The Epigraphic Society
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The Epigraphic Society
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| Epigraphic Society Occasional Papers Table
of Contents, Volume 20/1, 1991 In
Memoriam: Dr. Jon Galster (1 p) Barry Fell
20/1-p 10 Dr. John Galster, 1915-1992, a Danish historian and linguist, best known for his books on Nordic history and archaeology, visited the Peterborough site and with Fell in California in 1982. He published a book in Danish in 1987, Hellerist- ningernes Tale …i Norden og Amerika, which essentially confirmed Fell’s work in nearly every detail and adding some new insights based on Galster’s own observations in Scandinavia and Saxony. In
Memoriam: Francis J. Heyden, S. J. (1 p) Barry
Fell
20/1-p 10 Francis
J. Heyden, S.J., 1907-1991, an astronomer in Manila, the Philippines, was a
Harvard man who joined the Society very early on. He was a close personal friend
of Paul Mallery, the son of Arlington Mallery, the author of Lost
America. In
Memoriam: Paul R. Cheesman (1 p) Norman
Totten
20/1-p 11 Paul, 1921-1991 (photo available) was a good friend and colleague to many members of the Epigraphic Society. He was professor of Religious Education at Brigham Young University and Director of its Religious Studies and Ancient Scriptures Center. He served as a Navy Chaplain during the Korean War and was a corporate president for nine years. He made over 30 trips to Central and South America, wrote nine books, and made several short films on ancient American studies. In
Memoriam: Carl Wilhelm Sem-Jacobsen (1 p) Rene
Fell
20/1-p 12 Born in Oslo, Norway, Sem-Jacobsen (1912-1991) graduated MD from that city’s university in 1941. During WW II he served in the Norwegian underground, transferring to the US Special Forces in 1944. He served as a Captain in the OSS Special Force Mission, receiving a citation from General Eisenhower and the Norwegian War Medal. After reading America BC, he became very interested in and enthusiastic about the inferences it contained. He devoted a great deal of time and effort in promoting Fell’s work and visited with Fell in his home many times. On one occasion he gave a presentation on the subject of early settlers in the New World before Columbus to a learned audience which included King Olav of Norway. Editorial:
Anger and Denial (1 p) Bill Rudersdorf
20/1-p 13 Notes that attacks on Fell by his critics are based heavily on anger and denial. They reveal their lack of proper study of the material and selective choice of texts to support their own views. He particularly cites Marshall McKusick (Davenport Conspiracy), Stephen Williams (Fantastic Archaeology) and Mainfort and Kwas (The Bat Creek Stone: Judeans in Tennessee?). Editorial:
Loose Lips (1 p) Michael Skupin
20/1-p 13
Urges
that epigraphic sites should not be mentioned or described on television. The
greatest threat to an inscription site is vandalism, which occurs far too often.
Vandals cannot destroy what they cannot find.
Forum:
Birthday Prosonomasia (1 p) Rene Fell 20/1-p 14
Rene received
an amusing birthday card utilizing a Rebus (hippo
birdie two ewe…).
Forum:
Jacobites in Natchez (1 p) Norman Murphy
20/1-p 14
Notes the continued use by Scots descendants in the Carolina hills of themes on cap badges and brooches that memorialized the Stuart Risings of 1715 and 1745. Forum:
Vintage Prosonomasia (1 p) Elizabeth H.
Stewart
20/1-p 15
A promotional ad for a wine which was –more or less—phonetically rendered. Forum:
The Four Horsemen of the Hypothesis (1 p) Russell
B. Stafford
20/1-p 15
Supports
Fell against his critics.
Forum:
Stones of Contention (1 p) Richard C.
Rauer Sr.
20/1-p 15
Takes
issue with comments he attributes to Skupin (but were mostly by Fell) which were
critical of the work of Henriette Mertz in her book Mystic
Symbol.
Forum:
Calalus Considered (1 p) Paul H. Chapman
20/1-p 16
Points
out that Indians in Northern Mexico wore horned helmets and used iron (a la the
Vikings –who, it turns out, did not as a rule wear horned helmets). There are
also memories in Mexico of ‘Semitic types with beards’ known as Xue who con- quered Yucatan (he then remarks that the area where the
Tucson Artifacts –possibly left by a Roman Jewish colony-- were found was once
part of Mexico).
Forum: Portuguese Medicine Wheels (1 p) Walter Stendler 20/1-p 16Presents an argument that such wheels date from Megalithic times. Review: Omnnis Gallia (1 p) Michael
Skupin
20/1-p 17 The Celts
by V. Kruta et al, Rizzoli, 1991.
