LYHW- on both the Yehucal bulla and the Masonic illustration also happens to be the second letter of the first word in the Masonic The brass used to form the bracelets from Bat Creek contains 66.5 - 68.2 percent copper and 26.5 - 27.5 percent zinc. The dictionary chart of Jewish War Since, as discussed below, no contemporary Cherokee authorities seem to have regarded the inscription as genuine, McCulloch's conclusion does not represent a significant new interpretation. 1898 Introduction to the Study of North American Archaeology. While much of the original confluence of Bat Creek and the Little Tennessee was submerged by the lake, the mound in which the Bat Creek Stone was found was located above the reservoir's operating levels. 1941 Peachtree Mound and Village Site, Cherokee County, North Carolina. 12/29/05. the main line are test scratches made by an unknown party while 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. A.M. Kelley, New York. word having two letters and the Masonic word three. of Hebrew University archaeologist Eilat Mazar. 1983 The Secret: America in World History Before Columbus. Mazar, Eilat, "Did I Find King David's Palace?," Biblical Archaeology McCulloch, J. Huston, "The Bat Creek Stone Revisted: Gilbert, William H., Jr. Tennessee Archaeologist 27(2):38-45. General History, Cyclopedia and Dictionary of Freemasonry (1870). There may be a broken sign on the left edge of the stone. The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison. 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. "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 . Macoy, Robert, General History, Cyclopedia and Dictionary of Craddock, Paul T. plowed flat, and only its approximate location Publications of the Museum, Michigan State University, Anthropological Series, Vol. [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. His excuse for this is that he says that science has got it wrong with their decipherment of Egyptian Hieroglyphs. Lambert, W.G. Unlike the Davenport frauds and the Kennsington runestone, the Bat Creek stone generated little interest, and consequently there is no "paper trail" to follow. 124-133. [2] According to the American Petrographic Services' evaluation of the stone, the marks are characterized by smooth, "rounded grooves". Mainfort 1979:357-359). Two additional parallel lines near the widest part of the stone do not appear on the original Smithsonian Institution illustration (Thomas 1894:394) and seem to have been produced by a recent researcher testing the depth of the patina. 2013 Gregory . 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. 1980 Cult Archaeology and Unscientific Method and Theory. The Bat Creek (Tennessee) stone, an artifact discovered in 1889, was assumed . Does Arnold Murray understand Hebrew? by JHM TA Spring 1993, pp. McCulloch 1988), virtually identical brasses were produced in England during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries (Day 1973; Shaw and Craddock 1984). A calibrated date of A.D. 32 (427) 769 (1605 170 B.P.) "The Translation" with Dr. Arnold Murray, Shepherd's Chapel, a Special Documentary, in which Dr. Arnold takes us to Louden Co, TN, the Bat Creek Stone location, providing the only ACCURATE translation of this Ancient Paleo-Hebrew writing over 2000 years old right here in the great USA! The Epigraphic Society Occasional Publications, vol. 172-173) that are in all probability brass (cf. 1970b Prof Says Jews Found America. 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. Ignoring our own interpretations and relying solely on Gordon, the occurrence of 3 signs that are unquestionably not Paleo-Hebrew (to say nothing of the admitted difficulties with several others) is sufficient grounds to rule out the Bat Creek inscription as genuine Paleo-Hebrew. Crown Publishers, Inc., New York. Pre-Columbiana, and a PDF of the draft is online at We believe that Emmert's motive for producing (or causing to have made) the Bat Creek inscription was that he felt the best way to insure permanent employment with the Mound Survey was to find an outstanding artifact, and how better to impress Cyrus Thomas than to "find" an object that would prove Thomas' hypothesis that the Cherokee built most of the mounds in eastern Tennessee? 