2024 C.R.A.P. AWARD - PETROGLYPHS OF INDIAN TEMPLES AND STUPAS IDENTIFIED AS VIMANAS (PREHISTORIC FLYING MACHINES):

Hypothetical vertical section of a vimana. Drawing by T. K. Ellappa, Bangalore, India. 12 February 1923. Image from Wikipedia. Note - the little T-shapes in the blue cups at the top are the propellers which will provide the lift to make it fly.

It is time again for the RockArtBlog coveted annual C. R. A. P. (Certifiable Rock Art Prevarication) award, and do I have a really deserving recipient this year? Not to a particular person, but for an area of fringie writing using twisted and convoluted beliefs to turn petroglyphs of stone temples into flying machines. I am talking about the hokum surrounding modern “theorists” about Vimanas, the flying machines from the annals of ancient writings in India, and modern websites pushing these beliefs.

One characteristic of many of these websites is that they are anonymous, it is difficult to find an actual person’s name to associate with it. The writing is credited to “the editorial team,” although some sites originating in India have the author’s name on them.

Hypothetical illustration of a vimana. Illustration from theancientzen.com.

Another characteristic is exaggerated fringie hype about things like interstellar visitors, antigravity, and technologically advanced civilizations back during the Paleolithic or Neolithic ages. I want to reiterate that I am not attacking writings from India about vimanas any more than I would attack the bible because Ezekial saw the wheel. I am giving the C.R.A.P. award to the people who tell us that petroglyphs of stupas and Indian temples are actually the flying machines. You are entitled to believe whatever you want, but, as I have said before, RockArtBlog has a responsibility to call out outright lies when found.

I am going to pass on a number of the most egregious claims and statements to illustrate how ridiculous this can get, but I am not going to identify any particular internet site. If you want to find this garbage for yourself you can go online and do so, but I will not give them the publicity.

Indian warriors observing a vimana. Internet image, public domain.

“According to Ancient Indian history – one of the most extensive on the planet – their ancient sacred texts called the ‘Vedas’ speak of incredible flying ships that visited our planet over 6000 years ago. Throughout history, many common myths and legends mention incredible flying machines and how ancient people traveled great distances through the air: the flying carpets of ancient Arabia, Ezekiel’s wheel, Solomons’ ability to travel from one place to another and the magical chariots or ‘vimana’ mentioned in ancient Indian and Chinese texts.”

An Indian temple. Internet image, public domain.

According to another writer “The propulsion of vimanas is perhaps the most mysterious aspect, with some texts hinting at mercury vortex engines and other forms of advanced technology. For instance, references to a mercury-driven energy source can be found in the Sanskrit texts, which some interpret as evidence of sophisticated engineering concepts. The descriptions suggest a combination of mechanical and potentially non-mechanical propulsion methods that go beyond the simple combustion processes familiar to modern aircraft engineering.” This so-called mercury vortex engine is related to a plasma or ion drive sometimes used on modern satellites and spacecraft.

 “The Vaimānika Śāstra, an early 20th-century Sanskrit text on aerospace technology, makes a claim that the vimānas mentioned in ancient Sanskrit epics were advanced aerodynamic flying vehicles, similar to a rocket capable of interplanetary flight as backed up by the ancient alien theory. Revealed in 1952 by G. R. Josye, the texts contain 3000 shlokas in 8 chapters which Shastry claimed were psychically delivered to him by the ancient Hindu sage Bharadvaja. The propulsion of the Vimanas According to Kanjilal (1985) is by a “Mercury Vortex Engines”, a concept similar to electric propulsion. However, many people argue that a far greater, more accessible and ‘free’ power source was available to the ancient Vimana craft. It is noteworthy to mention that a couple of years ago, Chinese researchers discovered ancient Sanskrit documents in Lhasa, Tibet, dating back thousands of years. The ancient texts were sent to the University of Chandigarh for translation. The results were shocking. According to Dr. Ruth Reyna the translated texts, allegedly are ‘blueprints’ for the construction of interstellar spaceships.”

