the water ate away the clay, but
left the non-erodible plastic intact, and Ristroph was struck by the appearance
of a very familiar shape.”</i>
(Orff 2023) The action of a moving medium on a static solid. The water standing
in for wind and weather erosion, and the clay construct representing a rock
outcropping being eroded.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Now, none of
this tells us whether the ancient Egyptians intentionally went out looking for
a rock outcropping to adapt into an image that was already in their minds – the
Great Sphinx, or whether someone saw the shape of the yardang and decided that
it looked a lot like a human head on a lion’s body, but the latter possibility
would mean that the Great Sphinx of Giza really is the result of pareidolia.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">NOTE:</span></b><span style="color: black;"> Some images in this
posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain
photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public domain, I
apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will
contact me with them. For further information on these reports you should read
the original reports at the sites listed below.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">REFERENCES:</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Boury, Samuel et al.</b>, 2022, Poster: Sculpting the Sphinx, <i>75th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics - Gallery of Fluid Motion.</i> DOI: 10.1103/AOS.DFD.2022.GFM.P0030. Accessed online 17 January 2024.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Devitt, James, </b>2023, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Did nature have a hand in the formation of the Great Sphinx?,</i> 31
October 2023, <a href="https://phys.org/news/2023-10-nature-formation-great-sphinx.html">https://phys.org/news/2023-10-nature-formation-great-sphinx.html</a>.
Accessed online 31 October 2023.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Galassi, Francesco M.</b>, 2014, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">On face and identity of the Great Sphinx of Giza: A
medico-anthropological review, </i>July 2014, SHEMU, The Egyptian Society of
South Africa, Vol. 18, No. 3, <a href="http://www.egyptiansociety.co.za/">www.egyptiansociety.co.za</a>.
Accessed online 31 December 2023.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">McLaughlin, Katherine</b>, 2023, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Was Egypt’s Great Sphinx Actually Formed by Erosion?, 2 </i>November
2023, Architectural Digest. Accessed online 31 December 2023.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Orf, Darren</b>, 2023, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A New Study Reveals the Astonishing Way the Great Sphinx in Egypt
Actually Formed</i>. 30 October 2023, <a href="https://www.popularmechanics.com/">https://www.popularmechanics.com</a>. </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Accessed
online 31 October 2023.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">Wikipedia</span></b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yardang</i>, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yardang</span><span face=""Arial Black","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2009, Peter Faris</div>Peter Farishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925168522417380667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7760124847746733855.post-73100410727725129892024-01-20T17:57:00.001-07:002024-01-20T17:57:54.454-07:00BASKETRY SHIELDS IN SOUTHWESTERN ROCK ART?<p></p>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4JNWwN1tsmkExpib9cOn6fAdEJVJsEJs4QC_j_IZdH9kB28Tu5gwq-bS_E60zf7JRKif1Wv3TGXsXHYMljqr3PhyphenhyphenoOQTvuE723uA0ApXpREBfUFYB7PecqSf76BhgJd-yLPhZhryoaG5L0pTEUmsdNd7gp1XJFPCqwhEa2rmVsVBbif97Tgcaq-EqqQb7/s2280/%23147,%20Westwater%20Creek,%20Grand%20County,%20UT.%20Photo%20Peter%20Faris,%20Sept.%201981%20-%20WW02.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1379" data-original-width="2280" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4JNWwN1tsmkExpib9cOn6fAdEJVJsEJs4QC_j_IZdH9kB28Tu5gwq-bS_E60zf7JRKif1Wv3TGXsXHYMljqr3PhyphenhyphenoOQTvuE723uA0ApXpREBfUFYB7PecqSf76BhgJd-yLPhZhryoaG5L0pTEUmsdNd7gp1XJFPCqwhEa2rmVsVBbif97Tgcaq-EqqQb7/w400-h243/%23147,%20Westwater%20Creek,%20Grand%20County,%20UT.%20Photo%20Peter%20Faris,%20Sept.%201981%20-%20WW02.tif" width="400" /></span></a>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Three shields, Westwater Creek, Grand County, Utah. Photograph Peter
Faris, September, 1981.</b></span>
</span></div>
<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif""><span style="font-family: verdana;">An important component of the rock art in the American Southwest
represents images of shields and/or shield bearing warriors, but shields,
as archeological artifacts from prehistoric times are very rare.</span></span>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle01"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Shields from across the Americas, whether of animal hide or basketry,
as objects made from perishable organic materials, are inherently
disadvantaged in terms of their archaeological visibility when compared
with more durable lithic, ceramic, and bone products.”</i></span><span class="fontstyle01">
(Jolie 2022:3) Most shields in collections reflect the contact and
historic periods where collectors have been able to acquire them for
collections.</span><o:p></o:p></span>
</span></p>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieufjJUer6FD339-PsXaXCO8FaxIV7yJRc1mdvgvGcEiouVQNLGV538YcMJpTD-OMbla5LTQ5BWUNKvS6Ry4rE5dsgZsZlTjkZ6PBl3EdrP-XDC9JqdZMXX2XOQWqFGYNNaBMnGuxPGPoOym1UaXYLvF1NYC8MgO1cH8oSXmzNfUGUtFhF0V21lWw8AFKB/s855/Mummy%20Cave%20shield,%20Frontispiece-from-Culins-1907-Games-of-the-North-American-Indians-showing-a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="855" data-original-width="850" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieufjJUer6FD339-PsXaXCO8FaxIV7yJRc1mdvgvGcEiouVQNLGV538YcMJpTD-OMbla5LTQ5BWUNKvS6Ry4rE5dsgZsZlTjkZ6PBl3EdrP-XDC9JqdZMXX2XOQWqFGYNNaBMnGuxPGPoOym1UaXYLvF1NYC8MgO1cH8oSXmzNfUGUtFhF0V21lWw8AFKB/w398-h400/Mummy%20Cave%20shield,%20Frontispiece-from-Culins-1907-Games-of-the-North-American-Indians-showing-a.png" width="398" /></span></a>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Overview of Mummy Cave coiled basketry shield showing a frog like
anthropomorphic design. Frontispiece from Culin’s (1907) “Games of
the North American Indians, </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana;">showing a colorized chromolithograph with an artistically rendered
version of the convex </b><b style="font-family: verdana;">surface of the basketry shield from Mummy Cave, Arizona, with froglike
design. Illustration from Jolie, 2022, page 7.</b></span>
</span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif""><span style="font-family: verdana;">In 1978 Barton Wright wrote
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Prehistoric shields have been excavated from burials at Mesa Verde,
Aztec, and Mummy Cave in Canyon del Muerto. All of these shields are
basketry. The coil of the basket is a bundle of three willow rods laced
together with yucca in a simple, non-interlocking stitch to form a
circular plaque roughly three feet in diameter. The center is bowed
outward slightly to leave room for the hand behind a hardwood grip. The
shield is supported by this short hand grip, lashed with yucca across
the inner convexity. These wooden handles were recovered intact on the
Mummy Cave and Aztec specimens which is an extremely rare occurrence.
The Mummy Cave shield showed that the positioning of the handle had been
changed at least once, possibly for better balance.” </i>(Wright 1976:4)</span></span>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">A few discoveries of shields made by basketry techniques have turned up
in excavations in the American southwest. The techniques used in basketry
weaving in the Southwest are plaited and coiled basketry. Plaiting is the
criss-cross intertwining of the material used for things like mats. Coiled
basketry uses rods sewn together with a material. </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“All of the shields are essentially large shallow trays or plaques made
in close coiling by sewing non-interlocking stitches over a three whole
rod bunched foundation. Formal variability largely exists in terms of
their degree of concavity and overall diameter which, in most cases, due
to the presence of a rim or coil curvature, can be estimated with a high
level of certainty. Extant basketry shields range from about 50 to 88 cm
in diameter. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
measurements likely give us a rough indication of the size of basketry
or hide walking shields as being, on average, closer to 70+ cm. As noted
above, iconographic depictions of shields are known to be up to 90 cm in
diameter, but there is no reason to assume that any or all such
depictions were executed to scale. Work direction is uniformly
right-to-left (leftward) and work direction is always concave, resulting
in the painted, decorated surface being the convex surface. In general,
all of the shields reflect a technology and style wholly at home in the
northern southwest during the AD 1100s and 1200s, but for which thicker
foundation rods and stitching material (all likely Rhus sp.) were
employed to create a thicker, denser-walled basket compared to similar
contemporaneous coiled baskets of identical structure from the
Southwest.”</span></i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
(Jolie 2022:13-14))<o:p></o:p></span></span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><b>Center of coiled basketry shield from Aztec West Ruin, Room 95,
showing adhering </b></span><b>red pigment. Note remains of hide thong at top piercing the fabric.
Photograph </b><b>by Edward A. Jolie, courtesy of the American Museum of Natural
History.</b></span>
</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF_8JsAsXOvRd3Wu-FXZcag9pyMW1tsmGacLXyIaqdbn5AIMld1WV-GnccGalAEbxFI8OUuo_VNkr6mdx9ZYDPeIQWOZgOVgINIoUxQxAY3G6WKhtLzKQLSo_qM6DGFh7Ssei4d20fU5VB0JZGFQJO9vGzMhPYrnlAhyphenhyphenAY5WPNFO5Au4bkUj3ULsBknEXh/s850/Artistic-reconstruction-of-the-fragmentary-coiled-basketry-shield-from-Aztec-Ruin-West.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="850" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF_8JsAsXOvRd3Wu-FXZcag9pyMW1tsmGacLXyIaqdbn5AIMld1WV-GnccGalAEbxFI8OUuo_VNkr6mdx9ZYDPeIQWOZgOVgINIoUxQxAY3G6WKhtLzKQLSo_qM6DGFh7Ssei4d20fU5VB0JZGFQJO9vGzMhPYrnlAhyphenhyphenAY5WPNFO5Au4bkUj3ULsBknEXh/w400-h381/Artistic-reconstruction-of-the-fragmentary-coiled-basketry-shield-from-Aztec-Ruin-West.png" width="400" /></span></a>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><b>Artistic reconstruction of the fragmentary coiled basketry shield
from Aztec Ruin </b></span><b>West, New Mexico, Room 95, according to the two largest fragments.
Illustration by Will </b><b>G. Russell, based on the author’s data. Jolie, Figure 9, page 18,
2022.</b></span>
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Note the resemblence to the shield on the right of my opening
illustration from Westwater Creek, Utah.</span></b>
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Gary David reported on the discovery of a basketry shield during
excavations at Aztec Ruin.
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“In one of the rooms the bones of an obviously high-status man
nicknamed “the Warrior” was found. Wrapped in a turkey-feather blanket,
his skeleton measured 6’2” tall, making him at least a foot taller than
the average height of males at that time. On top of his body was found a
large woven-basketry shield measuring three feet in diameter. Placed on
this warrior shield were several curved sticks (boomerangs).” </i>(David:20) These were, of course, either rabbit sticks or fending
sticks.</span></span>
</span></p>
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<p></p>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><b>Overview of the Cliff Palace coiled basketry shield (O.574). Scale is
10 cm. </b></span><b>Photograph by Edward A. Jolie, courtesy of the History Colorado Center.
Image from Jolie, 2022, Figure 15, page 24.</b></span>
</span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">“The outer surface of the Aztec shield has been painted. The central
portion is blue-green with a thin rim of red. The outer margin of the
shield was covered with pitch and sprinkled with powdered selenite for
sparkle. The Mummy Cave shield is also decorated. The central part is
covered by a frog-like figure with an orange spot on its back and the
rim is painted with a divided border of yellow and blue-grey. This is
the same design that occurs on the canyon wall at Betatakin. The Mesa
Verde shield was badly deteriorated and no longer retained a trace of
its decoration; however, it had been constructed in the same fashion as
the other two examples. These shields are from the Pueblo III period of
the Anasazi people dating from A.D. 1100-1300.”</span></i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif""><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Wright 1976:4-6)</span></span>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle01"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">“Surprisingly, there are, in fact, a few traces of basketry shields
being used in the historic period. A single extant Tohono O</span></i></span><span class="fontstyle21"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">’</span></i></span><span class="fontstyle01"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">odham basketry shield collected in 1884, some 49 cm in diameter, is
fabricated in 3/3 twill strips of unidentified material with a
burlap-like cloth covering painted black with a white floral-looking
design surrounding a black center. A basketry shield is also reported
for the San Juan Southern Paiute, and this is all the more noteworthy
because of their residence in southern Utah/northern Arizona and the
inferred influence of ancient Pueblo basketweaving traditions on their
own.”</span></i></span><span class="fontstyle01"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""> (Jolie 2022:6)</span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif""><span style="font-family: verdana;">Barton Wright (1976) did not believe that basketry shields would have had
small efficacy once the bow and arrow were adopted.
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“It is extremely unlikely that these basketry shields would have
deflected or stopped an arrow or lance. Since lances have never been
found in archaeological context in the Southwest, they were probably not
a factor in the use of a basketry shield. Native archers, on the other
hand, who had little difficulty in penetrating the chain mail of the
Spanish or the padded fiber armor of their mestizo warriors, would have
had no difficulty in penetrating the half inch willow rods. Judd
believed on the basis of his excavations that arrows, clubs and thrown
rocks were the most common implements of warfare in the Southwest. It
seems logical to assume that basketry shields were used for cushioning
the fracturing blows of clubs or thrown rocks rather than defense
against arrows.”</i>
(Wright 1976:6) As it turns out, however, basketry shields have been seen
to be quite capable of stopping arrows. I suggest that Wright had
forgotten that the flexibility (or “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">cushioning”)</i>
he writes about is an effective way of absorbing the energy of the arrow’s
impact as Jolie’s discovery teaches us.</span></span>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle01"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Forton disagreed with Wright, in his 2019 doctorial thesis he wrote:
</span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: AGaramondPro-Regular; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">“Pueblo III shields were essentially coiled baskets worn on the arm and
were crafted as a deterrent to the bow and arrow, which had made fending
sticks obsolete. Imagery is confidently identified as depicting shields,
based on </span></i><i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: AGaramondPro-Regular; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">physical examples excavated from Mesa Verde, Aztec Ruins, and Canyon
del </span></i><i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: AGaramondPro-Regular; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Muerto. The shield from Mesa Verde was too deteriorated to ascertain
any designs it may have born, but the shield from the Aztec West great
house was painted in concentric bands of green blue, while the Canyon
del Muerto shield was painted with a froglike figure. Shields in
Southwest rock art </span></i><i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: AGaramondPro-Regular; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">are frequently decorated with concentric circles and the Canyon del
Muerto shield is similar in form to a striking shield pictograph at
Betatakin.”</span></i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""> (Forton 2019)</span></span>
</span></p>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAChNNqQIEtHaJ2ZUbPTgzwYCFqyGiLIcRbfzFkPuGOh5JF6bA29-RrBQS55oFrY7gG6UDFo1siaLM8TmLWbrlSEEBp0JlhI1ngG2cTHOkyF50LDejX49J5DOtRy36Ujlcbc6fgb9oNfpZKtio0BGUCBKqHr8cOI_hLBzvfMQPc3CHRrUBfe5ABh_UIhJa/s1526/Arrow%20point%20lodged%20in%20basketry%20shield,%20White%20House,%20Canyon%20del%20Muerto.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1526" data-original-width="987" height="453" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAChNNqQIEtHaJ2ZUbPTgzwYCFqyGiLIcRbfzFkPuGOh5JF6bA29-RrBQS55oFrY7gG6UDFo1siaLM8TmLWbrlSEEBp0JlhI1ngG2cTHOkyF50LDejX49J5DOtRy36Ujlcbc6fgb9oNfpZKtio0BGUCBKqHr8cOI_hLBzvfMQPc3CHRrUBfe5ABh_UIhJa/w324-h453/Arrow%20point%20lodged%20in%20basketry%20shield,%20White%20House,%20Canyon%20del%20Muerto.jpg" width="324" /></span></a>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><b>Closeup view of one of the two wooden projectile tips embedded in the
convex </b></span><b>surface of the White House basketry shield. Photograph by Edward A.
Jolie, courtesy of the </b><b>American Museum of Natural History. Jolie, 2022, Figure 12, page 21.</b></span>
</span></div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif""><span style="font-family: verdana;">One basketry shield from White House in Canyon del Muerto calls into
question Wright’s assertions of their ineffectiveness against the bow and
arrow and confirms Forton’s statement.
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">“Though missing its center, it is mostly complete and was at least
about 74 cm in diameter originally. The convex surface exhibits a
painted design in the form of a black and red checkerboard band some
20–25 cm wide that divides the basket in half. The convex surface
exhibits multiple holes, some with penetrating remnants of hide thongs
that suggest former pendant items and, most notably, the tips of two
wooden projectiles embedded in its coils. A direct AMS radiocarbon
determination on stitching fiber yielded a date of 817+/-35 rcy
BP.”</span></i><span style="color: black;">
(Jolie 2022:17) In other words Jolie (2022) found the remains of a
basketry shield with the tips of two arrows stuck in it. These are self
arrows with pointed wooden tips and lacking arrowheads but, it is
possible that given their smaller diameter they may have had a greater
chance of penetration than a stone arrowhead.</span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle01"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">“Sometime prior to AD 1200, coiled basketry shields may have
supplanted fending sticks in response to bow and arrow use, and the
newly available chronometrics on basketry shields reviewed here
suggest the existence of conflict in the northern Southwest before the
widely accepted social unrest of the AD 1200s. The possibility also
remains that basketry shield production persisted at a low level into
the historic era among some Southwestern groups. Accepting that shield
imagery remains mute on construction technique, it seems prudent not
to assume that all shields depicted are automatically hide.”</span></i></span><span class="fontstyle01"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">
(Jolie 2022:27) I am here suggesting that Jolie’s statement that “shield
imagery remains mute on construction technique” is too negative, I
believe that the many rock art images of anthropomorphs holding a spiral
may be, in fact, representations of figures with basketry shields.</span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle01"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">“Thus, visibility again looms large as a key dimension for
understanding and evaluating the multiple roles of shields and shield
imagery in the prehispanic Southwest. The basketry shields described
above inhere with strong visual qualities that were arguably designed
to impact viewers</span></i></span><span class="fontstyle21"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">’ </span></i></span><span class="fontstyle01"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">perception across multiple contexts. Although suffering from
imperfect preservation that contributes to their archaeological
invisibility, the very fact that three of the five known basketry
shields originate from areas largely devoid of shield bearing imagery
invites a renewed look at shield imagery and its distribution.”</span></i></span><span class="fontstyle01"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""> (Jolie 2022:27)</span></span></span>
</span></p>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle01"><b>3-Kings panel, McConkey Ranch, Vernal, Utah. Photograph by Bill
McGlone.</b></span></span>
</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle01"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle01"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIO6K4nyBeZLEGQC3LEmzusVwLeTtGDe8oo1BGQxaCQaO2m9tWvZfR9klnbV2JmD1TibhHgyAkU0_ymQReiglRYXatnK3endHyyvkFfB4DckIqd-Ee0hGaOqahA9EYv9jBD4dZfJ5_4KvgVnNsGAHfaryttozDf0DbfJF81cyRyormAvVpQ0Um5ReXwTO/s1591/%23462,%203-Kings,%20McConkey%20Ranch,%20Uinta%20County,%20UT.%20Photo%20Peter%20Faris,%20Sept.%201994%20-%20UT-02.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1047" data-original-width="1591" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIO6K4nyBeZLEGQC3LEmzusVwLeTtGDe8oo1BGQxaCQaO2m9tWvZfR9klnbV2JmD1TibhHgyAkU0_ymQReiglRYXatnK3endHyyvkFfB4DckIqd-Ee0hGaOqahA9EYv9jBD4dZfJ5_4KvgVnNsGAHfaryttozDf0DbfJF81cyRyormAvVpQ0Um5ReXwTO/w400-h264/%23462,%203-Kings,%20McConkey%20Ranch,%20Uinta%20County,%20UT.%20Photo%20Peter%20Faris,%20Sept.%201994%20-%20UT-02.tif" width="400" /></a></span></span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle01"><b>Closeup of the 3-Kings panel, McConkey Ranch, Vernal, Utah, showing
three spirals representing possible basketry shields. Photograph by
Peter Faris.</b></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span class="fontstyle01"><b>Closeup of the 3-Kings panel, McConkey Ranch, Vernal, Utah, showing
three spirals representing possible basketry shields. Photograph by
Peter Faris.</b></span></span></div>
<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span class="fontstyle01"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">The famous 3-Kings panel at McConkey Ranch ouside of Vernal Utah shows a group of fremont figures, some of which are obviously armed warriors, with three spirals in the composition. One is in the lower right of the picture, one is next to the waist on the right side of the central figure, and the third is just above the shield being held by that central figure.</span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle01"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Joli wrote (2022): <i>“Perhaps the most famous rock imagery (paintings, petroglyphs, and
pictographs) shield depictions in the Southwest are those from Tsegi
phase sites in the Kayenta region of southern Utah and northern
Arizona dating between about AD 1250 and 1300. Numerous large-scale
shields, some up to 90 cm in diameter, are executed in white, tan,
purple, and pink clay mixtures and are found in or near alcoves and
defensible cliff dwellings</i></span></span></span><span class="fontstyle01"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">. Various interpretations of these and later shield images see them
as symbolizing socioreligious or clan affiliations, community
identity, or perhaps even marking the locations of particular clan or
residence groups. Shield petroglyph images from Hopi have also been
stated to be records of successful battles with adjacent groups
(Wright
</span></i></span><span class="fontstyle01"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #000084;">1976</span></i></span><span class="fontstyle01"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">)." </span></i></span><span class="fontstyle01"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">(Joli 2022:9-10) The opening line of this paragraph, of course, would
only be true if the spirals associated with warriors in famous Fremont
portrayals like the 3-Kings panel at McConkey Ranch, Vernal, Utah, are
not meant to be examples of basketry shields.</span></span></span>
</span></p>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Fremont warrior with coiled basketry shield. Glade Park, Mesa County,
Colorado. Photograph Peter Faris, October 1989.</b></span></span>
</span></div>
<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The AD 1100s and 1200s time period cited by Jolie (2022: 13-14) also
falls well within the dates (AD 1 to 1301) of the Fremont Culture which
resided a little farther North centered on Utah and western Colorado.
(Wikipedia) Fremont basketry is a distinctive one-rod-and-bundle
technique that is
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“so unique that it has led some to suggest that the Fremont culture
can be defined on the basis of this single artifact category alone.” </i>(Madsen 1989:9) As Wright </span><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">(1976:4) stated above </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“All of the shields are essentially large shallow trays or plaques
made in close coiling by sewing non-interlocking stitches over a three
whole rod bunched foundation.”
</span></i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This suggests that we have no extant examples of basketry shields by
Fremont peoples, however </span></span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">the Fremont culture area also boasts extensive shield bearing warrior
imagery. Interestingly, the Fremont region also boasts many petroglyphs of
warriors holding spirals, which I am suggesting may represent basketry
shields. Fremont artists also left numerous images of spirals by
themselves which could represent shields as well.</span></span>
</span></p>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK6uwA1VsXYkItZsNBtLqkf7Ux1O-qBf51IaBS8NpNQB7_3Jj4R2ETy5Ic7pH1S1aNIsA08iLGcHGH1WT9nwTZxSE7EYL-7KncztvDDVfPr2McN71S6o-jLoM-JNS8YTo05kF47frJR2R1fHEzKPIVqJxpXXZLuhR-nCAE_PikjoIPRLupUCv73LZndPwx/s2020/McKee%20Springs,%20Photo%20Peter%20Faris.TIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2020" data-original-width="1588" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK6uwA1VsXYkItZsNBtLqkf7Ux1O-qBf51IaBS8NpNQB7_3Jj4R2ETy5Ic7pH1S1aNIsA08iLGcHGH1WT9nwTZxSE7EYL-7KncztvDDVfPr2McN71S6o-jLoM-JNS8YTo05kF47frJR2R1fHEzKPIVqJxpXXZLuhR-nCAE_PikjoIPRLupUCv73LZndPwx/w386-h450/McKee%20Springs,%20Photo%20Peter%20Faris.TIF" width="386" /></a></span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Fremont warrior, McKee Springs, Dinosaur National Monument, Utah.
Photograph Peter Faris.</b></span>
</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ4D24VleHMJ8HMmDuw-HpWwL7PWD6r7mKFU8hNi55EJqfDGrqKwfXg7av_HCKU-WeLtB9v_xYqDST0ANywaC5JvZStMFMaNFYZlGddMyTJ7yxuS9GFmsJWAj0jW_WXOj8ztc7eAGpcUq9gefn5R5pUaFbfzaKhfzoVtbaWL8Pex40yBBKdojNnLezkQS4/s556/%23263,%20McKee%20Springs,%20Dinosaur%20Nat.%20Mon.,%20Sept.%201994.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="556" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ4D24VleHMJ8HMmDuw-HpWwL7PWD6r7mKFU8hNi55EJqfDGrqKwfXg7av_HCKU-WeLtB9v_xYqDST0ANywaC5JvZStMFMaNFYZlGddMyTJ7yxuS9GFmsJWAj0jW_WXOj8ztc7eAGpcUq9gefn5R5pUaFbfzaKhfzoVtbaWL8Pex40yBBKdojNnLezkQS4/w400-h278/%23263,%20McKee%20Springs,%20Dinosaur%20Nat.%20Mon.,%20Sept.%201994.jpg" width="400" /></a>
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<b>Fremont warrior, McKee Springs, Dinosaur National Monument, Utah.
Photograph Peter Faris.</b>
</div></span>
</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif""><span style="font-family: verdana;">Basketry shields, like most baskets in the American Southwest, were
created by coiling where the weft of the basket is started in the center
and coils horizontally, continuously being sewn to the previously
completed element inside the coil. Given this coiled construction I
suggest that many shield figures holding a coil (spiral) are meant to
represent figures with basketry shields, not hide shields with spiral
decoration. Instead of “ceremonial objects,” or hide shields painted with
spiral decoration, or figures connected to the Sun, or water, or so many
of the other explanations put forward over the years, I am suggesting that
many of them are warriors holding basketry shields. Sometimes things
actually are what they look like they are.</span></span>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black;">NOTE:</span></b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black;">
Some images in this posting were retrieved from the internet with a search
for public domain photographs. If any of these images are not intended to
be public domain, I apologize, and will happily provide the picture
credits if the owner will contact me with them. For further information on
these reports you should read the original reports at the sites listed
below.</span></span>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif""><span style="font-family: verdana;">REFERENCES:</span></span></b>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">David, Gary A.</span></b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Giants, Kachinas, and Cannibals,</i>
<a href="https://www.academia.edu/">https://www.academia.edu</a>.</span></span>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">Forton, Maxwell M.</span></b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">, 2019,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shields of the Tsegi: Pueblo III Social Affiliation as Seen in Spatial
Patterning of Shield Iconography</i>, PhD thesis, Dept. of Anthropology, Binghamton University, Academia.