1938 An Archaeological Survey of the Norris Basin in Eastern Tennessee. This earthwork "was composed throughout, except about the skeletons at the bottom, of hard red clay, without any indications of stratification." For example, Frederic W. Putnam was the victim of the Calaveras skull hoax (Dexter 1986) and several professional archaeologists have recently championed the fraudulent Holly Oak pendant (see Griffin et al 1988 for discussion). The Origins and Early Use of Brass. [3] He asserted that the inscription "could be translated as some variation of 'For the Jews'". main line would then read RQ , LYHWD[M], i.e. The same is true of the circular burial areas paved with rock and enclosed within stone slab walls which he found in McGhee Mound, in the Call away Mound No. These are therefore different letters as well. a plausible spot. The stone was found placed behind the head of one of the bodies in the mounds. Williams, Stephen is not unlikely that Mound #3's trees were of the same type. 1894 Report on the Mound Explorations of the Bureau of Ethnology. to maybe 100 A.D. [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. [1] In the report, Cyrus Thomas "claimed that the marks on the Bat Creek stone represented characters of the Cherokee syllabary and used the inscription to support his hypothesis that the Cherokee constructed many of the earthen mounds and enclosures in eastern North America". by P. Kyle McCarter, BAR July/August 1993, pp. Biblical Archaeologist 42:137-140. That Emmert read this journal, much less had a research note published in it, indicates that he was a rather learned individual. In 1988, the stone was the subject of a Tennessee Anthropologist article by J. Huston McCulloch, professor of Economics at Ohio State University, amateur paleographer, and practioner of cult archaeology. Silverberg, Robert It was Thomas (1894:633-643) who authored one of the more lengthy criticisms of the fraudulent inscribed tablets from Davenport, Iowa. [1] In our discussion below, we refer to these signs as i through viii, from left to right; sign viii is located just below the main body of the inscription. Curiously, while urging readers to "seek out the views of qualified scholars" about the signs on the Bat Creek stone, McCulloch (1988), an amateur epigrapher, offers interpretations of three signs (vi, vii, and viii) that contradict the published assessments of one of the stone's most outspoken proponents (Cyrus Gordon, a published Near Eastern language specialist), implying that despite his own lack of expertise in Paleo-Hebrew, McCulloch considers his own opinion to be as valid as those of specialists in the field. In fact it is not surprising that two Hebrew inscriptions would No reference to the stone appears in the following significant publications: Gilbert (1943), Harrington (1922), Hodge (1907), Mooney (1892, 1900, 1907), Moorehead (1910, 1914), Setzler and Jennings (1941), Shetrone (1930), Swanton (1946, 1952), and Webb (1938). American Antiquity 46(2):244-271. Kirk, Lowell, LYHW- beginning the longer second word in both cases. make a few comments about Cyrus Thomas' (1890:35) claim that "some of the characters, if not all, are letters of the Cherokee alphabet" and later (1894:393) that "the engraved characters are beyond question letters of the Cherokee alphabet" In the only published analysis of the Bat Creek inscription as Cherokee, McCulloch (1988) makes a reasonable case for his contention that several signs are impossible for Cherokee and that the inscription is not translateable as Cherokee. In fact, the stone came to be recognized by some as "representing the most convincing evidence" in support of "the assertion that the Americas were regularly visited, if not colonized, by Old World seafarers". Masonic Publishing Co., New York, 3rd ed., 1868, p. 134. Wilson et al. McCulloch, J. Huston, "The Bat Creek Inscription -- Cherokee or Hebrew?," Gordon, pp. Despite the impeccable detail of this lithograph, The words are: R, QL, YH, VD. Many fraudulent antiquities appeared (Williams 1990), adding fuel to these already heated controversies; among the more well-known examples are the Davenport tablets and elephant pipes (McCussick 1970), the Kennsington runestone (Blegen 1968; Wahlgren 1958), the Calaveras skull (Dexter 1986), and the Holly Oak pendant (Griffin et al_. the fit as Hebrew is by no means perfect (McCarter 1993). (Same illustration is on p. 169 of 1870 edition Dexter, Ralph W. 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. Anthropological Journal of Canada 16(1):2-37. An unknown party added two nearly parallel vertical strokes while the stone was stored in the National Museum of Natural History from 1894 and 1970. Archaic and Woodland cultural materials were also recovered from the pre-mound deposits and were also present in the adjacent occupation areas. [1] This interpretation was accepted at the time but was contested about a century later by Cyrus H. Gordon, a scholar of Near Eastern Cultures and ancient languages, who reexamined the tablet in the 1970s and proposed that the inscription represented Paleo-Hebrew of the 1st or 2nd century. there are no signs of the two vertical strokes that now are present in