“According to the translated documents, the propulsion system designed for the spaceships was based on antigravitational technology, and based on a system analogous to that of ‘laghima,’ the unknown power of the ego that exists in man’s physiological makeup, ‘a centrifugal force strong enough to counteract all gravitational pull.Interestingly, according to Hindu Yogis, the mysterious ‘laghima’ force is what enables people to levitate. Dr. Reyna explained that ‘on board, these machines which were called ‘Astras,’ the builders of the crafts could have sent a detachment of men to any planet. The manuscripts, however, do not mention how interplanetary communication was achieved, but they do mention a trip from the Earth to the Moon, though it is unclear whether the trip was just planned or actually carried out.’”

Petroglyph of an Indian temple or shrine misidentified as a vimana. Internet image, public domain.

Wikipedia’s analysis gives some insight to the subject. “The Vaimānika Śāstra was first committed to writing between 1918 and 1923, and nobody is claiming that it came from some mysterious antique manuscript. The fact is, there are no manuscripts of this text before 1918, and nobody is claiming that there are. So on one level, this is not a hoax. You just have to buy into the assumption that 'channeling' works. ... there is no exposition of the theory of aviation (let alone antigravity). In plain terms, the VS. never directly explains how Vimanas get up in the air. The text is top-heavy with long lists of often bizarre ingredients used to construct various subsystems. ... There is nothing here which Jules Verne couldn't have dreamed up, no mention of exotic elements or advanced construction techniques. The 1923 technical illustration based on the text ... are absurdly un-aerodynamic. They look like brutalist wedding cakes, with minarets, huge ornithopter wings and dinky propellers”

Petroglyph of an Indian temples or shrines misidentified as vimanas. Internet image, public domain.

So, what we actually have, is real petroglyphs of temples or stupas of India and southeastern Asia being purposely misidentified as phony ancient steampunk antigravity flying machines, and for this reason RockArtBlog awards the 2025 C.R.A.P. (Certifiable Rock Art Prevarication) award to the unnamed purveyors of this garbage.

NOTE: 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. 

2023 C.R.A.P. AWARD – NEVADA SHOE PRINTS MADE MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO ACCORDING TO CREATIONISTS:

2023 C.R.A.P. (Certifiable Rock Art Prevarication) Award goes to "Creation Science."

Alleged shoe print from Nevada. Image from howandwhys.com.

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.

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.’

"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." (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.

Another view of the alleged shoe print from Nevada. Image from anomalien.com.

A 2006 report by Glen Kuban describes in detail the supposed discovery and provides an analysis of the claim. “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.” (Kuban 2006)

In 2021 Vicky Verma quoted the discoverer of the supposed footprint: “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.” (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.

Drawing of alleged shoe print with the missing portion filled in. Image from Verma, 2020.

“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.” (Verma 2021)  

Kuban is quite straightforward with his long and fair analysis and then his discounting of the claims. “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.” (Kuban 2006)

Fraudulent image of the Nevada shoe print. Online image, public domain.

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. Of course, nowadays this second image could also have been a computer creation.

Newly created fraudulent shoe print created by DALL-E-2.

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.

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.

NOTE: 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.

REFERENCES:

Kuban, Glen J., 2006, Nevada Shoe Print?, http://paleo.cc/paluxy/nevada.htm. Accessed online 9 December 2023.

Verma, Vicky, 2021, Mystery of Alleged 200 Million-Year-Old Shoe Print Found in Nevada in 1917, https://www.howandwhys.com. Accessed online 9 December 2023.

Wikipedia, Creation Science, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creation_science. Accessed online 11 December 2023.

2019 C.R.A.P. AWARD - THE HOHOKAM WERE MASONIC PHOENICIAN HEBREWS:

Hohokam rock art.

Internet, Public domain.

It is time again for the RockArtBlog coveted annual C. R. A. P. (Certifiable Rock Art Prevarication) award, and boy, do I have a really deserving recipient this year?