“If ESOP had a book of the year,
this would be my nomination.” A lavish book (1,100 fine illustrations; dozens
of informative articles). Review: Tunisian Glory (2 pp) Michael
Skupin
20/1-p 17 Carthage: Uncovering the Mysteries
and Splendors of Ancient Tunisia
by David Soren et al, Simon and
Schuster, 1990. This book is a Punic buff’s dream come true, the capstone of a
renaissance in Punic studies that began in the early 70s. Review: … and a Companion Volume
(1 p) Michael Skupin
20/1-p 18 Carthage: A Mosaic of Ancient
Tunisa
by Aïcha Ben Abed Ben Khader & David Soren, American Museum of Natural
History, 1987. The photos are excellent, imaginative, and numerous. Review: Forgotten Evil (2 pp) Michael
Skupin
20/1-p 18 Conquest of Eden, 1493-1515: Other
Voyages of Columbus
by Michael Paiewonsky, MAPes MONDEs Editore, 1991. An excellent introduction to
the events that followed Columbus’ discovery of the New World. The book
reveals the truth about the ugliness and horror Columbus visited upon the new
world. Review: Where Indeed? (2 pp) Donal
B. Buchanan
20/1-p 19 Where
Troy Once Stood by Iman
Wilkens, St. Martin’s Press, NY, 1991. The author holds that the Trojan war
took place in Northern Europe, specifically the British Isles. Whereas SOME of
the place names in the Iliad may be found in Asia Minor, ALL of them can be
found in Northern Europe along with the tribes that took part in the war. Far
from being about Helen, the war was about a strategic material: tin
--control of which was a Bronze Age must. The known veneration of the
horse in the British Isles matches well with the tale of the Trojan Horse.
Review:
More Sooners (1 p) Ditlev Thyssen
20/1-p 20
Westward Before Columbus by Kåre Prytz, Oslo, 1990. It tells about Norse seamen’s journeys west and to the New World 1,000 years ago as told in the old sagas and other writings. Review: Agitprop Matinee (1 p) Michael
Skupin
20/1-p 21 Fantastic Archaeology – the Wild
Side of North American Prehistory
by Stephen Williams, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 1991. Skupin
recommends comparison of Williams’ approach to the study of the Tucson
artifacts with Fell’s (he directs the reader to Fell’s and others remarks
about the artifacts in ESOP volume 19). Both Fell and Williams stated that the
site was modern rather than ancient, but Williams’ method of treatment of
anomalous sites like Tucson and Kensington is to give them a superficial and
supercilious brush-off. He prefers to ignore data and indulge himself in
ridicule of serious scholars interested in diffusion. Review: A Diffusion Primer (1 p) Michael
Skupin
20/1-p 22 The Diffusion Issue
by Donald L. Cyr, Stonehenge Viewpoint, 1991. This is an excellent introductory
overview that sums up the lines of investigation and captures the tone of the
debate. Review: An Epigrapher’s
Companion (2 pp) Michael Skupin
20/1-p 22 The Rocks Begin to Speak by LaVan Martineau, KC Publications, 1987. This book, by a man who was raised by Utah Paiutes and lived and studied with other South-west Indians, discusses elements and combinations used in Indian inscriptions as only an insider could. Review: Penelope’s Weaving (1 p)
Michael Skupin
20/1-p 23 The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception
by Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, Summit, 1991. The authors present evidence
that the cynical clique who for so many years were allowed to monopolize the
study of the Scrolls were motivated by a desire to cover up texts that were
potentially embarrassing to the religious (specifically Catholic) establishment. Review: Grave’s Goods (2 pp) Michael
Skupin
20/1-p 23 The Civilization of the Goddess
by Marija Gimbutas, Harper, San Francisco, 1991. Skupin accuses Gimbutas of
turning out a “coffee-table book” and expressing opinions that are presented
“with the take-it-or-leave-it finality of a Black Jack deal.” He criticizes
her “way of pontificating over inscriptions she admits she cannot read.” Review: Click! (1 p) Michael
Skupin
20/1-p 24 A Forest of Kings: The Untold
Story of the Ancient Maya
by Linda Schele and David Freidel, Morrow, 1990. Based on the most recent
findings, the authors have written a comprehensive and integrated history. A
beautifully written book. Review: Columbian Kitsch (1 p) Michael
Skupin
20/1-p 24 The Columbus Papers