Accessed 29 October 2023.</span></span>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">Jolie, Edward</span></b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">, 2022,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Basketry Shields of the Prehispanic Southwest</i>, The Heard Museum, June 2022, KIVA,
DOI:1080/00121940.2022.2086400.</span></span>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">Madsen, David B.</span></b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">, 1989,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Exploring the Fremont</i>, Utah
Museum of Natural History, University of Utah, Salt Lake City.</span></span>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">Wikipedia</span></b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fremont Culture</i>,
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fremont_culture">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fremont_culture</a>. Accessed online 9 September 2023.</span></span>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif""><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Wright, Barton</span></span></b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif""><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">, 1976,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pueblo Shields From the Fred Harvey Fine Arts Collection</i>, Northland Press, Flagstaff, AZ, © The Heard Museum, Phoenix,
Arizona.</span><o:p></o:p></span>
</p>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2009, Peter Faris</div>Peter Farishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925168522417380667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7760124847746733855.post-1051053066079373102024-01-13T12:11:00.002-07:002024-01-13T12:11:29.305-07:00STONE CIRCLES OF SENEGAMBIA:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTpeVGBqEuE2rfk6rbDKRmphtq7sb-3up2stbt0rMNYOexy_TfIbsVcVPjrvKuS7hGDJD3j9C_iRrNY9t_Z0MuZh6NCeStL1q6bYbA82TrvmdRYNokchN2WT30ZbXx2V5G_1ufiDjfSdwUphKvowqlOik712QsO1PbLbOd7Y6UPmjqrHUYG9yNmjMlItGt/s500/Circles-Of-Gambia-and-Senegal-Africa-0.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTpeVGBqEuE2rfk6rbDKRmphtq7sb-3up2stbt0rMNYOexy_TfIbsVcVPjrvKuS7hGDJD3j9C_iRrNY9t_Z0MuZh6NCeStL1q6bYbA82TrvmdRYNokchN2WT30ZbXx2V5G_1ufiDjfSdwUphKvowqlOik712QsO1PbLbOd7Y6UPmjqrHUYG9yNmjMlItGt/w400-h300/Circles-Of-Gambia-and-Senegal-Africa-0.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Stone circles of Senegal and Gambia, Africa. Online image, public domain.</b></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There is a
remarkable collection of stone circles and related monuments along the River
Gambia in Gambia and Senegal in Western Africa. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The site consists of four large groups of stone circles that represent
an extraordinary concentration of over 1,000 monuments in a band 100 km wide
along some 350 km of the River Gambia. The four groups, Sine Ngayene, Wanar,
Wasu and Kerbatch, cover 93 stone circles and numerous timuli, burial mounds,
some of which have been excavated to reveal material that suggest dates between
3<sup>rd</sup> century BC and 16<sup>th</sup> century AD. Together the stone
circles of laterite pillars and their associated burial mounds present a vast
sacred landscape created over more than 1,500 years. It reflects a prosperous,
highly organized and lasting society.”</i> (UNESCO)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitybhNIpbYKEQpBuShP1q3EH7UMhv2x3PmsXZBPWI55aledW6AIHeAn8k6YUo5jXTJuoxrhTqLhC-EGSZtV0By0w8pdnN_ZXtblrFntZ8uAZ24bDN7t50m24xLEuX9zJJFn2znr9IrmvkfPUBmsxumNggqd9-QkmduWdGFRmV4AFZC7XUe_ZQp96zkTZvf/s360/site_1226_0012-360-360-20170712154026.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="360" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitybhNIpbYKEQpBuShP1q3EH7UMhv2x3PmsXZBPWI55aledW6AIHeAn8k6YUo5jXTJuoxrhTqLhC-EGSZtV0By0w8pdnN_ZXtblrFntZ8uAZ24bDN7t50m24xLEuX9zJJFn2znr9IrmvkfPUBmsxumNggqd9-QkmduWdGFRmV4AFZC7XUe_ZQp96zkTZvf/w400-h400/site_1226_0012-360-360-20170712154026.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Stone circles of Senegal and Gambia, Africa. Online image, public domain.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmvS-ZvgGlGZtRbs-Ah3STHCTsZXoUs30yk4pnmkPqfsoG79xgrriclvOYYTf0vWnh63T3zLFEqI54E71XbMTVDa2ytTTjs6NlMURwsuAdfuyzVdK7ym9rwWVjkj4Zfn_0TVlNGylYpzg7CgKvr-HgYFu6aUnHjjUahADYfN4eyojnaeINP8pDFeW204w/s1024/stone-circle-00-1024x484.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="484" data-original-width="1024" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmvS-ZvgGlGZtRbs-Ah3STHCTsZXoUs30yk4pnmkPqfsoG79xgrriclvOYYTf0vWnh63T3zLFEqI54E71XbMTVDa2ytTTjs6NlMURwsuAdfuyzVdK7ym9rwWVjkj4Zfn_0TVlNGylYpzg7CgKvr-HgYFu6aUnHjjUahADYfN4eyojnaeINP8pDFeW204w/w400-h189/stone-circle-00-1024x484.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Stone circles of Senegal and Gambia, Africa. Online image, public domain.</b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
comparative effort involved in the construction of these would seem to rival
the creation of pyramids in Egypt or Moai on Rapa Nui (Easter Island). One can
imagine whole segments of the society spending most of their time laboring on
this huge complex of stone circles. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The
stones forming the circles were extracted from nearby laterite quarries using
iron tools and skillfully shaped into almost identical pillars, either
cylindrical or polygonal, on average around 2 m in height and weighing up to 7
tons. Each circle contains between eight to fourteen standing stones having a
diameter of four to six metres. The four megalithic sites inscribed bear
witness to a prosperous and highly organized society with traditions of stone
circle constructions, associated with burials, and persisting in certain areas
over more than a millennium.”</i> (UNESCO)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDBiF6HNeCHhzQdpFMQh6OTMI10MvGEU_x09C9-r2wJAj6gCxz8cu_pFkzev_UYrgNf7D76V4oWpn8g0KkmK_EXFEHMLfUqAyZM8CVx0S8eTuwHKOomP-hwmrI5wzWTqc9BPteczCXOW5r8iHl8MOJ6mxsMZcXY1We6Z3iCxWU0QLMPI7GVSFxdhZYl95Q/s163/Sine%20Ngayene.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="129" data-original-width="163" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDBiF6HNeCHhzQdpFMQh6OTMI10MvGEU_x09C9-r2wJAj6gCxz8cu_pFkzev_UYrgNf7D76V4oWpn8g0KkmK_EXFEHMLfUqAyZM8CVx0S8eTuwHKOomP-hwmrI5wzWTqc9BPteczCXOW5r8iHl8MOJ6mxsMZcXY1We6Z3iCxWU0QLMPI7GVSFxdhZYl95Q/w320-h254/Sine%20Ngayene.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Stone circles of Sine Ngayene, Africa. Online image, public domain.</b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sine Ngayene:</b> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Sine
Ngayene is the largest of the four areas, and home of 52 stone circles, one
double circle, and 1,102 carved stones. It is generally accepted that the
single burials found here predate the multiple burials that are associated with
the construction of the stone circles. The site of Sine Ngayene is located just
northwest of Sine, Senegal. In 2002, an expedition was launched in the
Petit-Bao-Bolong drainage tributary; it was called Sine- Ngayene Archaeological
Project (SNAP). The team found iron smelting sites and quarries located close
to the monument sites. They also found evidence of hundreds of homes nearby, dating
around the time of the monuments, clustered in groups of 2 – 5 with remnants of
house floors and pottery shards. This evidence suggests the existence of small,
linked yet independent communities. Researchers also suggest the possibility
that these megalithic cemeteries could have been a focal spot of the cultural
landscape and served the purpose of bringing people together.” </i>(Wikipedia)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5FQyS6ZJRfNdJqcfLSXf8-AevTzrBhfgQTPVM7ZHCxQsIgHyHFm7ARwoYP4itmKi2FqJ8B6WrfkDmAvMHxH4xVJvsolsqYaS-adohQC03-EFFQc7kPuPnoNaISAUQJCnkbc_EdMpi-CdxXc1saCUDXCSpWmM-PnUHIT7xbE-RcWBIwKGNkOr2t2rfCkSD/s640/Wanar-Stone-Circle.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="640" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5FQyS6ZJRfNdJqcfLSXf8-AevTzrBhfgQTPVM7ZHCxQsIgHyHFm7ARwoYP4itmKi2FqJ8B6WrfkDmAvMHxH4xVJvsolsqYaS-adohQC03-EFFQc7kPuPnoNaISAUQJCnkbc_EdMpi-CdxXc1saCUDXCSpWmM-PnUHIT7xbE-RcWBIwKGNkOr2t2rfCkSD/w400-h261/Wanar-Stone-Circle.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Stone circles of Wanar, Senegal, Africa. Online image, public domain.</b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Wanar:</b> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The
area of Wanar is located in the Kaffrine district of Senegal, and is made up of
21 stone circles and one double circle. – All of the monuments found at Wanar
seem to mark burials, according to the archaeologists working there.
Researchers have also determined that the site was a burial ground first, and
the stones were added later for ritual use. Construction for this area can be
narrowed down to between the seventh and fifteenth centuries A.D.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A current dating program that has
begun is yielding estimates that date the construction of the double circle to
between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. A 2008 excavation was conducted
on the double circle at Wanar, and two types of burials were distinguished:
simple burials that consisted of large pits sealed with a mound, and more
complex burials that were deep with narrow mouths. There was also a presence of
perishable materials found in the burials, such as brick and plaster, that
suggests the existence of funerary houses built at the time of burial.”</i> (Wikipedia)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha43MZrH4GQ53-UEtwhpFYmFL1aPHeIcCZI0QS6oVXNbChJESGFvyZ9QMfkRR_EErxwTCl6FRipz0K7_FBO1MR5zA5LDQZDjivjNw_8Di-fJI9M_H7MERVnz4gxmOeQqFLKAOsvgZggjZwREg-A2xv6zYBir-NGoEcHHILDyWj2mZiv5K_6OJk8TUdLYYB/s960/wassu-stone-circle-2302942_960_720.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha43MZrH4GQ53-UEtwhpFYmFL1aPHeIcCZI0QS6oVXNbChJESGFvyZ9QMfkRR_EErxwTCl6FRipz0K7_FBO1MR5zA5LDQZDjivjNw_8Di-fJI9M_H7MERVnz4gxmOeQqFLKAOsvgZggjZwREg-A2xv6zYBir-NGoEcHHILDyWj2mZiv5K_6OJk8TUdLYYB/w400-h266/wassu-stone-circle-2302942_960_720.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Stone circles of Wassu, Africa. Online image, public domain.</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6JBxA1v5jRHg0xPWKmnJ4B-qFEfLYqEOmF4OTasAkvjb0GK0_JhqKMsdZLnEYJR-S6heahcnvGnaj84C6P7H0A0FNB3UEaHsNBvB5TpqJIgDFCsjgM1Zh7vROhg7JpY7TIb4WPFBorZXfYnhU8RRUugbjQuBSvlvR5uQu94sHFkVd_5D1VFc2nSMJs_zF/s739/Wassu.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="739" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6JBxA1v5jRHg0xPWKmnJ4B-qFEfLYqEOmF4OTasAkvjb0GK0_JhqKMsdZLnEYJR-S6heahcnvGnaj84C6P7H0A0FNB3UEaHsNBvB5TpqJIgDFCsjgM1Zh7vROhg7JpY7TIb4WPFBorZXfYnhU8RRUugbjQuBSvlvR5uQu94sHFkVd_5D1VFc2nSMJs_zF/w400-h148/Wassu.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Stone circles of Wassu, Africa. Online image, public domain.</b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Wassu:</b> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Researchers
are not certain when these monuments were built, but the generally accepted
range is between the third century B.C. and the sixteenth century A.D.”</i>
(Wikipedia)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fOX7Ecp5VaztlyF9K3IjkQQuv7li7m3-k4FLDi3UuSrtLrfOslr9yhU-BKQHKBISm5C1OaYJHwKC7poAKevdbXeGTv8KXuKP5t4tyYC-pb9o4nJPzj5StfjRt2f1CAD_UQDddOTcaOP7PzF86RC1KOl3kVlsg2F4pmzlCYDzMOYV-glgrcgQKo1bAH8u/s825/640px-kerr-batch-stone-circle3.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="825" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fOX7Ecp5VaztlyF9K3IjkQQuv7li7m3-k4FLDi3UuSrtLrfOslr9yhU-BKQHKBISm5C1OaYJHwKC7poAKevdbXeGTv8KXuKP5t4tyYC-pb9o4nJPzj5StfjRt2f1CAD_UQDddOTcaOP7PzF86RC1KOl3kVlsg2F4pmzlCYDzMOYV-glgrcgQKo1bAH8u/w400-h240/640px-kerr-batch-stone-circle3.webp" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Stone circles of Kerbatch, Gambis, Africa. Online image, public domain.</b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kerbatch:</b> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Kerbatch,
an area comprising nine stone circles and one double circle, is located in
Gambia’s Nianija district. Kerbatch features a V-shaped, ‘bifid’ stone (the
only one in the region) that had broken in three places and fallen. This stone,
that had been part of a frontal line, was restored during the 1965
Anglo-Gambian Stone Circles Expedition led by P. Ozanne. During thes expedition
Ozanne and his team excavated the double circle at Kerbatch.</i>” (Wikipedia)
These are listed as the major concentrations although there are a number of
other monuments and stone circles.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“During the medieval period of
Europe which corresponds roughly to the Golden Age of West Africa, several
great empires and kingdoms sprang out from the Senegambia region, including but
not limited to the great Ghana Empire, the Mali Empire, the Songhai Empire, the
Jolof Empire, the Kaabu Empire, the Kingdoms of Sine, Saloum, Baol, Waalo and
Takrur. During this period several great dynasties rose and fell, and some,
such as the Guelowar Dayasty of Sine and Saloum, survived for more than 600
years despite European colonialism, which fell as recently as 1969, nine years
after Senegal gained its independence from France.”</i> (Wikipedia) In the eurocentric
world view that we have inherited we tend to forget that other cultures reached
surprising heights long before our culture developed. Not only the scale and
magnitude of these monuments attests to the cultural height of these kingdoms,
but also their other arts and cultural advancements.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The integrity of the four components of
the site can only be evaluated as part of a much wider unified cultural
complex. The complexes conserve their integrity in terms of spatial
associations of the component circles, individual megaliths and tumuli. The
spiritual beliefs associated to the stones by local communities help protect
their integrity. The stone circles stand in a farmed landscape and there have
been few interventions. A very small number of stones have been removed. Some
burial sites have been excavated and subsequently back-filled. These
disturbances remain minimal. The oval authenticity of the four sites is
intact.”</i> (UNESCO) It seems a little awkward to me to refer to “100 km wide
along some 350 km” in length as a site – singular – but later the plural sites
is used.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">These stone
circles represent a notable cultural accomplishment, attesting to a high level
of civilization whose greatness deserves to be preserved and remembered.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;"><b>NOTE:</b></span><span style="color: black;"> Some images in this
posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain
photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public domain, I
apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will
contact me with them. For further information on these reports you should read
the original reports at the sites listed below.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">REFERENCES:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">UNESCO</b>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Stone Circles of Senegambia, </i><a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1226">https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1226</a>.
Accessed on 12 February 2023.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Wikipedia</b>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Senegambian stone circles,</i> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senegambian_stone_circles">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senegambian_stone_circles</a>.
Accessed on 12 February 2023.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Wikipedia</b>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Senegambia</i>, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senegambia#Media. </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Accessed on
17 February 2023.</span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2009, Peter Faris</div>Peter Farishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925168522417380667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7760124847746733855.post-17421314908171909122024-01-06T12:23:00.000-07:002024-01-06T12:23:31.155-07:00ROCK ART IMAGES OF EARLY ROCK CLIMBING AND ROPES:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwuP0bjsxodLhqFuen1Ca0HVQdCJF66qwKFIQTRYbCqEScDkkOY1XycrQ-S9KXgdB4ej0DQ6cTIvaGC7LdRWwcf3YXZr59DHTPP0iFgPtCb_nqUxxyGz5g19F9eo3Q65m4y_m8BAxKwPeVV6bRUZ7tIsqWu5Py_gj8vf5jEMa_JMFWxAorKzklZuoWbUNn/s280/Close-up.%20A%20honey%20hunting%20scene%20at%20abrigo%20de%20Barranco%20G%C3%B3mez%20in%20Castellote,%20Teruel,%20Spain..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="191" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwuP0bjsxodLhqFuen1Ca0HVQdCJF66qwKFIQTRYbCqEScDkkOY1XycrQ-S9KXgdB4ej0DQ6cTIvaGC7LdRWwcf3YXZr59DHTPP0iFgPtCb_nqUxxyGz5g19F9eo3Q65m4y_m8BAxKwPeVV6bRUZ7tIsqWu5Py_gj8vf5jEMa_JMFWxAorKzklZuoWbUNn/w322-h454/Close-up.%20A%20honey%20hunting%20scene%20at%20abrigo%20de%20Barranco%20G%C3%B3mez%20in%20Castellote,%20Teruel,%20Spain..jpg" width="322" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b> Closeup, A honey hunter climbing a rope ladder at abrigo de Barranco Gómez in Castellote, Teruel, Spain. Online image public domain.</b></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Back in
February 2022 I did a column on some pictographs of honey gathering from Spain.
In that one I focused on the idea of the importance of honey to the societies
and the lengths they would go to gather it. Recent studies have taken another
track, to the implications of the climbing itself and the ropes and other
equipment required in acquiring the honey.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ABpplmeM7LtlWBS_KJsPKGXYsHF-iLbzpA8Ox5bgnvtnwC-Ro5bU5nd-2NXCFNA1ZAy2Gu4r0iJLJoGWWtFJJX3RVFbVZ-cvTRcKhlu9Zm01CnVKH3WDWskHvP6qfB-UcwGq89PajhAzQwdZVAS7cADXUxQE39-CsABPd5Ry4wKAMM8t3UKI4wJK7x_k/s2000/urn_cambridge.org_id_binary_20230607062050129-0496_S0959774323000173_S0959774323000173_fig1-3288726865.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1021" data-original-width="2000" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ABpplmeM7LtlWBS_KJsPKGXYsHF-iLbzpA8Ox5bgnvtnwC-Ro5bU5nd-2NXCFNA1ZAy2Gu4r0iJLJoGWWtFJJX3RVFbVZ-cvTRcKhlu9Zm01CnVKH3WDWskHvP6qfB-UcwGq89PajhAzQwdZVAS7cADXUxQE39-CsABPd5Ry4wKAMM8t3UKI4wJK7x_k/w400-h204/urn_cambridge.org_id_binary_20230607062050129-0496_S0959774323000173_S0959774323000173_fig1-3288726865.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As seen on cliff face at abrigo de Barranco Gómez in Castellote, Teruel, Spain. Image from Bea, 2013.</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3zvWpysRMdMApORUrjxaiIHRz__EQKHxtDlYopxg6Cb5rku1cAu4kYpHe7smrBuHZn2_HgCX2hXFqbgDIl9bmvTLhhdU0y2UxJLpC5XwgIEgcd8kAN8yr5cwDLTTBNDNCqhTu1iyrae6Xda68ikWozmofRBR1smXXDDDXAUMAOKHTgQ0j6TVmKBGc3NSY/s1200/RUVID-UJI-Fig5-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3zvWpysRMdMApORUrjxaiIHRz__EQKHxtDlYopxg6Cb5rku1cAu4kYpHe7smrBuHZn2_HgCX2hXFqbgDIl9bmvTLhhdU0y2UxJLpC5XwgIEgcd8kAN8yr5cwDLTTBNDNCqhTu1iyrae6Xda68ikWozmofRBR1smXXDDDXAUMAOKHTgQ0j6TVmKBGc3NSY/w400-h266/RUVID-UJI-Fig5-1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Drawing and hypothical sections of rope ladder based on the pictograph. Online image, public domain.</b></span></div></div><p></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">“Direct or
indirect evidence of ropemaking are scarce in European prehistory. Only a few
references to Middle or Upper Palaeolithic remains are known to us, with more
examples towards the Holocene. The archaeological contexts of ropes offer
little information about possible uses, as the activities they are used for are
often archaeologically invisible. However, some rock-art traditions shed some
light on potential uses, worth exploring. In Spain, Levantine rock art offers
the best graphic examples across Europe showing various uses of ropes,
including climbing. Starting from the recently discovered climbing scene of
Barranco Gómez site (Teruel, Spain), including the best preserved and more
complex use of ropes seen so far in Levantine art. - Different rope-making
techniques were used by Levantine societies, which we believe are indicative of
a complex rope-making technology, requiring a considerable investment of time
and efforts. It also shows a certain variety of rope climbing techniques and
rope climbing gear, illustrating that both were mastered by Levantine
societies. Moreover, a preferential use of ropes in honey-hunting scenes is
observed.”</span></i><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;"> (Bea et al.
2023) <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmNaIP1f0vh_pP-ynNb6znQdOK5J96lPytgo9nDMd5LRd0phMn7IWdH6_B6_iQKtHiPZ6UbayNif71KrS2ePvaZyrYP6-YQouRvETtuW80j6jfBxjvCNDjgjimpbTjY6FBY_xeXcuyVBiLdqc7q6iF21x9JPa-8Z1-yipG4biOLZKXAdc6LGUJSlQiiLd/s2778/scan_820pag,%20donsmaps.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2778" data-original-width="2174" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmNaIP1f0vh_pP-ynNb6znQdOK5J96lPytgo9nDMd5LRd0phMn7IWdH6_B6_iQKtHiPZ6UbayNif71KrS2ePvaZyrYP6-YQouRvETtuW80j6jfBxjvCNDjgjimpbTjY6FBY_xeXcuyVBiLdqc7q6iF21x9JPa-8Z1-yipG4biOLZKXAdc6LGUJSlQiiLd/s320/scan_820pag,%20donsmaps.com.jpg" width="250" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Fragment of rope in situ, Lascaux Cave, France. Image from donsmaps.com.</b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2FcjD1uR8IOT-phl3ZoUM5vbLySqEKIylp-PUWkD_fkOY4T7Sav5Zg3q9qOU1C6iiae9WLLSDL8Qs4WeiZjHEw7ARtOUaEt4CWTjI6JKb9EfucOo3lTAg3sE3afYaU3CtqlvzHab73FC2IbIa8BlobcP0NbsU6GdNl4K7_jqqx8vkTj5oOE-fHo_9qb1T/s500/donsmaps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="287" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2FcjD1uR8IOT-phl3ZoUM5vbLySqEKIylp-PUWkD_fkOY4T7Sav5Zg3q9qOU1C6iiae9WLLSDL8Qs4WeiZjHEw7ARtOUaEt4CWTjI6JKb9EfucOo3lTAg3sE3afYaU3CtqlvzHab73FC2IbIa8BlobcP0NbsU6GdNl4K7_jqqx8vkTj5oOE-fHo_9qb1T/w230-h400/donsmaps.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Fragment of rope, Lascaux Cave, France. Image from donsmaps.com.</b></div></span><p></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">There have been a few samples of rope
recovered from ancient sites in Europe. These pictures from Don Hitchcock at </span><span lang="EN"><a href="http://www.donsmaps.com/">www.donsmaps.com</a><span style="color: #333333;"> show an excavated sample of rope, as well as an imprint
in dried mud of a rope that has disappeared with age.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59jY9idTqiFHwJQ_bTqFE8xJvSGW2uY33NwnNMc_ihRt71z7lBGppExKK1ujtNhQQkv_JSL6B0KsLvgTNXABwJo1cOGz020mdqvrYPVfA9gK1pWhB_7FcMwDS_5IEUxnNMdViDdXyKO_GNmsDcXRwJD7qrUAEQY6z9VxaT8fVGclzLY9fQjwNkWWmEgRP/s1519/Bea%20-%20Rigid%20climbing%20systems%20(tree%20trunks,%20masts%20or%20branches).%20(1%20&%202)%20Los%20Trepadores%20(after%20Beltr%C3%A1n%20Reference%20Beltr%C3%A1n2005);%20(3)%20La%20Higuera%20(after%20Baldello.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="829" data-original-width="1519" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59jY9idTqiFHwJQ_bTqFE8xJvSGW2uY33NwnNMc_ihRt71z7lBGppExKK1ujtNhQQkv_JSL6B0KsLvgTNXABwJo1cOGz020mdqvrYPVfA9gK1pWhB_7FcMwDS_5IEUxnNMdViDdXyKO_GNmsDcXRwJD7qrUAEQY6z9VxaT8fVGclzLY9fQjwNkWWmEgRP/w400-h219/Bea%20-%20Rigid%20climbing%20systems%20(tree%20trunks,%20masts%20or%20branches).%20(1%20&%202)%20Los%20Trepadores%20(after%20Beltr%C3%A1n%20Reference%20Beltr%C3%A1n2005);%20(3)%20La%20Higuera%20(after%20Baldello.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Rigid climbing systems (tree trunks, masts or branches). (1 & 2) Los Trepadores (after Beltrán Reference Beltrán2005); (3) La Higuera (after Baldello). Image from Bea, 2013.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #333333;">“The catalogue of Levantine Rock Aat includes hundreds of sites,
but explicit representations of ropes or rope-ladders <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">are rare. Some of the known examples cannot be linked to a specific
activity, but most of them are related to climbing. Nevertheless, climbers do
not only use ropes and rope ladders, but occasionally climb some type of
plants, branches or trees. Climbers are either related to wild boar hunting,
honey hunting or unidentifiable activities, as they are isolated or are part of
incomplete scenes.” </i>(Bea et al. 2023)</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #333333;">“Within the foothills of the Iberian System Mountain Range in
northeastern Spain, archaeologists have discovered a 7,500-year-old painting
depicting prehistoric humans gathering honey. The exceptionally detailed image
shows a figure climbing a rope ladder to reach a colony of bees.”</span></i><span style="color: #333333;"> (Saed 2021)
While we have the pictures of figures climbing ropes up cliffs we have no
indication of their equivalents of modern climbing equipment. I suppose we can
project a few things like a wooden peg pounded into a crack in the rock with a
hammerstone, instead of a metal piton, and a loop tied into the rope instead of
a carabiner.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6vZTMBx57L3LLCLh9Ixqyuf6MjMaYTIZJhLg8dVMwpZvqaNszIzWdHiRQGMjG_DpeRwYaav7cHzafosY8vo3A02BIW3Ow68jbDKC7g25CeW00FJOdEawF_kjnAyqZv-31vwZcyJmX35dbaeuBqJF93561Yfkinv0tuzZKN6ULdMQwwMD795ZzjerIVso/s551/Bea%20-%20RUVID-UJI-Fig4-1%20-%20Copy%20(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="468" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6vZTMBx57L3LLCLh9Ixqyuf6MjMaYTIZJhLg8dVMwpZvqaNszIzWdHiRQGMjG_DpeRwYaav7cHzafosY8vo3A02BIW3Ow68jbDKC7g25CeW00FJOdEawF_kjnAyqZv-31vwZcyJmX35dbaeuBqJF93561Yfkinv0tuzZKN6ULdMQwwMD795ZzjerIVso/w340-h400/Bea%20-%20RUVID-UJI-Fig4-1%20-%20Copy%20(2).jpg" width="340" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGpmrkL8xAFjUjaP7hXBzvBZlZh587zKyMHa5JpuWS7ISNNbwhh8_SByJdPP7D1W7vcUvhYDCdbTXIt84jyHhdV-o0BW-Gbl0VJmIlFr8mlCftSz55q54v6-fbnLAzcX90Gs-XxTtzM-5N26ex2URCuiJVWi5cfY38PSsGmYpq6orfLPRJvG_AcLJdCKPB/s551/Bea%20-%20RUVID-UJI-Fig4-1%20-%20Copy%20(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="481" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGpmrkL8xAFjUjaP7hXBzvBZlZh587zKyMHa5JpuWS7ISNNbwhh8_SByJdPP7D1W7vcUvhYDCdbTXIt84jyHhdV-o0BW-Gbl0VJmIlFr8mlCftSz55q54v6-fbnLAzcX90Gs-XxTtzM-5N26ex2URCuiJVWi5cfY38PSsGmYpq6orfLPRJvG_AcLJdCKPB/w349-h400/Bea%20-%20RUVID-UJI-Fig4-1%20-%20Copy%20(3).jpg" width="349" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b> Flexible
climbing systems. Stirrup ladders: (1) Barranco Gómez; (2) Cingle de l'Ermità. Ropes: (3) La Araña (Hernández-Pacheco; (4) Los Trepadores (after Beltrán). Images from Bea, 2013. </b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #333333;">“Manuel Bea, a
researcher from the University of Zaragoza, authenticated the painting
alongside colleagues Ines Domingo and Jorge Angas. ‘We have a perfect
photograph,’ he explains, that provides insight into just how these practices
were conducted: by climbing ropes. The Barranco Gomez rock shelter was found by
a nearby resident in 2013, but the analysis of the painting published just this
year.”</span></i><span style="color: #333333;"> (Saed
2021)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>The Barranco Gomez pictograph clearly shows some sort
of rope ladder with a pair of ropes connected somehow creating openings for the
feet. The authors of the paper (Bea et al. 2023) postulate that the second rope
is repeatedly tied around the first, spaced comfortably apart to create a
series of loops for the foot. This suggestion seems to fit comfortably with
what can be seen in the image. What cannot be seen, however, is how it is
fastened at the top of the rope, what secures it to the cliff? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="p" style="margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The team was able to get quite a bit of information out of their
analysis. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The unique honey-hunting scene
from Barranco Gómez site illustrates the use of a truly complex rope-making
technology. Close observation of this depiction does not assist in
identification of the rope-making techniques (whether twisted or plaited
fibres), but the use in climbing and the length show that Levantine societies
were technologically advanced in the production of quality ropes. We estimate
that each loop of the ladder (considering a minimum of 25 cm high and
20 cm wide) requires up to 80–85 cm of rope (including the necessary
knots), so the rope length was possibly 25 m after the 29 stirrups
depicted in the scene. Given that, the ladder itself could have been up to
7.5 m in length. The proportions of the length of the ladder and the
height of the climber (assuming a height of 1.7 m) would fit perfectly.” </i>(Bea
et al. 2023)</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjahqVydmxxraKeL05ZcOSP8pfez7KJrzwciBcIJ0fl9KxUbDTRQ8VjrivYAL-2uPKb8Wax3I87gtlAo37RvIjuGZ_iwpOdmpIxt3r-Pb8ZO1V70qp6o2RmxGonbpJt74DjZajtQlCcISaD_97r1h8j4YbGmoZq2yWAUJr0USsnzyhPHto6K1RVUtIuMjnR/s599/honey-cave-painting.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="599" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjahqVydmxxraKeL05ZcOSP8pfez7KJrzwciBcIJ0fl9KxUbDTRQ8VjrivYAL-2uPKb8Wax3I87gtlAo37RvIjuGZ_iwpOdmpIxt3r-Pb8ZO1V70qp6o2RmxGonbpJt74DjZajtQlCcISaD_97r1h8j4YbGmoZq2yWAUJr0USsnzyhPHto6K1RVUtIuMjnR/w400-h300/honey-cave-painting.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Climbing illustrated in Cueva de las Aranas. Image from Bea, 2013.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYlGTdqWmEPe6ZQOkr7WXdC4CY8A51UXuBTtvmIVhjBSdjylqfunLg_EezBIB7mHQ2Gmf-HyPjLim8SC1gC9k9EUFEzIilgLbLlGfiyCfFlrpCmACGsKkJcHA4ReVNaTTQYNBxoGuJJgmxWvbXcU-1ZE28oYNyd3PfcIbdHhnc2ZMeQpcFaNOE3QFUAKJk/s390/Cueva%20de%20las%20Aranas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="252" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYlGTdqWmEPe6ZQOkr7WXdC4CY8A51UXuBTtvmIVhjBSdjylqfunLg_EezBIB7mHQ2Gmf-HyPjLim8SC1gC9k9EUFEzIilgLbLlGfiyCfFlrpCmACGsKkJcHA4ReVNaTTQYNBxoGuJJgmxWvbXcU-1ZE28oYNyd3PfcIbdHhnc2ZMeQpcFaNOE3QFUAKJk/w259-h400/Cueva%20de%20las%20Aranas.jpg" width="259" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Drawing of climbing illustrated in Cueva de las Aranas. Image from Bea, 2013.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The image
from Cueva del las Aranas appears to show three vertical ropes with no
horizontal rungs or loops of any kind. This may be meant to show an instance of
shimmying up the rope, but again no details on its connection at the top other
than some angled lines that the ropes connect with. These angled lines at the
top have been suggested to represent branches.</span></p>
<p class="p" style="margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #333333;">“What is important is that Levantine groups had a refined
technique for rope making, which was adapted to produce long ropes for climbing
activities. When the action represented in the scenes displaying rope equipment
can be deduced, honey hunting is the only well-defined activity. While this
activity was depicted in different parts of the Levantine territory in the
final stages of the sequence, it is completely absent in the initial stages,
marking a significant change in the cultural treatment this activity had over
time.”</span></i><span style="color: #333333;"> (Bea et al. 2023)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The authors
of this study (Bea et al. 2023) have also included images of a number of other
climbing scenes from rock art in the Levant including not only more that appear
to be climbing ropes, but also apparently using trees or limbs for vertical
access. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is an
interesting and informative look at a vestige of early technology that we
seldom think of, and I highly recommend it for fascinating reading.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">NOTE:</span></b><span style="color: black;"> Some images in this
posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain
photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public domain, I
apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will
contact me with them. For further information on these reports you should read
the original reports at the sites listed below.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">REFERENCES:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bea, Manuel, Didac Roman, and Ines
Domongo</b>, 2023, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hanging over the Void. Use of Long Ropes and
Climbing Rope Ladders in Prehistory as Illustrated in Levantine Rock Art</i>, 8
June 2023, Cambridge University Press (online). Accessed online 19 July 2023.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Faris, Peter</b>, 2022, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Some Sweet Pictographs – Honey Collecting in Spanish Rock Art</i>, 12
February 2022, h<span class="3rlxz"><span style="color: #212121;">ttps://rockartblog.blogspot.com/search/label/honey%20gathering</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hitchcock, Don</b>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A rope from Lascaux Cave</i>, <a href="https://donsmaps.com/lasc%20auxrope.html">https://donsmaps.com/lasc
auxrope.html</a>. Accessed online 25 July 2023.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #333333;">Saed, Omnia</span></b><span style="color: #333333;">, 2021, Found: A
7,500-Year-Old Cave Painting of Humans Gathering Honey, 16 December 2021, <i>Atlas
Obscura,</i> <a href="https://atlasobscura.com/articles/honey-cave-painting"><span style="color: #445566;">https://atlasobscura.com/articles/honey-cave-painting</span></a></span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Wikipedia</b>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rope, </i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rope">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rope</a>.