Hohokam rock art.

Internet, Public domain.

One of the great rock art traditions of the American southwest was created by the Hohokam people, and to properly try to evaluate, understand, or just admire, their rock art we have to have a fair, accurate, and unbiased picture of their culture.

Hohokam rock art.

Tucson, Arizona.

Internet, Public domain.

Now the Gnostic Warrior website and Cult of Demons podcasts have written articles about how the Hohokam of the American desert southwest and northern Mexico were really Hebrew Phoenicians and members of the Masonic order.

Hohokam carved shell birds.

Internet, Public domain.

These articles declare first that the Hohokam were actually Jewish Phoenicians. "Many people are not aware that the name of the red rock spiritual place in the Southwest of the United States that we know as Sedona, Arizona, was founded by a biblical people we know as the Sidonians from the island of Crete. The Greeks had called them Phoenicians, the Egyptians knew them as the Sea Peoples, and they are also known in the Scripture(s) as the Hebrew people." (Gnosticwarrior 2)

Hohokam carved shell birds.

Internet, Public domain.

So, based on the name of Sedona, Arizona, the conclusion has been drawn that the people who lived there prehistorically were actually Sidonians from the island of Crete. Predictably this is wrong as well. "The Sidonians were the inhabitants of ancient Sidon, a seaport on the Mediterranean Sea in modern Lebanon. Those familiar with the Biblical text will recall that Sidon was an influential, wealthy Phoenician city." (biblicalarchaeology.org)  Sidon was in Lebanon, not on the island of Crete.

Hohokam carved shell

bird pendant and drawing.

Internet, Public domain.

Now that their actual ethnic affiliation with the peoples of the Middle East has been established, Gnosticwarrior goes on to prove their membership in the Order of Freemasons based upon a resemblance he sees between a Hohokam bird pendant carved from shell and found at Casas Grandes and the Masonic symbol of the square and dividers.

"This Indian Masonic compass and square is made of sea shells and dated to over 1,800 years ago. The manufacture of the square and compass using sea shells would indicate they were a people of the sea, just like the Phoenicians whom the Egyptians knew as the Sea Peoples. It is well known that the Freemasons trace their craft back to the chief mason working on Solomon's Temple as Phoenician King, Hiram Abiff, son of a Tyrian widow. Hence, the Widow's son. He was chief architect sent to Solomon by the Phoenician King of Tyre." (Gnosticwarrior1) (Yes, it is truly this confusing. In two sentences back to back Hiram Abiff is the Phoenician King and he is also the architect sent by the Phoenician King - perhaps he sent himself)

In other words, he found a carved shell image that he identified as the Masonic square and dividers and that proves his case. See how simple that was?

The problem lies in the fact that the carved shell pendant in question does not represent the Masonic square and dividers at all - it is a bird. The Hohokam left large numbers of carved shell figures, bracelets, pendants, etc. Among the popular subjects were birds. This image is found attached and within a curved base. Given the prevalence of carved shell bracelets left by the Hohokam this may either be a broken piece of a bracelet carved from shell, or a pendant which was originally surrounded by a circle of shell. I find the latter more likely although I cannot see enough detail in the photos to determine whether or not there are broken surfaces.

Hohokam carved shell

bird pendant, base removed

by computer manipulation.

Masonic square and

dividers symbol.

Internet, public domain.

Its identity as a bird is easily determined by using a simple computer program to remove the arced base leaving the center isolated. The head is obviously a bird, and the other elements can be identified as downward sloping wings, a body, and either spread legs or a spreading tail.

So, when Gnosticwarrior spews his nonsense about Masonic Hebrew Phoenicians he not only contributes to misinformation and ignorance, he insults one of the great early cultures of the American southwest, and for this all, Gnosticwarrior has earned the 2019 Certifiable Rock Art Prevarication award. Perhaps he should change that name to Agnosticwarrior.

We will be doing this again next year - send me your candidates.