by Mauricio Obregón, NYW Publications, 1991. Another coffee-table book. Skupin
regards the first half as a “waste of paper,” but recommends the second half
since it contains a facsimile of Columbus’ 1493 letter as well as a
transcription and meticulous translation of the same by Lucia Graves. Review: Light on the Dark
Continent (1 p) John J. White
20/1-p 25 Lightning Bird: The Story of One
Man’s Journey into Africa
by Lyall Watson, E.P. Dutton, 1982. This is a partial biography of
anthropologist Adrian Boshier, a protégé of the great Raymond Dart. Nearly
half the book summarizes the author’s know-ledge of the state of African
Anthropology. The comments on ancient mining, rock drawings of Asiatic people,
and the occurrence of Ogam writing should catch the attention of diffusionists. Review: Adventure in Writing (2
pp) John J. White
20/1-p 25 The
Ancient Inscriptions of Paraguay by Jim Woodman, Paraguay, 1989. This
booklet summarizes the principal epigraphic discoveries in Paraguay. A total of
60 sites are mentioned. Iberic as well as Ogam-like writing appears to be
present. Review: A Mithraic Milestone (2
pp) Michael Skupin
20/1-p 26 The Origins of the Mithraic
Mysteries: Cosmology and Salvation in the Ancient World
by David Ulansey, Oxford University Press, 1989. The thesis of this excellent
book is that astronomy is the key to the Mithraic religion. The author makes his
point by uniting history, iconography, and numismatics. A must-read for those
interested in archaeo-astronomy. Review: A Trade Secret (2 pp) Michael
Skupin
20/1-p 27 African Presence in Early Asia
by Ivan Van Sertima and Runoko Rashidi, eds, Journal of African Civilizations,
1988. This is less a review of Van Sertima’s book than of one of the sources
used in the writing of that book: Anacalypsis: An Attempt to Draw Aside the Veil of the Saitic Isis or an
Inquiry into the Origin of Languages, Nations and Religions by George
Higgins (1773-1833). Skupin feels that Van Sertima’s writers handled the
source material badly, that Higgins work deserved better. Higgins’ work is
“enormously stimulating, both for challenging ideas and as a repository for
references that…have been swept under the academic rug.” Review: Anacalypsis II (2 pp) Michael
Skupin
20/1-p 28 Black Athena,
Volumes I and II, by Martin Bernal, Rutgers University Press, 1987 and 1991. Its
thesis: Classical studies have been hijacked by propagandists who have distorted
our view of the ancient world. Bernal gives a history of how things got
distorted in volume I and then proceeds to undistort them in volume II (citing
archaeological evidence and the views of the ancients themselves). Review: White Crow (2 pp) Michael
Skupin
20/1-p 29 In Search of the Indo Europeans:
Language, Archaeology and Myth
by J. P. Mallory, Thames and Hudson, 1989. Mallory presents his ideas well and
introduces new parameters. He also includes Russian scholarship in the mix,
which is a first. Modern discoveries, however, tend to date Mallory’s book. It
would appear that the horse was available at a much earlier date than previously
thought so the Indo Europeans, rather than spreading slowly by foot, spread
rapidly and farther than expected by horse. Review: If Adventure Had a Name (1
p) Michael Skupin
20/1-p 30 In
Quest of the Great White Gods by Robert F. Marx with Jenifer G. Marx, Crown,
1992. “Marx tells of tales of thievery, deceit and corruption that may
diminish the reader’s admiration for many a fine museum collection.” Much of
the book deals with Marx’s maritime experiences, both as a sailor and as a
diver. Review: nostra
culpa! (1 p) Bill Rudersdorf
20/1-p 31 American Epigraphy At the
Crossroads
by James Guthrie, Rollin Gillespie, Phillip Leonard and William McGlone; James
P. Whittall Jr., editor, Early Sites Research Society, 1990. “This work is a
compendium of the authors’ views on all that is wrong with the present state
of the epigraphic scene. They give a list of suggestions for improving things,
tossing in some of their previously unpublished work just to show critics what
the real stuff looks like.” Review: Language (1 p) Bill
Rudersdorf
20/1-p 31 The Mother Tongue: English and How
It Got That Way
by Bill Bryson; Our Language by Simeon
Potter; The American Language: An Inquiry
into the Development of English in the United States by H. L. Mencken.