Accessed online 25 July 2023.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2009, Peter Faris</div>Peter Farishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925168522417380667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7760124847746733855.post-63752312781783895702023-12-30T14:12:00.000-07:002023-12-30T14:12:17.427-07:002023 C.R.A.P. AWARD – NEVADA SHOE PRINTS MADE MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO ACCORDING TO CREATIONISTS:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">2023 C.R.A.P. (Certifiable Rock Art Prevarication) Award goes to "Creation Science."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHJtyStYy6HdZVV5q9xDnn188ppwVPBzc95yBJUmEm1bCXE5SdjBcseopjvUyGLca7Uv6y_NVwUXpF7F58mOWABMXhgzG2udBtzPtKeQTcrOecArCt2fMx3THks3t-U68LmPIrTfgOFVncwt-ygyuyw23RnwdQ7ljrb9PV5dtmVuNqIilry2ks_G0AVjU9/s268/hqdefault-1276878805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="248" data-original-width="268" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHJtyStYy6HdZVV5q9xDnn188ppwVPBzc95yBJUmEm1bCXE5SdjBcseopjvUyGLca7Uv6y_NVwUXpF7F58mOWABMXhgzG2udBtzPtKeQTcrOecArCt2fMx3THks3t-U68LmPIrTfgOFVncwt-ygyuyw23RnwdQ7ljrb9PV5dtmVuNqIilry2ks_G0AVjU9/w400-h370/hqdefault-1276878805.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Alleged shoe print from Nevada. Image from howandwhys.com.</b></span></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The 2023 C.R.A.P. Award goes not to the people cited in the references below, but to the idea that they are pushing back against – supposed shoe tracks in Arizona that have been claimed to be many millions of years old by Creationists. Let me restate that, I am not criticizing the reports, I am criticizing the crazy ideas of fringie Creationists. These discoveries were supposedly made in the 1920s in Pershing County, Nevada. Reports are somewhat fuzzy since they state that the discoveries were found in a coal seam in Fisher Canyon yet the quote from the supposed discoverer states he found it on a hillside. I am going to visit reports on two different versions of the discovery. One individual who remains anonymous created a phony photograph of the footprint and put it up online – to him as an individual I award a special C.R.A.P. Award.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Creationists, the people who argue that human beings and dinosaurs co-existed, leap on misinterpretations and frauds such as this to try to prove their strange beliefs which they now often call ‘Creation Science.’</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>"Creation science rejects evolution and the common descent of all living things on Earth. Instead, it asserts that the field of evolutionarey biology is itself pseudoscientific or even a religion. Creationists argue instead for a system call baraminology, which considers the living world to be descended from uniquely created kinds or 'baramins.' Creation science incorporates the concept of catastrophism to reconcile current landforms and fossil distributions with Biblical interpretations, proposint the remains resulted from successive cataclysmic events, such as a worldwide flood and subsequent ice age. It rejects one of the fundamentral principles of modern geology (and of modern science generally), uniformitarianism, which applies the same physical and geological observed on the Earth today to interpret the Earth's geological history."</i> (Wikipedia) They believe that early humans co-existed with dinosaurs - sort of like Alley Oop. So this quoted passage describes the fringies who believe in these things - now the the actual belief on shoeprints in Arizona many millions of years old, which is anything but science.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjb0mYMc5hgmHlvEvKsd6iU5PW71SlGyimdsnlIO0qrCdIPnXl0N0T4cLCTt60lDSrJ_e1yu_O8-0lwNHs0l_oxTbee2AY6GSMkJeTgjXwOF4yRfAgdAPNTCJ2-VAmcclgzg_u8g3fZ4qlD0i51cj5kwK0SlzjzqOx3VxyH6lW3_Pea3XKXcL1eHwTfnct/s877/shoe2.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="545" data-original-width="877" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjb0mYMc5hgmHlvEvKsd6iU5PW71SlGyimdsnlIO0qrCdIPnXl0N0T4cLCTt60lDSrJ_e1yu_O8-0lwNHs0l_oxTbee2AY6GSMkJeTgjXwOF4yRfAgdAPNTCJ2-VAmcclgzg_u8g3fZ4qlD0i51cj5kwK0SlzjzqOx3VxyH6lW3_Pea3XKXcL1eHwTfnct/w400-h249/shoe2.webp" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Another view of the alleged shoe print from Nevada. Image from</b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b> anomalien.com.</b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A 2006 report by Glen Kuban describes in detail the supposed discovery and provides an analysis of the claim.<i> “A number of strict creationists and "ancient anomaly" enthusiasts have claimed that a "shoe print" was found in Triassic rock near Fisher Canyon, Pershing County, Nevada. Although most of these authors state that the print was found by John Reid in 1922 (or 1927 according to some), evidently it was actually found by Albert E. Knapp, an employee of Nevada Mining Company, on or before January 15th, 1917.” </i>(Kuban 2006)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In 2021 Vicky Verma quoted the discoverer of the supposed footprint: <i>“He wrote: ‘In descending the hill my attention was attracted by the fossil, which lay fossil side uppermost amongst some loose rocks. I picked it upl and put it in my pocket for further examination, and on such examination came to the conclusion that it is a layer from the heel of a show which had been pulled from the balance of the heel by suction; the rock being in a plastic state at the time. I found it in limestone of the Triassic period, a belt of which runs through that section of the hills.’ Later, Reid somehow took the fossilized shoeprint to New York and had it analyzed by a competent geologist of the Rockefeller Foundation, who verified Mr. Knapp and pronounced it unquestionably Triassic limestone.”</i> (Verma 2021) Now we have to remember that this was 100 years ago, a time when the public was less informed about science. I am, however, mystified as to how a so-called geologist could have made such a misidentification.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipEMCECMDGvbjKnc2XmJ1aZKOwpWnEltZZIMGAoo6CE4y2zIUx_HnwlebIjC0ylXY27K4j5iZVwTMStEQVnHsHYn29wV538Hzpjp3gVawgP3i0GMa9r-H-bF2JB5f-OqXtLhHj2I5-rjzzdXyTrKuXIz6MwvvxcS4xMKRwOkc3QdTnycBE0JmMjECqDNO_/s754/IMG_20231214_0003.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="754" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipEMCECMDGvbjKnc2XmJ1aZKOwpWnEltZZIMGAoo6CE4y2zIUx_HnwlebIjC0ylXY27K4j5iZVwTMStEQVnHsHYn29wV538Hzpjp3gVawgP3i0GMa9r-H-bF2JB5f-OqXtLhHj2I5-rjzzdXyTrKuXIz6MwvvxcS4xMKRwOkc3QdTnycBE0JmMjECqDNO_/w400-h199/IMG_20231214_0003.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Drawing of alleged shoe print with the missing portion filled in. Image from Verma, 2020.</b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>“In 1922, two reports on the alleged shoeprint were published in the New York Times and the American Weekly section of the New York Sunday American respectively. According to the second report by W. H. Ballou, John T. Reid discovered the fossil (which was obviously a mistake). The report said: ‘Some time ago, while he was prospecting for fossils in Nevada, John T. Reid, a distinguished mining engineer, and geologist stopped suddenly and looked down in utter bewilderment and amazement at a rock near his feet. For there, a part of the rock itself was what seemed to be a human footprint! Closer inspection showed that it was not a mark of a naked foot, but was, apparently, a shoe sole which had been turned into stone. The forepart was missing. But there was the outline of at least two-thirds of it, and around this outline ran a well-defined sewn thread which had, it appeared, attached the welt to the sole. Further on was another line of sewing, and in the center, where the foot would have rested had the object really been a show sole, there was an indentation, exactly such as would have been made by the bone of the heel rubbing upon and wearing down the material of which the sole had been made. Thus was found a fossil which is the foremost mystery of science today. For the rock in which it was found is at least 5 million years old.”</i> (Verma 2021) <span style="color: red;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Kuban is quite straightforward with his long and fair analysis and then his discounting of the claims. <i>“The "Nevada shoe print" claims are not well supported by the available evidence. The footprint advocates have presumed that the missing portion of the object was very shoe-like in shape, whereas any number of other shapes are possible. They have not demonstrated that the supposed print was ever part of a striding sequence, or that it contains the detailed "stitching" features they assert. The present location of the object is unknown, impeding further study. Judging from the available photographs, the specimen is most likely a broken ironstone concretion, perhaps one that has suffered some erosion.” </i>(Kuban 2006)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmmMSoH2w9Z785ESqPDITCDWzhn5J3I0f8d_4z07PAalr105Z8BX3J6swVIjndzzstOzW913ViadP2ecSVTYk4ziB_OCTJ1XCZj3yOkJP6yJMuoStDbkEYnqABimKp7llbSuVjU26-8tr0D7Hin9sk8l6MseNdQhzi2zxgyVyr8mY0bKH0mQSIavKqe3ZQ/s768/curioustuff_footprint-1-768x432.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="768" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmmMSoH2w9Z785ESqPDITCDWzhn5J3I0f8d_4z07PAalr105Z8BX3J6swVIjndzzstOzW913ViadP2ecSVTYk4ziB_OCTJ1XCZj3yOkJP6yJMuoStDbkEYnqABimKp7llbSuVjU26-8tr0D7Hin9sk8l6MseNdQhzi2zxgyVyr8mY0bKH0mQSIavKqe3ZQ/w400-h225/curioustuff_footprint-1-768x432.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Fraudulent image of the Nevada shoe print. Online image, public domain.</b></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Photos of the 1920s ‘fossil’ clearly show a broken and eroded concretion. But the claim resurfaced recently with a much more convincing photograph of a shoe or bootprint in stone. This counterfeit seems to be the product of another Creationist fringie trying to strengthen their case. The more recent image appears to be a photographic manipulation of two negatives, one of a rock surface and the other one of a footprint. The fact it shows a tread pattern marks it a modern as prehistoric footwear did not have this typed of treads on the bottom of the sole. Online reports claiming the discovery of this second shoeprint seem to parrot the reports of the 1920s discovery but with the illustrations replaced with the newly counterfeited photograph. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Of course, nowadays this second image could also have been a computer creation.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA40hb_a_st5h88htI1JmUM34Ka3Z-As6yQk5U2YDnvRZHqDdtn11S3-BCflGiFXdGV2acRyqEAqLIjgKRfQoRsZrSHGOFdKW3tswrTvCnCt4cor2Pmh668iQ7D6ormz6tP8kaeOMtTJEv84Q3IDoaJFv19tOVRmUanZ4HnsANauAJ2Rh587F9zBO9OXhx/s1024/DALL%C2%B7E%202023-12-18%2012.46.27%20-%20A%2050%25%20faded%20bootprint%20tread%20pattern%20sunk%20into%20a%20stone%20surface..png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA40hb_a_st5h88htI1JmUM34Ka3Z-As6yQk5U2YDnvRZHqDdtn11S3-BCflGiFXdGV2acRyqEAqLIjgKRfQoRsZrSHGOFdKW3tswrTvCnCt4cor2Pmh668iQ7D6ormz6tP8kaeOMtTJEv84Q3IDoaJFv19tOVRmUanZ4HnsANauAJ2Rh587F9zBO9OXhx/w400-h400/DALL%C2%B7E%202023-12-18%2012.46.27%20-%20A%2050%25%20faded%20bootprint%20tread%20pattern%20sunk%20into%20a%20stone%20surface..png" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Newly created fraudulent shoe print created by DALL-E-2.</b></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">On the subject of this new photograph – the counterfeited one – as a test I went to DALL-E-2 and asked it to make a picture of the tread marks of a boot print in the rock of a cliff face. This is my version of the counterfeited photograph. With a little more time and more specific instructions I am confident that DALL-E-2 and I could have made one much like the counterfeit shoe print.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I want to reiterate that this C.R.A.P. Award is not being awarded to the authors of the reports I cite below to whom I am grateful for the information, but to the fringies who believe this sort of thing. Whether it is petroglyphs of dinosaurs or the fossilized imprint of a shoe or boot wearing foot from 15 or 200 million years ago – absurd.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>NOTE:</b> Some images in this posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public domain, I apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will contact me with them. For further information on these reports you should read the original reports at the sites listed below.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>REFERENCES</b>:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Kuban, Glen J</b>., 2006, Nevada Shoe Print?, <a href="http://paleo.cc/paluxy/nevada.htm">http://paleo.cc/paluxy/nevada.htm</a>. Accessed online 9 December 2023.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Verma, Vicky</b>, 2021, <i>Mystery of Alleged 200 Million-Year-Old Shoe Print Found in Nevada in 1917</i>, <a href="https://www.howandwhys.com/">https://www.howandwhys.com</a>. Accessed online 9 December 2023.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Wikipedia</b>, <i>Creation Science</i>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creation_science">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creation_science</a>. Accessed online 11 December 2023.</span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2009, Peter Faris</div>Peter Farishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925168522417380667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7760124847746733855.post-23094933088771673492023-12-23T11:23:00.000-07:002023-12-23T11:23:58.768-07:00Merry Christmas 2023<p> </p><h2 align="center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc3300; font-family: "Bauhaus 93"; font-size: 36.0pt;">A VERY MERRY</span></h2><h2 align="center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc3300; font-family: "Bauhaus 93"; font-size: 36.0pt;"> CHRISTMAS 2023<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2 align="center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #006600; font-family: "Bauhaus 93"; font-size: 28.0pt;">FROM RockArtBlog </span></h2><p align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-3MO1Mku9upGjJrCHuVrm23mKIG8DvWtJDYrwUNJxcXtw-qRRk5W-SiaMI9ld86DnkZlTP9dfB4uqtOmc7IlD5sR4NxKrgZcGkvb1lzb3v_DFpqZGa7hRobhLjGqD1OIIRQEoTnpEZooLD0hQKL2j4b5jgJB2g-80W3HeEVuXVrcT7MZ67WYIsE6PYONF/s926/DALL%C2%B7E%202023-12-12%2012.10.24%20-%20petroglyph%20of%20a%20christmas%20tree.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="926" data-original-width="741" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-3MO1Mku9upGjJrCHuVrm23mKIG8DvWtJDYrwUNJxcXtw-qRRk5W-SiaMI9ld86DnkZlTP9dfB4uqtOmc7IlD5sR4NxKrgZcGkvb1lzb3v_DFpqZGa7hRobhLjGqD1OIIRQEoTnpEZooLD0hQKL2j4b5jgJB2g-80W3HeEVuXVrcT7MZ67WYIsE6PYONF/w357-h446/DALL%C2%B7E%202023-12-12%2012.10.24%20-%20petroglyph%20of%20a%20christmas%20tree.png" width="357" /></a></div><p></p><p align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: ""ar delaney"","serif";">Image created by DALL-E-2.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: ""ar delaney"","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 22.0pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="color: #006600; font-family: ""ar delaney"","serif"; font-size: 22.0pt;">Have
a very Merry Christmas,<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #006600; font-family: ""ar delaney"","serif"; font-size: 22.0pt;"><br /></span></b></p>
<p align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #006600; font-family: ""ar delaney"","serif"; font-size: 22.0pt;">A Happy New Year's Eve, </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 22.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #006600; font-family: ""ar delaney"","serif"; font-size: 22.0pt;"><br /></span></b></p>
<p align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #006600; font-family: ""ar delaney"","serif"; font-size: 22.0pt;">and
all the best in 2024.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2009, Peter Faris</div>Peter Farishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925168522417380667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7760124847746733855.post-40632287485277860712023-12-16T10:51:00.002-07:002023-12-16T10:51:25.044-07:00HALLEY'S COMET PICTURED IN CHACO CANYON – REVISITED:<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjedpanxjaJXX1FQ0Ef3BtKjB7KOvmWunHi3rofCfAQI7A6ZEnR6eeSXhu3evoDisbdIsZ3RgLtraqkHiZAUkm-BmAEgn2RpLOhRVv3_houKofsSWW_GxTtRR6tpZPZmqIdptzHkjn3FqvwDO0XvcAGSh-ywWUSAkb8QhcUuI5wmKtn4ZM29nRwCB2uYqHa/s990/%23391,%20Chaco%20Canyon,%20Penasco%20Blanco%20trail,%20San%20Juan%20county,%20NM,%20May%201994%20-%20CC18.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="874" data-original-width="990" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjedpanxjaJXX1FQ0Ef3BtKjB7KOvmWunHi3rofCfAQI7A6ZEnR6eeSXhu3evoDisbdIsZ3RgLtraqkHiZAUkm-BmAEgn2RpLOhRVv3_houKofsSWW_GxTtRR6tpZPZmqIdptzHkjn3FqvwDO0XvcAGSh-ywWUSAkb8QhcUuI5wmKtn4ZM29nRwCB2uYqHa/w411-h368/%23391,%20Chaco%20Canyon,%20Penasco%20Blanco%20trail,%20San%20Juan%20county,%20NM,%20May%201994%20-%20CC18.tif" width="411" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Chaco Canyon, Penasco Blanco trail, San Juan county, New Mexico. Photograph Peter Faris, May 1994.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Back on 20
November 2010 I wrote a column about a pictograph along the <span style="color: black;">Peñasco Blanco trail in Chaco Canyon. That
trail boasts the panel which has been designated to represent the AD 1054
supernova that gave us the Crab Nebula. This particular panel consists of a red
painted ten-pointed star, a crescent, and a hand print. I had visited Chaco a
few times and was fascinated by the figure below the so-called Supernova panel.
A white painted dot surrounded by two white concentric circles which I identify
as a sun sign. This is nice enough by itself but no really big deal. In a 1997
visit I noticed what looked like very faint red paint to the right of that
symbol looking somewhat like a large stylized flame. The column I wrote about
that in 2010 is reprinted below.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">“Archaeoastronomy is the study of the
astronomical knowledge of ancient peoples. Students of archaeoastonomy have
long been fascinated with the evidence for ancient astronomy found in Chaco
Canyon consisting of the Fajada Butte sun calendar and the supposed supernova
panel on Peñasco Blanco trail. High above Chaco Canyon’s Peñasco Blanco trail
can be found a panel that has often been identified as the Supernova of AD 1054
that produced the Crab Nebula. This well known panel includes a crescent moon,
a 10-pointed star which is believed to represent the supernova explosion, and a
hand print.</span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">What is not usually mentioned is that
there is more rock art at that location. Right below the supposed supernova
panel on the rock overhang, and painted in white on the face of the cliff is a
large concentric circle symbol, often identified as an Ancestral Pueblo sun
symbol. In this case, however, what appears to be a faded flame-like extension
can be seen projecting to the right from the sun symbol. This extension, which
also appears to be considerably obscured by dust, seems to combine with the sun
symbol to represent a comet. Using the large sun symbol as the head of the
comet certainly implies that it was large and bright.<br />
<br />
Chaco Canyon was a major center of Ancestral Puebloan culture between AD 900
and AD 1150. During that period Halley’s Comet appeared in AD 912, AD 989, AD
1066, and AD 1145. Elsewhere in the world the AD 1066 appearance figured as an
omen in the Norman conquest of England and, as such was also portrayed in the
Bayeux Tapestry record of Duke William’s conquest. One old written reference in
England mentions it as appearing four times as bright as Venus, and another
likened its size and brightness to that of the moon.</span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">I submit that the brightest and most
impressive of these appearances would be the obvious candidate for reproduction
above the Peñasco Blanco trail. From the information available that was
probably the AD 1066 appearance of Halley’s. The proximity of that date to that
of the supernova of AD 1054 also is suggestive of the AD 1066 appearance as we
know that someone in that location had painted an astronomical event probably
twelve years earlier. Certainly the people there at that time showed interest
in the events seen in the heavens as is proved by the Fajada Butte Sun Calendar
and the supernova panel. These clues suggest to me that the faded pictograph
below the supernova panel is a record of the AD 1066 appearance of Halley’s
Comet.”</span></i><span style="color: black;"> (Faris 2010)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWsNZoGn6gQPr_pql4x-22gcrVsB07XdhFdFLia3acy4tBP6IAaFbedTDHcvNECO7HnRvWBVViad5HYCNTxG7ZDJb9QpwWgpT7PrBT_hF_5bi_4__Jak0pE3kx8uVZFlyu2WMsvl6EJBlgkYb16GFnkISwfMkqAnh8cOproP7RXpcER0w7p2ysATr1rmB1/s2466/Field%20Sket5ch,%20Chaco%20Canyon,%20NM,%201997%20(2016_12_22%2016_15_40%20UTC).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1517" data-original-width="2466" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWsNZoGn6gQPr_pql4x-22gcrVsB07XdhFdFLia3acy4tBP6IAaFbedTDHcvNECO7HnRvWBVViad5HYCNTxG7ZDJb9QpwWgpT7PrBT_hF_5bi_4__Jak0pE3kx8uVZFlyu2WMsvl6EJBlgkYb16GFnkISwfMkqAnh8cOproP7RXpcER0w7p2ysATr1rmB1/w400-h247/Field%20Sket5ch,%20Chaco%20Canyon,%20NM,%201997%20(2016_12_22%2016_15_40%20UTC).jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Field sketch, Chaco Canyon, Penasco Blanco trail, San Juan county, New Mexico. Photograph Peter Faris, September 1997.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A bright heavenly object
with a long flame behind it must be a comet, but which one. For the reasons
outlined in the paragraphs quoted above from my 2010 column, I decided it was
very likely the AD 1066 appearance of Halley’s Comet. I studied in intently and
produced the field sketch illustrated above.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6EIZJTiJhPhRVQFvP6aashXYHpmqplhHJxd4BFAF0K661bnG105JStDRFOrmMd0jhUWhyphenhyphenFuJ1AeSdnrD17a_bEiaRHh1uRw9xMuT700hJ3RWWS5scMjEV0zI4jhkETlzhyphenhyphen7_iX6EYR29C8p9WFG_e5UWgC4q5iJUQ_PPy65OEQl5YfbVqceLlUYSEdL4J/s2048/cometBradford2_ldsBEST,%20d-stretch%20Michael%20Bradford,%20from%20Michael%20Fuller.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1233" data-original-width="2048" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6EIZJTiJhPhRVQFvP6aashXYHpmqplhHJxd4BFAF0K661bnG105JStDRFOrmMd0jhUWhyphenhyphenFuJ1AeSdnrD17a_bEiaRHh1uRw9xMuT700hJ3RWWS5scMjEV0zI4jhkETlzhyphenhyphen7_iX6EYR29C8p9WFG_e5UWgC4q5iJUQ_PPy65OEQl5YfbVqceLlUYSEdL4J/w400-h259/cometBradford2_ldsBEST,%20d-stretch%20Michael%20Bradford,%20from%20Michael%20Fuller.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Chaco Canyon, Penasco Blanco trail, San Juan county, New Mexico. D-</b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>stretch by Michael Bradford, Photograph provided by Dr. Michael Fuller.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mqZj-imVCI7oj-qtIpWr0ItXvQrg1Gu8kPqJcFLfOqweD-SkwbpZJH6q7PZKeuuYuJFOk2OlhPGIZhmkg-Xk8998zun3ekEl7tDf1mEsXhJCQAfowroOgsT52oc20n5azjdZuIcFH1BN7VZ3FUSwRgRWc_ld67VY1P9J-BUUzMtN0h_bQrZbHP5IcD5W/s713/CometMurphyBestFilterYXX,%20Meghan%20Murphy,%20from%20Michael%20Fuller%20-%20Copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="713" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mqZj-imVCI7oj-qtIpWr0ItXvQrg1Gu8kPqJcFLfOqweD-SkwbpZJH6q7PZKeuuYuJFOk2OlhPGIZhmkg-Xk8998zun3ekEl7tDf1mEsXhJCQAfowroOgsT52oc20n5azjdZuIcFH1BN7VZ3FUSwRgRWc_ld67VY1P9J-BUUzMtN0h_bQrZbHP5IcD5W/w400-h261/CometMurphyBestFilterYXX,%20Meghan%20Murphy,%20from%20Michael%20Fuller%20-%20Copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Chaco Canyon, Penasco Blanco trail, San Juan county, New Mexico. D-</b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>stretch by Meghan Murphy, Photograph provided by Dr. Michael Fuller.</b></span></div><b><br /></b></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGC_fZVBmJjPx2Mdckc6G_zGhLoc-3K7izWv4J01114Kujx5srwjPhGSVOKI7bQ58LDqudNV9NwH3488BmFssna_EwRMyr5lDJCTPabzJUMMR59DQjoxlrFeCJ82KPsEeKalK2VlYm-Gpx3PjU8eE1LnMrTuEzDUAN3BCencR5mchEY4z1lfgoa67zr-q5/s800/Supernova-Pictograph_Chaco-Canyon_Rob-Pettengill-cometlike.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGC_fZVBmJjPx2Mdckc6G_zGhLoc-3K7izWv4J01114Kujx5srwjPhGSVOKI7bQ58LDqudNV9NwH3488BmFssna_EwRMyr5lDJCTPabzJUMMR59DQjoxlrFeCJ82KPsEeKalK2VlYm-Gpx3PjU8eE1LnMrTuEzDUAN3BCencR5mchEY4z1lfgoa67zr-q5/w400-h225/Supernova-Pictograph_Chaco-Canyon_Rob-Pettengill-cometlike.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Chaco Canyon, Penasco Blanco trail, San Juan county, New Mexico. D-</b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>stretch by Rob Pettengill, Photograph provided by Dr. Michael Fuller.</b></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Since that time new
developments have given us D-Stretch technology which can be used to enhance
very faint traces of paint, and I recently received enhanced images of that
design from Dr. Michael Fuller which confirm that the faint red field is a
comet-like tail. I now have three examples produced by different people that
clearly show the tail streaming behind the head of the comet. And, although my field sketch was inaccurate, especially along the top of the comet tail, I find it hugely gratifying to
have been proven right in this instance.</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">REFERENCE:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Faris, Peter</b>, 2010, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Halley’s Comet Pictured in Chaco Canyon</i>, 20 November 2010, <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7760124847746733855/3107711045319457496">https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7760124847746733855/3107711045319457496</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2009, Peter Faris</div>Peter Farishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925168522417380667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7760124847746733855.post-55248192537519005812023-12-09T12:54:00.001-07:002023-12-09T12:54:42.535-07:00BOOK REVIEW – “COMINGS AND GOINGS: 13,000 YEARS OF MIGRATIONS IN AND AROUND ROCK ART RANCH, NORTHEASTERN ARIZONA, PARTS 1 AND 2”:<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">It has been
quite some time since RockArtBlog did a book review, but I have one for you
this week. I was recently contacted by Bill Burkett, the Series Editor
for the Arizona Archaeologist Series of volumes for the Arizona Archaeological
Society. Their newest publication, </span><i style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Comings
and Goings: 13,000 Years of Migrations In and Around Rock Art Ranch,
Northeastern Arizona” </i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">is a two volume set consisting of over 540 pages which
covers all aspects of the archeology of the place in question, including the
rock art that the ranch was named for. It is the report of archaeological
surveys and work done at Rock Art Ranch, 20 miles southeast of Winslow, Arizona
between 2010 and 2016, and it was well worth waiting for.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRbLpe3jBTLKCT2iV1MFy6teRhfj2M-q7bfU2IDSpG4AncCmSo8mph9Chjhfkw5TmtGEjU7lcFP8FNRDJFOnT_fmwrYkk9GwDRhzLy5XD5eqGbSFys7Sg5JvLfJj3ADPrTIUG8QYG6inxUT1LVjExsS9Zs2NdVkfwQGtGnbdOidqV2VEArz-X-6WAeU2ce/s3300/RAR%20FRONT%20COVER%20COLOR%20PT%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3300" data-original-width="2550" height="423" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRbLpe3jBTLKCT2iV1MFy6teRhfj2M-q7bfU2IDSpG4AncCmSo8mph9Chjhfkw5TmtGEjU7lcFP8FNRDJFOnT_fmwrYkk9GwDRhzLy5XD5eqGbSFys7Sg5JvLfJj3ADPrTIUG8QYG6inxUT1LVjExsS9Zs2NdVkfwQGtGnbdOidqV2VEArz-X-6WAeU2ce/w325-h423/RAR%20FRONT%20COVER%20COLOR%20PT%201.jpg" width="325" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Front cover of volume 1</span><i style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">, “Comings and Goings: 13,000 Years of Migrations In and Around Rock Art Ranch, Northeastern Arizona”, </i><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Arizona Archaeologist Series of volumes for the Arizona Archaeological Society.</span></span></b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The volume is
organized into five sections: background (Chapters 1 and 2), petroglyphs
(Chapters 3 and 4), survey (Chapter 5), excavations (Chapters 6 and 7), and regional
patterns (Chapters 8 to 10). Chapter 2 by Karen Adams, Susan Smith, and E.C.
Adams summarizes the geology and the natural environment of the ranch. Darlene
L. Brinkerhoff describes the petroglyphs in Chevelon Canyon in comparison to
regional styles in Chapter 3, while Mairead K. Doery focuses on a significant
central panel to imagine how it was used to manipulate social power in hunting
and gathering groups in Chapter 4. Chapter 5 takes on the task of summarizing
the data from survey to consider the striking patterns of changing land use
through time expressed through sites and objects. Chapter 6 summarizes the
excavations at Multi-Kiva Site. Chapter 7 summarizes excavations at Brandy’s
Pueblo on the ranch. These summaries include those of architecture and material
culture. The volume wraps up with three regional studies focused on the meaning
and interrelationships among clusters of pueblos (Chapter 8), projectile
points—focused on the preceramic era (Chapter 9), and ceramics (Chapter 10).
All three highlight the one constant for the region—population movement.