NOTE: 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.

REFERENCES:

Anonymous,

2017 Biblical Sidon - Jezebel's Hometown, Who Were the Sidonians?, Staff writer,June 19, 2017, https://biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-near-eastern-world/biblical-sidon-jezebel-hometown/

Gnosticwarrior

1. Undated The American Indians and Phoenician Hebrews: Masonic Square and Compass, https://gnosticwarrior.com/indian-masonic-square-and-compass.html

2. Undated The Phoenician Sidonian Hebrews of Sedona, Arizona, https://gnosticwarrior.com/hebrews-of-sedona-arizona.html

2018 C.R.A.P. AWARD - SPACE ALIENS IN ROCK ART: This was last year's award, watch for the 2019 C.R.A.P. award coming soon.

Petroglyphs, Swelter Shelter,

Dinosaur National Monument,

Utah, Photograph Peter Faris,

1984.

I am going to break with my usual practice this year, and instead of giving the 2018 C.R.A.P. (Certifiable Rock Art Prevarication) Award to an individual or organization for egregious falsehood in the field of rock art, I am awarding it this year to a whole sub-category of fringe rock art research - SPACE ALIENS IN ROCK ART. Many years ago I naively assumed that something as silly as that just could not be taken seriously. After a 1984 field trip to Dinosaur National Monument I found out differently when I showed a co-worker the picture  above taken at Swelter Shelter. His instant reaction was "see, that proves that aliens have visited us." He was totally serious and I was smart enough to immediately drop the subject.

Supposed UFO pictograph,

Charama, Chhattisgarh, India.

timesofindia.org, Public Domain.

The amount of material devoted to so-called evidence of alien visitation nonsense is truly vast, and also half-vast (say that latter quickly). I assume that most serious rock art researchers really have not looked at the quantity of books and web sites devoted to this, and don't. If you are any sort of real scholar or serious researcher what you find will only depress you. The other examples I am illustrating come from a 2014 discovery in Chhattisgarh, India.

Supposed space alien

pictograph, Charama,

Chhattisgarh, India.

timesofindia.org,

Public Domain.

This was taken seriously enough that a conference was convened to examine the so-called evidence. "A couple of years ago, several influential scientists from across the globe, including Prime Minister Narenda Modi, attended a presentation at the Indian Science Congress where ancient flying "spaceships" in the Solar System were discussed. It was a historical event as nothing of the sort has ever occurred in the history of the Congress ever before. And every year, this subject receives more and more recognition and debate." (Stephani 2017)

Supposed space aliens

pictograph, Charama,

Chhattisgarh, India.

timesofindia.org,

Public Domain.

This subject is a pictograph site at Charama, Chhattisgarh, India. "Chhattisgarh state department of archaeology and culture plans to seek help from NASA and ISRO for research on 10,000-year-old rock paintings depicting aliens and UFOs in Charama region in Kanker district in tribal Bastar region. According to archaeologist JR Bhagat, these paintings have depicted aliens like those shown in Hollywood and Bollywood flicks. Located about 130km from Raipur, the caves come under village Chandeli and Gotitola." (Drolial 2014)

Unfortunately, this is only one example out of very many. So this year the prestigious 2018 C.R.A.P. Award is given to any and all of the hundreds of books and websites devoted to convincing people that there is proof of outer space alien visitation to be found in rock art - especially "Ancient Aliens". This is for all of you. Keep it up people and you will convince the aliens that there really is no intelligent life on this planet.

HONORABLE MENTION: This year I am also awarding my first Honorable Mention in the C.R.A.P. Awards to Marietta Eaton, Monument Manager of Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, for her lying e-mail to me on September 19, 2018, claiming that here really was not much rock art to see in Canyons of the Ancients (See my editorial response from October 1, 2018). Marietta, your own staff confirmed to me that there are thousands of examples of rock art in your monument so I am awarding you the very first Honorable Mention C.R.A.P. Award. Congatulations!

NOTE: 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 originals at the sites listed below.

