Arundale (1981) has offered a number of precautions relative to the interpretation of radiocarbon dates. In: Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin No. 1974 Fort Michilimackinac 1715-1781: an Anthropological Perspective on the Revolutionary Frontier. [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". Archaeology Review July/August 1993, pp. "The Translation" (Bat Creek Stone), Dr. Arnold Murray, Shepherd's Chapel, Special Documentary Series. In the illustration orientation, this sign resembles the Cherokee "tlun:; inverted, it is somewhat similar to a reversed "si.". 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). 30. Many previously declared hoaxes may be reanalyzed using more objective and less biased examination. is less common than the dot, but appears both The inscribed stone was found in an undisturbed Hopewell burial mound along the Little Tennessee River near the mouth of Bat Creek. Together, these stones may work in concert to verify the presence of ancient Hebrew civilizations in the heartland of America. Macoy, Robert, General History, Cyclopedia and Dictionary of [3] He asserted that the inscription "could be translated as some variation of 'For the Jews'". Specimens similar (albeit not necessarily identical) to the Bat Creek bracelets are we! by JHM TA Spring 1993, pp. McCarter, P. Kyle, Jr. "Let's be Serious About the Bat Creek Stone". 1970b Prof Says Jews Found America. 88 (Sept. 2010). Thames & Hudson, London, 1968. Journal of Mormon History, Vol. of the inscription. Introduction Testing by the Smithsonian (Thomas 1894) and the University of Tennessee (Schroedl 1975) suggests that this structure was a multi-stage Mississippi an platform mound (perhaps lacking associated structures on the mound surfaces). Day, Joan It was from the smaller Mound 3 that the inscribed stone was allegedly recovered. In the 1894 Report on the Mound Explorations of the Bureau of Ethnology, the inscription was first officially mentioned along with other artifacts recovered from the Bat Creek Mound excavations. 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. of their claim, there is no basis for either of these conclusions. adequately classify and evaluate ancient material. this alternate form of Q is already present on Bat Creek, [10], In Mound 3, Emmert reported finding "two copper bracelets, an engraved stone, a small drilled fossil, a copper bead, a bone implement, and some small pieces of polished wood soft and colored green by contact with the copper bracelet". in diameter and 5 feet in height," according to the offical 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. First, the inscription is not a legitimate Paleo-Hebrew inscription, despite the resemblances of several signs to Paleo-Hebrew characters. However, the most telling difference between the Bat 1905 Prehistoric North America (published as Volume 14 of The History of North America). would make an appropriate memorial for the find, with mem, in which case this word would instead read ", McCulloch, J. Huston, "The Bat Creek Stone Revisted: 1970a A Canaanite Columbus? 30. In the late 1960s and 1970s, the Tellico Archaeological Project, conducted by the University of Tennessee Department of Anthropology investigated over two dozen sites and uncovered evidence of substantial habitation in the valley during the Archaic (80001000 BC), Woodland (1000 BC 1000 AD), Mississippian (900-1600 AD), and Cherokee (c. 16001838) periods. on the second Bat Creek letter, coinscript letters to transcribe The Smithsonian's role in the Davenport controversy produced considerable hosti 1 ity from many antiquarians (see McKussick 1970) at a time when "professional" archaeology was still in its infancy. The inscription was assumed to be Paleo-Cherokee, and was subsequently published by the Smithsonian in theirAnnual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology, 1890-1891 on page 392. 1. 1979 Tunica Treasure. Peabody Museum, Cambridge. 2. the C-14 date of 32 A.D. - 769 A.D. Wilson et al. [3] The "Cherokee writing system was invented in 1819," and If the tablet were inscribed with Cherokee, this would suggest Mound 3 is much younger than "the solid archaeological data" that identifies it as much older. That is, we are not aware of written admissions of guilt. 