Chapter 11 provides some concluding thoughts and offers recommendations for
future research.” </i>(Adams 2023:18)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">While this
beautiful set does not focus primarily on rock art it has over 40 pages on the
rock art of that area, predominately in chapters 3 and 4. I have so-called rock
art books in my library that are smaller than that, and these volumes provide all
of the in-depth data that goes with the rock art to help fit it into place,
from the plant and animal resources, to cultural remains of the cultures that
created it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkZ8gLTqsimR_qY2smB8axvBwhwqdEOSysomzEvsvA1ZV9kqqp8Xe9e2VTaKyfjHMVOZ10_KECHpc_Tep6BaFV8tpFs-mr12oIh28x0vnxP3PSxaVpPdxuAbg15JzeDGmDCEH-nOuugO7nHo1AS6DZ3vx8NbPi9eF3voC5MU59sr6m-BQ4HFpufiguiwo/s1144/Fig3-2c.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1144" data-original-width="693" height="435" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkZ8gLTqsimR_qY2smB8axvBwhwqdEOSysomzEvsvA1ZV9kqqp8Xe9e2VTaKyfjHMVOZ10_KECHpc_Tep6BaFV8tpFs-mr12oIh28x0vnxP3PSxaVpPdxuAbg15JzeDGmDCEH-nOuugO7nHo1AS6DZ3vx8NbPi9eF3voC5MU59sr6m-BQ4HFpufiguiwo/w270-h435/Fig3-2c.jpg" width="270" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Figure 3.2c, Owl, Chevelon Canyon, photograph by Darlene</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Brinkerhoff ; enhanced on the photograph by</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Richard C. Lange.</b></span></div></div><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimCYC4Jcqq1ZBhqbAtdIkvari8uM2XXL_jXUoQdq2sxy8gpgkR6LPxNbRwoukcuCSTI-8TkHArzzyL0pLuPxE_ov2gk5YMppgMqx2ut09UzsH-pcRt2vDNVC7vMSd3sk81FmQaSXFnK-Zo4JrebwNRGbS1Ahjv9AazlmEE_cLFAjVtWs9a_k1YWe6UFIVR/s3888/Fig3-09b.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3888" data-original-width="2592" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimCYC4Jcqq1ZBhqbAtdIkvari8uM2XXL_jXUoQdq2sxy8gpgkR6LPxNbRwoukcuCSTI-8TkHArzzyL0pLuPxE_ov2gk5YMppgMqx2ut09UzsH-pcRt2vDNVC7vMSd3sk81FmQaSXFnK-Zo4JrebwNRGbS1Ahjv9AazlmEE_cLFAjVtWs9a_k1YWe6UFIVR/w266-h400/Fig3-09b.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Figure 3.9. </b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Basketmaker Majestic Style, Chevelon Canyon, Repatinated glyphs (photographs by Chris Rhoads).</b></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlCJL3dtFFDTDTn8eIt6w8-oDR9P92P6bpUpN1jj5D2Og8n_Cwir4kYU2QZygmhqmj_Vd8p2bR1H6ng_1YLUGk4TFDrKlIuMZ6Gao0m4KvvptDvnQXw35KXgDNKkrvYscpVwCnwYw1OI4aGVPvViqWzMqdFt2DbP0hE74zzEhBClvc2UfNANZPrD17l68T/s1712/Fig3-12.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1712" data-original-width="948" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlCJL3dtFFDTDTn8eIt6w8-oDR9P92P6bpUpN1jj5D2Og8n_Cwir4kYU2QZygmhqmj_Vd8p2bR1H6ng_1YLUGk4TFDrKlIuMZ6Gao0m4KvvptDvnQXw35KXgDNKkrvYscpVwCnwYw1OI4aGVPvViqWzMqdFt2DbP0hE74zzEhBClvc2UfNANZPrD17l68T/w258-h438/Fig3-12.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Fig. 3.12, Chevelon Canyon, Cinderella Panel, human/bearprint transformation, (photograph by Rupestrian CyberServices).</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In Chapter 3, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chevelon Canyon</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and ‘The Steps’ Petroglyph Site at Rock Art
Ranch</i>,” subtitled “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">It’s All About
Water – Life’s Blood Source</i>” (pp. 39-67) Brinkerhoff wrote an in-depth
analysis of that site.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“As non-Pueblo
observers, we continue to call these etchings “petroglyphs,” “sites,” </i><i>and other
likely inappropriate names, and can only make inferences about their meanings.
However, descendant communities offer the best interpretation of these
enigmatic images. By themselves or in combination these symbols may indicate
territory, clans, maps, food storage, water location, vision quests, hunting,
seasons, ceremonies, altars, shrines, prayers, warfare, astronomy, proper balance
in the universe, and probably metaphorical meanings. Serpents in Hopi are
believed to </i><i>bring about
renewal and fertility in nature, including rain (Parsons 1939). Water serpent
symbolism is widespread and are of religious significance in Aztec and Mayan cultures
(Figure 3.17). Many other water icons such as waves, lightning zigzags, clouds,
water birds, rake patterns, frogs and water serpents, which can be evident or
metaphysical appear to be highly represented at The Steps. What appear to be
water lines leading vertically down to the water source in various locations
are frequently deep and heavily worn. These types of petroglyphs allude to rain
and water and may </i><i>have been
invoked upon by later groups who passed this way. The physical location of the
stone images on the landscape in the canyon were no doubt crucial to the people
who made them. No doubt their placement, size, and associations were </i><i>meaningful (see
following chapter by Doery). The choice to place them in the canyon with a
permanent stream and associated plants and animals is most significant as a
referent.” </i>(Brinkerhoff
2023:65) To a certain extent the proximity of rock art to water in arid regions
is a function of the proximity of the people in those regions. We must be
careful not to overthink that relationship.</span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOA9rMwE4r_WOlvR3y0o6kEOMnV5qN_3gMlqYDrcmQKYFuW3tEW5SoI-4oPz4LkVsocRN4Q2MBVUnTHatHESgl7UuEVJuxi8iWg-xYlTsPr_n7efeOBeE9mUNrABgVoUYsgvawRGQJkY1TMLELfMByTA3tDBa89kcmYGjWtmBZMgZiHwtmNa_Cgq3Mh41O/s1576/Fig4-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1576" data-original-width="1051" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOA9rMwE4r_WOlvR3y0o6kEOMnV5qN_3gMlqYDrcmQKYFuW3tEW5SoI-4oPz4LkVsocRN4Q2MBVUnTHatHESgl7UuEVJuxi8iWg-xYlTsPr_n7efeOBeE9mUNrABgVoUYsgvawRGQJkY1TMLELfMByTA3tDBa89kcmYGjWtmBZMgZiHwtmNa_Cgq3Mh41O/w266-h400/Fig4-2.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Figure 4.2. Hidden access “steps” to the Herd panel at the Chevelon Steps; the panel is low on the cliff face to the left,</b></span></div></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And in Chapter 4, “Accessing the Audience: An
Interpretation of Panel Seven at The Steps” (pp. 69-82) by Doery offers a
detailed discussion of concealed vs. public petroglyphs.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh8qbJMCEeHNofBgsts202jEFHK_wLau_Maqrqf0evG_F6SEWJ8Md9l054PBzWpW8h72q3zP0INUUQYYffOUYxUSwO87iYuqJ4tAwzellbTOdMJc2cAOp5LuiU74zDGYLBar_WBDzIGJkXy-Ls6-4XKgRlY7xzAWU61AcGT14sk8NFek-cQmWDmDFG6FJc/s1738/Fig4-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1458" data-original-width="1738" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh8qbJMCEeHNofBgsts202jEFHK_wLau_Maqrqf0evG_F6SEWJ8Md9l054PBzWpW8h72q3zP0INUUQYYffOUYxUSwO87iYuqJ4tAwzellbTOdMJc2cAOp5LuiU74zDGYLBar_WBDzIGJkXy-Ls6-4XKgRlY7xzAWU61AcGT14sk8NFek-cQmWDmDFG6FJc/w400-h335/Fig4-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Figure 4.1. Petroglyphs from The Herd at the Chevelon Steps, some with repecking and grinding indicated by solid fill (figures not to scale).</b></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIeYkK16oWnZM3SG_gj5RCBAFF22tQa3iy0EClcZ6etAVZiq_UqMFRH4hPRVO3dW1UQePSyDHcgtgTGbMX6MyjiH-n7QbLZkByUloHloAmC89n9Mjnclj51mBMAt9nHwx45DNo3S9dwy1PYMHNu-HVWhfMLVymCogKY2kR5kDQjdbaOHz4g6JYwmKxGNHN/s1801/Fig4-4b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="1801" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIeYkK16oWnZM3SG_gj5RCBAFF22tQa3iy0EClcZ6etAVZiq_UqMFRH4hPRVO3dW1UQePSyDHcgtgTGbMX6MyjiH-n7QbLZkByUloHloAmC89n9Mjnclj51mBMAt9nHwx45DNo3S9dwy1PYMHNu-HVWhfMLVymCogKY2kR5kDQjdbaOHz4g6JYwmKxGNHN/w400-h266/Fig4-4b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Figure 4.4b. Concealed petroglyphs of The Herd, left of center, on horizontal surface.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“It is notable
that the concealed petroglyph assemblage of The Herd displays significantly
greater amounts of spiritual iconography than is found in the panel’s more
visible areas. Geometric figures like those described above and sexed/gendered
anthropomorphic figures are more common among the group of </span></i><i style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">concealed
assemblages—those that publicity analysis indicates required more power to
view. It has long been established that landscapes containing watersheds, from
which they first emerged, hold religious significance for the Hopi (Eggan 1994;
Fewkes 1906). Given that a higher degree of geometric water signs and other
forms of spiritual iconography are found in the concealed assemblage of this
central panel, it is possible that The Herd plays a spiritual role in the lives
of not only its canyon-wide audience, but its elite creators and modifiers.”</i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> (Doery 2023:81) Doery concluded that the petroglyphs
designated “The Herd” and others in concealed locations were placed in those
sites for spiritual purposes. Doery described the location of ‘The Herd’ panel
as being placed in a</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> difficult location.</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"> </span><i style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">“Though
all those with the ability to enter the canyon may have been able to view The
Herd, accessing the panel was a much more restricted task. Given its
extraordinarily high placement on the canyon walls, I faced initial difficulty in
determining how The Herd’s creators (both those who made the petroglyphs, and
those who repecked them) would have reached the panel.”</i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">(Doery 2023:72-3)
It sounds to me as if ‘The Herd’ panel is not so much concealed as it would be
apparently inaccessible.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In Chapter 11, “Summary and Conclusions,” (pp.
490-506) E. Charles Adams wrote a summation of the results of the ‘Petroglyph
Project’ portion of the overall study.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“With support
and permission from Brantley Baird additional research was conducted at The
Steps Petroglyph site in 2018 a part of master’s thesis research by Mairead
Poulin (Doery); (Poulin 2019). Results are summarized in Chapter 4. Her
analysis supports the argument that access to the canyon and certain panels was
restricted by leaders and/or religious specialists. This supports Brinkerhoff’s
(Chapter 3) overview of the glyph styles and </i><i>11: Summary and Conclusions 505 </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">distributions
among nearly 3500 documented glyphs. Certainly, the breadth of elements,
styles, contexts, and associations have only just begun to be explored. And
beyond The Steps are many other petroglyph sites in the middle LCR in addition
to intriguing relationships with sites in the Glen Canyon region of the
Utah/Arizona border (McNeil and Shaul 2018).”</i> (Adams 2013:504-5)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I love these volumes that analyze a culture in-depth,
including the rock art. It allows us to forge a much deeper understanding of
the culture and individuals that produced the rock art, and puts it in a
detailed context. A high quality archaeological study that includes a look at
the rock art. Congratulations to all persons involved in this magnificent
effort.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This volume is available for purchase on Amazon. You can view it at </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Comings-Goings-Migrations-Northeastern-Arizona/dp/B0CCZWS1CH/ref=pd_vtp_h_pd_vtp_h_sccl_2/137-4279999-8817434?pd_rd_w=3eqaw&content-id=amzn1.sym.e16c7d1a-0497-4008-b7be-636e59b1dfaf&pf_rd_p=e16c7d1a-0497-4008-b7be-636e59b1dfaf&pf_rd_r=1T6DMPZWM7S8PXB3TPE2&pd_rd_wg=N7Tw7&pd_rd_r=532dc541-498b-4cc1-96fa-5dc339fe4481&pd_rd_i=B0CCZWS1CH&psc=1" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; color: #338fe9;">https://www.amazon.com/Comings-Goings-Migrations-Northeastern-Arizona/dp/B0CCZWS1CH/ref=pd_vtp_h_pd_vtp_h_sccl_2/137-4279999-8817434?pd_rd_w=3eqaw&content-id=amzn1.sym.e16c7d1a-0497-4008-b7be-636e59b1dfaf&pf_rd_p=e16c7d1a-0497-4008-b7be-636e59b1dfaf&pf_rd_r=1T6DMPZWM7S8PXB3TPE2&pd_rd_wg=N7Tw7&pd_rd_r=532dc541-498b-4cc1-96fa-5dc339fe4481&pd_rd_i=B0CCZWS1CH&psc=1</span></a><span style="background: white; color: #1f497d; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">NOTE:</b> I have not included citations to secondary sources in
my Reference listing below. For the actual sources I suggest you access the
volumes being herein reviewed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">REFERENCE:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Adams, E. Charles and Richard C.
Lange (Editors)</span></b><span style="font-size: medium;">,
2023, <i>Comings and Goings: 13,000 Years of
Migrations In and Around Rock Art Ranch, Northeastern Arizona, Parts 1 and 2
(Color edition), </i>Arizona Archaeological Society, Number 45, 541 pages.</span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2009, Peter Faris</div>Peter Farishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925168522417380667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7760124847746733855.post-44931232081234561652023-12-02T12:25:00.000-07:002023-12-02T12:25:13.423-07:00ARE THERE IMAGES OF SUPERNOVAS IN ROCK ART?<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUhiUqkXAa-fMVrck3btbhTlRfeYoy6ndRnnbGTiTgTgStFz6jEo88L3wMWA2Rd5j07ICFq2lkQi_xB47xFaNRZMgcsDB0Q0obQEQTrU_bF5K15MBaM6gYQZt2-jqMDwacy21EEKjG6Ukfg8rbnnCbxDsaGC87NIuxGDT_1PBFjGx1JcA4mnKfNZXs_N2a/s2079/%23391,%20Chaco%20Canyon,%20Penasco%20Blanco%20trail,%20San%20Juan%20county,%20NM,%20May%201994%20-%20CC22.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1448" data-original-width="2079" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUhiUqkXAa-fMVrck3btbhTlRfeYoy6ndRnnbGTiTgTgStFz6jEo88L3wMWA2Rd5j07ICFq2lkQi_xB47xFaNRZMgcsDB0Q0obQEQTrU_bF5K15MBaM6gYQZt2-jqMDwacy21EEKjG6Ukfg8rbnnCbxDsaGC87NIuxGDT_1PBFjGx1JcA4mnKfNZXs_N2a/w400-h279/%23391,%20Chaco%20Canyon,%20Penasco%20Blanco%20trail,%20San%20Juan%20county,%20NM,%20May%201994%20-%20CC22.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Chaco Canyon, Penasco Blanco trail, San Juan county, New Mexico. Photograph Peter Faris, May 1994.</span></b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Everyone who is interested in
archeoastronomy knows about the proposed pictographic record of the supernova
of A.D. 1054 in Chaco Canyon. The triad of the handprint, starburst, and what
is assumed to be a crescent moon have become famous. These claims have even
proliferated. A number of other combinations of crescents and what might
represent stars in the American West have been declared to be records of that
supernova.</span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDek0GDglAW-yel1VCIc07GqI3Yc0B9oHeBrUkw4QqPg7dgzDxsFdWUpv2y7ZopUM_K3StS9sLIpwxd9EEGE1qDOXWdOTNv1yhwq8eLUD5FG7SwTQeVHWigBsIWpHnYsxc5AOnJOSXUHcOwaCIoCzEONLtXI2X_sifpb9vYqWrIuJ7OoC-BH-LmCI5JXWc/s949/Arroyo%20del%20Parral,%20Crosby,%20p.%2036.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="949" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDek0GDglAW-yel1VCIc07GqI3Yc0B9oHeBrUkw4QqPg7dgzDxsFdWUpv2y7ZopUM_K3StS9sLIpwxd9EEGE1qDOXWdOTNv1yhwq8eLUD5FG7SwTQeVHWigBsIWpHnYsxc5AOnJOSXUHcOwaCIoCzEONLtXI2X_sifpb9vYqWrIuJ7OoC-BH-LmCI5JXWc/w400-h256/Arroyo%20del%20Parral,%20Crosby,%20p.%2036.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Crescent and Sun, Arroyo del Parral, Crosby, Baja California. From The Cave Paintings of Baja California, Harry W. Crosby, 1984, p. 36, Copley Press, La Jolla, CA.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In 2015, astronomer E.C. Krupp wrote <i>"Star and crescent combinations in rock art in the American Southwest were first interpreted in 1955 as eyewitness depictions of the 1054 AD Supernova explosion that produced the Crab nebula. While the Crab nebula is visible only telescopically, the event that generated it was brilliant, and for a time only the Sun and Moon were brighter. Additional Crab supernova candidates in California and Southwestern rock art were suggested 20 years later, and they included Chaco Canyon's Penasco Blanco pictograph panel, which became the poster child for Crab supernova rock art and is now called 'Supernova' on signage at the site. By 1979, a list of 21 Crab supernova rock art sites was assembled, and the inventory has continued to expand more slowly since then."</i> (Krupp (A) 2015:167)</span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCZByhKrfBiw0hh-0c2KyLkYNhdIHTNB__VQGKKPCEQ2cGTHg_LWLiI1YmOiZ9WTXd1qIx4V5Kkgoz0KCUZlrCvyWm1CEYrNSYQxIsaZjrOUhi1JU17WI2j3MfYxT4V3oLV_96ZKc7B_59Y-Mg8_9loWlBAu5XbUBY9jv18a2PwDeTT6fJKeZNZC4NMaU-/s2545/Crosby,%20p.%20227.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="847" data-original-width="2545" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCZByhKrfBiw0hh-0c2KyLkYNhdIHTNB__VQGKKPCEQ2cGTHg_LWLiI1YmOiZ9WTXd1qIx4V5Kkgoz0KCUZlrCvyWm1CEYrNSYQxIsaZjrOUhi1JU17WI2j3MfYxT4V3oLV_96ZKc7B_59Y-Mg8_9loWlBAu5XbUBY9jv18a2PwDeTT6fJKeZNZC4NMaU-/w400-h133/Crosby,%20p.%20227.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span><b>Possible representations of the AD 1054 supernova. Left to right: El Parral, Baja California; White Mesa, Arizona; Navajo Canyon, Arizona; Chaco Canyon, New Mexico; f</b></span><b>rom "<i>The Cave Paintings of Baja California</i>", Harry W. Crosby, 1997, p. 227, Sunbelt Publications, San Diego, CA.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">And in a
second piece in 2015 Krupp wrote - </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: AdvP6975; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">“Astronomical studies of rock art began in
the American Southwest, in 1955. William C. Miller, a staff member at Mount
Wilson and Palomar observatories, initiated this research with a report on the
pairing of a “star” symbol with a crescent at two different rock art sites in
northern Arizona. He also suggested both panels might depict the Crab supernova
of 1054 AD, a conspicuous event which was recorded at the time by official
astronomers in China and Japan. Miller’s work was never forgotten by the
astronomers, but astronomical interpretation of rock art went dormant until the
1970s, when additional examples of star/crescent combinations in California and
Southwest rock art were noticed. In 1972, paintings of a “star” and crescent
were reported from Fern Cave in Lava Beds National Monument, in northeast
California, and a year later, the star and crescent on an overhang at Penasco
Blanco in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, captured attention. In June, 1973, at a conference
in Mexico City, a group of eight investigators discussed five different
supernova rock art sites and mentioned the possibility of two others in the
first survey of supernova rock art. Two years later, astronomers John C. Brandt
and Ray A. Williamson confirmed the two provisional sites and added six more.
At the same symposium, Dorothy Mayer, a rock art researcher, discussed more
than a dozen sites in California and Nevada and judged that four might
represent the Crab supernova. By 1979, a new review listed 19 possible
supernova depictions in rock art. By 2005, however, detailed, disciplined
review demonstrated some of the classic examples could not possibly represent
the Crab supernova. It was also clear no one knew the locations of the two
original “supernova” sites and that no one had seen them since Miller described
them. When the two sites were finally recovered and reappraised, it was evident
the supernova interpretation at both sites is compromised, and ongoing scrutiny
of the other canonical star/crescent rock art panels may now result in a
complete reassessment of the supernova record in Southwest rock art.” </span></i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">(Krupp (B) 2015:594-5) <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQWEyPbA3hFjYMZOb2WZzD-uTVs_5SUFDjsIfgJuh-ih5jdiI6anSOmc2ufrdoSywy4lxXco8-ahAyKISd7NCMASta6YLdTYUejIMPra5vzQnVbfQiSKZUkK5MQ5hyphenhyphen-ff5FeessGO2XRVfQO1oDKGIHXO3GVIn9qyullauVlPNEilRnG8LuvrqjaYmUTS/s783/Krupp,%20Fig.%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="783" data-original-width="563" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQWEyPbA3hFjYMZOb2WZzD-uTVs_5SUFDjsIfgJuh-ih5jdiI6anSOmc2ufrdoSywy4lxXco8-ahAyKISd7NCMASta6YLdTYUejIMPra5vzQnVbfQiSKZUkK5MQ5hyphenhyphen-ff5FeessGO2XRVfQO1oDKGIHXO3GVIn9qyullauVlPNEilRnG8LuvrqjaYmUTS/w288-h400/Krupp,%20Fig.%202.png" width="288" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Navajo Canyon (actually Binne Etteni Canyon) Arizona. From Krupp (A), 2015, Figure 2.</b></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif""><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It has
gotten to the point where every crescent in rock art that is accompanied by
another object is branded the A.D. 1054 supernova. Probably the most important
question we have to ask is “what would a supernova look like to an ancient
naked-eye observer, and how would they draw it?” I have never seen a supernova
so I do not know what it would really look like.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj79IDkO0uBiapqhyyTZNRd3xV7nFbzTATNFFmIm12PUWKpDh04_ZpjK4YyNtIkoAvkkpAijQUXBTgPq3mmnAa4lvTAS00iM1KvNfvt7JMTtFg5NMnLXGQqF0n-PlrrYFzgiI4ZncZKifRS2Cmfi_AqmCNLQdNro9JNJIoVbKo_E3HmG2zxEpnpWo5IJWyw/s850/Krupp%20Fig.%201%20-%20The-supernova-pictograph-at-White-Mesa-Arizona.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="850" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj79IDkO0uBiapqhyyTZNRd3xV7nFbzTATNFFmIm12PUWKpDh04_ZpjK4YyNtIkoAvkkpAijQUXBTgPq3mmnAa4lvTAS00iM1KvNfvt7JMTtFg5NMnLXGQqF0n-PlrrYFzgiI4ZncZKifRS2Cmfi_AqmCNLQdNro9JNJIoVbKo_E3HmG2zxEpnpWo5IJWyw/w400-h211/Krupp%20Fig.%201%20-%20The-supernova-pictograph-at-White-Mesa-Arizona.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">White Mesa, Arizona. From Krupp (A), 2015, Figure 1.</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-family: verdana;">Virtually
all descriptions of the event go something like the following. </span><i style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: #151515; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Chinese astronomers noticed the
sudden appearance of a star blazing in the daytime sky on July 4, 1054 CE.
It likely outshone the brightest planet, Venus, and was temporarily the 3rd-brightest
object in the sky, after the sun and moon. This “guest star” – the exploding
supernova – remained visible in daylight for some 23 days. At night it shone
near Tianguan – a star we now call Zeta Tauri, in the constellation of the
Taurus the Bull – for nearly two years. Then it faded from view.” </span></i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: #151515; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">(Sessions and Gonzaga 2023)</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_nIvFopmzbWQu4IZPn8fYQmuUBg58tdbxGJVDqKBiMgCKP0DMAua5s2V2oGh1J__NWxalZhwg8Okf97LRf5cbudlMUGEa4qZ-uSpPbfqZMsHuFEVEZHpA_Iq2LKN4rMTKk7alSbuAyK4gLsRpkMwHusTybsa19gzbyvsyhbMll1lzeq7yAp1b3XfnM-rs/s960/cba95ed161ce4dccbb96d31559e54dd0.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="960" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_nIvFopmzbWQu4IZPn8fYQmuUBg58tdbxGJVDqKBiMgCKP0DMAua5s2V2oGh1J__NWxalZhwg8Okf97LRf5cbudlMUGEa4qZ-uSpPbfqZMsHuFEVEZHpA_Iq2LKN4rMTKk7alSbuAyK4gLsRpkMwHusTybsa19gzbyvsyhbMll1lzeq7yAp1b3XfnM-rs/w400-h315/cba95ed161ce4dccbb96d31559e54dd0.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Supernova explosion. Internet image, public domain.</b></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">The
speculation then continues, usually starting with the panel from the Penasco
Blanco trail in Chaco Canyon. </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: #151515; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“The ancestral puebloan people in the American Southwest
may have viewed the bright new star in 1054. Also, a crescent moon was in
the sky near the new star on the morning of July 5, the day following the
observations by the Chinese. So the pictograph below, from Chaco Canyon in New
Mexico, may depict the event. And the multi-spiked star to the left represents
the supernova near the crescent moon. Furthermore, the handprint above may
signify the importance of the event or may be the artist’s ‘signature.’”</span></i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: #151515; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> (Sessions and Gonzaga 2023)</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4mddAY3rmAR77AUalOkpFbiYGvgd0NxsBnfGe1NomdvC844GzbZFFaoouaQSd7rQ5dmkIzZbwLnE11GlzTHj_kXQSWGzsS1HEfRQxF4Fd4yPCn1Amdc4_z9i-BIIUghAJpP4n_eYdpzCpEtsEwtQc3DRr40nUxvWKdSR9rKX6quQKRq_CkC5CsNBY_xX/s397/High%20Altitude%20Observatory,%20public%20domain.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="397" data-original-width="389" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4mddAY3rmAR77AUalOkpFbiYGvgd0NxsBnfGe1NomdvC844GzbZFFaoouaQSd7rQ5dmkIzZbwLnE11GlzTHj_kXQSWGzsS1HEfRQxF4Fd4yPCn1Amdc4_z9i-BIIUghAJpP4n_eYdpzCpEtsEwtQc3DRr40nUxvWKdSR9rKX6quQKRq_CkC5CsNBY_xX/w393-h400/High%20Altitude%20Observatory,%20public%20domain.png" width="393" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Petroglyph originally designated an eclipse. I suggest it as a much better candidate for the AD 1054 Supernova. Photograph High Altitude Observatory, public domain.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: #151515; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I would like to nominate another candidate for the
supernova of A.D. 1054. Also found in Chaco Canyon, it has been designated as a
solar eclipse in the past, but, as I have written before, a total solar eclipse
should not have the center pecked out like this, it should be a ring of light
showing prominences. This petroglyph seems to me to be a much better candidate
for early stages of an exploding supernova. There are any number of public
domain photographs on the internet of supernovas in their various stages, and
some of them look very much like the Chaco Canyon petroglyph in question. Can I
prove any of this? No, I cannot – but I submit it makes a certain amount of
sense.<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black;">NOTES:</span></b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: black;"> Some images in this
posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain
photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public domain, I
apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will
contact me with them. For further information on these claims you should read
the Krupp’s excellent reports listed below.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif""><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">REFERENCES:</span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">Krupp, Edwin C. (A)</span></b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">, 2015, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Crab Supernova Rock Art: A Comprehensive, Critical, and Definitive
Review</i>, August 2015, Journal of Skyscape Archeology 1(2), 167-197.