REFERENCES:

Drolial, Rashmi

2014 10,000-Year-Old Rock Paintings Depicting Aliens and UFOs Found in Chhhattisgarh, July 15, 2014, The Times of India, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/10000-year-old-rock-paintings-depicting-aliens-and-UFOs-found-in-Chhattisgarh/articleshow/38435091.cms

Stephani

2017 Incredible10,000-Year-Old Rock Paintings Depict Extraterrestrial Visitors, February 13, 2017, https://www.disclose.tv/incredible-10000-year-old-rock-paintings-depict-extraterrestrial-visitors-313374

2017 C.R.A.P. AWARD GOES TO PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP:

On December 4, 2017, President Trump signed Executive Orders reducing Bear's Ears National Monument in size as well as reducing Grand Staircase-Escalante in size, both in Utah. In his speech he lied that his actions were taken "to protect the land" and "according to the wishes of the Native American tribes."

Bear's Ears rock art,

Dept. of Interior,

Public domain.

I was hoping that this year I would be able to go on to another subject, but President Trump made that impossible, so, for his Executive Order which removes protection from thousands of archaeological sites and rock art panels I am awarding President Donald J. Trump the coveted 2017 CRAP (Certifiable Rock Art Prevarication) award.

Map of Bear's Ears reduction,

Stephanie Smith, Grand

Canyon Trust. Public domain.

Here is how he wants to "protect the land." This map, by Stephanie Smith of the Grand Canyon Trust shows the proposed reduction in area for Bear's Ears. It is a reduction of 85% "to protect the land." Grand Staircase-Escalante is to be reduced by half.

Map of Grand Staircase-Escalante

coal resources, Stephanie Smith,

Grand Canyon Trust. Public domain.

The second map, also by Stephanie Smith of the Grand Canyon Trust illustrates the reason for this action. It illustrates the coal resources of the Escalante-Grand Staircase National Monument that Trump's reduction in are will free up for strip mining. Just imagine what that will do to these beautiful lands, to say nothing about what burning all that coal will add to climate change.

Bear's Ears rock art, Salt

Lake City Tribune,

public domain.

For these reasons I am disgusted to be able to award President Donald J. Trump the 2017 CRAP award from https://rockartblog.blogspot.com - congratulations.

NOTE: 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. 

REFERENCES:

Salt Lake City Tribune.

U.S. Dept. of the Interior.

www.grandcanyontrust.org

2015 CERTIFIABLE ROCK ART PREVARICATION (CRAP) AWARD - CONGRESSMAN ROB BISHOP:

Congressman Rob Bishop,

of Utah's first Congressional

District, Chairman of the House

 Natural Resources Committee

CONGRESSIONAL HOUSE CHAIRMAN BISHOP CALLS NATIVE AMERICAN ARTIFACTS "BULL CRAP - NOT AN ANTIQUITY"

The examples of rock art shown here (below), and many, many more, were called "Bull Crap" by House Natural Resources Committee Chair Rob Bishop, who represents Utah's first Congressional District.

Reported by the staff of Native News Network on July 13, 2015, the story reads:

"WASHINGTON - House Natural Resources Committee Chair Rob Bishop, dismissed the historical value of Native American artifacts as a basis for establishing national monuments last Friday (July 10, 2015), as first reported by Greenwire in a story about President Obama's designation of three new national monuments:

"There is nothing that Obama did today that had anything to do with antiquity," Bishop said. "There are criteria for using the act. There is nothing Obama announced that had anything to do with the criteria." (nativenewsnetwork)

Rock art at Basin and Range

National Monument, Nevada. www.protectbasinandrange.org

When he was asked about the Native American artifacts at the Basin and Range National Monument site in Nevada, including cave paintings, he said, "ah, bull crap. That's not an antiquity." (nativenewsnetwork)

Ranking commitee member Raul M. Grijalva released the following statement in response.

