Crown Publishers, Inc., New York. These eight characters are, on average, 23mm in depth. conceivably be either an aleph or a waw, presumably mem, that is completely absent from Macoy's As to the specific signs on the Bat Creek stone, several are passable Cherokee, and the inspiration for the remainder could have been any number of published sources, including illustrations of the Grave Creek stone and the Davenport tablets. The Radiocarbon Date - A.D. 1500: The Historical Testimony of Pre-Columbian Artists. give no reference for what they regard as an viii: Again we concur with the initial assessment by Gordon (Mahan 1971:43) that this sign is "not in the Canaanite system." Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors Building Finishing Contractors Other Specialty Trade Contractors Building Material and Supplies Dealers Other Miscellaneous Retailers Other Financial Investment Activities Lessors of Real Estate Building Equipment Contractors Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution Traveler Accommodation Rooming and Boarding Houses . McKusick, Marshall. Bat Creek Stone - The Argumentative Archaeologist and Kwas article, enumerating these Up Bat Creek (Without a Paddle): Mormon Assessment of the Bat Creek Stone. "The Bat Creek inscription (also called the Bat Creek stone or Bat Creek tablet) is an inscribed stone collected as part of a Native American burial mound excavation in Loudon County, Tennessee, in 1889 by the Smithsonian Bureau of Ethnology's Mound Survey, directed by entomologist Cyrus Thomas.The inscriptions were initially described as Cherokee, but in 2004, similarities to an inscription . [3] Due to the efforts of Thomas and his team, and with the aid of his published work which extensively presented his findings, "the myth of a vanished race had been dealt a fatal blow".[3]. It is for this reason that we consider it important to bring the Bat Creek controversy to the attention of professional archaeologists; many of us are likely to be questioned by journalists and the general public about this issue in the future. (PDF) The Bat Creek Stone Tennessee Unpublished material from The 124-133. 1981 Radiocarbon Dating in Eastern Arctic Archaeology: a Flexible Approach. with mem, in which case this word would instead read Reprinted in Ancient American Vol. photograph, instead appeared to be ancient Semitic. The Bat Creek Stone: A Reply to Mainfort and Kwas, "Report on the Mound Explorations of the Bureau of Ethnology". After examining the stones inscribed grooves and outer weathering rind using standard and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and researching the historical documentation, the team of Scott Wolter and Richard Stehly of American Petrographic Services conclude that the inscription is consistent with many hundreds of years of weathering in a wet earth mound comprised of soil and hard red clayand that the stonecan be no younger than when the bodies of the deceased were buried inside the mound. This was an undisputed Hopewell burial mound, and therefore the Hebrew inscribed artifact falls within the time frames of the Book of Mormon in the heartland of America. Mound 2 had a diameter of 44 feet (13m) and height of 10 feet (3.0m), and Mound 3 had a diameter of 28 feet (8.5m) and height of 5 feet (1.5m). 3 at Bat Creek is also rather similar (to Woodland mounds -authors) but apparently possessed non-typical traits such as copper ornaments and enigmatic engraved stone" (1952:218) "The relationships and cultural significance of much of the material excavated by the earlier archaeologists in this area can be explained in light of recent and intensive investigations, but some of the phenomena uncovered by Emmert has never been duplicated. typical of brasses formed by the cementation process, which was discovered during the last centuries B.C. Ohio Archaeological and Historical Society, Columbus. Scratched through the patinated exterior on one surface are a minimum of 8, and possibly as many as 9 (excluding a small mark identified by some writers as a word divider), signs that resemble alphabetic characters (Figure 1). 169-413. And where was this stone recovered? East Lansing. pp. The distinctive History of the Human Sciences, Vol. Griffin, James B., David J. Meltzer, Bruce D. Smith, and William C. Sturtevant1988 A Mammoth Fraud in Science. New York Graphic Society, Greenwich. American Anthropologist 12:337-343. report. Silverberg, Robert The [6] Additionally, these markings are characterized by V shape carvings indicating they were created by a sharper tool than the initial eight characters. The Cherokees in Pre-Columbian Times, N.D.C. Shepherd's Chapel with Pastor Arnold Murray. The Bat Creek Stone was professionally excavated in 1889 from an undisturbed burial mound in Eastern Tennessee by the Smithsonian's Mound Survey project. Phoenicians in America Dubious History - GitHub Pages Shaw, Thurstan and Paul Craddock That is, we are not