DOI:10.1558/jsa.v1i2.28255.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">Krupp, Edwin C</span></b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">(B)</b>, 2015, Rock Art of the Greater Southwest, pp. 593-606, in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and
Ethnoastronomy</i>, edited by Ruggles, Clive L. N., Springer Company, New York</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif""><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sessions, Larry, and Shireen Gonzaga</span></span></b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif""><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">, 2023, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Meet the Crab Nebula, remnant of an exploding star</i>, 15 January
2023, <a href="https://earthsky.org/">https://earthsky.org</a>. Accessed online
21 October 2023.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2009, Peter Faris</div>Peter Farishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925168522417380667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7760124847746733855.post-90253637779405914552023-11-25T17:39:00.001-07:002023-11-25T17:39:39.112-07:00ARE THERE PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSES IN ROCK ART?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5mSIpq4kDya4-DasJoNtMUc_FCFlBmdZdTuW7Wf2pI4SbxfWaXk4hONW9gC9uUWteAWk7vbObRKMisJ7jLKo3AOAx_A39aPEwG4QygtJOut2g2gvy4A26YitXgGWZoHPmLMahizb4CgIZEp9z4ckcHNNANlsyGty2TFA1VXQ737G0uSIsIFD-qZdn5GHu/s1600/a-view-of-the-partial-phase-of-the-oct-14-solar-eclipse-v0-mxns1xheg8ub1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5mSIpq4kDya4-DasJoNtMUc_FCFlBmdZdTuW7Wf2pI4SbxfWaXk4hONW9gC9uUWteAWk7vbObRKMisJ7jLKo3AOAx_A39aPEwG4QygtJOut2g2gvy4A26YitXgGWZoHPmLMahizb4CgIZEp9z4ckcHNNANlsyGty2TFA1VXQ737G0uSIsIFD-qZdn5GHu/w400-h300/a-view-of-the-partial-phase-of-the-oct-14-solar-eclipse-v0-mxns1xheg8ub1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Partial solar eclipse, 14 October 2023. Internet photograph, public domain.</b></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I am
writing this a little over a month after viewing the solar eclipse of 14 October 2023. Where I
live the moon had covered 75-80 percent of the sun. During that viewing I tried
to see if I could make out the partially obscured sun with my naked eyes – the
answer is no. Even with that much of the sun obscured the remainder is so bright
that it is all that you see - no shape, just bright light. This brought me to the question are there partial
eclipses in rock art? My first reaction to this question would be no. The
creators of the rock art would not have had the special glasses that are
required to look at an eclipse without damaging your eyes.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I have,
however, come up with one situation which I believe might let one see a partial
eclipse without any accessories. A cloud cover of just the right density should
block enough of the light allowing a viewer to see the partial eclipsing
of the sun. So, perhaps there are some images of partial eclipses after all.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And even if
there were pictographs and petroglyphs of a partial eclipse how would we know
it? If it existed it would be a crescent image and crescents have always been
identified as lunar symbols in rock art studies. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We know
that indigenous cultures knew of eclipses and had their explanations for what they
were, and what they portended.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In North
America, the Nootkans of Vancouver Island had their own explanation for
eclipses. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"The Nootkans saw evidence
of spirits everywhere. They often prayed for power to the Four Chiefs of Above,
Horizon, Land, and undersea. In a pleasant sky country was ka-u-c, the supreme
controller of primary resources communicated with by chiefs only. Moon and Sun,
husband and wife, were the highest powers for most, prayed to for food and
luck, especially Moon. Swallowing of either by a great Sky Codfish caused
eclipses. The Thunderbird's flapping wings made thunder, and lightning flashes
were feathered serpents, his dogs."</i> (Arima and Dewhirst 1990:404) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">They refer
to “swallowing of either by a great Sky Codfish.” Presumably, a partial eclipse
would be seen as the great Sky Codfish taking bites out of the Sun or Moon.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23NsHYGWEy_1ucp1mBlXKVVM9_ZvHCTVmc8mPpz4SqZjiAQI8inzd0woW0rnYtG86eQJ5rjqKp6njlZ92nvmGb-wxhv2zcPCyshnH3nTxly8cqEOtGP3WGfRctTckeyBWtUi_MSvAVSElUMDliP5b4iI1RSeO4FTRZvvdgKRIwY0iyN2sw89sFlNG1dJa/s529/Love,%202017,%20Mayan%20Eclipse%20Glyphs,%20A-F%20Dresden%20Codex%20-%20Copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="529" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23NsHYGWEy_1ucp1mBlXKVVM9_ZvHCTVmc8mPpz4SqZjiAQI8inzd0woW0rnYtG86eQJ5rjqKp6njlZ92nvmGb-wxhv2zcPCyshnH3nTxly8cqEOtGP3WGfRctTckeyBWtUi_MSvAVSElUMDliP5b4iI1RSeO4FTRZvvdgKRIwY0iyN2sw89sFlNG1dJa/s320/Love,%202017,%20Mayan%20Eclipse%20Glyphs,%20A-F%20Dresden%20Codex%20-%20Copy.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Mayan Eclipse Glyph. Image from Bruce Love, 2017.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In 2017,
Love produced a paper on the Mayan “eclipse glyph” in which he gave examples
from various codices, arguing that the so-called “eclipse glyph” only
represents a real eclipse in the Dresden Codex and illustrated six examples of
these. He did not, however, refer to any of them as partial eclipses. I have
not seen any examples of these carved or painted on rock, but they might exist.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUXLHigIA3iAjsG1XYliqwZ9eK2mtj6rya4WGtUmL9RG5Nl_xrwLxEQsjs7AIKn1CITTBxEy9XaY8aEEPLcvDJluqwsrPaTdlYZZteyOxW_9CDemYYI2xAi0yw18HUoVfyOj14fjgk-RtvGgkPIjpI1oZxf9n2yvQ-95DuxQ70nPfWkt8x65lNYcWRvfXF/s248/Eclipse%20symbol,%20Suarez%20and%20Garcia-Acosta,%20Fig.%207,%20p.%205.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="182" data-original-width="248" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUXLHigIA3iAjsG1XYliqwZ9eK2mtj6rya4WGtUmL9RG5Nl_xrwLxEQsjs7AIKn1CITTBxEy9XaY8aEEPLcvDJluqwsrPaTdlYZZteyOxW_9CDemYYI2xAi0yw18HUoVfyOj14fjgk-RtvGgkPIjpI1oZxf9n2yvQ-95DuxQ70nPfWkt8x65lNYcWRvfXF/w261-h197/Eclipse%20symbol,%20Suarez%20and%20Garcia-Acosta,%20Fig.%207,%20p.%205.jpg" width="261" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Aztec eclipse symbol, </b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Suarez and Garcia-Acosta,</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>2021, Fig. 7, p. 5.</b></span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBmu-EStynAiv00dxjLzFAl_3kn16ACWQzT1-DymNuOEvccK9pDv5LxYiQEO1Kvd06TwQKS9o7JnxXolFmdSEM-FHfiNtBsoGFtzZqRo0f0biEygY9rgqcGneoiuZiKP3SvRdvzjFRtvXhQXY0ZXh6U1glxeUHVByjnFLyKBGqdk82Vh4SOwJR6Z4Po9WG/s344/Eclipse%20symbol,%20Suarez%20and%20Garcia-Acosta,%20Fig.%205,%20p.%204.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="344" data-original-width="315" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBmu-EStynAiv00dxjLzFAl_3kn16ACWQzT1-DymNuOEvccK9pDv5LxYiQEO1Kvd06TwQKS9o7JnxXolFmdSEM-FHfiNtBsoGFtzZqRo0f0biEygY9rgqcGneoiuZiKP3SvRdvzjFRtvXhQXY0ZXh6U1glxeUHVByjnFLyKBGqdk82Vh4SOwJR6Z4Po9WG/w256-h246/Eclipse%20symbol,%20Suarez%20and%20Garcia-Acosta,%20Fig.%205,%20p.%204.jpg" width="256" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Aztec eclipse symbol, </b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Suarez and Garcia-Acosta,</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>2021, Fig. 5, p. 4.</b></span></div></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In 2021, Suarez
and Garcia-Acosta wrote about earthquake records in the Aztec codex
Telleriano-Remensis which also included a couple of illustrations of symbols
that they identified as eclipse symbols. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The
Codex Telleriano-Remensis, produced in sixteenth century Mexico on European paper,
is one of the finest surviving examples of Aztec manuscript painting. It holds
the earliest written evidence of earthquakes in the Americas. Its Latinized
name comes from Charles-Maurice Le Tellier, archbishop of Reims, who had
possession of the manuscript in the late 17<sup>th</sup> century. The Codex is
held at the Bibliotheaaue national de France in Paris. The Codex
Telleriano-Remensis is divided into three sections. The first section, spanning
the first seven pages, describes the 365-day solar calendar, called the
xiuhpohualli. The second section, spanning pages 8 to 24, is a tonalamatl,
describing the 260-day tonalpohualli calendar. The third section is a history,
itself divided into two sections which differ stylistically. Pages 25 to 28 are
an account of migrations during the 12<sup>th</sup> and 13<sup>th</sup>
centuries, while the remaining pages of the codex record historical events,
such as the ascensions and deaths or rulers, battles, earthquakes, and
eclipses, from the 14<sup>th</sup> century to the 16<sup>th</sup> century,
including events of early Colonial Mexico.”</i> (Wikipedia) This is another one to look for on the rocks.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So,
obviously my original assumption is wrong. If the Aztecs could record partial
eclipses in their Codeci, there may well be many other records going
unrecognized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the Codex
Telleriano-Remensis is drawn on paper, not stone, it proves that indigenous
populations of the New World knew of partial solar eclipses, so yes, it is
possible that some of them are recorded on stone in rock art. This may mean
that some of the so-called lunar crescents on the rocks are actually meant to
record a partial solar eclipse.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DNEadRc3YJLy4FZ-u92QQE1aEK2B-R4DYE3LSF-aY8IoXYJ7uEJHyvOFWIsifyRFK7LMf_6EJr3EOjm-AzUKptr77965U1Y3PVjLOwaIw-biZxAeCqf1lUWgTgYAC0UVxEq1mg13FbI7Yr0Zj38YfU71NY1Z_op1HHzwbCvwsUun1lvfIW8FtvmxT_sW/s1315/Fern%20Cave,%20Lava%20Beds%20Nat.%20Mon..jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="1315" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DNEadRc3YJLy4FZ-u92QQE1aEK2B-R4DYE3LSF-aY8IoXYJ7uEJHyvOFWIsifyRFK7LMf_6EJr3EOjm-AzUKptr77965U1Y3PVjLOwaIw-biZxAeCqf1lUWgTgYAC0UVxEq1mg13FbI7Yr0Zj38YfU71NY1Z_op1HHzwbCvwsUun1lvfIW8FtvmxT_sW/w400-h266/Fern%20Cave,%20Lava%20Beds%20Nat.%20Mon..jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Fern Cave, Lava Beds National Monument. Photograph from Armitage et al., 1997.</b></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">One well
known example comes from Fern Cave in Lava Beds National Monument in
northeastern California. This panel has the dubious distinction of having been
branded a record of the A.D. 1054 Supernova which gave us the Crab Nebula. This
explanation has proliferated to the point that virtually any rock art that
includes a crescent and another spot, circle, or anything that can be believed
to represent a star has by now been so branded.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpF6nraZARNc2ZwVR-7rAlg3DBKP9jYn2Y4bH73ljzv4I1JHqJRQ1_6RTW0kMzDu3-YjVNIKt8yienMYhS7wYILLbjvQiPXGwbqLUEdYAYoFKphDOzt4PnhCB412etOkc3otUODBaWg6E281ERVB7b-ar7VDFGh-7ZLt7jest0Vn8GbMgWO8gSTI2j4x28/s800/Anasazi_Supernova_Petrographs-WIKIMEDIA.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="800" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpF6nraZARNc2ZwVR-7rAlg3DBKP9jYn2Y4bH73ljzv4I1JHqJRQ1_6RTW0kMzDu3-YjVNIKt8yienMYhS7wYILLbjvQiPXGwbqLUEdYAYoFKphDOzt4PnhCB412etOkc3otUODBaWg6E281ERVB7b-ar7VDFGh-7ZLt7jest0Vn8GbMgWO8gSTI2j4x28/w400-h263/Anasazi_Supernova_Petrographs-WIKIMEDIA.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Penasco Blanco trail, Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. Photograph from Wikimedia.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The most
famous example of this is the panel from the Penasco Blanco trail in Chaco
Canyon, New Mexico. But is this a supernova, the moon, or a partial eclipsed?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjea9UfqXuEKFXtiwLDvShbnv7dCtEejUdmNIGk_JfS6ORsvaw3Jii_jI7l3R4Kvvae6boTCdg9uXnh8WtMWQbX8baiu9wyQ4iaDpnjSOE6k9Bj9-QL6QrdNKvOpzSETk-kifQqHalYevJ-wXlwThz2BrX6ZPT55RSiJAFV8bQvddzWLhWDOdvN7y8dBzlh/s1427/Buffalo%20Rock%20site,%20Southern%20Illinois,%20Mark%20J.%20Wagner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="777" data-original-width="1427" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjea9UfqXuEKFXtiwLDvShbnv7dCtEejUdmNIGk_JfS6ORsvaw3Jii_jI7l3R4Kvvae6boTCdg9uXnh8WtMWQbX8baiu9wyQ4iaDpnjSOE6k9Bj9-QL6QrdNKvOpzSETk-kifQqHalYevJ-wXlwThz2BrX6ZPT55RSiJAFV8bQvddzWLhWDOdvN7y8dBzlh/w335-h178/Buffalo%20Rock%20site,%20Southern%20Illinois,%20Mark%20J.%20Wagner.jpg" width="335" /></a></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Buffalo Rock State Park, southern Illinois. Photograph</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> by Mark J. Wagner.</b></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVT6bnNZr7Ayb4jZ9Rum2q82CW0SX3MQHn5c5j1QJXoAzQyZYBs_x3hMU1k8Oq4tZf3QXz9rZ2XsmiitevWVI5QKi7HI-kKtIb5uBYG_L4Yv_tcnT6OdQZKXZFIF7p6wKABgpnl3blNXIV4ARGUbt_FiZ93hQCrwmpbPjABv2I6DinBAE0sTKwbFh62r2k/s1108/Buffalo%20Rock,%20southern%20Illinois,%20Mark%20J.%20Wagner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="717" data-original-width="1108" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVT6bnNZr7Ayb4jZ9Rum2q82CW0SX3MQHn5c5j1QJXoAzQyZYBs_x3hMU1k8Oq4tZf3QXz9rZ2XsmiitevWVI5QKi7HI-kKtIb5uBYG_L4Yv_tcnT6OdQZKXZFIF7p6wKABgpnl3blNXIV4ARGUbt_FiZ93hQCrwmpbPjABv2I6DinBAE0sTKwbFh62r2k/w400-h259/Buffalo%20Rock,%20southern%20Illinois,%20Mark%20J.%20Wagner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Buffalo Rock State Park, southern Illinois. Photograph</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"> by Mark J. Wagner.</span></b></div></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A couple
from Buffalo Rock State Park in southern Illinois.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_sQH6kQlhKG8DwvrWq5bBPBrf-rHo183hP1N6OFuUCJXuLUvqYdFGQ_7wLageJ4DmnrjXXE-nHN8Tu7pm9bGPTO9cZLgsjRsv_4x3sC0BUkgweaLczMzYmYJGC6nyJLw6jNmMH8CGSIKA9wEMufjKjFVfp34BE-YpTHsDJd8cIbTjA_QXnmo4iFmhaybP/s1098/Fountain%20Bluff%20site,%20southern%20Illinois,%20Mark%20J.%20Wagner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="1098" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_sQH6kQlhKG8DwvrWq5bBPBrf-rHo183hP1N6OFuUCJXuLUvqYdFGQ_7wLageJ4DmnrjXXE-nHN8Tu7pm9bGPTO9cZLgsjRsv_4x3sC0BUkgweaLczMzYmYJGC6nyJLw6jNmMH8CGSIKA9wEMufjKjFVfp34BE-YpTHsDJd8cIbTjA_QXnmo4iFmhaybP/w400-h329/Fountain%20Bluff%20site,%20southern%20Illinois,%20Mark%20J.%20Wagner.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Fountain Bluff site, southern Illinois. Photograph</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"> by Mark J. Wagner.</span></b></div></div></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And one
from the Fountain Bluff site, also in southern Illinois.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsOleYP3bq7qiWaKCR0sFPIWwAMlQxcmguFBKGn9iNC5rLzMxqgirhsR5zdRkWaIVWzR098xSTHGgmzeoT_1IgnmsUL2Pkd3MHh0Yak0bO2wigvyYPU3_3PZb7UHY4hAsLpE0EBhF_zKEe_pfPHH_-ZSzm9FKxlQTgAJZLqhdNEE84bQJxbJCJCp7Itbm/s1022/wisconsin-roche-a-cri-state-park-petroglyphs.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="1022" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsOleYP3bq7qiWaKCR0sFPIWwAMlQxcmguFBKGn9iNC5rLzMxqgirhsR5zdRkWaIVWzR098xSTHGgmzeoT_1IgnmsUL2Pkd3MHh0Yak0bO2wigvyYPU3_3PZb7UHY4hAsLpE0EBhF_zKEe_pfPHH_-ZSzm9FKxlQTgAJZLqhdNEE84bQJxbJCJCp7Itbm/w400-h180/wisconsin-roche-a-cri-state-park-petroglyphs.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Roche a Cri State Park, Wisconsin. Internet image, public domain.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I have
included a few examples of crescents in rock art. There are countless others,
you probably know of many as well. Are these the crescent moon or are a few of them partial eclipses? I cannot say, but alternative possibilities should be kept
in mind.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">NOTE:</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana;"> Some images in this
posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain
photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public domain, I
apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will contact
me with them. For further information on these reports you should read the
original reports at the sites listed below.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">REFERENCES:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Arima, Eugene, and John Dewhirst</b>, 1990, Nootkans of Vancouver
Island, 391-411, Sturtevant, William C. (general editor) and Suttles, Wayne
(volume editor)1990<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Handbook of North American Indians, Volume 7, Northwest Coast,</i>
391-411, Smithsonian Institution, Washington.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Armitage, R.A., M. Hyman, J.
Southon, C. Barat and M. W. Rowe, </b>1997,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Rock-art image in Fern Cave, Lava Beds
National Monument, California: not the AD 1054 (Crab Nebula) supernova, </i>Antiquity
71, 715-719. Accessed 15 October 2023.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Love, Bruce</b>, 2017, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The “Eclipse Glyph” in Maya Text and Iconography: A Century of
Misinterpretation,</i> Ancient Mesoamerica, Cambridge University Press, pages
1-26. Accessed online 15 October 2023.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">NASA</b>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eclipses: History</i>, <span class="3rlxz"><a href="https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/history/">https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/history/</a>.
Accessed online 14 October 2023.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Suarez, Gerardo, and Virginia
Garcia-Acosta</b>,
2021, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The First Written Accounts of
Pre-Hispanic Earthquakes in the Americas</i>, November 2021, Seismological
Research Letters, Vol. 92, No. 6.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Wikipedia</b>, <i>Codex Telleriano-Remensis,</i> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Telleriano-Remensis">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Telleriano-Remensis</a>.
Accessed online 14 October 2023.</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2009, Peter Faris</div>Peter Farishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925168522417380667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7760124847746733855.post-67697855742193616142023-11-18T15:00:00.001-07:002023-11-18T15:00:26.621-07:00CA. AD 1455 PAINTING ILLUSTRATES AN ACHEULIAN HANDAXE:<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ2vy6jfU1qw7X6TQQvrptYsmpoBkXtrGLTnBoEfJR4P1SMTA5gS_Vekw3Q82lnmlfVEM4OslQ_TQNXmRf2qtAmbrkqGv6xnfgnESbMW_mG3px-Oou0HOhbcHtdfJ34otFkoRUD3NJLsv2xaPc2H21cUO8clna-kV9XsJQFxnIWbU8iK7ZN6rEkSim-Cwa/s1170/jean-fouquet-melun-Gem%C3%A4ldegalerie%20Berlin-Royal%20Museum%20of%20Fine%20Arts%20Antwerp)%20by%20Jean%20Fouquet.%20Photo%20Credits%20Francesco%20Bini.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="1170" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ2vy6jfU1qw7X6TQQvrptYsmpoBkXtrGLTnBoEfJR4P1SMTA5gS_Vekw3Q82lnmlfVEM4OslQ_TQNXmRf2qtAmbrkqGv6xnfgnESbMW_mG3px-Oou0HOhbcHtdfJ34otFkoRUD3NJLsv2xaPc2H21cUO8clna-kV9XsJQFxnIWbU8iK7ZN6rEkSim-Cwa/w431-h252/jean-fouquet-melun-Gem%C3%A4ldegalerie%20Berlin-Royal%20Museum%20of%20Fine%20Arts%20Antwerp)%20by%20Jean%20Fouquet.%20Photo%20Credits%20Francesco%20Bini.jpg" width="431" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Melun Diptych, Jean Fouquet, Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp, by Jean Fouquet. Photo Credits Francesco Bini.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
painting is the Melun Diptych,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> “painted
by</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #202122;"> French court
painter Jean Fouquet</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #202122;"> </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #202122;">(</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #202122;">1420–1481) created around 1452. The name of this
diptych came from its original home in the Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame
in Melun. The left panel depicts Etienne Chevalier with his patron saint
St. Stephen and the right panel depicts the Virgin and Christ child
surrounded by cherubim. Each wooden panel measures about 93 by 85 centimeters
and the two would have been hinged together at the center.”</span></i><span style="color: #202122;"> (Wikipedia) </span>As
an Art History student way back when, I of course studied this painting. At
that time the rock held by Saint Stephen on his bible (for consecration) was
merely identified as a rock, the instrument of martyrdom for Saint Stephen who
was stoned to death. Now, a <span style="color: #202122;">detailed analysis by a team, and
published online by Cambridge University Press, has examined the image in-depth
and has concluded that the particular stone held by St. Stephen is an Acheulian
hand-axe.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFM8gx2ZXN98TgOC6eV1yAxKoeANOR_99CaYJW_xdw_5smqe-OLirtNd5KZPlZ-FqALSfza8FwnRKXbPAenHxRKDAUh8fS9X0fqDPcYeD_x1ldUnrQUNwUk-qQM0EjMobqLlkVKgwipk4a-EVk7LMtcPLUhIwWUUqtCnPh1xFvQZF6Ja1e8zX4zqI7Jtl/s890/Fouquet_Madonna,%20Virgin%20and%20Child%20Surrounded%20by%20Angels,%20right%20wing%20of%20the%20diptych,%20Royal%20Museum%20of%20Fine%20Arts,%20Antwerp.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="890" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFM8gx2ZXN98TgOC6eV1yAxKoeANOR_99CaYJW_xdw_5smqe-OLirtNd5KZPlZ-FqALSfza8FwnRKXbPAenHxRKDAUh8fS9X0fqDPcYeD_x1ldUnrQUNwUk-qQM0EjMobqLlkVKgwipk4a-EVk7LMtcPLUhIwWUUqtCnPh1xFvQZF6Ja1e8zX4zqI7Jtl/w360-h400/Fouquet_Madonna,%20Virgin%20and%20Child%20Surrounded%20by%20Angels,%20right%20wing%20of%20the%20diptych,%20Royal%20Museum%20of%20Fine%20Arts,%20Antwerp.jpg" width="360" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Jean Fouquet, Madonna and Child Surrounded by Angels, right wing of the diptych, Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp. Internet image public domain.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #202122;">“The two pieces, originally a diptych, are now separated. The
left panel is in the Staatliche Museen in Berlin and the right panel is at
the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Belgium. A self-portrait medallion is also
associated with the two panels. Measuring 6 centimeters in diameter, it would
have adorned the frame, and consists of copper, enamel, and gold. The medallion
is now in the Louvre in Paris, France.”</span></i><span style="color: #202122;"> (Wikipedia) I
must say that this painting was never a favorite of mine. The two sides are so
mismatched with Etienne Chevalier and St. Stephen looking quite naturalistic
and portrayed against a realistic background, while the right panel with Mary
and the Christ Child painted as if they were a marble statue with the
background of bright red Cherubim. It has always been my judgment that they
were painted separately at different times. I think that the right panel came
first and Fouquet later (maybe many years later given the stylistic
differences) turned it into the diptych when Chevalier commissioned one by painting
and adding the left panel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbdy4-4YYfO8swfVcpbHDHuQ9fqbeQlXVN0qLg8NcjKJPT2Im7ZU4x3x6nvXfTZaHAMo2JbUBOxtkmtzbWwJGdSewOOVJ2KvVt9hF6gWmdGWEkv9yUQ_a-eMdz6mUpkvPzJ1gQP-E5tTnJ97GkxDiHs4MHWmm6MrK_a-T2pP_W5cf_uVmQ4LRgRDSkCHpc/s910/800px-Jean_Fouquet_006.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="910" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbdy4-4YYfO8swfVcpbHDHuQ9fqbeQlXVN0qLg8NcjKJPT2Im7ZU4x3x6nvXfTZaHAMo2JbUBOxtkmtzbWwJGdSewOOVJ2KvVt9hF6gWmdGWEkv9yUQ_a-eMdz6mUpkvPzJ1gQP-E5tTnJ97GkxDiHs4MHWmm6MrK_a-T2pP_W5cf_uVmQ4LRgRDSkCHpc/w351-h400/800px-Jean_Fouquet_006.jpg" width="351" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Jean Fouquet, St. Stephen and Etienne Chevalier, left wing of the diptych, Staatliche Museen, Berlin.</b><b style="font-family: verdana;"> Internet image public domain.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #202122;">But what is of most interest to us here is the stone St.
Stephen holds on his bible – an Acheulean hand-axe. </span><i><span style="color: #202122;">“Acheulean, from the French acheuleen after the type site of
Saint-Acheul, is an archaeological industry of stone tool manufacture
characterized by the distinctive oval and pear-shaped ‘hand axeds’ associated
with Homo erectus and derived species such a Homo heidelbergensis. Acheulean
tools were produced during the Lower Paleolithic ere across Africa and much of
West Asia, South Asia, East Asia and Europe, and are typically found with Homo
erectus remains. It is thought that Acheulean technologies first developed
about 2 million years ago, derived from
the more primitive Oldowan technology associated with Homo habilis. The
Acheulean includes at least the early part of the Middle PLaleolithic. Its end
is not well defined, depending on whether the Sangoan (also known as
‘Epi-Acheulean’) is included, it may be taken to last as late as 130,000 years
ago. In Europe and Western Asia, early Neanderthals adopted Acheulean
technology, transitioning to Mousterian by about 160,000 years ago.”</span></i><span style="color: #202122;"> (Wikipedia)</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIeiTT0pnIg1hqczBaoSgBTwSl7Onl7Wwo8DbOFUvjCcX_APQdaF83QBZ-t2cWdXwEuGLMhgAfmqAofXJXyptQEbjEArPM8_wMdgqSkUwjKRTTADiTM2aDTru_5clHKgA6qYitnf6fMQZEsMOgGn5aZw5tw2tNAzwWgpT6Ua5ShXd9xXFBQxFoCDAtvdyk/s2508/www.worldhistory.org.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2508" data-original-width="1598" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIeiTT0pnIg1hqczBaoSgBTwSl7Onl7Wwo8DbOFUvjCcX_APQdaF83QBZ-t2cWdXwEuGLMhgAfmqAofXJXyptQEbjEArPM8_wMdgqSkUwjKRTTADiTM2aDTru_5clHKgA6qYitnf6fMQZEsMOgGn5aZw5tw2tNAzwWgpT6Ua5ShXd9xXFBQxFoCDAtvdyk/w255-h400/www.worldhistory.org.jpg" width="255" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Acheulean hand-axe. Photograph from www.worldhistory.org.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Historically people have always been interested in these
prehistoric tools. Even when they were not recognized as human-made they were
prized as unique items.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #202122;">“Here, we are concerned with the pre-seventeenth-century social
history of handaxes. For such information we often rely on the early oral
histories of European populations. From these texts, it is widely stated that
prior to the Enlightenment handaxes were often considered to be of natural
origin and were thought to have been ‘shot from the clouds’ when lightning
struck the ground. Sixteenth-century natural historians across Europe noted the
presence of ‘ceraunia’ or ‘thunderstones’ which were ‘curiously shaped stone
objects … treated as a naturall occurring geological phenomenon’ formed through
lightning strikes. Pliny the Elder (Natural History 37.51) described red
‘elongated’ ceraunia ‘resembling axe-heads’, which were considered by the Magi
to be found ‘only in a place that has been struck by a thunderbolt’. Ceraunia
were a broad category of objects that not only included handaxes, but also
included other prehistoric implements of both flaked and ground origin, and
fossilized sea urchins. Descriptions of some ceraunia are, however, undeniable
in their resemblance to handaxes and other later bifacial tools, being ‘a
heterogeneous category of stones of varying color that are shaped like
pyramids, wedges, hammers, spheres, or are sometimes triangular. Prior to 1717,
handaxe-like stone ceraunia forms had already been discussed. For these early
accounts, and others, it was still often the case that ceraunia – handaxes or
not – originated in the sky and were deposited where lightning struck. Earlier
oral accounts of ‘thunderbolts’ or ‘thunderstones’ can occasionally be traced
to the eleventh to thirteenth century in northern Europe.”</span></i><span style="color: #202122;"> (Key 2023) So, when French court painter Jean Fouquet created
the Melun Diptych around 1452 he had St. Stephen holding one of these
miraculous “Thunder Stones”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that was
prized as rare natural phenomena.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ48XiyxATVCkHDBfxGS7ya4xB1GGakO30sSutHRspCj4RQWEKWcQIuNIUpSjX4Fy0_UKsknSusV-Kk7eMnmOBA9ExBXWtMEPzKOZeqme13HyqqbPPDcX-SB_MlvYuqFlWuZYVBDvmGrJDfHN0Ey6zMFSN4bETMN-ZrqjW6Vki07UYjNszVYG8XwysYNcd/s435/urn_cambridge.org_id_binary_20230710064041654-0897_S0959774323000252_S0959774323000252_fig1%20-%20Copy.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="382" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ48XiyxATVCkHDBfxGS7ya4xB1GGakO30sSutHRspCj4RQWEKWcQIuNIUpSjX4Fy0_UKsknSusV-Kk7eMnmOBA9ExBXWtMEPzKOZeqme13HyqqbPPDcX-SB_MlvYuqFlWuZYVBDvmGrJDfHN0Ey6zMFSN4bETMN-ZrqjW6Vki07UYjNszVYG8XwysYNcd/w351-h400/urn_cambridge.org_id_binary_20230710064041654-0897_S0959774323000252_S0959774323000252_fig1%20-%20Copy.png" width="351" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>St. Stephen's stone from the left panel of the Melun Diptych.</b> <b>Internet image public domain.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In their analysis of the object in the painting Key et al
(2023) based their analysis primarily on three factors.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>"First the stone object appears to have been painted square-on to the observer, to that if it was a handaxe then the 2D outline of the tool is visible within the painting. That is, the shape profile of the potential handaxe, and therefore the shape information potentially imposed by an Acheulean hominin, has been retained. In turn, it is possible to compare the shape of this stone object to handaxe artifacts from known Acheulean assemblages. If the object is found to be within the shape space of confirmed Acheulean assemblages, particularly those from northern France, then it strengthens the inference that an Acheulean handaxe is depicted in the painting, and the social history of these artifacts can be pushed back to the fifteenth century."</i> (Key et al. 2023)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>"Second, the stone object's colouration is notable for its similarity to numerous flint handaxes recovered from Quaternary gravel and sand deposits in northwest France and eastern Britain. If the colors in the painting match those on artifacts from deposits found in northern France, where Fouquet lived and worked, then the inference that a handaxe is depicted will again be strengthened."</i> (Key et al. 2023)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>"Third, while the object is not depicted using the black ink line illustrations traditionally used in Palaeolithic studies, it nonetheless appears that flake scars have been depicted. Some appear unusually abrupt and irregular-and somewhat akin to frost-fractures found in some flint nodules or flaked flint cores-but others, particularly on the right edge, have the characteristic shallow concavity left behind by flake platforms, and the majority of ridges lead invasively toward the centre of the object. If the number of 'flake scars' visible on the painting is similar to those from northern European Acheulean examplars, then again the inference that a handaxe artifact is depicted will be strengthened."</i> (Key et al. 2023) These larger and cruder flaking scars may signify greater age as later examples are usually much more finely shaped and flaked.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Applying their chosen criteria, Key et al. (2023) find that the stone object held by St. Stephen falls within their self-defined ranges, and is thus likely to be an Acheulean hand-axe. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #333333;"><i>“We cannot state with absolute certainty
that an Acheulean handaxe was painted by Jean Fouquet </i><span style="font-style: italic;">c.</span><i> 1455. What we have done is
demonstrate, as far as it is possible, that the stone object in the image
is </i><span style="font-style: italic;">likely</span><i> to be one.
This finding pushes the evidenced social history of handaxes back to the mid
fifteenth century, a century before probable instances of ‘handaxe-ceraunia’
are described and two centuries before we have secure written and illustrated
evidence of handaxes.” </i>(Key et al. 2023) To my eye the stone being held by St. Stephen is too thick to have been an effective hand-axe. It is certainly flaked like one however. Perhaps Fouquet was inspired by the appearance of a finely flaked hand-axe and made the surface appearance of St. Stephen's instrument of martyrdom resemble it.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #333333;">Given this assumption, Key et al. (2023) do admit the possibility that
the hand-axe does not come from the Acheulean period, but from the Middle
Paleolithic period with its prepared-core technology, but they find that in
either case it is very likely a hand-axe. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“While
we cannot rule out that a Middle Paleolithic handaxe could be represented
instead, the painted object's coloration—if corresponding to flint—does suggest
a heavy patination more often associated with early northern European Acheulean
assemblages. This interpretation is supported by our shape and flake scar
analyses, which demonstrate the object to be typical for European Acheulean
assemblages. Arguably, the painting's origin in northern France, which is known
for its Acheulean assemblages, is another point favoring a mid-Pleistocene age
for the depicted object.” (Key et al. 2023) </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Although it appears to me as if the flaking is much cruder than the later and more finely-flaked Middle Paleolithic examples.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Either way, Acheulean or Middle Paleolithic, I find it to be extremely interesting that a painting from the fifteenth century includes a man-made object that could approach two million years in age, and is almost certainly hundreds of thousands of years old.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>NOTE:</b>
Some images in this posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for
public domain photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public
domain, I apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner
will contact me with them. For further information on these reports you should
read the original reports at the sites listed below.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">REFERENCES:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Key, Alastair, et al</b>., 2023, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Acheulian Handaxes in Medieval France: An Earlier ‘Modern’ Social
History for Palaeolithic Bifaces</i>, 11 July 2023, <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/">https://www.cambridge.org</a>. Accessed online
18 October 2023.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Wikipedia</b>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Melun Diptych</i>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melun_Diptych">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melun_Diptych</a>.