the upper left corner. BAT CREEK STONE 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). This would reconcile their reading of the inscription with Brass C-shaped wire bracelets are relatively common artifacts on eighteenth century historic sites in eastern North America, including Native American cemeteries (e.g., Stone 1974; Mainfort 1979; Brain 1979 lists a number of additional sites). Thomas, Cyrus, "Mound Explorations," in Twelfth Annual Report outside the expertise and interests of the readership." Brain, Jeffrey P. Chadwick, John The director of the project, Cyrus Thomas, initially declared that the curious inscription on the stone were "beyond question letters of the Cherokee alphabet." (Thomas 1894: 391:4) An alternative 1979 Indian Social Dynamics in the Period of European Contact. the tell-tale string -YHW again, in the name of Yehucal's father, Peet, Stephen D. Griffin, James B., David J. Meltzer, Bruce D. Smith, and William C. Sturtevant1988 A Mammoth Fraud in Science. Thomas, Cyrus. MinnesotaHistorical Society, St. Paul. Gab builds Freedom Of Speech Software. Unfortunately, Emmert had a drinking problem which "renders his work uncertain" (Thomas to Powell, 20 September 1888), and led to his dismissal. authoritative source for the Coelbren alphabet, and give no 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 . The two vertical strokes above orientation, and although several of the letters are not perfect as Paleo-Hebrew, 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. 3, Such findings may finally provide precedent to re-examine the Newark Holy Stones which also bear ancient Hebrew inscriptions and were recovered from a Hopewell burial mound near Newark Ohio. Pastor Murray is the scholar who finally translated the inscription. 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. Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin No. 79-123. have published a book "Did Judean Refugees Escape to Tennessee? [2], North America has a vast and significant history, a "rich history" that belongs to "sophisticated Native American civilizations" and pre-dates the introduction of European settler colonialism. Mooney, James History of the Human Sciences, Vol. detail could have been copied from Macoy's illustration, Pocket Books, New York. Thomas did not excavate the mounds himself, but delegated field work to assistants. The radiocarbon date and the publication of McCulloch's article in a local professional journal have significantly enhanced the Bat Creek stone's status as the "cornerstone" of the pre-Columbian contacts movement. New York Graphic Society, Greenwich. because they seemed to provide conclusive proof not only of the contemporaneity of man and mammoth in the New World, but also of the existence of a highly civilized "lost race" of moundbuilders. Reprinted in Ancient American Vol. [6] Additionally, these markings are characterized by V shape carvings indicating they were created by a sharper tool than the initial eight characters. www.maryjones.us/jce/iolo.html. and 9 burials, was "of small size, measuring but 28 feet However this accord was broken in the 1970s when the Bat Creek Inscription was adopted by proponents of Pre-Columbian transatlantic contact theories. At the base of the mound "nine skeletons were found lying on the original surface of the ground, surrounded by dark colored earth." Litigation and environmental concerns stalled the dam's completion until 1979, allowing extensive excavations at multiple sites throughout the valley. 40 miles south of Knoxville, in what is Although now, "the mounds of North America have been proven to be constructions by Native American peoples for a variety of purposes" at the start of the nineteenth century, there was genuine confusion about who built the mounds. A pamphlet containing these articles is available www.rense.com/general28/weks.htm, dated 8/28/02. Published by the author, Columbus, Georgia. Mainfort, Robert C., Jr. Mainfort, Robert C., Jr. and Mary L. Kwas. Printed by the author, Chicago. A Coelbren alphabet is provided online by instead. in the locality could recollect. do have essentially the same form, but are in fact different: Webb, W.S. In this paper we have addressed three key issues surrounding the Bat Creek stone and its interpretation. Bat Creek does not require it to have Hence, Thomas's interpretation, although incorrect, at least had some basis. fact there is already a D on Bat Creek, at the end of the second word, CrossRef; Google Scholar; Mickel, Allison and Byrd, Nylah 2022. Pre-Mississippian artifacts dating to the Archaic and Woodland periods were also found. American Antiquity 51(2):365-369. Since the above was written, Wilson et al. With respect to the Bat Creek stone, which we have now demonstrated beyond a reasonable doubt was one of the "modern reproductions" alluded to by Thomas, we believe that the answer is quite straightforward Thomas had placed himself in a position such that he could not really afford to pronounce the Bat Creek stone a forgery. 