“For neophytes to the study of language … there is no better place to start
than your first language.” For Rudersdorf these are “…three of my favorite
books.” Review: Bailey’s Beads? (3 pp) Michael
Skupin
20/1-p 31 Latin for All Occasions
by Henry Beard, Villard Books, 1990. Skupin calls this a “delightful phrase
book … a major contribution to the humor section of Latinity …and that’s
not bad.” Review: One for the Ages (2 pp) Michael
Skupin
20/1-p 33 The Great Sermon Handicap
by P. G. Wodehouse, James Heineman, ed. James H. Heineman Inc. (3 volumes),
1989, 1990, 1991. A story by P. G. Wodehouse (1881-1975) is translated into many
different languages, making a modern Rosetta Stone. The first volume includes
Latin and its daughter languages; the second, Middle English and the continental
Teutonic languages; and the third, Scandinavian. Other volumes covering Semitic
and Oriental Languages are in the works. Review: An Ally’s Monument (1 p)
Michael Skupin
20/1-p 34 Vinculos
de la lengua vasca con las lenguas de todo el mundo [Links of the Basque
Language with the Languages of the World]
by Imanol Agiŕe, La Gran Enciclopedia Vasca, 1980. This is a “big,
difficult book, 629 meaty, energetic pages.” Agiŕe sets out his thesis in
his introduction: that Basque is related to the Paleo-Siberian languages. He
also provides background information on linguistics for the non-specialist and
an overview of the state of Basque studies. The last third of the volume is a
“briskly-paced history of the Basques and their language…” Agiŕe, an
“expert writing for experts,” confirms Fell’s work with Basque “without
any hedging or hand-wringing.”
Review:
A Scholarly Stocking-Stuffer (2 pp) Bill
Rudersdorf
20/1-p 34
The
Rosetta Stone: Facsimile Drawing by Stephen Quirke and Carol Andrews, Abrams
1989. A British Museum publication, it includes a facsimile drawing,
transliteration, translation, and commentary. Review: Recalling a Renaissance (1
p) Michael Skupin
20/1-p 35 The Loom of Language
by Frederick Bodmer, Norton, 1985. This book, with its lavishness and sheer bulk
of material is a browser’s delight. It is recommended as a rich source of
information about language and insights for linguistic do-it-your-selfers. Review: A Wolf in Egghead’s
Clothing (2 pp) Michael Skupin
20/1-p 35 Myth,
Metaphor and Language Reconstruction by E. Morgan Kelley, Mellen, 1992. This
book is important because “it shows us new ways to clarify obscure questions.
It is a well-written collection of stimulating thought experiments and carefully
considered arguments.” Euge, Serve Bene et Fidelis (1 p) Barry
Fell
20/1-p 36 Volume 20 is the second volume of ESOP edited by Bill Rudersdorf in association with Michael Skupin. Much to the regret of their colleagues (especially Barry and his wife) and for personal reasons, they have decided to withdraw from their editorial role. The
Karanovo Zodiac (6 pp) Richard D. Flavin
20/1-p 37 “The
Karanovo ‘Stamp Seal’ is variously regarded as a series of chalcolithic
Bulgarian decorations, ‘proto-writing,’ and ‘signs consisting of straight
lines … incised between the cross arms of a quartered disk.” The characters
are incised on a clay disk 6 cm in diameter and 2 cm thick with a handle 2 cm
long. It was discovered in the remains of a house destroyed by fire. Scholars
disagree about the date of the level at which the artifact was found. Some date
it to between 2600-2300 BC and at least one scholar dated it to about 4800 BC.
The author seeks to demonstrate that the inscribed characters are actually a map
of the sky –the earliest European map of the constellations yet discovered.
Etymology of the Lower Mississippian Languages - Part 2 (48 pp) Barry Fell 20/1-p 43This continues the paper started in Volume 19 of ESOP. It further investigates the correspondence between the
vocabulary of the Indians of the Lower Mississippi and that of the peoples of
the Nile Valley. The article is illustrated with copious tables illustrating the
grammar and vocabulary involved. Maize in Asia and Elephants in
America (5 pp) George F. Carter
20/1-p 91 Carter reviews the evidence for pre-Columbian knowledge of maize in the Old World as well as the Amerindian knowledge of the elephant. The
Voyage of Tupac Inca Yupanqui, Part 2 (24 pp) John Spencer Carroll
20/1-p 96 The author continues his examination of the voyage of discovery by Tupac Inca Yupanqui, a 15th century Incan ruler, initiated in ESOP Volume 19. It is obvious that the Inca knew a lot more of the world than has been supposed. The Tip of thc Iceberg:
Deciphering Polynesian History (2 pp) Herb Kawainui Kane
20/1-p 120 A native Hawaiian artist-historian congratulates Fell on restoring to Polynesians a portion of their lost history and culture. Biographic information on the author is given. Deciphering
the Easter Island Tablets, Part 3 (16 pp) Barry Fell
20/1-p 122 This
is a continuation of the article begun in Vol. 18 on the decipherment of the Kohau
Rongorongo of Easter Island. Fell explains that the vocalizations of the
Easter Island hieroglyphics comprise prosonomastic language, meaningless in
itself, but comprehensible when the punning transforms are recognized.