aware of written admissions of guilt. BAT CREEK STONE McCulloch, J. Huston, "The Bat Creek Stone Revisted: As we discuss below, the Bat Creek stone received scant attention from Thomas's contemporaries and languished in relative obscurity (but see Mertz 1964) until 1970 when it was "rediscovered" by Cyrus Gordon, a well-published professor of Mediterranean Studies at Brandeis University and a leading proponent of cult archaeology. Moorehead, Warren K. The two vertical strokes above A Translation of "Inscription" - L'Encyclopdie of Diderot and d'Alembert. of their claim, there is no basis for either of these conclusions. in which case it might be a numeral indicating Year 1 or 12/29/05. We present below an assessment of the individual signs on the stone. [1][6] However, this initial identification as Cherokee was later proven to be flawed. Because of the style of writing, Dr. Cyrus Thomas declared the inscription to be a form of Paleo-Hebrew thought to be in use during the first or second century A.D. Hebrew scholar Robert Stieglitz confirmed Gordons translation. Atlantic,, Chicago, 1964. In Macoy's illustration, this is clearly meant to be a qoph, "The Translation" (Bat Creek Stone), Dr. Arnold Murray, Shepherd's Gordon, pp. 2, article 65, 1976): 1-5. Publications of the Museum, Michigan State University, Anthropological Series 1(4):269-418. This conclusion stems in part from the fact that there were few (if any) other noteworthy "recent" publications on North American prehistory, and certainly none that included large numbers of illustrations of both "ancient works" and artifacts. Nonetheless, Gordon himself has acknowledged (Mahan 1971) that signs vi, vii, and viii are "not in the Canaanite system", a conclusion with which we agree (as noted above, signs vi and vii were later considered to be "problematic", and were not discussed in Gordon's 1974 publication). His findings indicate the stone is authentic, meaning that it is ancient and the Hebrew inscription on its surface is also authentic. While it is possible that the wood fragments represent the remains of an object placed with the deceased individual, they might also have derived from the "dark soil" (possibly a midden deposit) at the base of the mound on which the 9 skeletons were located (Thomas 1894). Since Ventnor Publishers, Ventnor, N.J., 1972. Importantly, no documentation regarding the production and use of comparable artifacts by first or second century A.D. Mediterranean peoples has been presented by McCulloch (1988), Mahan (1983), or other cult archaeology writers. Bat Creek does not require it to have One of the principal arguments raised in defense of the Bat Creek stone is that "authoritative contemporaries, who knew the circumstances better than anyone today, accepted the tablet as genuine" (McCulloch 1988:113). Gab builds Freedom Of Speech Software. Bat Creek Stone - Cherokee, North Carolina - Atlas Obscura This ratio of copper to zinc is Mound 2 was a burial mound approximately 3 m tall and 13 m in diameter. recreational area on the shore of [1] The two bracelets found in the Mound were initially identified by both Emmert and Thomas as "copper", but a 1970 Smithsonian analysis concluded the bracelets were in fact heavily leaded yellow brass. Schroedl, Gerald F. The broken sign cannot be mem in the designated period and even if it could, it would not be the spelling used after the sixth century B.C. [3] More specifically, Thomas focused on assessing the connection between the mound-builders and the Indigenous communities who lived in the area during European colonization. around High Top, with a spur trail to the summit. The Bat Creek stone is a small stone tablet engraved with several apparently alphabetic characters, found during excavations of a small mound in 1889 near Knoxville, Tenn. See also comment both contain the string LYHW-. is not unlikely that Mound #3's trees were of the same type. From the epigraphic standpoint, there is no clear cut reason to conclude that the Bat Creek Stone is a fraud or that it proves an Israelite origin for the . Any errors of interpretation or omission are the sole responsibility of the authors. [1], In 1967, the Tennessee Valley Authority announced plans to build Tellico Dam at the mouth of the Little Tennessee River and asked the University of Tennessee Department of Anthropology to conduct salvage excavations in the Little Tennessee Valley. If it could be shown to work even better as Coelbren, Appleton and Co., New York. [3] Thomas's efforts were crucial because of their ability to destabilize the myth of the Mound Builders by providing irrefutable evidence that Indigenous Americans are responsible for constructing the mounds. instead. "Thomas also reports enclosed burial areas, vaguely similar to those described above, from Sullivan County. of the Norse settlement at L'anse Meadows (Ingstad 1964), no convincing evidence for such occurrences has ever been found or recognized by professional researchers. but as such is not well made, since in Paleo-Hebrew it should in the locality could recollect. iv: Of all the characters on the Bat Creek stone this sign bears the most striking resemblance to Paleo-Hebrew script ("yod") circa 100 B.C.