Accessed online 18 October 2023.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Wikipedia</b>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Acheulean</i>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acheulean">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acheulean</a>.
Accessed online 29 October 2023.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="3rlxz"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2009, Peter Faris</div>Peter Farishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925168522417380667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7760124847746733855.post-57301280294620158782023-11-11T15:29:00.001-07:002023-11-11T15:29:37.834-07:00 COUGAR SHADOW IN THE SUPERSTITION MOUNTAINS: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Now here is something new - art created by the rocks.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcD1B4xTmz0-jWtopgWHnbMSWuMDoCgRtPBJsH1eQDjpig215doPko1b7OHziiA2uHx585Sf0arN6mVTeQLK-HifMZ1eKA0CfOCORSBKwg7hny5A5sxecD8S5rjjZKkQ0zlL0HuM7KLznY_40O0uj3EqdnFbfSzpsZPcj-9mzbrFcgiAUvGtemGIgdPVsC/s533/9deffc17998d5f55096c8d87629303cc.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="533" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcD1B4xTmz0-jWtopgWHnbMSWuMDoCgRtPBJsH1eQDjpig215doPko1b7OHziiA2uHx585Sf0arN6mVTeQLK-HifMZ1eKA0CfOCORSBKwg7hny5A5sxecD8S5rjjZKkQ0zlL0HuM7KLznY_40O0uj3EqdnFbfSzpsZPcj-9mzbrFcgiAUvGtemGIgdPVsC/w400-h390/9deffc17998d5f55096c8d87629303cc.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Photograph by Jeff Downey, Apache Junction, Arizona.</span></b></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There is no
question of the importance of shadows in rock art. Some faint petroglyphs can
only be seen when extreme side lighting produces shadows. Archeoastronomy sites
often use shadows markers as pointers to mark their phenomena. We included
these examples in our studies of rock art. This shadow figure is produced by
the shape of the rocks casting it. Thus, rock art?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Twice a
year the setting sun at Apache Junction, Arizona, casts a huge shadow of a
cougar in the Superstition Mountains. In this case the shadow does not enhance
the rock art, the shadow is the art. This phenomenon is visible twice a year in
Apache Junction, Arizona. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“If you want to
see this phenomenon in person, head to the vicinity of 13<sup>th</sup> Ave
& Goldfield Road in Apache Junction for a relatively unobstructed view.
Timing is critical. The cougar only appears during the third week (14-21) of
March and September. The last 30 minutes before official sunset is prime time
for viewing.”</i> (March 2017)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There are a
couple of main differences between this phenomenon and our more traditional
study of rock art. The first and most obvious is scale, this thing is huge. The
second main difference is that, as far as we know, there was no involvement of
people in its creation. It appears to be an accident of nature. Does that
disqualify it from inclusion in our field of interest? If you think so then
consider this to be merely an interesting aside, but I find it so fascinating
that I could not overlook it. Perhaps not art, but certainly possessing rock
involvement in its creation.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">NOTE:</b> I found many short articles online
about this phenomenon, all seem to be copies of each other, and I could not
tell which one would have been first. I selected the following as my Reference
because it seemed somewhat more complete than the others.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">REFERENCES:</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">March, Paul,</b> 2017, <i>Superstition Mountains Cougar Shadow Appears Only a Few Days a Year</i>,
<a href="https://azwonders.com/">https://azwonders.com</a>. Accessed online 27
September 2023.</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2009, Peter Faris</div>Peter Farishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925168522417380667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7760124847746733855.post-78233904499022523922023-11-04T17:35:00.000-06:002023-11-04T17:35:41.136-06:00THERE’S SOMETHING FISHY ABOUT THIS PETROGLYPH – SALMON: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhptbzJAs7UZUe-p_BqYJ-mk5Vso5hd1mTtGPGhaM1CARnjmpz-tcIjiflRMs9ltlj1B_P3S-3yEmD6JdXLGIKgQKya_38WRY3c96pRutea3RFyyC-estr6KRGiYLks74G70jzZw83EJEvTtP4CVuC8ctAEB_l19sOlsrgD374WiQ7RLF4jtPmXBMenphC3/s278/Public%20domain.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="278" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhptbzJAs7UZUe-p_BqYJ-mk5Vso5hd1mTtGPGhaM1CARnjmpz-tcIjiflRMs9ltlj1B_P3S-3yEmD6JdXLGIKgQKya_38WRY3c96pRutea3RFyyC-estr6KRGiYLks74G70jzZw83EJEvTtP4CVuC8ctAEB_l19sOlsrgD374WiQ7RLF4jtPmXBMenphC3/w400-h260/Public%20domain.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Salmon jumping a waterfall. Internet image, public domain.</b></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Improved
analytical techniques have made it possible to trace hominin use of fish for
food back a considerable distance in the historical record. In 2011 Hardy and
Moncel wrote about fish remains associated with Neanderthal occupation 125 –
250,000 years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span class="fontstyle01"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Fishing and fowling
are often used as markers of modern human behavior, despite their remains
having been reported from numerous early hominin (as far back as 1.95 Ma) and
Neanderthal sites. In fact, fishing is difficult to detect in the
archaeological record for several reasons: 1) many coastal sites are lost due
to rise in sea level; 2) fish bones are fragile and may be lost due to
taphonomic processes; 3) many fish bones are small and may require specialized
recovery techniques; and 4) the widespread assumption that fishing is a modern
human behavior may lead investigators not to look for evidence in the first </i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">place.
The argument that Neanderthals did not fish has recently been bolstered by stable
isotope research that suggests that Neanderthal dC13 values do not match those
of fish. This evidence must be treated with caution, however, as dC13 for fish
can vary greatly, particularly from freshwater fish.<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Sites with possible evidence of Neanderthal
consumption of fish include Milan, Almada and Abreda Caves, Spain, Grotte XVI,
France, Devil’s Tower and Vanguard Cave, Gibraltar, Raj Cave, Poland, Grotta
Maggiore, Italy, UstKanskaya Cave, Siberia, and Figueira Brava Cave, Portugal.
Evidence at these sites includes the recovery of osteological remains, fish
bones in association with hearths, and cut-marks on fish bones. At Payre,
residues and use-wear indicative of fish are found in the absence of
osteological remains. Fish may have been processed off-site (at local streams
or rivers), and the tools returned to the site or fish may have been processed
on site but the bones did not preserve. In Level Fa, all of the artifacts with
fish residues are located in one square meter near the wall, a possible indicator
of a specialized intrasite activity area. These results highlight the
difficulty in recognizing fish consumption archaeologically and suggest that
fish consumption by Neanderthals may be underrepresented. The growing list of
sites with fish remains as well as the detection of fish processing in the
absence of fish bones at a site further suggests that fish consumption should
not be seen as exclusively in the domain of modern humans.”</span></i><span style="color: black;"> (Hardy and Moncel 2011:7-8) I know of no
rock art of fish attributable to Hominin (including Neanderthal) sources but we
now know they procured them somehow and ate them.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Hardy et al. (2013:30)
again reported on fish remains at Abri du Maras. Remains found there include
bones and scales of chub and perch. “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Estimated
body weights range between 550 and 850 g. Few predators are able to catch and
carry fish of this size. Hence, the possibility of Neanderthals as predators
cannot be discarded, and the presence of these fish remains in layer 4 may be
considered the result of anthropic activity. Once again, the combination of
residue and zooarchaeological analyses provides corroborating evidence and
strengthens the case of Neanderthal fishing.” </i>(Hardy et al. 2013:30) So
Neanderthals caught and ate fish, probably including salmon, but as far as we
know they did not leave any images of fish in rock art.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3UAxnjaCY25up1Mwqy_9JRnjEe4lsWeBONFZIU1cpaVrscly3NC8-ZPe_Ka3ugLigiZM4Ot5P7JkZqs51i-H1e0KQcUyaqrgphZDilvO6Ruq8cCgbZ7ru5tD81Fer28I6H93HWKzVrnNPdgMt8Yw4W_bt6zwHiwnOepa49t5r-q8xhmL42ydKKIImvFo/s1030/abri-poisson.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="1030" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3UAxnjaCY25up1Mwqy_9JRnjEe4lsWeBONFZIU1cpaVrscly3NC8-ZPe_Ka3ugLigiZM4Ot5P7JkZqs51i-H1e0KQcUyaqrgphZDilvO6Ruq8cCgbZ7ru5tD81Fer28I6H93HWKzVrnNPdgMt8Yw4W_bt6zwHiwnOepa49t5r-q8xhmL42ydKKIImvFo/w422-h160/abri-poisson.jpg" width="422" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Salmon carving in Abri Poisson Cave, France. Internet image, public domain.</b></span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg21n66IXjatcrTarveN3Rx8QKgy2TH_nPnVbnkdq7fjXpmHm5-jyNlq6p1CY_ZzSJjhJLeh0F_0UAN9nWUNDZX2XJExsHNCqhd6mzWTws2twzSGQUPaYNeYukHDnG4w2C17Aoezd5wI_lkrJPWXzN_9oJ-twKxNx9sRno7Nr6AUAPmpTN7_25gB-_2S18o/s1101/Photo%20Heinrich%20Wendel%20(%C2%A9%20The%20Wendel%20Collection,%20Neanderthal%20Museum),%20donsmaps.com.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="757" data-original-width="1101" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg21n66IXjatcrTarveN3Rx8QKgy2TH_nPnVbnkdq7fjXpmHm5-jyNlq6p1CY_ZzSJjhJLeh0F_0UAN9nWUNDZX2XJExsHNCqhd6mzWTws2twzSGQUPaYNeYukHDnG4w2C17Aoezd5wI_lkrJPWXzN_9oJ-twKxNx9sRno7Nr6AUAPmpTN7_25gB-_2S18o/w400-h275/Photo%20Heinrich%20Wendel%20(%C2%A9%20The%20Wendel%20Collection,%20Neanderthal%20Museum),%20donsmaps.com.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Salmon carving in Abri Poisson Cave, France. Showing attempted removal of the carving from the cave ceiling. Photograph Heinrich Wendel.</span></b></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;">Then we reach the
Paleolithic Period and the high point of cave art. Abri du Poisson (Fish
Shelter) is known for a beautiful relief carving of a salmon. </span>A series of holes were drilled
around the fish and chiseling had begun to undercut that section when the
vandals were discovered and saved. The damage can be seen in these photographs
of the panel in situ. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">“</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="FR" style="color: #222222;">The shelter is discovered by Paul
Girod in 1892 which recognizes an Aurignacian</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="FR"><span style="color: #222222;"> level .
It was not until 1912 that Jean Marsan identified the superb fish that made the
site famous. Represented life-size (1.05 m ), it is
engraved and carved in low relief on the ceiling of the vault, highlighted with
red color. It is a </span>becquart salmon<span style="color: #222222;">, with its jaw turned up; the attitude is
characteristic of the male exhausted by spawning. The theme is rare since
only a dozen fish have been identified in Paleolithic cave art. Other
parietal works have since been identified by Christian Archambeau and Alain
Roussot, including a black negative hand</span><span style="color: #222222;"> and incomplete animal engraved
figures.The attribution of these works to the Gravettian </span><span style="color: #222222;">(- 25 000 years) is likely; it makes engraved
salmon one of the oldest representations of fish known in the world, possible
testimony of prehistoric fishing activities.</span></span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">”</i> (Wikipedia)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOvonHTgGTuPScMsh-9qGbov-9kte3ZJKdceFcr3Tk0lJfgp-Rj7ofCaMPRYY8p99fvnrYKj_phCqj_Llew7WG5yaN67G4_1KYFpPZ5GqmoYWLwE8zxMvjvInvJo_3hkw85xFqcefhUOeeUZpwnfUtsrrMjzgH6myR0QObeGeHRgtnQqgAi-iS55wq2WVM/s480/Lortet,%20Hautes%20Pyrenees,%20France.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="228" data-original-width="480" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOvonHTgGTuPScMsh-9qGbov-9kte3ZJKdceFcr3Tk0lJfgp-Rj7ofCaMPRYY8p99fvnrYKj_phCqj_Llew7WG5yaN67G4_1KYFpPZ5GqmoYWLwE8zxMvjvInvJo_3hkw85xFqcefhUOeeUZpwnfUtsrrMjzgH6myR0QObeGeHRgtnQqgAi-iS55wq2WVM/w419-h229/Lortet,%20Hautes%20Pyrenees,%20France.webp" width="419" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Carved reindeer antler. Lortet, Hautes Pyrenees, France. Internet image, public domain.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Somewhat
later, during the Magdalenian Period (18,000 to 15,000 BC), an artist produced
a carving on reindeer antler of wading or swimming reindeer with salmon swimming around their legs
which was recovered from the Grotte de Lortet in France.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE720DUL3MsAJTLUkQeO8Tf0EINR3tQnHTsk113kBpOfoDCjnm6gcQUzK9YqM_9Hnx5ATUXRDiqskvhaNv7RfcFNwPU-Xn0GAONzB8MFGnvsHxeaqYi-HMxcbs7ZMeaHANtd6TyLEJl5LgqEgcL-oQ8evw4ZFE_-tNcyI_17FBKnMp_exxl6zoxmFDluVg/s302/Grotte%20de%20Lortet.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="179" data-original-width="302" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE720DUL3MsAJTLUkQeO8Tf0EINR3tQnHTsk113kBpOfoDCjnm6gcQUzK9YqM_9Hnx5ATUXRDiqskvhaNv7RfcFNwPU-Xn0GAONzB8MFGnvsHxeaqYi-HMxcbs7ZMeaHANtd6TyLEJl5LgqEgcL-oQ8evw4ZFE_-tNcyI_17FBKnMp_exxl6zoxmFDluVg/w400-h237/Grotte%20de%20Lortet.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Broken carved bone salmon. Grotte de Lortet, France. Internet image, public domain.</b></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS1CI1HdhD0KCx8_jekOljo3bHWyWVGeG7HXjnxBOsO7HODarnapvSEXB8SBElio4Rw1cLxmlKel5rhaJ_aVX3HafBqz5WPLfh_RkT8K67fNof3dxsd9_cmmFCRiI1DVIuunnVxKTZumtUxpwUt6KxC-QyQfvK2U7rIEBXjH6f6gRTwvU89Mpr0CaOicgs/s816/Maz,%20D'Azil,%20www.donsmaps.com%20-%20public%20domain.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="816" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS1CI1HdhD0KCx8_jekOljo3bHWyWVGeG7HXjnxBOsO7HODarnapvSEXB8SBElio4Rw1cLxmlKel5rhaJ_aVX3HafBqz5WPLfh_RkT8K67fNof3dxsd9_cmmFCRiI1DVIuunnVxKTZumtUxpwUt6KxC-QyQfvK2U7rIEBXjH6f6gRTwvU89Mpr0CaOicgs/w415-h122/Maz,%20D'Azil,%20www.donsmaps.com%20-%20public%20domain.jpg" width="415" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Maz, D'Azil, France. Image from www.donsmaps.com.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Other
carvings of salmon include a broken fragment of bone with the head of a salmon
at one end, and a broken spear thrower with a salmon carved into it. One might
almost be tempted to assume it was intended for spear fishing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There are
also representations of other fish in European Cave Art, indeed elsewhere in
the world as well, but I am focusing on salmon in this column.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Closer to
home, the culture of the Pacific Northwest Coast tribes of North American
relied to a great extent on the availability of salmon.</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: .15in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0.15in; mso-line-height-alt: 10.8pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Salmon are an essential component
of the ecosystem in Tsleil-Waututh Nation’s traditional, ancestral, and
contemporary unceded territory, centred on present-day Burrard Inlet, BC,
Canada, where Tsleil-Waututh people have been harvesting salmon, along with a
wide variety of other fishes, for millennia. Tsleil-Waututh Nation is a Coast
Salish community that has called the Inlet home since time immemorial. This
research assesses the continuity and sustainability of the salmon fishery at
təmtəmíx</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ʷ</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">tən, an ancestral
Tsleil-Waututh settlement in the Inlet, over thousands of years before European
contact (1792 CE). We apply Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS)
analysis to 245 archaeological salmon vertebrae to identify the species that
were harvested by the ancestral Tsleil-Waututh community that lived at təmtəmíx</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ʷ</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">tən.
The results demonstrate that Tsleil-Waututh communities consistently and
preferentially fished for chum salmon (<em><span style="font-weight: normal;">Oncorhynchus keta</span></em>)
over the period of almost 3,000 years. The consistent abundance indicates a
sustainable chum salmon fishery over that time, and a strong salmon-to-people
relationship through perhaps 100 generations. This research supports
Tsleil-Waututh Nation’s stewardship obligations under their ancestral legal
principles to maintain conditions that uphold the Nation’s way of life.” </i>(Efford et al. 2023) Burrard Inlet,
British Columbia, is on the east side of the Strait of Georgia, where the
modern city of Vancouver is located. Approximately 40 miles west across the
open water is Nainamo on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. These are
both in the Coastal Salish culture group.</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: .15in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0.15in; mso-line-height-alt: 10.8pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Tsleil-Waututh is a distinct,
Indigenous Coast Salish nation whose ancestral and contemporary territory is
centred on səlilwət, part of the inlet ecosystem that is now also known as
Burrard Inlet, British Columbia, Canada. Since European contact in 1792 CE,
colonial development and resource extraction have driven dramatic change and
development in Tsleil-Waututh territory to the extent that today it includes
Canada’s busiest port and metropolitan Vancouver, a city of 2.5 million people.
Consequent damage to and loss of vulnerable ecosystems, habitats, and animal
and plant populations have impacted Tsleil-Waututh ways of life and greatly
reduced their ability to harvest important traditional foods. Despite these
impacts, the area is rich with archaeological evidence of Tsleil-Waututh’s
relationship to the lands and waters throughout their territory and confirms
Tsleil-Waututh oral histories and traditional knowledge of continuous
connections to land, waters, plants, and animals.” </i>(Efford et al. 2023)<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Both oral histories and the
archaeological evidence identify chum as being particularly important for
Tsleil-Waututh communities over the millennia. The consistency of the
comparative abundance of salmon species across time suggests that
Tsleil-Waututh Nation’s chum salmon fishery was a stable and sustainable salmon
fishery, maintained over the course of almost 3,000 years. We would expect to
see a drop off in the abundance of chum salmon over time, or a switch to
another species as the most abundantly harvested, if the fishery had been
unsustainable, or if there had been a major ecological impact. Instead, through
this work as others, we see consistent use of salmon, particularly chum salmon,
as well as herring, anchovy, and eulachon over millennia.” </i>(Efford et al. 2023)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In their 2018 article on rock art of the Tsleil-Waututh
people Arnett and Morin purposely avoided ascribing any particular identities
or meanings to the imagery, focusing instead on their cultural significance of
marking important locations to the Tsleil-Waututh<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>people.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO9-3d0SxgUk4ffFz7wHCDb2eLavQ_wujK4lRIIEmFYflwfFKmyQ4t-9vRG8IBPdMlaFPu_jVlMZQaynctUSmwD2QwTew7XgBHngRYDdbsWQV3RTvC0bidPP7CdpTM5Tr2hgn7JWPKnNTNDDGUzzul7qHuc8Kyb6dL7K2VLU6np9dBpdSs0hBO-9s6URgK/s2420/%231000,%20Nanaimo,%20Vancouver%20Island,%20BC,%20To%20Welcome%20the%20Salmon%20Back%20From%20the%20Sea,%20removed%20from%20Jack%20Point,%20J&E%20Faris,%201992.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1645" data-original-width="2420" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO9-3d0SxgUk4ffFz7wHCDb2eLavQ_wujK4lRIIEmFYflwfFKmyQ4t-9vRG8IBPdMlaFPu_jVlMZQaynctUSmwD2QwTew7XgBHngRYDdbsWQV3RTvC0bidPP7CdpTM5Tr2hgn7JWPKnNTNDDGUzzul7qHuc8Kyb6dL7K2VLU6np9dBpdSs0hBO-9s6URgK/w400-h272/%231000,%20Nanaimo,%20Vancouver%20Island,%20BC,%20To%20Welcome%20the%20Salmon%20Back%20From%20the%20Sea,%20removed%20from%20Jack%20Point,%20J&E%20Faris,%201992.tif" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, To Welcome the Salmon Back From the Sea, removed from Jack Point, Vancouver Island. Photograph J&E Faris, 1992.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“In this article we
have described the speci</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fi</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">c historical and cultural context o</i></span><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">f rock art
production in the territory of one Coast Salish group. </span></i><i style="font-family: verdana;">The rock paintings
are best understood in terms of marking culturally signi</i><i style="font-family: verdana;">fi</i><i style="font-family: verdana;">cant places in the
Tsleil-Waututh landscape so that future generations might know their signi</i><i style="font-family: verdana;">fi</i><i style="font-family: verdana;">cance.”</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (Arnett and Morin 2018) Their paper included no
illustrations that could be identified as images of salmon. As I stated above,
however, as a branch of the Coastal Salish culture they were culturally related
to the people who produce other rock art of the area. One particularly
important concentration of Salish is found at Nainamo on Vancouver Island, and,
at Nainamo, there are images of salmon. These are on a boulder that was
recovered from Jack Point in Vancouver Island, which is just a few miles to the
east of Nainamo. This petroglyph panel on this boulder shows a group of salmon,
supposedly to welcome the return of the salmon to begin their spawning run.</span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So, we find that across the Northern Hemisphere, and
through a period of tens of millennia, salmon were considered a valuable food
source and were of great spiritual and ceremonial significance.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">NOTE:</span></b><span style="color: black;"> Some images in this
posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain
photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public domain, I
apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will
contact me with them. For further information on these reports you should read
the original reports at the sites listed below.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">REFERENCES:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Choi, Charles Q.</b>, 2011, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">World’s Oldest Fish Hooks Show Early Humans Fished Deep Sea, </i>24
November 2011, <a href="https://www.livescience.com/">https://www.livescience.com</a>.
Accessed online 30 August 2023.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Efford, Meaghan et al</b>., 2023, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Archaeology demonstrates sustainable ancestral Coast Salish salmon
stewardship over thousands of years</i>, 25 August 2023, <span class="3rlxz"><a href="https://journals.plos.org/">https://journals.plos.org</a>.<span style="color: #212121;"> Accessed online 31 August 2023.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span class="3rlxz"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #212121;">Hardy, Bruce and
Marie-Helene Moncel</span></b></span><span class="3rlxz"><span style="color: #212121;">, 2011, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Neanderthal Use of Fish, Mammals, Birds, Starchy Plants and Wood 125 –
250,000 years ago</i>, August 2011, Plos ONE 6(8),
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0023768. Accessed online 13 September 2023.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">B.L. Hardy et al.</span></b><span style="color: black;">, 2013, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Impossible Neanderthals? Making String,
Throwing Projectiles and Catching Small Game during Marine Isotope Stage 4
(Abri du Maras, France), </i>Quaternary Science Reviews 82 (2013) 23-40.
Accessed online 13 September 2023.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Arnett, Chris and Jesse Morin</b>, 2018, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Rock Painting/Xela:Is of the Tsleil-Waututh: A Historicized Coast
Salish Practice</i>, Ethnohistory 65:1, American Society for Ethnohistory.
Accessed online 16 September 2023.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Walls, Alex</b>, 2023, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Salmon bones confirm sustainable chum fishery for 2,500 years under
Tsleil-Waututh Nation</i>, 20 August 2023, <a href="https://phys.org/">https://phys.org</a>.
Accessed online 30 August 2023.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Wikipedia,</b> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fish
Shelter, </i><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikip%C3%A9dia:Accueil_principal">https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikip%C3%A9dia:Accueil_principal</a>.
Accessed online 30 August 2023.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2009, Peter Faris</div>Peter Farishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925168522417380667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7760124847746733855.post-2902627356565528542023-10-28T14:24:00.000-06:002023-10-28T14:24:04.212-06:00ROCK ART HAS BEEN DISCOVERED NEAR THE RUINS OF MACHU PICCHU:<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBDP92O8oM7Xzk7pOdq0B59nUeMg2Vz5GHcbI6VtNdY7dpCyeOJbyaVVxmdmFGvrEQkaTJgWOaSLUy3vGwxHvpwBrBEprI1RaI52ZZuyQ__mxg4prz7NWqtzNTa131sQ-RFX_Ot4-aYCJvd9NMKR6b3OXdf2LIwMHtSiOEHwFO-mC2Z_g8DZgN8BTi2ugD/s2304/foto-tirada-por-mim-in-machu-picchu-peru.jpg" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2304" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBDP92O8oM7Xzk7pOdq0B59nUeMg2Vz5GHcbI6VtNdY7dpCyeOJbyaVVxmdmFGvrEQkaTJgWOaSLUy3vGwxHvpwBrBEprI1RaI52ZZuyQ__mxg4prz7NWqtzNTa131sQ-RFX_Ot4-aYCJvd9NMKR6b3OXdf2LIwMHtSiOEHwFO-mC2Z_g8DZgN8BTi2ugD/w400-h300/foto-tirada-por-mim-in-machu-picchu-peru.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Machu Picchu, Peru. Internet photograph, public domain.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Pretty much
everybody, at least everybody interested in archaeology, has heard of the
famous site of Machu Picchu, Peru, discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911.
Actually, discovered is incorrect as it was never lost, locals who lived in
that area knew of it all along, Bingham had been taken there by a native guide.
Recently rock art has been discovered near Machu Picchu. Again, referred to as
being discovered by an outside visitor, although a native guide apparently had
known about it and taken the "discoverer" to it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rbyHx0prqFzi5pQ8Vm8vA31zdi-3xBs6TM40oTABtUm36ZsE27OOriffEp_RvU-f7OrZPjD27CSbEBcEpniAdIXTztQfdLp8J2bFHUDlOnD067GwPZoHoDSuYzNh5RfDiSzU7J55dRdAwm6fF_i5SvtRErDPWMjlkz2ap78DeUwdw56KGJMbxNeWn3zc/s2093/Fernando%20Astete,%20National%20Geographic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1227" data-original-width="2093" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rbyHx0prqFzi5pQ8Vm8vA31zdi-3xBs6TM40oTABtUm36ZsE27OOriffEp_RvU-f7OrZPjD27CSbEBcEpniAdIXTztQfdLp8J2bFHUDlOnD067GwPZoHoDSuYzNh5RfDiSzU7J55dRdAwm6fF_i5SvtRErDPWMjlkz2ap78DeUwdw56KGJMbxNeWn3zc/w400-h235/Fernando%20Astete,%20National%20Geographic.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Petroglyph near Machu Picchu, Peru. Image Fernando Astete, National Geographic.</b></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>"More than 600 years ago the ancient Incas built a village in the Andes on the rocky outcrop that links the mountains Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu, at an altitude of 2,490 meters (8169.29 ft.). It is a town whose original name would have been Llaqtapata, which is known today as Machu Picchu." </i>(Marilo 2016) The ruined city of Machu Picchu is so overwhelming that, archaeologically speaking, it sort of sucks all the oxygen out of the area. So many of us thought of it as the big attraction and would never have thought to look for other archeology in the area. Recent discoveries, however, have brought to light a number of faded pictographs which have been brought to life through DStretch.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTuLOxHqXb_pS-VS6iw9KTRFj8EsOjh5ZvI3Ak7Ff3ysrvz9dHjJVBMmYX_byKOF6PlZpKvamk_D1-vB2d5bHp1Auc1ZJ9mHV71QOx-HDl97LYCI7Us0i28v8Meb0xJ2ciqj_1CCxf_qYtu10l9KCYeVNlQPwD5fX2iT_WXq5mUL2144PIOombPY7pUCB_/s2000/machupicchu1_Foto%20Fernando%20Astete%20%20Direcci%C3%B3n%20Desconcentrada%20de%20Cultura%20de%20Cusco.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTuLOxHqXb_pS-VS6iw9KTRFj8EsOjh5ZvI3Ak7Ff3ysrvz9dHjJVBMmYX_byKOF6PlZpKvamk_D1-vB2d5bHp1Auc1ZJ9mHV71QOx-HDl97LYCI7Us0i28v8Meb0xJ2ciqj_1CCxf_qYtu10l9KCYeVNlQPwD5fX2iT_WXq5mUL2144PIOombPY7pUCB_/w300-h400/machupicchu1_Foto%20Fernando%20Astete%20%20Direcci%C3%B3n%20Desconcentrada%20de%20Cultura%20de%20Cusco.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Camelids, Machu Picchu, Peru. Photograph Fernando Astete Dirección Desconcentrada de Cultura de Cusco.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Archeologist
Francisco Huarcaya, however, was aware of the probability of other significant
discoveries to be made in the area around Machu Picchu. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Human remains and rock art have been discovered on the banks of the
Vilcanota River along the railway leading to the Archaeological Park of Machu
Picchu by archaeologists from the Decentralized Culture Directorate in Cusco.
