Ancient Texas pictograph mystery solved, Houston researcher says

Houston Chronicle ^ | 02 Feb 2015 | Carol Christian

[Theoria]

Among the mysteries of how ancient people created structures to mark the solstice and equinox with astonishing accuracy, this one is central: How did they determine the dates of those astronomical events?

Houstonian Gordon Houston, who is pursuing a doctorate on this riddle, says he believes he has figured out the answer for centuries-old glyphs known as the Pictographs of Paint Rock, Texas.

Found on a private ranch near San Angelo in northern Concho County, these approximately 1,500 pictographs on a limestone cliff include about a dozen that "had a solar interaction," Houston said. "Some were incredible."

Houston will talk about his findings at the Houston Archeological Society's next meeting, 7 p.m. Feb. 12 at M.D. Anderson Hall at the Umiversity of St. Thomas. The meeting is free and open to the public.

Perhaps the most striking of these dozen pictographs is a red circular design painted on the cliff about 20 feet above the ground. At exactly noon on the day of the winter solstice -- the shortest day of the year and the traditional beginning of the winter season -- there's a dagger of light hitting the exact center of the glyph as the sun shines through spaces between layers of broken limestone.

Whoever put that glyph in the right spot demonstrated a level of accuracy exceeding even more famous monuments, such as Stonehenge in England, said Houston, who holds a master's degree in astronomy and is the Schaefer Observatory director at Blinn College's Schulenburg campus.

[Theoria]

A sun dagger intersects the focal point of this red glyph at solar noon on the winter solstice. Earlier on winter solstice day, the dagger forms at the lower left of the panel and proceeds proceeds across and upwards until reaching the center at noon, at an ancient solar interaction site on the Campbell ranch in northern Concho County.

On the same day that the sun rises exactly in the horizon notch, sunlight splits the round shield pictograph at mid-morning, at an ancient solar interaction site on the Campbell ranch in northern Concho County.

Paint Rock: Closer views of the wide variety of pictographs at the Campbell Ranch near Paint Rock.

Paint Rock: Cliffside pictographs appear on upper rocks of a long cliff on the ranch owned by Fred and Kay Campbell near the town of Paint Rock. HOUCHRON CAPTION (04/11/2004): Pictographs stand out on upper rocks of a long cliff on a ranch owned by Fred and Kay Campbell near the town of Paint Rock. Rock art at the Campbell Ranch and other West Texas places can be seen on public tours.

For six weeks before and after the winter solstice, the sun rises in the notch created by the cliff intersecting the far horizon at an ancient site marking solar interaction with the landscape in north Concho County. Counting the days between the fall and winter notch sunrises allowed native cultures to accurately determine the day of the winter solstice.

In the late afternoon of the spring and autumn equinoxes, the sun line touches, simultaneously, the bottoms of both feet of a bird-like figure at the top right of the pictograph. This alignment only occurs on the equinoxes, verifying the accuracy of the solar-interaction pictographs on the Campbell ranch in northern Concho County.

Paint Rock: Fred Campbell climbs closer to point out specific pictographs at the Campbell Ranch near Paint Rock.

[Theoria]

picto...ping

[WayneS]

The ancient Egyptians visited Texas?

[headstamp 2]

That’s Rustoleum

[WayneS]

Perhaps the most striking of these dozen pictographs is a red circular design painted on the cliff about 20 feet above the ground. At exactly noon on the day of the winter solstice -- the shortest day of the year and the traditional beginning of the winter season -- there's a dagger of light hitting the exact center of the glyph as the sun shines through spaces between layers of broken limestone.

Seriously, though, have there been NO earthquakes, erosion or shifting of rock in the centuries since these things were painted?

And what brand of paint did they use? i need to paint my shed and I want the new paint job to last a LONG time.

[CondorFlight]

Wait until you see where the light goes at the solstice; and then paint a picture to fit the light.

Thereafter, you can use that as your calendar.

There are LOTS of “calendar” circles painted in the Southwest, where the light strikes the center of concentric rings on the longest day of the year.

[Salamander]

What does Scott Wolter say about this?

:)

[moovova]

Bryan Williams earliest tagging efforts...

[onedoug]

I’m surprised they haven’t been bleached out by the Sun.

More research needed.

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

“The ancient Egyptians visited Texas?”

No, it was the muzzles!

[WayneS]

Okay. But does the rock stay the same for all eternity? And how did the ancients get their paint to last so long?

[cripplecreek]

How did they determine the dates of those astronomical events?

I've never understood why this is supposed to be some kind of great mystery when the answer is simple.

They were observant people in a world without the distractions we have and they needed to know these things. It only took a few years after I move into where I live now to note where the sun sets and moon rises throughout the year.

If I stand facing south with my shoulder against the southeast corner of my porch on the shortest day of the year, the sun sets almost perfectly at the peak of the garage across the lake from me.

[JRandomFreeper]

Wait until you see where the light goes at the solstice; and then paint a picture to fit the light.

That's exactly what I did. Wait until the computer said it was winter solstice, and go make a mark on my front porch at sunrise.

Yeah, it's cheating, so what?

/johnny

[Theoria]

hah...no doubt connected to the free masons...jesus as well

[Vendome]

Seems like it’s more of warning to competitors...

[molson209]

It’s the Knights Templar again

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Okay. But does the rock stay the same for all eternity? And how did the ancients get their paint to last so long?

They're 300-700 years old, hardly "all eternity." Barely a blip, geologically. And it looks like they're mostly protected from the sun and other elements by overhangs.

[smokingfrog]

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_oxide

[Walmartian]

Okay. But does the rock stay the same for all eternity? And how did the ancients get their paint to last so long?

Maybe they read the label on the can. Surface prep and a good primer will help as well.

[colorado tanker]

They were observant people in a world without the distractions we have and they needed to know these things

Exactly. With no TV, no books, no mall . . . the best show is in the sky. And with no light pollution, the night sky is quite a show.