Polynesian scholars have written Fell to support this finding. Occam's
…Eraser? (1 p) Michael Skupin
20/1-p 137 The author elucidates the proper meaning and use of William of Occam’s contribution to the language: “Occam’s Razor.” Basically, it means “Don’t clutter up your explanations.” Deciphering
the Easter Island Tablets, Part 4 (8 pp) Barry
Fell
20/1-p 138 As
above, this is a continuation of the
article begun in Vol. 18. Easter
Island Writing—the Hawaiian Connection (4 pp) Likeke R. McBride p 146 A professional Hawaiian story-teller provides a comparison vocabulary for the Hawaiian and Easter Island languages. The similarities are evident. Never
Forget the Oral Tradition (1 p) Norman
Murphy
20/1-p 149 The author stresses the importance of primary sources. Was
there a Prehistoric Migration of the Philippine Aetas
to America? (3 pp) Virgilio R. Pilapil
20/1-p 150 The author presents evidence that Asiatic pygmies reached the Americas in prehistoric times. They may even have introduced the use of the bow and arrow. Interpretation
of the Cast of a Latex Mold Submitted by Gloria Farley (1 p) Barry Fell
20/1-p
153 This shows a graphic of an Ogam inscription the latex mold of which had been sent by Farley to Fell. Fell’s transliteration of the inscription is given. The
Grid Hieroglyph and Associated Ogam in Oklahoma (1 p) Gloria
Farley
20/1-p 154 The author tells of her visit to the site of the above inscription (called “the Cattle Shelter”) in June 1973. An
Ogam Solution to the Agricultural Grid Symbol (2 pp) Barry
Fell
20/1-p
154 Fell
explains the meaning of the Ogam “agricultural grid” symbol and deciphers
the inscription described above. He infers that the sense of the inscription
refers to a location nearby of arable land suitable for the growing of corn or
other crops.
Marshall
McKusick and American Epigraphy (19 pp) Barry Fell & George Carter
20/1-p
156
A discussion by Barry Fell and George Carter, with additional comments by Norman Totten and David Kelley. They reply to McKusick's accusations and misrepresentations with a reasoned rebuttal to unreasoned arguments. Graphics of Libyan (Tifinag) inscriptions are shown as well as the Bat Creek Stone and the Paraiba inscription (Netto’s version). Review:
Poison Ivy League Archaeology (6 pp) George F. Carter
20/1-p 175 Fantastic
Archaeology, the Wild Side of North American Prehistory by Stephen Williams,
University of Pennsylvania Press, 1991. Williams’ stated aim is to show the
need for critical thinking, but the format of the study “is decidedly an
argument ad hominem,” despite his denials. For Williams the notion of
overseas contacts is simply “some hyperdiffusionist madness.” Carter chides
Williams for his “inability to get details right.” Review:
American Epigraphy on the High Road (2 pp) Lawrence
F. Athy, Jr
20/1-p 181 American
Epigraphy at the Crossroads edited by James P. Whittall Jr., ESRS, Rowley
Mass, 1991. Athy regards the book as timely and well-done, but he has a
problem with it: it concentrates on an illogical and unimportant epigraphic
controversy between pseudo-scientists, archaeologists and epigraphers. The
archaeology-epigraphy controversy seems to be a false issue brought about by a
few epigraphers who have sought the approval of anyone and everyone and by a few
archaeologists who feel threatened by what they do not know or understand. Athy
quotes from the book: “…It would seem best to avoid debate with the
archaeologists unless there is artifactual evidence. … It is the linguist who
will have to get involved if we are to be successful … and their interest can
only be expected after careful and accurate transcriptions have been
disseminated.” Athy recommends that the Epigraphic Society develop and
disseminate standards for site identification as well as for methods of
transcription of inscriptions. He also advocates the creation and maintenance of
a central database of inscriptions. American
Epigraphy at Cross Purposes (1 p) Michael
Skupin
20/1-p 182 The author comments on the above book: “…now they are publishing opinions about opinions about approaches to inscriptions in general. When is all this going to bottom out?” Bat
Creek Rebuttal: a Check-list for Doubletalkers (2 pp) Joseph
B. Mahan
20/1-p 183 Mahan
is responding to an article in Tennessee
Anthropologist (volume XVI, number 1, Spring 1991) by Robert C. Mainfort and
Mary L. Kwas: “The Bat Creek Stone: Judeans in Tennessee?” Mahan says it is
full of “subterfuges, half-truths, and cleverly disguised deceptions.” Clay
Pigeons (1 p) Michael Skupin p 184 Skupin explains why this volume concerns itself with replies to critics. Tales
of the Thought Police (13 pp) Raymond M.