-A.D. 100 (but not the second century of the Christian era). [2] Additionally, the entire surface of the stone appears to be polished, which further contributes to the smooth, rounded edges of the markings. Welsh Discover America," unsigned online press release at 1987 Cult Archaeology and Creationism: Understanding PseudoscientificBeliefs about the Past. Thomas, Cyrus. These are therefore different letters as well. McCulloch, J. Huston, "The Bat Creek Inscription -- Cherokee or Hebrew?," When viewed with the straighter edge on the bottom, seven characters are in a single row, with the eighth located below the main inscription. [5] Mainfort and Kwas have identified the source of the inscription. However, the fifth letter of the second word is clearly different in the two LYHWD[M], or "for the Judeans.". Moreover, Cyrus Thomas, director of the Mound Survey, claimed that the marks on the stone represented characters of the Cherokee syllabary and used the Bat Creek stone to support his hypothesis that the Cherokee were responsible for many of the mounds and embankments in eastern North America (Thomas 1890). a little like the second letter (Q) on Bat Creek, but in 1958 The Kensington Stone; A Mystery Solved. New York: Basic Books. American Anthropologist 5:63-64. www.rense.com/general28/weks.htm, dated 8/28/02. be abandoned. 1964 Vinland Ruins Prove Vikings Found the New World. Much of the commentary below dealing with resemblances of signs to Paleo-Hebrew is quoted from his reply to our inquiry; the authors alone are responsible for all comments pertaining to Cherokee similarities, i: Although identified by Gordon (1971, 1972, 1974) as "daleth", this sign is impossible as Paleo-Hebrew in the period 100 B.C.-A.D. 100, based on shape and stance. Thomas's original Cherokee interpretation, Since other signs are not claimed to be fourth century, the comparison is clearly illegitimate. The Bat Creek Stone was recovered during a professional archaeological dig by John W. Emmert of the Smithsonian Institutions Bureau of Ethnology in 1889, during its Mound Survey Project. Setzler, Frank M. and Jessee D. Jennings Bat Creek Stone | A lamp stand From his field reports and letters, it is obvious that Emmert truly enjoyed archaeological field work, and was constantly pleading to Thomas and various politicians for regular, full-time employment with the Smithsonian. 1891 Ancient Cemeteries in Tennessee. that would itself be sufficient to vindicate the authenticity of [Wilson, Alan, Baram A. Blackett, and Jim Michael], "Did the "The Translation" (Bat Creek Stone), Dr. Arnold Murray, Shepherd's Chapel, STONE OF DESTINY by E. Raymond Capt, Shepherd's Chapel Documentaries, "Great Conspiracy" by Pastor Arnold Murray, ShepherdsChapel.com, RED LINE by Pastor Dennis Murry, Shepherd's Chapel, Shepherd's Chapel: When Is The White Throne Judgement. The Bat Creek Stone. Additional Digging Uncovers Source of Bat Creek Hoax American Antiquarian and Oriental Journal 12(1):54. In classic cult archaeology style, Cyrus Thomas (1894) is denigrated by these writers for stating that the bracelets were made of copper, when in fact they are actually brass. Peet 1890, 1892, 1895). 207-225. The Bat Creek Stone was found in the third mound under a skull along with two copper bracelets (later determined to be brass) and polished wood (possibly earspools). 1974 Fort Michilimackinac 1715-1781: an Anthropological Perspective on the Revolutionary Frontier. Used by permission. These signs have been identified by Gordon (1971, 1972, 1974; see Mahan [1971]) as Paleo-Hebrew letters of the period circa A.D. 100; McCulloch (1988) suggests the first century A.D. [2] According to the American Petrographic Services' evaluation of the stone, the marks are characterized by smooth, "rounded grooves". I am having the bone and the wood found in the tomb dated by the Smithsonian Institution by the carbon-14 process; fortunately, these items were present with the stone, for stone cannot be dated this way; the material has to be organic for carbon-14. R is for "Ara" which is (Lion) QL is for "Qol" which is (voice) YH is for "Yah" which is (God) Hence, Thomas's interpretation, although incorrect, at least had some basis. According to Emmert's field notes, the Bat Creek Stone was found in Mound3. Refugees Escape to Tennessee?" Nashville Tennessean, October 19, 1970, pp. The fact that Thomas Ancient Hebrew writing found in America "For the Judeans" - Pinterest Bat Creek stone, which was professionally Per Barbara Duncan, Education Director, Museum of the Cherokee Indian. Mooney, James Perhaps more important, we hope that our efforts here will influence some of our colleagues to take an active role in countering claims made by cult archaeologists and particularly in providing the general public with accessible information about the remarkable discoveries made by mainstream archaeology (see Williams 1987, 1988a, 1988b). Carried by Barnes and Noble bookstores. 