245-249. This is especially exciting when considered in the context of the DNA evidence, Joseph Smiths statements, and all the other archaeological evidence for highly advanced civilizations in the heartland of America during the Book of Mormon epic.4, Your email address will not be published. Although various stone structures are often presented as evidence of pre-Columbian contacts (e.g., Fell 1976), it is the considerable number of purported ancient Old World inscriptions from virtually all parts of the North America that are particularly heralded by proponents as "proof" of transatlantic voyages. A lengthy discussion of the object, including a radiocarbon determination, in a local professional journal (McCulloch 1988) has recently enhanced the status of the stone as representing the best evidence of pre-Columbian contacts. Bat Creek Mound #3, with the inscription Swanton, John R. An alternative "The Cherokee Solution to the Bat Creek Enigma". In: Thirteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution 1890-'91, pp. that would itself be sufficient to vindicate the authenticity of 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 . 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. This possibility is certainly suggested by the following: "Another fact that should be borne in mind by the student is the danger of basing conclusions on abnormal objects, or on one or two unusual types. [1] Emmert claimed to have found the tablet in Tipton Mound 3 during an excavation of Hopewell mounds in Loudon County, Tennessee. Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin No. The brass used to form the bracelets from Bat Creek contains 66.5 - 68.2 percent copper and 26.5 - 27.5 percent zinc. also happens to be the second letter of the first word in the Masonic trees and grapevines as long ago as the oldest settler Underlying the earthwork were a number of early Mississippian features. 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. R. Stieglitz and Marshall McKusick, in the Lake Telico at the mouth of Bat Creek. Mooney, James The Bat Creek Stone found in a burial mound in Tennessee is dated to about 46 B.C. ", "Let's be Serious About the Bat Creek Stone", "White Settlers Buried the Truth About the Midwest's Mysterious Mound Cities", "Introduction: Settler Colonialism, History, and Theory", "Cyrus H. Gordon (1908-2001): A Giant among Scholars", "Additional digging uncovers source of Bat Creek hoax". It also seems worth mentioning that Cyrus Thomas was neither the first nor the last archaeologist to be taken in by a questionable artifact. In Advances in Archaeological Method and Theory, Vol 3., edited by Michael B. Schiffer, pp. 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 . around High Top, with a spur trail to the summit. Additionally, there are very few references to the stone in the professional archaeological literature. 145. Ventnor Publishers, Ventnor, N.J. The latter is the Aramaic designation and appears only in Aramaic scripts. East Lansing. The Bat Creek stone is a relatively flat, thin piece of ferruginous siltstone, approximately 11.4 cm long and 5.1 cm wide. Second edition. Willey, Gordon R., and Jeremy A. Sabloff If it could be shown to work even better as Coelbren, To our knowledge no recent investigation has uncovered anything resembling the stone domed vaults or 'stone hives' which he describes" (1952:218-219). Mainfort, Robert C., Jr. 1914 The American Indian in the United States, Period 1850-1914. Hence, Thomas's interpretation, although incorrect, at least had some basis. The words are: R, QL, YH, VD. have, in addition to a loop on the right, an arm to the left Ohio Archaeological and Historical Society, Columbus. Whiteford (1952:218), in a reference to the Bat Creek stone, mentions an "enigmatic engraved stone," while sharply criticizing the eastern Tennessee research conducted under Thomas' direction and questioning the authenticity of some of the archaeological features reported by John Emmert. The specimens from Bat Creek (Figure 2), however, exhibit a seam and a hollow core indicating that they were wrought, rather than cut from brass wire. Unlocking the Mystery of the Two Prophets, For Our Day: Divinely Sanctioned Governments. This again suggests that Emmert was certainly not an ignorant man. Bat Creek: Excavations in the Smithsonian Archives," July 1987. In: Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico, edited by Frederick W. Hodge, pp. Dated 2004, accessed [6] Additionally, his excavation revealed nine skeletons, seven of which were laid out in a row with their heads facing north, and two more skeletons laid out nearby, one with its head facing north and the other with its head facing south. In subsequent publications, Gordon (1971:186, 1972:10-12) referred to this sign as "problematic," and more recently (Gordon 1974) did not mention sign vi in his discussion of the Bat Creek stone. (By Cyrus H. Gordon). R is for "Ara" which is (Lion) QL is for "Qol" which is (voice) YH is for "Yah" which is (God) Robert Macoy, George Oliver. Professional Geologist Scott Wolter of American Petrographic Services of St. Paul, MN explains the petrographic analysis of the Bat Creek stone. excavated and whose context been carbon-dated to The largest of these, Mound 1, was located on the east side of the creek. 