Near Craig, Colorado. Photograph: Peter Faris, 2007.
You know how sometimes you see a rock art panel, or image,
or something that you do not understand, but just cannot get out of your mind?
One of mine is this boulder from northwestern Colorado, visited on one of the
field trips after the 2007 Colorado Rock Art Association Rock Art Symposium
and Annual Meeting in Craig, Colorado.
Near Craig, Colorado. Photograph: Peter Faris, 2007.
Our guide led us to a site that looked down on this large
boulder with a series of apparently perfect holes abraded or drilled into it in
roughly two concentric circles. To the best of my memory there were 28 holes,
roughly a lunar cycle. Additionally, many of the holes had round stones placed
in them although obviously that could have been done at any time. To the best
of our ability to judge the holes had smooth walls and showed no overt sign of
pecking so they appeared drilled or abraded, and they were a number of inches
deep.
Near Craig, Colorado. Photograph: Peter Faris, 2007.
The obvious suggestion was the connection to the lunar cycle;
a stone could be moved from hole to hole each day to keep track of the cycle.
There are a number of problems with that beginning with you do not have to move
stones in holes to track the lunar cycle, you only have to look up at the moon.
Another problem with that theory is the large scale of the panel, it would be
very difficult to reach the holes at the top without a scaffold or a ladder, a
smaller scale panel would have worked much better.
Near Craig, Colorado (quarter for scale).
Photograph: Peter Faris, 2007.
Thinking about the total amount of rock removed from all the
holes I am tempted to think that modern machinery had to be involved in its
creation, but for what reason? All in all I am mystified about this panel – any
suggestions?
Posts
Peter those look modern to me, too, but had to comment since you mentioned 28 holes... this is the exact number of segments in the Chinese calendar and has been posited as an explanation for the big Sun Wheel in Wyoming, which also has 28 spokes. See some of Charlotte Rees' works for info on this.
ReplyDeleteWhen you see these holes in the rocks top with a compass and see if its magnetic natural position is unchanged.
ReplyDeleteit is a map key, like a survey marker for modern cartography but this is an ancient method! These are all over Colorado, Utah, NM, AZ & OK though most are on private property and go unnoticed. The key to deciphering is in wooden dowell rods in each hole along with a second stone that should determine this stones mathematics. Reffer to Carl Monck Code 1994.
ReplyDeletecan you be more specific on location and background info on the boulder
ReplyDelete