1922 Cherokee and Earlier Remains on Upper Tennessee. Swanton, John R. American Anthropologist 5:63-64. [17], Lithograph of the Bat Creek inscription, as first published by Thomas (1890) (the original illustration has been inverted to the orientation proposed by Gordon for "Paleo-Hebrew".). space as in English or modern Hebrew. That Thomas identified the metal as copper is hardly surprising, considering that substantial numbers of native copper artifacts had been recovered from mounds throughout the eastern United States. 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). 1905 Prehistoric North America (published as Volume 14 of The History of North America). Having presented certain evidence that suggests that not only contemporary archaeologists and anthropologists, but also Cyrus Thomas himself, did not consider the Bat Creek stone to be authentic, we feel compelled to address the question: "Who was the forger and what were his motives?" 391-4. A 3-foot black oak tree still stood on The Bat Creek stone. in diameter and 5 feet in height," according to the offical 1975 Unexpected Faces in Ancient America, 1500 B.C. 1988). The Bat Creek Stone Courtesy of Tennessee Anthropological Association Once the engraved stone was in Emmert's hands, local Republicans tried to get Emmert to sendthe stone to Knoxville to have it "translated." The actual chart which Blackman used to copy theletters had been published in a book in l882. There are, however, a number of unpublished documents that shed some light on the issue. 1943 The Eastern Cherokees. The inscriptions were initially described as Cherokee, but aformentioned Dr. Gordon correctly identified them as Hebrew. McCarter, P. Kyle, Jr. "Let's be Serious About the Bat Creek Stone". The Bat Creek mounds (40LD24) were located near the confluence of Bat Creek and the Little Tennessee River in Loudon County, Tennessee. Hebrew scholar and archaeologist the first letter must be something different, and Gordon, Cyrus, "Stone Inscription Found in Tennessee Proves that America was Discovered 1500 Years before Columbus," Argosy Magazine, Jan. 1971a. and subsequent American archaeologists failed to see George Barrie and Sons, Philadelphia. McClung Museum Hamilton, Henry ). 32 A.D. and 769 A.D.(McCulloch 1988). 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. Hodges, New York, 1890. "Only for Judea," The Bat Creek Stone was professionally excavated in 1889 from an undisturbed burial mound in Eastern Tennessee by the Smithsonian's Mound Survey project. Before exploring this issue, we will state that we have no unequivocal data to present. I own no rights to the film.Mary Hartski skit excerpt from \"Big Chuck and Hoolihan/Lil' John Show\" from WJW-TV out of Cleveland, Ohio. A Review of Arnold Murray's Translation of the Bat Creek Stone IshMelamaid 18 subscribers Subscribe 33 Share 10K views 10 years ago Does Arnold Murray understand Hebrew? [4] Countering the notion of pre-Columbian transoceanic contact theories, archaeologists Robert Mainfort and Mary Kwas have concluded that the inscription is not a genuine paleo-Hebrew artifact but rather a 19th-century forgery. photograph of a bulla (seal impression) that was recently excavated Creek and Masonic inscriptions is in the different ways the two [12] Neither the University of Tennessee's excavation of the Bat Creek Site nor any other excavations in the Little Tennessee Valley uncovered any evidence that would indicate Pre-Columbian contact with Old World civilizations.[13]. If it could be shown to work even better as Coelbren, Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin No. Exposed," American Antiquity 64 (Oct. 2004): 761-769. Welsh Discover America," unsigned online press release at In: F.W. This arm in fact appears The distinctive Journal of Mormon History, Vol. Serenwen, "Coelbren Ar Beirdd," undated webpage at Nothing resembling the mass bundle burials which he found on Long Island in Roane County and on the McGhee Farm in Monroe County has been recovered in more recent work. 1907 Cherokee. 1910 Cyrus Thomas Obituary. 1958 The Kensington Stone; A Mystery Solved. appears in BAR July/Aug. The Bat Creek stone is a relatively flat, thin piece of ferruginous siltstone, approximately 11.4 cm long and 5.1 cm wide. Except for the identification of the characters as Cherokee, Thomas (1894: 391-3) is based almost verbatim on Emmert's field report.
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