Beaumont
20/1-p 185 A
man with ten years experience teaching in Northern Indian communities tells of
the troubles he incurred when he revealed to the educational establishment that
he was taking Fell’s work on Canadian inscription sites seriously and
disseminating it as part of a teachers guide.
Gaelic As
She Was Spoke (2 pp) Barry Fell & Bill
Rudersdorf
20/1-p 198
Fell responds to attacks by Brenden O Hehir. Skupin adds a comment taking O Hehir to task for his attack upon the late Robert Meyer for supporting Fell (O Hehir alleged that Meyer, in his final years was mentally unstable and a drunk). Skupin quotes Donal Buchanan who testifies to Meyer’s excellence as a teacher who never drank to excess. English
as She is Rit (1 p) George Carter
20/1-p
199 Carter takes a stab at deciphering a modern inscription. The
Scientific Explanation (1 p) Warren W.
Dexter
20/1-p 200 Dexter
shows that the language of the nay-sayers hasn’t changed in years.
Review:
Old Dog, Old Tricks (2 pp) Michael Skupin
20/1-p 201
The
Bat Creek Stone: Judeans in Tennessee? by Robert C. Mainfort Jr. and Mary L.
Kwas. Skupin says: “This dreary hatchet job is a rebuttal to J. Huston
McCulloch’s 1989 article on the same subject. It is mostly the ex
cathedra name-calling and misrepresentation one would expect, but carried
out … clumsily…” Corrected
Carthaginian (1 p) Michael Skupin
20/1-p
202 Skupin does
an excellent job of correcting himself. He reveals himself as an erudite –and
honest—scholar.
Defining
the Question (4 pp) Archibald S. Thom
20/1-p 203 The
author compares Fell’s work to that of his father, Alexander Thom.
Editorial:
Looking Both Ways (1 p) Bill Rudersdorf
20/1-p 207
Reports
the existence of evidence for the early peopling of the Americas from Europe as
well as from Asia.
Review:
Archaeocentricism at its Best (4 pp) Lawrence F. Athy, Jr
20/1-p 208
Frauds,
Myths and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology by Kenneth L.
Feder, 1990. Athy congratulates the author of the book for an excellent chapter
on epistemology. The author of the book stated that his aim was to put the
analysis of unsubstantiated claims about the human past firmly within the
perspective of the scientific method as it relates to archaeology rather than
simply to debunk individual claims –then he proceeded to discredit all claims
with total disregard to scientific methodology. More
Prosonomasia (1 p) Michael Skupin
20/1-p
211 Spanish
examples of prosonomasia.
Three
Lost Collections -- a Photographer's View (12 pp) Warren
W. Dexter 20/1-p 212
Dexter tells of his investigation (with Warren Cook) of the artifact collection of Father Crespi in Cuenca, Ecuador; that of Credo V. Mutwa (with Brenda Sullivan) in South Africa; and finally, the forty year collection of the late Dr. Warren Cook. Excellent photos of Cook, Crespi, and Mutwa are shown, along with various inscribed artifacts, including: a copy on slate of a very old Zulu tri-alphabetic inscription (part of which is in Ogam); a verdite phallus from Soweto, South Africa, inscribed in vowelless ogam, Egyptian hieroglyphs and apparent “branch ogam” (latter not shown); apparent Bronze Age inscriptions in the Transvaal; the “Moses” Ten Commandments tablet in square Hebrew with some apparent Egyptian hieroglyphs; a verdite effigy of the Mother Goddess Banu (Tanit) on the back of which are inscriptions in Ogam and Tifinag; a verdite stone effigy of the ancient fertility god Baal, showing the symbol “Eye of Baal” on his chest, with the name B-L spelled out in vowelless ogam; also excellent pictures of four inscribed artifacts from Crespi’s collection. Bahrain
Honors Bushiri (1 p) Barry Fell
20/1-p 224 On
14 March 1992, Ali Akbar Bushiri received the State Award for National
Achievement from the Prime Minister of Bahrain. This was in recognition of his
past fifteen years of work on the culture of Dilmun.