Archaeologist Francisco Huarcaya said the images, including camelids, the sun,
and geometric shapes were painted on different parts of a huge rock. He thinks
they could be associated with guardian deities in the form of mountains, and
may have a funerary context. ‘There are other images that cannot be identified
due to geological problems and rock wear cased by long exposure to the sun,
wind, rain, and water filtration,’ Huarcaya said.”</i> (Saraceni 2022)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSfS4rRAEIIN-PvCCUsQEby5PE5OijoUVG8kmI0Nd4Hyb4adVl9igk0gdi1Gfubq3ugnvbHIcCHc3X2Ubq5IaDHpWWhG-Ul9hkzI7xDAy_yfqUWzeX20eTUD9iyRs1JyV77t3UIzhPbi7h8lMxunOu91Xwr_buStSuHSxBt_yG7TDuIfQkRnYVGLoOefF/s2000/machupicchu2_Foto%20Fernando%20Astete%20%20Direcci%C3%B3n%20Desconcentrada%20de%20Cultura%20de%20Cusco%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSfS4rRAEIIN-PvCCUsQEby5PE5OijoUVG8kmI0Nd4Hyb4adVl9igk0gdi1Gfubq3ugnvbHIcCHc3X2Ubq5IaDHpWWhG-Ul9hkzI7xDAy_yfqUWzeX20eTUD9iyRs1JyV77t3UIzhPbi7h8lMxunOu91Xwr_buStSuHSxBt_yG7TDuIfQkRnYVGLoOefF/w400-h300/machupicchu2_Foto%20Fernando%20Astete%20%20Direcci%C3%B3n%20Desconcentrada%20de%20Cultura%20de%20Cusco%20(2).jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Machu Picchu, Peru. Photograph Fernando Astete Dirección Desconcentrada de Cultura de Cusco.</span></b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Archaeologists from the
Decentralized Culture Directorate in Cusco (DDC Cusco) have discovered samples
of cave art in a sector of the Qhapaq Nan or Great Inca Trail that crosses the
Archaeological Park of Machu Picchu in Peru. This information was provided by
Francisco Huarcaya, the person responsible for the sector of the Inca Trail that
crosses the aforementioned park.”</i>
(Andina 2022)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>"New samples of rock art are found both painted and engraved on the surface of the rock and are mainly concentrated in two sectors of the magnificent Inca city, areas known as Paraguachayoq and Inkaterra. In the Pachamama sector, where there is a natural cave, the archeologists have registered more than six graphic groups, including pictographs and graffiti 'with various motifs formed by black figures and geimetric curvilinear designs.'"</i> (Marilo 2016)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMvPF8IV8fHWwpqgv8CnpxgCCagU3ptC6vp2gu4hV-4XCM7UROoarYiR362Z3uRQvil9WyaUIgT0TE-Zsvp0ovvL42QcGcthzys887fhyEbX4RekdMGl2DUhjctOkUtkURxWpgieOz5B8VM5LyiVyQUecUj6w562vWgq70yULEYfGhukO6jrX4DNge7wGZ/s1751/machupicchu9_Foto%20Fernando%20Astete%20%20Direcci%C3%B3n%20Desconcentrada%20de%20Cultura%20de%20Cusco.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1751" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMvPF8IV8fHWwpqgv8CnpxgCCagU3ptC6vp2gu4hV-4XCM7UROoarYiR362Z3uRQvil9WyaUIgT0TE-Zsvp0ovvL42QcGcthzys887fhyEbX4RekdMGl2DUhjctOkUtkURxWpgieOz5B8VM5LyiVyQUecUj6w562vWgq70yULEYfGhukO6jrX4DNge7wGZ/w400-h343/machupicchu9_Foto%20Fernando%20Astete%20%20Direcci%C3%B3n%20Desconcentrada%20de%20Cultura%20de%20Cusco.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Machu Picchu, Peru. Photograph Fernando Astete Dirección Desconcentrada de Cultura de Cusco.</span></b></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>"The archaeologist explained that this cave art was associated with a funerary context and the cult of the apus (Guardian deities in the form of mountains), such as the Huacayhuilca and Casamentuyoc mountains, as well as the Huilcamayo River - considered sacred and located near the area." </i>(Andina 2022)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIooFfizFH2v9md4UmOAcgFghHCsrVWFYyyFSRtT1FO5ZK4lIB27kfEDgS0rsdmNqiH8c2Gx-A858kGvZE6BelaQhw7bEgqt0pnau-ggMo5uPwWe_CbS2cbI4p1_RGW0ignaAScOzAN1K75_IQ0kE8iv5Tng9NUZmb2MFFBiI388ohJ4Bez6I8Qo6GCnHs/s2000/machupicchu10_1500x2000_af9cef8f.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIooFfizFH2v9md4UmOAcgFghHCsrVWFYyyFSRtT1FO5ZK4lIB27kfEDgS0rsdmNqiH8c2Gx-A858kGvZE6BelaQhw7bEgqt0pnau-ggMo5uPwWe_CbS2cbI4p1_RGW0ignaAScOzAN1K75_IQ0kE8iv5Tng9NUZmb2MFFBiI388ohJ4Bez6I8Qo6GCnHs/w300-h400/machupicchu10_1500x2000_af9cef8f.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Closeup of previous design, Machu Picchu, Peru. Photograph Fernando Astete Dirección Desconcentrada de Cultura de Cusco.</span></b></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>"In addition to said evidence of cave art, archaeologists found human bones of a skull and a femur, which were exposed to the surface and partially covered by brush."</i> (Andina 2022) This may have been the weathered remains of an Inca mummy bundle but, as of now, I have seen nothing that really ties the pictographs and burial to Machu Picchu itself, except the location.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcrfTQb9v7Bhcr3SEAJbenudpDQCwyd9QVHcDnEU2UN-XEDmTnzqOG6WXust_kjbZ4iDHan2LdqEBxZlMm1AOk0hKhiFvwVZjvXONkrm0S7BOY7lNVr7wvMuaQ_7n9QnrP7yTEUwOtI5b1zNPWgVeJCRqum12dmInu9CuNHt78LFy-2dML8l8hpUuUG1ip/s700/Rectangle-with-triangular_0.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="521" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcrfTQb9v7Bhcr3SEAJbenudpDQCwyd9QVHcDnEU2UN-XEDmTnzqOG6WXust_kjbZ4iDHan2LdqEBxZlMm1AOk0hKhiFvwVZjvXONkrm0S7BOY7lNVr7wvMuaQ_7n9QnrP7yTEUwOtI5b1zNPWgVeJCRqum12dmInu9CuNHt78LFy-2dML8l8hpUuUG1ip/w298-h400/Rectangle-with-triangular_0.jpg" width="298" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Machu Picchu, Peru. Photograph Fernando Astete Dirección Desconcentrada de Cultura de Cusco.</span></b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It stands
to reason that these other archeological discoveries would have been made
around a location as special and highly prized to the Incas as this, the area
around Machu Picchu. Indeed, I would expect other discoveries to be announced
in the future. I would imagine that ever since the construction of Machu
Picchu, the locals would have special feelings, even reverence, for it and the
area around it. It makes sense that burials would be made there for some time
after it was abandoned, to place them in the sacred presence.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">NOTE:</span></b><span style="color: black;"> Some images in this
posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain
photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public domain, I
apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will
contact me with them. For further information on these reports you should read
the original reports at the sites listed below.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">REFERENCES:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Andina (Agencia Peruana de Noticias)</b>, 2022, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Peru: Cave art found on Inca Trail crossing Archaeological Park of
Machu Picchu</i>, 15 September 2022, <a href="https://andina.pe/">https://andina.pe</a>.
Accessed online 16 September 2022.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Marilo, T. A.</b>, 2016, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">New Rock Paintings Discovered in Machu Picchu</i>, 5 August 2016, <a href="https://www.ancient-origins.net/">https://www.ancient-origins.net</a>.
Accessed online 17 September 2022.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Saraceni, Jessica E.</b>, 2022, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rock Art Discovered Near Machu Picchu</i>, 19 September 2022, <a href="https://www.archaeology.org/news?page=1">https://www.archaeology.org/news?page=1</a>.
Accessed online 16 September 2022.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2009, Peter Faris</div>Peter Farishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925168522417380667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7760124847746733855.post-41791137880997240862023-10-21T11:15:00.000-06:002023-10-21T11:15:07.921-06:00SEVERED HANDS IN ANCIENT EGYPTIAN ART:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdcoqAT3sRKFuS_Cy8i7TfXt_Xe3XS9d2ZjiioKDTa7GcFqQiV1jsvaAWlt8-9YH-567Z8vwZdNI5ysiHrKrlhqsednuKk3KN8U8twhQhUUfdBOAzjcmJETGcMqlElzqfL6TJm1z6e49LPlw9JTROdawdoOcAOCEbxT_N9N6_E4P4n3HGzGcQfurnoMpxT/s1080/hands-being-counted.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="987" data-original-width="1080" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdcoqAT3sRKFuS_Cy8i7TfXt_Xe3XS9d2ZjiioKDTa7GcFqQiV1jsvaAWlt8-9YH-567Z8vwZdNI5ysiHrKrlhqsednuKk3KN8U8twhQhUUfdBOAzjcmJETGcMqlElzqfL6TJm1z6e49LPlw9JTROdawdoOcAOCEbxT_N9N6_E4P4n3HGzGcQfurnoMpxT/w396-h361/hands-being-counted.webp" width="396" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Presenting hands to the Pharoah, Temple of Ramesses III, Medinet-Habu, Thebes, Egypt. Internet image, public domain.</b></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">
We have known for quite some time about the practice in Ancient Egypt where a
soldier would, after a battle, present to the Pharoah severed hands from enemy
he had killed for a reward. Now deposits of the hands have been actually
uncovered at Tell el-Daba, Avaris in ancient Egypt.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>"Excavations conducted in a Hyksos palace at Tell el-Daba (ancient Avaris) in Egypt have for the first time provided archaeological evidence for a gruesome practice previously known only from texts and temple reliefs. Archaeological investigations led by Manfred Bietak and Irene Forstner-Muller in the northern part of the palace, which in its late phase has been attributed to King Khayan of the 15th Dynasty (c. 1600 B.C.), have uncovered pits containing altogether 16 severed right hands. A narrative found in the tomb of Ahmose, son of Ibana, at Eklab describes how after each battle against the Hyksos at Avaris and Sharuhen, the soldier presented an enemy hand as a trophy and was given as a reward the 'gold of valor'. Among additional evidence from the New Kingdom are representations depicting severed right hands being counted and put into a heap."</i> (Ngo 2014) The hands presumably had to be from an adult male, and from the right side so the presenter could not use both hands from a deceased enemy to get paid twice.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9fYkYF2kcIfpHdnoUxvl8JSO7xLGsyO3ILqlrwt_Dwu7Kys-eE_KFxgW1RaDyZftln85mcMqlUabKnqKBSsXYLm_ZSvEklFjdXdODYsEPljxTKcOj2ki9lXf_GLjNjSNB-bO-UHhHDueuJKslWFy_MtGgJkxz9DBrx16lAaMPepheE9ebSs8xZ7UOyAms/s600/found-16-right-hands-that-were-severed-buried-in-the-ancient-palace-picture-7-ZR4U756sP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9fYkYF2kcIfpHdnoUxvl8JSO7xLGsyO3ILqlrwt_Dwu7Kys-eE_KFxgW1RaDyZftln85mcMqlUabKnqKBSsXYLm_ZSvEklFjdXdODYsEPljxTKcOj2ki9lXf_GLjNjSNB-bO-UHhHDueuJKslWFy_MtGgJkxz9DBrx16lAaMPepheE9ebSs8xZ7UOyAms/w431-h286/found-16-right-hands-that-were-severed-buried-in-the-ancient-palace-picture-7-ZR4U756sP.jpg" width="431" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Another image of hands being presented as trophies. Internet image, public domain.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #242021;">“As narrative battle scenes show, the
right hands had to be presented after the battle, as proof of slain enemies, in
a ceremony in front of the king or the commander in chief. There must have
been, however, also a symbolic connotation in the act of severing the hand. The
Amada and Elephantine stelae of Amenhotep II mention the hanging of the corpses
of six princes of Tahshy, slain by the pharaoh himself, in front of the walls
of Thebes and their hands likewise, meaning that the hands were separately
exposed on the outside of the walls. It would not make sense for counting but
it could have been that severing the right hand deprived the miserable princes
once and forever of their power.” </span></i><span style="color: #242021;">(Bietak 2011) Possibly the displaying of the bodies
and hands was to remind the population of the greatness of their Pharoah.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #242021;">Until now no archaeological evidence of
this gruesome custom has been found as no battleground of ancient Egypt has
been identified with precision and investigated.”</span></i><span style="color: #242021;"> (Bietak 2011) In this instance the
discovery of the hands was not at a battlefield, but at a temple, possibly
presented as a sacrifice.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_rS90Q7Wal1qiT_-Yp5DDIQ5vm_0-TKejMxsSRWFlckj_w8lw5903Vz81rLhR1u95eWiT7ELjDKO2JmmcGt8eRa5kOJ6ww9XKhDRuRPPYOZEeFrB4m56eZsPdlkMcvr5n1pJsHLQcbRfmdgDVtMsRGLd8uFX7EbC69dopjpD8CwbGRqSoUqwoFmjiFuJG/s600/photo%20Austrian%20Archaeological%20Institute%20in%20Cairo%20and%20the%20Inst.%20for%20Egyptology..jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="600" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_rS90Q7Wal1qiT_-Yp5DDIQ5vm_0-TKejMxsSRWFlckj_w8lw5903Vz81rLhR1u95eWiT7ELjDKO2JmmcGt8eRa5kOJ6ww9XKhDRuRPPYOZEeFrB4m56eZsPdlkMcvr5n1pJsHLQcbRfmdgDVtMsRGLd8uFX7EbC69dopjpD8CwbGRqSoUqwoFmjiFuJG/w400-h272/photo%20Austrian%20Archaeological%20Institute%20in%20Cairo%20and%20the%20Inst.%20for%20Egyptology..jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Photograph Axel Krause, Austrian Archaeological Institute in Cairo and the Inst. for Egyptology.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwihOyRtX8E0COQyU9gy3mh9iqMbnyaI6Pa7tb2mE0YWqbF0YIKYrH4eZceQDvgbAn7wCcyQ54od0MYCG-XBQHoa_qvziYYpGmrp05EPJxOyjGdly8eXqzbpXSYFDtek9M1G5mRaDMNbmi_txqN9ASEIVmdcrSDhQA7OsKGM87OKG9MvEtx6HMdo3aSkWj/s1000/Photo%20Axel%20Krause%202.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="870" data-original-width="1000" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwihOyRtX8E0COQyU9gy3mh9iqMbnyaI6Pa7tb2mE0YWqbF0YIKYrH4eZceQDvgbAn7wCcyQ54od0MYCG-XBQHoa_qvziYYpGmrp05EPJxOyjGdly8eXqzbpXSYFDtek9M1G5mRaDMNbmi_txqN9ASEIVmdcrSDhQA7OsKGM87OKG9MvEtx6HMdo3aSkWj/w400-h348/Photo%20Axel%20Krause%202.webp" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Photograph Axel Krause, Austrian Archaeological Institute in Cairo and the Inst. for Egyptology.</b></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #242021;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>"A dozen severed hands found in tombs around a 3,500-year-old temple were likely tokens presented to a king of ancient Egypt to prove the valor of his soldiers in battle, a new study found. An new analysis of the site shows the hands, first uncovered in 2011, belonged to at leastd 12 people aged between 14 to 21. The hands were carefully removed from the bodies, likely soon after an enemy's death, before being placed in tombs around the throne room of King Khayan, a Hyksos ruler of Egypt's 15th dynasty."</i> (Guenot 2023)</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #242021;">“Now, by mere chance, evidence of the
presentation of right hands has come to light in the most recent excavation at
Tell el-Daba, ancient Avaris, in autumn 2011. Investigations were resumed in
the northern part of a Hyksos palace which can be attributed in its late phase
to King Khayan of the Fifteenth Dynasty (see: EA 38, pp.38-41). The
north-eastern palace façade with a monumental gate was uncovered and outside
the palace, in front of what seems to be the severely destroyed throne room,
were found two pits, containing one right hand each. In the later palace phase,
these pits were covered by a building added to the outside of the palace façade</span></i><i><span style="color: black;"> </span></i><i><span style="color: #242021;">serving as an annex to a four columned
‘broad-room’ – a building north-east of the palace which may have had a cultic
function. Beyond this building, on top of a former extra-mural silo courtyard
of the early palace phase, two more pits were found containing altogether 14
severed right hands. Some of them were of extraordinary size and
robustness.” </span></i><span style="color: #242021;">(Bietak
2011) These were undoubtedly buried as some sort of sacrifice, or offering to
the gods.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #242021;">The preponderance of pictorial proof of
this practice is found at the Ramesseum, the mortuary temple of Ramesses III in
the Necropolis at Thebes in Upper Egypt across from the city of Luxor. “</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #202122;">Scenes of the great pharaoh and his
army triumphing over the Hittite forces fleeing before Kadesh are represented
on the pylon. Remains of the second court include part of the internal facade
of the pylon and a portion of the Osiride portico on the right. Scenes of war
and the alleged rout of the Hittites at Kadesh are repeated on the walls. In
the upper registers</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">,<span style="color: #202122;"> feast
and honor of the phallic deity Min,</span>G<span style="color: #202122;">od of fertility.”</span></i><span style="color: #202122;"> (Wikipedia) <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJ95UKhzctqazy-8qrWV5M-N58Z0t2nFr-oN56nAZTBDwP9gJ7OjyexMeuGmO24jh0Rj7uBw8vo2KX298J_fFtFTWInEiMJ6F96QX3ELxaHKzr477qa4xoT7-nynk3sAqjflwbZABC6medzagC-jj4V1TAAO3JLoKV17quUHJABJaCrhndW7-eRRsdy-a/s1080/counting%20tongues,%20mortuary-temple-ramesses-iii.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJ95UKhzctqazy-8qrWV5M-N58Z0t2nFr-oN56nAZTBDwP9gJ7OjyexMeuGmO24jh0Rj7uBw8vo2KX298J_fFtFTWInEiMJ6F96QX3ELxaHKzr477qa4xoT7-nynk3sAqjflwbZABC6medzagC-jj4V1TAAO3JLoKV17quUHJABJaCrhndW7-eRRsdy-a/w400-h300/counting%20tongues,%20mortuary-temple-ramesses-iii.webp" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Counting tongues, mortuary temple of Ramesses III, Medinet Habu, Thebes, Egypt. Internet image, public domain.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkpIYV2h6C355etLf0DVaKTELWwUrsOQIGITx3t9uqhyHa1pLYKdjMfRXsAkQ5Qsxjq6ZvGsO5eiJfuDbaJIdNUh33ae8BNzjEb8LTp2fwPZWVDOFLgfh6j500n4uUkDShGDLHNWdTodvwd3w2jE8P2GC5ZXxCeA0TkClrEjydcMBY9wo8Xc-4cWisCsTc/s1080/medinet-habu,%20counting%20phalluses.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="956" data-original-width="1080" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkpIYV2h6C355etLf0DVaKTELWwUrsOQIGITx3t9uqhyHa1pLYKdjMfRXsAkQ5Qsxjq6ZvGsO5eiJfuDbaJIdNUh33ae8BNzjEb8LTp2fwPZWVDOFLgfh6j500n4uUkDShGDLHNWdTodvwd3w2jE8P2GC5ZXxCeA0TkClrEjydcMBY9wo8Xc-4cWisCsTc/w400-h354/medinet-habu,%20counting%20phalluses.webp" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Counting phalluses, mortuary temple of Ramesses III, Medinet Habu, Thebes, Egypt. Internet image, public domain.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Ramses
III preserves several representations of counting body parts on the walls of
his mortuary temple at Medinet Habu (ca. 1180 BC). At least four
representations appear in which the Egyptians are counting hands. Some of the
examples depict the counting event with apparently someone to record the tally
behind the one making the pile. Another representation shows someone counting
tongues. Yet another depiction from Medinet Habu is of the Egyptians counting
phalluses.”</i> (Manor
2021) <span style="color: #202122;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="color: #242021;">So now we have physical proof of the
practice illustrated so graphically in the temple murals at Medinet Habu. </span><span style="color: #202122;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">“The
location, treatment, and possibly the positioning of the severed hands argues
against the hypothesis of law-enforcing punishment as the motivation for these
acts. When contextualised in a transdisciplinary approach to the archaeological
and historic sources, the bioarchaeological evidence presented here suggests
that the severed hands were offered as trophies as part of a public event that
took place in the palace. They belonged to at least eleven males and possibly
one female, which may indicate that women and warfare were not worlds apart. To
the best of the authors’ knowledge, the results put forward in this paper
provide the first direct bioarchaeological evidence for the ‘gold of honour’
ceremony performed in front of the king’s palace and contribute significantly
to the debate over the reconstruction of this ceremony.”</span></i><span style="color: black;"> (Gresky 2023) This ceremony would have
been for the Pharoah to publicly acknowledge the heroism of his troops, and
reward them for defeating the enemy.</span><span style="color: #242021;">
And while this all sounds barbaric to us, let us remember that in North
American history during the French and Indian War both sides paid bounties for
scalps, a practice that lasted in North America for quite some time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">NOTE:</b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"> Some images in this
posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain
photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public domain, I
apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will
contact me with them. For further information on these reports you should read
the original reports at the sites listed below.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: black;">REFERENCES:</span></b><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: black;">Bietak, Manfred</span></b><span style="color: black;">, 2011, <i>The Archaeology of the
Gold of Valour</i>, EES Free University, Berlin.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: black;">Gresky, Julia et al</span></b><span style="color: black;">., 2023, <i>First osteological
evidence of severed hands in Ancient Egypt</i>, 31 March 2023,
www.nature.com/scientificreports/. Accessed online 16 May 2023.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: black;">Guenot, Marianne</span></b><span style="color: black;">, 2023, <i>Tombs filled with severed
hands suggest warriors in ancient Egypt mutilated their enemies to get war
trophies</i>, 16 May 2023, Yahoo News, https://news.yahoo.com/. Accessed online
16 May 2023.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Manor,
Dale Dr.</span></b><span style="color: black;">, 2021, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Parts is Parts</i>, 15 January 2021,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="https://www.patternsofevidence.com/">https://www.patternsofevidence.com</a>.<span style="color: black;"> Accessed online 16 May 2023.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: black;">Ngo, Robin</span></b><span style="color: black;">, 2014, <i>Severed Hands: Trophies of
War in New Kingdom Egypt</i>, 28 February 2014, Biblical Archaeology Review,
March/April 2014.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Wikipedia</b>, <i>Ramesses II,</i> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramesses_II">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramesses_II</a>.
Accessed online 22 June 2023.</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2009, Peter Faris</div>Peter Farishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925168522417380667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7760124847746733855.post-80684803394984198802023-10-14T11:21:00.000-06:002023-10-14T11:21:18.314-06:00USING THE KNOWLEDGE OF TRADITIONAL HUNTERS/ANIMAL TRACKERS TO IDENTIFY ANCIENT ECOLOGIES BY ANALYSIS OF ROCK ART TRACKS:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYbEEoUMWGDccraTwE722iCacmOFN7_ju_oxibCc0hby0U4Z2zy4jevUYAPPvTuefFia4kDhwxTR2EYy3lBzIRnnVPZvVCone_0O9dq_hUuBblfqu3pBUSH1InmRhUXLdOFDFFgwonhaPkVcG5kO9PUwoWOAn7314g_EiOCgZUSCKL5BNsXccsJJ0Xi_9/s1677/journal.pone.0289560.g007.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1677" data-original-width="1175" height="467" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYbEEoUMWGDccraTwE722iCacmOFN7_ju_oxibCc0hby0U4Z2zy4jevUYAPPvTuefFia4kDhwxTR2EYy3lBzIRnnVPZvVCone_0O9dq_hUuBblfqu3pBUSH1InmRhUXLdOFDFFgwonhaPkVcG5kO9PUwoWOAn7314g_EiOCgZUSCKL5BNsXccsJJ0Xi_9/w363-h467/journal.pone.0289560.g007.PNG" width="363" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> <span style="text-align: left;">Section
of panel RAS 8-O, showing the individual sequential numbers for all engravings, digitally enhanced; height of section: c. 1.8 m; photograph by P.
Breunig.</span></span></b></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>“In recent
years, archaeological research has increasingly begun to involve bearers of
indigenous knowledge, particularly in ichnology, the science of tracks. Some of
this research has analyzed, in much greater detail than had been accessible via
the archaeological methods implemented hitherto, Pleistocene footprints
preserved in caves in France that were in use during the Upper Paleolithic. We
consider the undisputed skills and knowledge of indigenous hunters in tracking
animals and humans equally successfully as a methodological toolkit with
promising potential for other, related archaeological sources.”</i> (Lenssen-Erz et
al. 2023)</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXy3w3Tt3iytYCAYByTICv9qs-wBSy7Z3aGtg97yQi6hPeuGtDIWx-fOEZx6dJ-tGE_wQlxwmkISuDnhk2OCWYeYYm9r35tVEH4cCV_3QwfGUujvx9urbXt9aUW7LQetKlLPORxgdGFPNOcahY0eyeFyWTFl9deXPc9yacaTnq0AXQ8ObK3-FfUNDDSRu7/s1500/journal.pone.0289560.g004.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1126" data-original-width="1500" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXy3w3Tt3iytYCAYByTICv9qs-wBSy7Z3aGtg97yQi6hPeuGtDIWx-fOEZx6dJ-tGE_wQlxwmkISuDnhk2OCWYeYYm9r35tVEH4cCV_3QwfGUujvx9urbXt9aUW7LQetKlLPORxgdGFPNOcahY0eyeFyWTFl9deXPc9yacaTnq0AXQ8ObK3-FfUNDDSRu7/w400-h300/journal.pone.0289560.g004.PNG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Hidden panel of the RAS-8 rock art site. </b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: left;">Photograph by P. Breunig.</span></span></b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">An
indigenous or traditional hunter/gatherer possesses enough detailed knowledge
of all the elements of his/her environment to be able to not only identify
animals by their tracks, but to make judgements about their size, condition,
gender and health by analyzing their tracks. It stands to reason then, that
these same experts should be able to analyze representations of animal tracks
in a rock art panel, identify the animals they represent, and thus provide data
about the prehistoric ecology of that area. This is exactly what was done in a
recent study in Namibia.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Namibia is rich in hunter-gatherer
rock art from the Later Stone Age (LSA); this is a tradition of which
well-executed engravings of animal tracks in large numbers are characteristic.
Research into rock art usually groups these motifs together with geometric
signs; at best, therefore, it may provide summary lists of them. To date, the
field has completely disregarded the fact that tracks and trackways are a rich
medium of information for hunter-gatherers, alongside their deeper,
culture-specific connotations. A recent research project, from which this
article has emerged, has attempted to fill this research gap; it entailed
indigenous tracking experts from the Kalahari analyzing engraved animal tracks
and human footprints in a rock art region in central Western Namibia, the Doro!
nawas Mountains, which is the site of recently discovered rock art. The experts
were able to define the species, sex, age group and exact leg of the specific
animal or human depicted in more than 90% of the engravings they analyzed (N =
513). Their work further demonstrates that the variety of fauna is much richer
in engraved tracks than in depictions of animals in the same engraving
tradition. The analyses reveal patterns that evidently arise from culturally
determined preferences. The study represents further confirmation that
indigenous knowledge, with its profound insights into a range of particular
fields, has the capacity to considerably advance archaeological research.”</i> (Lenssen-Erz et al. 2023)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Rock art
panels with animal and human tracks were chosen for analysis by the expert
trackers. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The sites examined in this
study are situated in the Doro! nawas mountains of Namibia. We chose them
primarily for their abundance of track engravings on single panels. In an
isolated, crater-like basin 11 km west of /Ui//aes-Twyfelfontein, two out of
six rock art sites feature such panels. Sites RAS 6 and RAS 8 as numbered
by Frankfurt Goethe University’s research project] are accumulations of
sandstone boulders some 250 m from each other, both located on terraces of the
basin’s steep south-eastern slope at roughly 800 m asl, while the bottom of the
basin sits at 620 m asl.”</i> (Lenssen-Erz et al. 2023)</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: .15in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0.15in; mso-line-height-alt: 10.8pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“For this study, we engaged three indigenous
tracking experts, Tsamgao Ciqae, /Ui Kxunta and Thui Thao; they had previously
worked on the Tracking in Caves project, but also as professional trackers for
commercial hunting. The research at the sites selected for this study, RAS 6
and RAS 8, took place from 18 to 20 September 2018.”</i> (Lenssen-Erz et al. 2023) These
indigenous consultant/analysts from the Kalahari not only had extensive
experience tracking animals professionally, they had previous experience
analyzing animal tracks in rock art in the aforementioned Tracking in Caves
project.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: .15in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0.15in; mso-line-height-alt: 10.8pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhXGT3kmh-77EPENjDAw91gKBHfPfgKpY9lfYe0FM_ukO0CbbOoV4SRBp_JnL2uHhSarXyLM7DYx0F-vc6SWzVA8JMPxMDDax6He02i4hd_vXbtAAxph97CyV_KKTqARQkyxsadLHioL4qjFtYdcHyLsKr6eVi_bOVjtT8TZx8sqfesZlfCVQXzY06VNO-/s2155/journal.pone.0289560.g010.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2155" data-original-width="1559" height="505" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhXGT3kmh-77EPENjDAw91gKBHfPfgKpY9lfYe0FM_ukO0CbbOoV4SRBp_JnL2uHhSarXyLM7DYx0F-vc6SWzVA8JMPxMDDax6He02i4hd_vXbtAAxph97CyV_KKTqARQkyxsadLHioL4qjFtYdcHyLsKr6eVi_bOVjtT8TZx8sqfesZlfCVQXzY06VNO-/w400-h505/journal.pone.0289560.g010.PNG" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Frequently depicted animal tracks. </b></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: .15in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0.15in; mso-line-height-alt: 10.8pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpbvJqAFEdoPz_cPuDUbLzCz9p5slo9mCghRHjOJXvdZiBhEDcqYEpv1BQzKs4rND1E2kTuvhbqcKLRy08C7P_FFMky2hZX4OrOrS3SFTdHcT8l8Av4oBNtERT75ysfVyAeKCp-EFAA_eOGcwkM9BnPdxrT8RtDaGIkkYErcuhhhpbwHCdzYEuHB7vlIU9/s2155/journal.pone.0289560.g011.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2155" data-original-width="1559" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpbvJqAFEdoPz_cPuDUbLzCz9p5slo9mCghRHjOJXvdZiBhEDcqYEpv1BQzKs4rND1E2kTuvhbqcKLRy08C7P_FFMky2hZX4OrOrS3SFTdHcT8l8Av4oBNtERT75ysfVyAeKCp-EFAA_eOGcwkM9BnPdxrT8RtDaGIkkYErcuhhhpbwHCdzYEuHB7vlIU9/w399-h468/journal.pone.0289560.g011.PNG" width="399" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Less frequently depicted animal tracks.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgPkqEnP3gjkkp_fn0fMxTD7QVv_LV6ZD9BsjL8JkKa_Rkmqf590Is4wZ-tVnAaJUZtzzqJY4dpE_lCNsTMIyvoGEOUob0y_Kt0qctuaxmITbO0zLesvye8z8AIkw5n2F1gnKSSkTa1KjK8eLjCA2TafGzcGqOVlKY8Q3yLx2OBVep_XkicCygaq5Sskjm/s2100/journal.pone.0289560.g012.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1520" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgPkqEnP3gjkkp_fn0fMxTD7QVv_LV6ZD9BsjL8JkKa_Rkmqf590Is4wZ-tVnAaJUZtzzqJY4dpE_lCNsTMIyvoGEOUob0y_Kt0qctuaxmITbO0zLesvye8z8AIkw5n2F1gnKSSkTa1KjK8eLjCA2TafGzcGqOVlKY8Q3yLx2OBVep_XkicCygaq5Sskjm/w399-h486/journal.pone.0289560.g012.PNG" width="399" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Rarely depicted animal tracks.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The sequence in columns represents the order of number of occurrences. The scale of reproduction differs from picture to picture; all tracks are shown in upward direction (irrespective of their actual direction on the rock face); all tracks are digitally enhanced, photographs by P. Breunig.</b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The results
of this consultation are surprisingly positive. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Among the 513 tracks analysed in total, the experts identified 345
quadrupeds and 62 bird tracks (407 in total from 40 different species;
Rhinoceros sp. is listed as a taxon, but not counted as a separate species). We
divide these into a group of ’frequently’ depicted species (10 depictions or
more), a second group of ‘less frequently’ depicted species (between 3 and 9
depictions), and a group of ’rarely’ depicted species (one or two specimens
only). The animal track engravings encompass 39 species, including herbivores,
felines, other predators, birds and primates.”</i> (Lenssen-Erz et al. 2023)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Among the animals and birds that
feature in these rock art sites in the Doro! nawas mountains, we note a number
of species that do not occur in the region today because they require a more
humid climate and environment than that currently prevailing; these are blue
wildebeest, buffalo, bushbuck, bushpig, vervet monkey, roan antelope,
red-billed teal, and, to an extent, eland, marabou, red-crested korhaan and
open-billed stork. All other animals and birds that appear in the engravings
continue to live in the region today.”</i>
(Lenssen-Erz et al. 2023) This difference in extant species can provide
valuable clues to changes in the environment there over time.</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: .15in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0.15in; mso-line-height-alt: 10.8pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“An attempt to attribute any
definite meaning to the track engravings of the Doro! nawas mountains must
remain guesswork and speculation in view of the rich polysemy of tracks that
occur worldwide. For the time being we can maintain that the track engravings
from the prehistoric hunter-gatherer culture(s) that existed in Namibia appear
to have had an epistemic purpose that rested on thorough positivist, empirical
knowledge of the life world from which they emerged. Whatever the deeper and
symbolic meanings of these engravings, it could only emerge in its entirety
through a direct conversation with the artists. It may be that further
statistical analysis centering on other, as yet uninvestigated features of the
engraved tracks could enable researchers in this field to identify some
cognitive groupings of the animals depicted which are neither self-evident nor
self-explanatory–both of which are general characteristics of cognitive
categorizations from a global point of view. The difficulty we note here is one
that arises in the interpretation of all prehistoric art. Consulting
present-day indigenous experts can partly mitigate this issue, enabling Western
researchers access to greater depth of insight through the outstanding
precision and plausibility of indigenous knowledge; yet often, as in this case,
the precise meaning and context of the art will remain elusive.”</i> (Lenssen-Erz et al. 2023)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: .15in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0.15in; mso-line-height-alt: 10.8pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">To
the extent that the life experiences of the trackers involved resembles the
life experiences of the prehistoric peoples who left the rock art being
studied, there can be considerable insight into the record that was left on the
rocks. There is, however, no way to judge cultural similarities and mythologies
so in that regard I would not expect any complete insight as a result. This is
certainly a very interesting project and did result in a great deal of exciting
data. Congratulations to all involved.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">NOTE:</span></b><span style="color: black;"> Images in this posting
came from PLoS ONE and copyrights belong to PLoS ONE and the authors. For
further information on this report you should read the original report at the
site listed below.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">REFERENCE:</span></b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 10.8pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Lenssen-Erz
T, Pastoors A, Uthmeier T, Ciqae T, Kxunta /, Thao T</b>., 2023, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Animal tracks and human footprints in prehistoric hunter-gatherer rock
art of the Doro! nawas mountains (Namibia), analysed by present-day indigenous
tracking experts</i>. PLoS ONE 18(9): e0289560. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0289560">https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0289560</a>.