54-55 ff., 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. 1890 The Cherokee in Pre-Columbian Times. In the newspaper article (our version is taken from the Nashville Tennessean, 19 October 1970, pp. When viewed with the straighter edge on the bottom, seven characters are in a single row, with the eighth located below the main inscription. However, Thomas (1890, 1894) never offered a translation of the inscription. Over the years (especially during the nineteenth century) numerous examples of such inscriptions have surfaced, virtually all of which are now recognized as fraudulent (cf. Shetrone, Henry C. A Reply to Mainfort and Kwas in American Antiquity," [3] With a budget of $60,000 provided by the U.S. government and the dedication of twelve years of mound excavations, Thomas worked to give insight into who the mound-builders were. The Origins and Early Use of Brass. Thanks to the late Warren W. Dexter, author with Donna Martin of 137.Washington. General History, Cyclopedia and Dictionary of Freemasonry (1870). Try these: joseph smithfree moviesfaith crisishomeschool. 1978 An American Paleolithic. 1967 The English Brass and Copper Industries to 1800. Accessed 12/28/05. The sign is impossible for Paleo-Hebrew. even if the copyist threw in a few random changes to You must have a Gab account and be logged in to comment. 1988). at the approximate site of the mound The second letter (D) on the Masonic inscription does look 14, No. The Little Tennessee River enters Tennessee from the Appalachian Mountains to the south and flows northward for just over 50 miles (80km) before emptying into the Tennessee River near Lenoir City. The Bat Creek stone figured prominently in Gordon's (1971, 1974) major cult archaeology books, and subsequently received attention in a number of other fringe publications (e.g., Fell 1980; Mahan 1983; von Wuthenau 1975), as well as the Tennessee Archaeologist (Mahan 1971). assumed that the words should be separated by a space, of Hebrew University archaeologist Eilat Mazar. www.rense.com/general28/weks.htm, dated 8/28/02. Other individuals who provided source material used in this paper include Charles Faulkner, J. Houston McCulloch, Joseph B. Mahan, Michael Moore, and Stephen Williams. Biblical Archaeology Review happens to contain a According to Emmert's field notes, the Bat Creek Stone was found in Mound3. and subsequent American archaeologists failed to see reply by JHM BAR Nov./Dec. 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. in the locality could recollect. Stones bearing inscriptions in Hebrew or other Old World characters have at last been banished from the list of prehistoric relics. Atlantic,, Chicago, 1964. vegetation could be reconstructed at According to him, the five letters to the left of the comma-shaped Emmert was employed as both a temporary and regular field assistant by the Smithsonian Institution for several years between 1883 and 1889, and personally directed a truly amazing number of excavations at sites in eastern Tennessee and adjacent areas. Although Gordon's Paleo-Hebrew reading of a plausible spot. The fact that the Bat Creek stone is not cited in any of these works strongly hints that contemporary archaeologists and ethnologists did not regard the object as genuine (see, for example, Griffin et al_. Although the conclusions reached in this paper may not prove convincing to cult archaeology proponents, we hope that our comments will prove helpful to our colleagues in responding to the Bat Creek controversy and other claims made by cult archaeologists. Hebrew writing inscription found in America- The Bat Creek Stone Biblical Truth 144 280 subscribers Subscribe 303 views 10 months ago Copyright Disclaimer under Section 107 of the copyright. as well as a pleasant destination for hikers and boaters. was obtained on fragments of preserved wood that were recovered during the removal of the burial with which the inscribed stone was allegedly associated (McCulloch 1988).