On August 3, 2013, I began a series of postings questioning
the conclusions of Barry Fell and his fellow epigraphers back in the 1970s and
1980s. My first example was located in Picture Canyon, in Baca County,
Colorado. I showed then that the casting of the petroglyph that Fell had done
his translation from had been altered from the original. This example is also
located in Picture Canyon, Baca County, Colorado.
Fell’s description of his version of this image is:
“A finely executed
cliff petroglyph of a horse, discovered by Gloria Farley in the Cimarron
region, is unusual in having a Libyan brandmark shown H-N, “Fleet-of-foot.” In
ancient Libya states were erected to successful racehorses, and perhaps this
commemorates one such, though not an American cup winner. Replica, after photo
by Gloria Farley.” (Fell 1980:286)
Once again, by comparing the Fell’s illustration with a
photograph of the actual image you can see a number of differences. One major
difference is the depth of the groove. On the original there is a fine scratch
as if made with the edge of a flake of hard stone or the tip of a knife blade. Indeed, without the added
pigment the horse image would be difficult to trace. This really is more
pictograph than petroglyph, and while on that subject notice that Fell's version omits
what appear to be the faded remains of an image of a rider with the horse. Then
we have the changes to the image itself. The head of the horse is very different
from the actual pictograph, and the line of the left hip of the horse is
also changed. Fell has omitted the tail of the horse as well. Even the
inscription which is the whole point to Fell has been changed. On the original
this so-called Libyan brandmark is roughly circular or oval in outline and in Fell’s
altered version it is squared off, presumably to make the interpretation more
convincing.
Falsified data does not convince me.
REFERENCE:
Fell, Barry
1980 Saga America, Times Books, New York
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