Accessed online 15 September 2023.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2009, Peter Faris</div>Peter Farishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925168522417380667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7760124847746733855.post-63566452891162237602023-10-06T11:17:00.000-06:002023-10-06T11:17:22.985-06:00NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN OLMEC STUDIES: OLMEC SCULPTURE RETURNED TO CHALCATZINGO, AND NEWLY TRANSLATED OLMEC SCRIPT:<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRftp-F4SpFLJFlmxqVr2KkwaPj9iFlL8jBX_z5NkCBaOgZAf5hFwWklRjsNYoIRIuKQQiWlOB566lOIRS4pW9qRFhAUEkw4FvwXOu8EBJYk8ikwQLude0NRgM9R8uNOt7JaslUKFy2ZAKQM-HvaOL9aC5Hdoy2ffHjADNRCnRLkWZkSAJzPAoHuSrTYuh/s710/SO21-Digs-OTG-Chalcatzingo-Pyramid.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="710" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRftp-F4SpFLJFlmxqVr2KkwaPj9iFlL8jBX_z5NkCBaOgZAf5hFwWklRjsNYoIRIuKQQiWlOB566lOIRS4pW9qRFhAUEkw4FvwXOu8EBJYk8ikwQLude0NRgM9R8uNOt7JaslUKFy2ZAKQM-HvaOL9aC5Hdoy2ffHjADNRCnRLkWZkSAJzPAoHuSrTYuh/w400-h266/SO21-Digs-OTG-Chalcatzingo-Pyramid.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Chalcatzingo pyramid, Olmec, Morelo, Mexico. Online image public domain.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">How do you
steal something which weighs approximately one ton? Although neither of the
subjects covered below involve our traditional definitions of petroglyphs, they
are both carved stone.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTqqRaxJUsv2tdwwuUvJE7x_cgMndOdOgfT3tz0dGLQEOi8UQyNz9s-Mz_QhJ2GRHeQyRiJBi52qfRgHkoc0TyT9ryhNxnm0ot9GO35tI3Dw1BxdymeD_kNYZqC_dMB3DVcz__cdhZz_VySe2sYV-F1pooIkm0SIIeKcdYtCB7tHob4nEvzSGdwAXBDc7A/s1196/Chalcatzingo1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1196" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTqqRaxJUsv2tdwwuUvJE7x_cgMndOdOgfT3tz0dGLQEOi8UQyNz9s-Mz_QhJ2GRHeQyRiJBi52qfRgHkoc0TyT9ryhNxnm0ot9GO35tI3Dw1BxdymeD_kNYZqC_dMB3DVcz__cdhZz_VySe2sYV-F1pooIkm0SIIeKcdYtCB7tHob4nEvzSGdwAXBDc7A/w400-h301/Chalcatzingo1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b> Olmec carving at Chalcatzingo, Morelo, Mexico. Online image public domain.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – A massive
stone sculpture carved by Olmec artists more than 2,000 years ago that evokes
ancient religious beliefs has returned to Mexico after decades in the United
States in a homecoming cheered by officials and scholars. Known today as the
‘Earth Monster,’ the sculpture was likely taken from central Mexico during the
1960s, spending time in the hands of private collectors as well as on public
display before being seized by antiquities trafficking agents working with New
York prosecutors.”</i>
(Garcia 2023)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilgjpGuwlH3pDlhtZrXHczOLFke5os2LepLsn04ItN91KIkORecPZ_8GUt_mo6E795GftyAj5i9aTczs3Eupqz4yG11t05XZdmBQp373RhrMogyBi1R4CeG8RiU9OEVwl3h5HbTbHXIroIFVVqJvsyP5ESDrheXCyiJukMzZhQLcRVmvHnqwRrZHU3kl9t/s2054/Photo%20by%20Kent%20Reilly%20III.%20Courtesy%20Mario%20C%C3%B3rdova%20via%20INAH.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2054" data-original-width="1524" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilgjpGuwlH3pDlhtZrXHczOLFke5os2LepLsn04ItN91KIkORecPZ_8GUt_mo6E795GftyAj5i9aTczs3Eupqz4yG11t05XZdmBQp373RhrMogyBi1R4CeG8RiU9OEVwl3h5HbTbHXIroIFVVqJvsyP5ESDrheXCyiJukMzZhQLcRVmvHnqwRrZHU3kl9t/w342-h425/Photo%20by%20Kent%20Reilly%20III.%20Courtesy%20Mario%20C%C3%B3rdova%20via%20INAH.jpg" width="342" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Olmec Earth Monster, Photo by Kent Reilly III. Courtesy Mario Córdova via INAH.</b></span></div></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“It’s a story straight out of an
Indiana Jones movie: A one-ton stone carving made by the Olmecs – one of the
first civilizations to appear in Latin America – will be returned to Mexico
from its current location in Denver after being recovered by an ‘Antiquities
Trafficking Unit’ based in Manhattan, New York. Much like the people who built
it, the date for when the ‘Monstruo de la Tierra,’ aka Earth Monster, will be
sent home remains a mystery, with Mexican officials promising to provide
details on May 19. Marcelo Ebrard, the Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs,
‘will discuss that on Friday,’ says Mary Lopez, spokesperson for the Mexican
Consulate here in Denver. Information surrounding the stone carving’s location
is being kept under wraps to ensure that it’s kept safe and sound before the
move. Ebrard and other consulate members will visit Denver to oversee the
repatriation of the relic, which landed in the Mile High City after it was
stolen from its home in Chalcatzingo, in the Mexican State of Morelos south of
Mexico City.”</i>
(Kelty 2023)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDV0_0M-85xxAzcok3S6-4D1uqRqpuMaETkPpGXhvAl-5YIYnsv0syy_Pu6dEF3xT74Isf8qPDCXwKRfxlE2PM9mTEcMT4eyF9gUNsNRs6h-fOyz_bQHcMWTF9T_WojISKIWWx5X4lxO9GinsRYGzKFvw6yogPwR3GO6BRS6jwatIXYYWaPYhh7LMwp6Sa/s630/Sketch%20of%20the%20Chalcaltzingo,%20Source%20Courtesy%20of%20Mario%20C%C3%B3rdova%20INAH%20-%20Copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="544" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDV0_0M-85xxAzcok3S6-4D1uqRqpuMaETkPpGXhvAl-5YIYnsv0syy_Pu6dEF3xT74Isf8qPDCXwKRfxlE2PM9mTEcMT4eyF9gUNsNRs6h-fOyz_bQHcMWTF9T_WojISKIWWx5X4lxO9GinsRYGzKFvw6yogPwR3GO6BRS6jwatIXYYWaPYhh7LMwp6Sa/w345-h400/Sketch%20of%20the%20Chalcaltzingo,%20Source%20Courtesy%20of%20Mario%20C%C3%B3rdova%20INAH%20-%20Copy.jpg" width="345" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sketch of Olmec Earth Monster.</span> <span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Photo by Kent Reilly III. Courtesy Mario Córdova via INAH.</span></span></b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“It was carved from volcanic rock
sometime between 800-400 BC during the heyday of the Olmec civilization, one of
Mexico’s earliest complex societies with sites mostly clustered around the
country’s Gulf Coast. The Olmecs are well-known for their advanced artistic
tradition, including colossal head sculptures. The artifact depicts a
mythological mountain and its stylized cave entrance in the form of a cross
according to Mario Cordova, and Olmec archeologist who traveled to the United
States as part of the recovery mission. The mountain was also made to resemble
the head of a jaguar, ancient Mexico’s most fearsome predator, with the cave
doubling as its open jaws and the entrance to the underworld.”</i> (Garcia 2023) This is really a
highly sophisticated example of imagery, combining the cave opening in a
mountain side with the open mouth of a jaguar. Another example of the highly
sophisticated Mesoamerican cultures.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“’The mountain-cave-mouth symbolic
complex acquired a high iconographic value throughout Mesoamerica from very
early times, giving rise over the millennia to increasingly complex sets of
images’ according to a book written by the father-son scholarly duo Alfredo
Lopez Austin and Leonardo Lopez Lujan, Lopez Lujan currently leads the
excavations at the Aztec’s holiest shrine in downtown Mexico City.”</i> (Garcia 2023)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Caves were believed to be important
portals to the underworld, and were often associated with water and fertility.
Additionally, the images of branches of a bromeliad plant in the corner of the
figure’s mouth are iconographic in the Chalcatzingo area.”</i> (Pandey 2023)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But this
part of the story ends well, with the mega-artifact returned to its rightful
owners.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI97eiGutw4DQ_T-Ll2FA2HUvlhPNdUM0sudcqWdi4P3lam-v_LZcOaPtQFoUSa3eldU54AX-QFkyZvwYUxuAuvMiU_HdBofjWrm4qDS9LkmEI_464iZXa7pOVXXqcqfFqtt7tPt6nLbhi80YMEPaGAWT24vsxZem5SNIZjpTCkdtz7SojqZ3ebfkKxVvA/s473/Harvestermountainlord,%20Left%20side,%20La%20Mojarra%20Stele%201,%20Wikipedia.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="286" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI97eiGutw4DQ_T-Ll2FA2HUvlhPNdUM0sudcqWdi4P3lam-v_LZcOaPtQFoUSa3eldU54AX-QFkyZvwYUxuAuvMiU_HdBofjWrm4qDS9LkmEI_464iZXa7pOVXXqcqfFqtt7tPt6nLbhi80YMEPaGAWT24vsxZem5SNIZjpTCkdtz7SojqZ3ebfkKxVvA/w386-h640/Harvestermountainlord,%20Left%20side,%20La%20Mojarra%20Stele%201,%20Wikipedia.jpg" width="386" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Harvestermountainlord, Left side, La Mojarra Stele 1. Image from Wikipedia.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In another
area of Olmec studies, however, there is a little more hubbub and emotion. The
Olmec possessed a writing system consisting of glyphs, known as Epi-Olmec or
Isthmian that look somewhat like Mayan writing, but it has been barely
deciphered. In 1997 researchers Justeson and Kaufman claimed that they had
successfully translated an Epi-Olmec inscription on Stele 1, in La Moharra in
southern Veracruz, Mexico (see references below).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvYxCj9ACrF1BoFKGPdW8REawbFNwU1KlYS2VApp60Crxse5WXFsDTLj8DoLppyLzfU8y_BfmNaKdFOKB8TQwbDcRiJ_wIGO8_Jb9E3dICaHaL0CHdHhr9sxZqILiqtCGmU6sXgLC_BcGxvPQST-WORQxhc7pSfIMyyYWhWnaPnmE_Sq0cLpAHIAn8xHm/s675/506px-La_Mojarra_Estela_1_(Escritura_superior).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="506" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvYxCj9ACrF1BoFKGPdW8REawbFNwU1KlYS2VApp60Crxse5WXFsDTLj8DoLppyLzfU8y_BfmNaKdFOKB8TQwbDcRiJ_wIGO8_Jb9E3dICaHaL0CHdHhr9sxZqILiqtCGmU6sXgLC_BcGxvPQST-WORQxhc7pSfIMyyYWhWnaPnmE_Sq0cLpAHIAn8xHm/w300-h400/506px-La_Mojarra_Estela_1_(Escritura_superior).jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>La Mojarra, Stela1 script. Online image public domain.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-cEXfWsmwPdo5UZcfL8CtXVXnHI7MIoch3qbDou-3vlyjA6FP3iT57JYFUFNAGfuGwsw_xc8afTo9kEgElvpNbiV9pyrgxSn3RuZ6GlDOPRnoNdJQhsF6xES4mwXkJSjUddwBiTdN3r2svEi6Q5vZvO6IOr8ipfr4BZIedEpQF8BNXek7kva_R5Mlhlg/s594/La_Mojarra_Inscription_and_Long_Count_date.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="330" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-cEXfWsmwPdo5UZcfL8CtXVXnHI7MIoch3qbDou-3vlyjA6FP3iT57JYFUFNAGfuGwsw_xc8afTo9kEgElvpNbiV9pyrgxSn3RuZ6GlDOPRnoNdJQhsF6xES4mwXkJSjUddwBiTdN3r2svEi6Q5vZvO6IOr8ipfr4BZIedEpQF8BNXek7kva_R5Mlhlg/w305-h444/La_Mojarra_Inscription_and_Long_Count_date.jpg" width="305" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Closeup of La Mojarra Inscription with a Long Count date. Online image public domain.</b></div></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">“A badly weathered
column of hieroglyphs was discovered in November 1995 on the side of Stela 1
from La Mojarra in southern Veracruz, Mexico. Most of the signs in this column
have now been identified by nighttime examination under artificial lighting,
making possible a nearly complete transcription and translation of this column.
This data expands the modest corpus of epi-Olmec hieroglyphic texts and
confirms various aspects of the decipherment of the epi-Olmec script.”</span></i><span style="color: black;"> (Justeson and Kaufman
1997) Except apparently the rest of the field do not agree.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Vv5Qn854hELIskIoi0h7dIZtSgrJZ5F6tC5sFIu8uEZLmd29LyXRgthCb2t3qPd-50ScVnwcGv_VfLwaKIa6eJPt1tXZpmaIpfiYvLSaPtVMLgSn3IlQyPSNxLeRvcc8Jf96RL7MX4OiYoBjeJjRJxUV7BZY9gmCRlCSP4rEyn3i99OjhCsNu-XrA5iq/s1575/mask-back-,%20Michael%20Coe.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1575" data-original-width="1575" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Vv5Qn854hELIskIoi0h7dIZtSgrJZ5F6tC5sFIu8uEZLmd29LyXRgthCb2t3qPd-50ScVnwcGv_VfLwaKIa6eJPt1tXZpmaIpfiYvLSaPtVMLgSn3IlQyPSNxLeRvcc8Jf96RL7MX4OiYoBjeJjRJxUV7BZY9gmCRlCSP4rEyn3i99OjhCsNu-XrA5iq/w400-h400/mask-back-,%20Michael%20Coe.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Interior of a Teotihuacan-style mask from an unknown location in southern Mexico adds 101 glyphs to the total known for ancient Isthmian script. Image Michael Coe.</b></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This paper
from BYU takes exception to the conclusions of Justeson and Kaufman, casting
doubt on their claims and seemingly turns back the process to before their
claims of translation of Epi-Olmec. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #141414;">“Translating the Isthmian script, the written form of one
of the languages used in Mesoamerica from about 500 B.C. to A.D. 500, would be
a tantalizing key to unlocking the mysteries of ancient American societies
before the Maya. In 1993, two other scholars reported in the journal Science
that they had deciphered the writing system, an assertion disputed in the new
study, published in the new issue of the journal Mexicon. ‘This study subjects
a claimed decipherment of an ancient New World script to rigid standards of
proof, and shows that this script remains undeciphered,’ said Coe, author of
the bestselling book ‘Breaking the Maya Code,’ in which he documented how he
and others deciphered Maya hieroglyphs. ‘The inscriptions found on the mask
amount to a 'test case' for the validity of the claimed decipherment,’ allowing
researchers to apply purported meanings of symbols to a new inscription and see
if the results make sense.” </span></i><span style="color: #141414;">(BYU 2004)</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #141414;">“Overall, then, the
case for the Justeson/Kaufman ‘decipherment’ of Isthmian is decidedly unproven
and currently rests on shaky foundations … What it needs, more urgently than
some other ‘decipherments’ given its evident linguistic sophistication, is the
discovery of a new text or texts as substantial as the one found at La Mojarra
in 1986.”</span></i><span style="color: #141414;">
(Wikipedia)</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #141414;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So,
we still have a lot to learn about Olmec civilization, art, science, and
writing, but we certainly have enough to appreciate the height and
sophistication of their art, and by implication the richness of their culture.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">NOTE:</span></b><span style="color: black;"> Some images in this
posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain
photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public domain, I
apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will
contact me with them. For further information on these reports you should read
the original reports at the sites listed below.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">REFERENCES:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">BYU</b>, 2004, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mesoamerican relic provides new clues to mysterious ancient writing
system,</i> 8 January 2004, <a href="https://news.byu.edu/">https://news.byu.edu</a>.
Accessed online 3 July 2923.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Garcia, David Alire</b>, 2023, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Back in Mexico, ‘Earth Monster’ Sculpture Points to Ancient Beliefs</i>,
26 May 2023, <a href="https://www.usnews.com/">https://www.usnews.com</a>.
Accessed online 18 July 2023.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Justeson, John S. and Terrence
Kaufman</b>, 1997, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Newly Discovered Column in the
Heiroglyphic Text on La Mojarra Stela 1: A Test of the Epi-Olmec Decipherment</i>,
Science, Vol. 277, No. 5323, 11 July 1997, pp. 207-210. Accessed online 3 July
2023.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kelty, Bennitol</b>, 2023, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Long-Lost ‘Earth Monster’ Olmec Head Found in Denver, Now Destined for
Mexico,</i> 17 May 2023, <a href="https://www.westword.com/">https://www.westword.com</a>.
Accessed 20 May 2023.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">News.byu.edu</b>, 2004, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mesoamerican relic provides new clues to mysterious ancient writing
system</i>, 8 January 2004, <a href="https://news.byu.edu/">https://news.byu.edu/</a>.
Accessed online 3 July 2023.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pandey, Sahir</b>, 2023, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mexican Government Recovers One Ton Olmec Statue of Earth Monster</i>,
4 April 2023, <a href="https://www.ancient-origins.net/">https://www.ancient-origins.net</a>.
Accessed online 18 July 2023.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Wikipedia</b>, <i>Isthmian script</i>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isthmian_script">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isthmian_script</a>.
Accessed online 3 July 2023.</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2009, Peter Faris</div>Peter Farishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925168522417380667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7760124847746733855.post-89592521959647742222023-09-29T15:59:00.000-06:002023-09-29T15:59:27.479-06:00VISUAL PUNS REVISITED - ABRI DE LAUSSEL PLAYING CARD VENUS:<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7yGobKeoF38YENYsO98877nMXyb4hGG6CwsMmLr-wRft4IU7Qo39h9-XFUYtRrwERcsNXmBzcTM3sXG62s2qg--OzA5IRm4bN56fTuMzdqwzUxvIN4rmTpHOvwJZFyG4H2IpEA4TBn_tGse5kBQ5YIcLEoeHNlOlFPk_FSByvD1y74hwoYhl_EgXSbBh/s435/Laussel,_abri_du_Moulin%20-%20Copy.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="435" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7yGobKeoF38YENYsO98877nMXyb4hGG6CwsMmLr-wRft4IU7Qo39h9-XFUYtRrwERcsNXmBzcTM3sXG62s2qg--OzA5IRm4bN56fTuMzdqwzUxvIN4rmTpHOvwJZFyG4H2IpEA4TBn_tGse5kBQ5YIcLEoeHNlOlFPk_FSByvD1y74hwoYhl_EgXSbBh/w400-h274/Laussel,_abri_du_Moulin%20-%20Copy.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Aubri de Laussel, France. Internet image, public domain.</b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Another example of what I call a visual pun, or a visual Mondegreen (see below) in rock art, and image which can be two things in one. It is a bas-relief sculpture on a slab of limestone created at the Abri de Laussel during the Gravettian period 27k - 22k BCE, and discovered there in 1911 along with six others including the famous "Venus with a horn."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">“A mondegreen is a mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase in
a way that gives it new meaning. Mondegreens are most often created by a person
listening to a poem or a song; the listener, being unable to hear a lyric
clearly, substitutes words that sound similar and make some kind of sense.”</span></i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""> (Wikipedia) In my current usage this image is the visual equivalent
of a mondegreen because of the many different interpretations it has been
given. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxLHQlslT7r1V949Wn0zeSWv3iQUKWUlREOQqXRRpFNBdlLezLBntzBnZ3cThT55HDhPi-VGPXMrTJxDK-q9w7kA5CwK_sZPVTbvfOMW3AUb8cot12wd7F66B5JgHKnsYrS9ST96hpV1ULo3Zda2lo3h191Dcho6m0Cuph-mtaOvtmvqbvvbE9kOCg8gF5/s333/abri-laussel-fouilles-1911-1912.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="213" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxLHQlslT7r1V949Wn0zeSWv3iQUKWUlREOQqXRRpFNBdlLezLBntzBnZ3cThT55HDhPi-VGPXMrTJxDK-q9w7kA5CwK_sZPVTbvfOMW3AUb8cot12wd7F66B5JgHKnsYrS9ST96hpV1ULo3Zda2lo3h191Dcho6m0Cuph-mtaOvtmvqbvvbE9kOCg8gF5/w256-h400/abri-laussel-fouilles-1911-1912.jpg" width="256" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Abri de Laussel undergoing excavation, 1911-1912. Internet image, public domain.</b></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Abri de Laussel is a rock shelter, not a cave as such, which explains the dearth of cave paintings. They could not be expected to last that long exposed to the elements. It was, however, found to contain a large deposit of artifacts including seven bas-relief sculptures. <i>"Bas-relief sculptures, restricted to small protable objects during the Aurignacian, are executed on a larger scale during the Gravettian. A prime example is at the site of Laussel in southwest France, where a series of limestone blocks clustered in the midst of a living site were sculpted in bas-relief with a series of human figures. In these cases, not only the overall figure is raised in relief against the stone support, but details such as arms are placed in relief against the body of the person represented.</i>" (White 2003:82)</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBxnv-RzmlrqwiUdIe63khh9_G_tbCmj-7AXf0eDJQE6tcGL2aSWXxfZM7bhAthwg7-oRCsjZ5ti4bcQdfqR0pIJDLr9PJmehm1iB67qGd8keoWAOuKB9uXeZ6VCa14JHHmUFCg0awQWvufIm-yviNKrPJ5U3F6uGuoyLfOZFPASO8FpqSrmRuo1Ze-J6/s749/Venus%20of%20Laussel,%20Museum%20of%20Aquitaine,%20CC0%201.0.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="749" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBxnv-RzmlrqwiUdIe63khh9_G_tbCmj-7AXf0eDJQE6tcGL2aSWXxfZM7bhAthwg7-oRCsjZ5ti4bcQdfqR0pIJDLr9PJmehm1iB67qGd8keoWAOuKB9uXeZ6VCa14JHHmUFCg0awQWvufIm-yviNKrPJ5U3F6uGuoyLfOZFPASO8FpqSrmRuo1Ze-J6/w400-h240/Venus%20of%20Laussel,%20Museum%20of%20Aquitaine,%20CC0%201.0.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>'Venus of Laussel, Museum of Aquataine, France.'</b></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">The best known of these sculptures is the Venus of Laussel (Femme a la Corne), the figure of a corpulent woman hold</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">ing up a bovine horn in her right hand. Other so-called ‘Venus’ figures were also retrieved there as well.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbR240iXca_vmqIAXA1qyCyXprrm7bTV3v5tCPrMK3nsSzQNExn875KK7N1iD0A0hY17MgkDKm0PQr3I-7lHQXyDNLg6ovAfk4AaQxoQBj4IQ0jlOqKMcYDOqWRsteUNW-vN-ljQu_lfeSLJlPwSYfS3XqXcD7C2Frklqjw7aV5lpqP17PifGTYmk584X8/s2208/Standard.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2208" data-original-width="1677" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbR240iXca_vmqIAXA1qyCyXprrm7bTV3v5tCPrMK3nsSzQNExn875KK7N1iD0A0hY17MgkDKm0PQr3I-7lHQXyDNLg6ovAfk4AaQxoQBj4IQ0jlOqKMcYDOqWRsteUNW-vN-ljQu_lfeSLJlPwSYfS3XqXcD7C2Frklqjw7aV5lpqP17PifGTYmk584X8/w304-h400/Standard.jpg" width="304" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>"Engraving known as 'les deux personnages' (the two people), Laussel (Dordogne), France - Gravettian. Combined height of figures: 20cm. Musee d'Aquitaine." White 2003:84.</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwSidsw16MsgxqXtP-bi5yWyOfnIyQBaXXoNWIOh8M982hmsAAMWpFu-QgEz3IOZJaLBecCFYM4IcM8UAcw0eE2D5FBdhkuOyk7BMVNxQ_egIL-a-mpTaXkkOUKB3dJHNjWL7Fz-RzGkHqWxSr_5h91H4u8bEs6YY0GY7IcfkE6UFuNMy37Y1-zIoVEW0v/s2208/Rotated%20180%20degrees.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2208" data-original-width="1677" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwSidsw16MsgxqXtP-bi5yWyOfnIyQBaXXoNWIOh8M982hmsAAMWpFu-QgEz3IOZJaLBecCFYM4IcM8UAcw0eE2D5FBdhkuOyk7BMVNxQ_egIL-a-mpTaXkkOUKB3dJHNjWL7Fz-RzGkHqWxSr_5h91H4u8bEs6YY0GY7IcfkE6UFuNMy37Y1-zIoVEW0v/w304-h400/Rotated%20180%20degrees.jpg" width="304" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Also known as 'the Playing Card Venus,' Rotated 180 degrees. Randall White, 2003:64.</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">“This engraving from Laussel, dated from 32,000 BP to 20,000 BP
has been identified as a male-female copulation scene, a birthing scene, or
most recently as a Double Goddess in mirror reflection. Perhaps as a 'Playing
Card' image of two women, it<span style="background: rgb(238, 238, 238);"> </span>represents
the changing of the seasons from winter to summer, and the resulting dark and
light cycle that occurs.”</span></i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""> (Hitchcock 2022) This is somewhat akin
to asking people what they see in Rorschach tests. The same image but so many
different interpretations.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">
<i>“It was discovered in 1911 at almost the
same time as the Femme à la Corne, and was created by pecking the stone. It is
engraved on a sandstone block, probably originally attached to the wall. It was
discovered 'in the rubble', and may have been completed on the stone after it
had detached from the wall. The photo on the left is the traditional way to
look at the sculpture, but if we rotate it through 180° a second Venus appears,
shown at right, with the head at the top, a neck, and breasts.”</i> (Hitchcock
2022) In my opinion it was, of course, completed on a rock that had fallen from
the wall of the shelter. To create this effectively the creator probably had to
be able to rotate it and manipulate it, and view it from both directions.
Hitchcock referred to this as sandstone. Other sources refer to it as limestone
and I suspect this is correct as this is the region of limestone caves and
their art.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There is not much information available on this piece, it is
outstripped by its more famous sister, the above-mentioned ‘Venus.’</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So what is it really meant to represent. I really don’t
know, but as I stated above I like to think of it as a visual pun created by
someone with a sense of humor – a very long time ago. And that makes them a whole lot more
like us than we used to give them credit them for.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">NOTE 1</span></b><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">: Discrepancies in dates may indicate
different estimates by different studies, or improved dating technologies.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">NOTE 2</span></b><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">: Some images in this
posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain
photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public domain, I
apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will
contact me with them. For further information on these reports you should read
the original reports at the sites listed below.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">REFERENCES:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<h2><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Don Hitchcock</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-weight: normal;">, 2022, </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-weight: normal;">The Venus of
Laussel – La Femme a la Corne</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-weight: normal;">, 4 May
2022,</span><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.donsmaps.com/lacornevenus.html">https://www.donsmaps.com/lacornevenus.html</a>.
</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-weight: normal;">Accessed online 16 July
2023.<o:p></o:p></span></span></h2><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""><b>White, Randall</b></span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-weight: normal;">, 2003, <i>Prehistoric Art, the symbolic journey of humankind,</i> Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""><b>Wikipedia</b></span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-weight: normal;">, <i>Mondegreen - Wikipedia</i>, https://en.wikipedia.org-wiki-mondegreen. Accessed 16 July 2023.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2009, Peter Faris</div>Peter Farishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925168522417380667noreply@blogger.com0