Rock art at Basin and Range

National Monument, Nevada. www.protectbasinandrange.org

"The natural and cultural resources protected by these designations are, in fact, antiques; species and trees and rocks and cave paintings and beautiful landscapes are all quite old. We want them to remain antique, House Republicans want them to become extinct." (nativenewsnetwork)

Rock art at Basin and Range

National Monument, Nevada. www.protectbasinandrange.org

"Grijalva thanked and congratulated President Obama earlier today for his designations of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument in California, Waco National Monument in Texas, and Basin and Range National Monument in Nevada." (nativenewsnetwork)

When we are faced with such staggering ignorance and insensitivity what can we do but keep trying to preserve the beauty and knowledge. What can we do? I can designate congressman Rob Bishop as the 2015 recipient of the coveted and prestigious Certifiable Rock Art Prevarication (CRAP) award for his stupidity. Congratulations Mr. Bishop, winner of the 2015 CRAP award!

REFERENCES:

https://www.facebook.com/nativenewsnetwork

https://www.protectbasinandrange.org

THE 2013 C.R.A.P. AWARD:

Petroglyph identified as a picture of the Ark of the

Covenant by Scott Wolter on America Unearthed.

Near Puerco Ruin, Petrified Forest Nat. Park,

AZ. Photograph: Peter Faris, June 1993.

Announcing the initiation of an annual award for the greatest nonsense in rock art for the year. The CERTIFIABLE ROCK ART PREVARICATION (CRAP) award will be given to the most outstanding example of twisting and distorting rock art to match the recipient's agenda that I can find. Nominations are always welcome.

This year the selection was easy, thanks to the History2 television channel series America Unearthed. They have broadcast enough silliness to appeal to fringies of every stripe, and some of it was based upon rock inscriptions and rock art. Given the broad ranging nonsense that the host, Scott Wolter, has broadcast on this series you would think I might have trouble deciding which episode was the dumbest, and I might have if I hadn’t seen the first episode of season 2, the “Ark of the Covenant.”

I knew I was in for a good show when Wolter compared himself with “Indiana Jones.” I don’t want you to think that I totally reject everything Wolter says on America Unearthed. I can be fair and I couldn’t agree with him more about this comparison. Both he and Indiana Jones are pretense, running around through fictional situations in made-up sequences that pretend to be based upon archaeology. I think that they are very comparable.

The Stone of Destiny, Edinburgh Castle, Scotland. Wikipedia.

In the Ark of the Covenant, November 30, 2013, episode we learned that when Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians in 597 BC, and the temple of Solomon was destroyed, the Ark of the Covenant was spirited out of Jerusalem by the prophet Jeremiah and an Egyptian princess. They brought it to Tara Hill in Ireland for safe-keeping. Apparently they also brought the “Stone of Destiny,” the block of rock upon which Jacob rested his head when he saw the vision of the stairway to heaven. These were both later sent to North America by Jonathan Swift, the Anglo-Irish satirist, pamphleteer, and dean of St. Patricks Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland. (Wikipedia) (Yes, that Jonathan Swift, the author of Gulliver’s Travels, the book about people’s amazing gullibility, ironic isn't it).

The Stone of Destiny ended up on a farm in Virginia where Wolter visited it. This has to be a big surprise to the people of Scotland who believe that they have the Stone of Destiny in Edinburgh Castle (Wikipedia) but they will just have to get over their disappointment. Wolter, then believing that it was one of the world’s greatest and most sacred ancient religious artifacts, committed vandalism by cutting a piece of it off to take home and analyze in his laboratory.

Later Wolter visited the Petrified Forest in Arizona to view the petroglyph of the Ark of the Covenant illustrated at the top of this column. If some of these connections seem tenuous blame me, I just wasn’t up to following the sophisticated trail of evidence presented. A stirring adventure to say the least, and one which certainly qualifies for the 2013 C.R.A.P. Award (http://www.history.com/shows/america-unearthed/episodes).

REFERENCES:

Wikipedia
http://www.history.com/shows/america-unearthed/episodes