1894 Report on the Mound Explorations of the Bureau of Ethnology. this alternate form of Q is already present on Bat Creek, One of the best recent works on ancient America is flawed to some extent by want of this precaution. Carter, George is known. by JHM TA Spring 1993, pp. Robert Stieglitz (1976) confirmed Gordon's reading of the The largest of these, Mound 1, was located on the east side of the creek. inscriptions are also clearly different, the Bat Creek 47-178. The Bat Creek inscription (also called the Bat Creek stone or Bat Creek tablet) is an inscribed stone collected as part of a Native American burial mound excavation in Loudon County, Tennessee, in 1889 by the Smithsonian Bureau of Ethnology's Mound Survey, directed by entomologist Cyrus Thomas.The inscriptions were initially described as Cherokee, but in 2004, similarities to an inscription . Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. The completion of Tellico Dam at the mouth of the Little Tennessee in 1979 created a reservoir that spans the lower 33 miles (53km) of the river. These inscriptions generally fail to stand up under close scrutiny by paleographers (i.e., they contain numerous errors, represent a jumble of several Old World scripts, or consist of random marks on stone that have the appearance of letters), while the circumstances surrounding their "discovery" are invariably dubious. In: Archaeology of the Eastern United States, edited by J.B. Griffin, pp. [1][3] Furthermore, the conclusions drawn by Mainfort and Kwas have been accepted by other archaeologists and members of academic communities. [14][1] Gordon concluded that Thomas had been viewing the inscription "upside down", and when re-read in its proper orientation, the inscription represented "ancient Hebrew". 1993 and Jan./Feb. The BatCreek Stone any competent student of antiquities. 32 no. missing on Bat Creek. Symbols, December, 1988, pp. letters, esp. standard Square Hebrew into the older alphabet, erroneously 1978 The Composition of the Copper Alloys Used by the Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Civilizations. or any other alphabet, the Hebrew reading would have to 1979 Canaanites in America: a New Scripture in Stone? scroll. As a final point, by limiting the "deciphered" text to Gordon's lyhwd, ignoring the following broken sign, the reading would be anomalous. The Bat Creek stone. 5-18. 2, in the Bat Creek Mound, and on the Blankenship Place.". See also comment by Accessed 12/29/05. The short That Emmert read this journal, much less had a research note published in it, indicates that he was a rather learned individual. noticed that the inscription, when Gordon claimed that by inverting the orientation of the stone relative to the published illustrations (i.e., Thomas 1890, 1894), it was clear that the inscription contained Paleo-Hebrew characters that could be translated as "for the Jews" or some variant thereof. We believe that the "best recent work" alluded to by Thomas is his own final report on mound explorations (1894), and that the "articles whose history is fully known" is a reference to the alleged discovery of the Bat Creek stone. Mainfort, Robert C., and Mary L. Kwas, "The Bat Creek Stone Revisited: A Fraud The Bat Creek Stone was recovered during a professional archaeological dig by John W. Emmert of the Smithsonian Institution's Bureau of Ethnology in 1889, during its Mound Survey Project. It is wise therefore to refrain from basing theories on one or two specimens of an unusual or abnormal type, unless their claim to a place among genuine prehistoric relics can be established beyond dispute. Washington. serving as a word divider, rather than by a What was the translation? Independent scientific verification of an archaeologically excavated stone with ancient Hebrew inscribed into its surface has been completed in the Americas. 3-548. the C-14 date of 32 A.D. - 769 A.D. Wilson et al. It cannot be yod (cf. General History, Cyclopedia and Dictionary of Freemasonry (1870). You must have a Gab account and be logged in to comment. Fowke, Gerard Our analysis will focus primarily on alleged similarities with Paleo-Hebrew, although a few comments will be made concerning Thomas' (1890, 1894) identification of the signs as Cherokee. "The Translation," Dr. Arnold Murray, Shepherd's Chapel - Facebook Moreover, Cyrus Thomas was never shy about naming names, whether by way of praise or criticism. Click on link for PDF file. Reprinted in Ancient American Vol. authoritative source for the Coelbren alphabet, and give no and subsequent American archaeologists failed to see Even more ambitiously, the mound and its outside the expertise and interests of the readership."