Alphabetic
Libyan Mason's Marks on Mochica Adobe Bricks (7 pp) Barry
Fell
20/1-p 224
In 1990, while Fell was working on deciphering the masons’ marks on the Comalcalco bricks, James Woodman informed him that he had seen similar marks on adobe bricks in the Huaca Las Ventanas pyramids of the pre-Inca Mochica civilization. Fell studied those as well and concluded that the markings on them con-formed to established Libyan alphabets. They exhibit clear-cut and unquestionable affinities with the Libyan civilization of Roman times. Tales
of a Wall-Nut (1 p) Russell Swanson
20/1-p
231 There are a series of ancient walls in the hills of the eastern side of San Francisco Bay that have raised Dolmen-like stones associated with them. On
Cuna Writing (3 pp) George Carter & James Case
20/1-p 232 The Cuna Indians are among the few Amerindian tribes which are documented to have had writing at the time of first contact. It has not received the attention it deserves, perhaps because no texts in a form which allowed comparison with other writing were preserved. Few now can write or understand the Cuna ideographs. Micmac
Music? (1 p) Michaei Skupin
20/1-p 235 A
report on the “Mass Book of Chief Abraham Jeremez of Nova Scotia,” a little
know example of Micmac hieroglyphs that appear to be accompanied by musical
notation. It is known to be a Kyrie.
Skupin suggests that the notation was inspired by the Roman Catholic chant book,
the Liber Usualis; and the tune may be a Micmac song preserved in plainchant
notation. The
Bird and Fish Motif - New World and Old (1 p) Gloria
Farley 20/1-p 236 The
author notes that the same motif (a bird standing on a fish with its beak close
to the fish’s mouth) exists on Mimbres, New Mexico, bowls, an Egyptian
hieroglyph, a Babylonian vase, and was also used by the Chimu Indians in Peru. The
Size of a Man's Hand (1 p) Michael Skupin
20/1-p 237 Skupin
introduces us to Fell’s very first work: “The Pictographic Art of the
Ancient Maori of New Zealand,” published in Man,
a publication of the Royal Anthro-pological Institute, in 1941. You
see what you are prepared to see! ((3 pp) George
F. Carter
20/1-p 238 Archaeologists are trained to look at artifacts in a certain manner and thus can miss clues to conclusions that lie outside their experience, such as the presence of writing where no writing is expected. Carter points to the evident existence of Tifinag in the Western Mediterranean (Libya, Algeria, Morocco, and Spain), Scandinavia, and in the Americas (at Peterborough in Canada, Penobscot Bay, and, perhaps, amongst the Maya). In
Memoriam: Theodor H. Gaster (1 p) R. D.
Flavin
20/1-p 240 The famous Semiticist passed away quietly on 3 February 1992. He made great contributions to ancient Near Eastern studies in religion and linguistics. The
Davenport and Newark Inscriptions (2 pp) Charles
Moyer
20/1-p 241 The author corrects an error made by Fell in his reading of the Davenport stele: the word kholak does not refer to an event in March, but one in November or December. This makes the Djed festival a Winter Solstice event, not one for the Vernal Equinox. The writer also finds difficulties with the Newark “Holy Stones.” Lost
Horizons (1 p) Bill Rudersdorf
20/1-p 243 Rudersdorf replies to Moyer’s article, saying: “…Moyer did not have a good command of the facts.” The
Davenport Stone (1 p) Barry Fell
20/1-p 244 Fell also replies to Moyer’s attack. He suggests that the Davenport inscription cannot be earlier than the late Byzantine, perhaps a Late Byzantine adaptation of the old Djed Festival. English-Gadelic
Dictionary, Part 4 (12 pp) Burrell C.
Dawson
20/1-p 245 The author continues his compilation of a Celtic vocabulary based on the decipher-ments of Barry Fell. Proto-Ogam
in Scotland (1 p) Lawrence F. Athy
20/1-p
257 The
author highlights the comments of Francis C. Diack, expressed in a little known
paper, “The Origin of the Ogam Alphabet,” published in Scottish Gaelic Studies, Volume 3, 1929. Diack postulated the
existence of “Proto-Ogham” (possibly vowelless Ogham?) of which many
examples can be found in Ireland and Scotland, but are ignored by most
investigators as being simply “pseudo Ogham.” Other
First Thanksgivings (1 p) Bill Rudersdorf
20/1-p 257 A contemporary account of a Spanish expedition in Texas in 1598 states that they camped near El Paso and had a feast –leading Texas to plan to announce a second Thanksgiving day. Since it also seems that colonists in Maine in 1607 also gave thanks for a safe arrival in the country, we could end up with three Thanksgiving Days! Photo:
Midsummer sunrise at El Morro (1 p) Bill
Rudersdorf
20/1-p 258. Midsummer
Sunrise at El Morro (1 p) Bill Rudersdorf
20/1-p 259
The author tells of his investigation of many inscriptions located within the bounds of the El Morro National Monument in New Mexico. The
Margaret and Burrell Dawson Memorial Fund (1 p) Margaret
Dawson & Jon Polansky
20/1-p 260 Margaret Dawson, the wife of the late Burrell Dawson, who had previously given $10,000 to the Epigraphic Society sends a further check amounting $30,000 for a total donation of $40,000. It is intended to be used towards a “future repository for the Society’s books and collections.” Jon Polansky, then Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Epigraphic Society wrote in response that the Board had voted unanimously to restrict the use of the funds to the purpose stated in her letter. A
Smithsonian Collectible (2 pp) Michael
Skupin
20/1-p 261 This is a review of a 10 page position paper on Barry Fell’s work issued by the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of Natural History, May 1978, prepared by Yves Goddard and William W. Fitzhugh. Skupin derides it as dated, full of spurious absolutes delivered with a condescending and paternalistic attitude. Pre-Columbian
Syphilis and East Asia (1 p) JAMA
16:473-474, 1892
20/1-p 262 This is a reprint of an article which appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1891. The pre-Columbian existence of Syphilis in the Americas serves as proof of an early contact with Asia. Review: Do-It-Yourself
Hieroglyphics (1 p) Michael Skupin
20/1-p 263 Fun
with Hieroglyphics by Catherine Roehrig, The Metropolitan Museum of
Art & Viking. It is a short but sound guide book about the history of
hieroglyphics with a set of rubber stamps and an ink pad so that the alphabetic
portion of the hiero-glyphics can be rendered. It is a good companion piece to Egyptian
Hieroglyphics: How to Read and Write Them by Stephane Rossini, Dover, 1989,
which is an excellent, well-thought-out and elegant introduction to the field. Origin
of the Micronesian Script (6 pp) Barry
Fell
20/1-p 263 Fell explains the history of the discovery of the Micronesian syllabic script. A table of the signs is given. Other graphics illustrate the authors thesis that the Micronesian script shows a strong connection to Egyptian hieroglyphs. A
Cree Centenary: Kit Utumeskatin, Lokan! (1 p) Barry
Fell
20/1-p 269 Fell
congratulates Fellow of the Epigraphic Society Robert Archibald Logan (known to
his Cree friends as Lokan Metistikwan; photo shown) on his upcoming 100th
birthday. Logan is the author of a Cree grammar as well as a two volume Cree
dictionary. How
to Read an Inscription Upside-down (1 p) Barry
Fell
20/1-p 269 Fell
illustrates how even the “professionals” can make embarrassing mistakes. The
famous Phoenician Stele found in Nora, Sardinia, was for many years read upside
down and backwards until the error was corrected by Frank Moore Cross Jr. in
1980. Petrographic Techniques and Styles of the Fremont and Anasazi Culture (6 pp) E. Morgan Kelley 20/1-p 270 An excellent overview of Southwestern petrographic inscriptions and attempts to date and decipher them. Highlights the work of LaVan Martineau as an “enlightening parallel” to the decipherments by Fell. The
Shaman Motif and the Kokopelli Figure
(4 pp) E. Morgan Kelley
20/1-p 276 The author continues his excellent elucidation of Southwestern petrographic motifs. A
Ninth-Century Irish Scholar's Cat (1 p) Lucas
Fysst
20/1-p 279 Gives
his translation of a portion of a famous Old Irish poem about Pangur
Ban, a scholar’s cat. [Buchanan comment: This is one of my favorite
ancient poems and I’ve attempted my own translation of it.]
Barry
Fell and the Anatolians (32 pp) Michael Skupin
20/1-p 278
The author again demonstrates his considerable erudition with an excellent and thorough introductory examination of the question of Anatolian roots for a number of ancient inscriptions (Etruscan, the Lemnos Stele, etc.). There is a particularly good elucidation of Fell’s decipherment of the three Pyrgi inscriptions on gold leaf (LP I – Phoenician; LP II & III – Etruscan). Ainsuca:
a Shaman's Solar Calendar? (14 pp) Harry
A. Marriner
20/1-p 312 The
author introduces us to a petroglyph site in Columbia which may been carved by a
Shaman who used them as a calendar.
The
Classical Labyrinth: Old World and New (14 pp) Charles F. Herberger
20/1-p 326
The
author discusses the antecedents of the labyrinth and gives examples from both
the Old and New Worlds.
Cuna
Obstetrics Medicine (1 p) Clyde Keeler
20/1-p 340
The
author, a medical man as well as an expert on the Cuna, discusses Cuna
obstetrical medical practices. On the CoverThe
Karanovo Zodiac (the disc is shown at 2.8 times normal size). |
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