Rock discovery causes excitement

BBC ^ | Monday, 2 February, 2004, 12:01 GMT | Editorial Staff

[vannrox]

Rock discovery causes excitement

The stone weighs 30 tonnes and is about 17 feet high An ancient rock covered in carved symbols has been discovered in a South American jungle by an archaeologist from Cornwall.

Julien Chenoweth, from St Mawes, said a date test showed the carvings were as old as ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.

The rock was discovered by Mr Chenoweth after he led an expedition through the Darian area of the Panama jungle, with a party which also included medic Jo Lloyd-King, from Camborne.

A previous archaeologist had been told about the sacred stone by a native Indian, but until now attempts to locate it had failed.

Julian Chenoweth led an expedition through the Panama jungle

The rock has been dated to 3,000 BC. It weighs 30 tonnes and is about 17 feet (5.18 metres) high.

Mr Chenoweth, who works with the Scientific Exploration Society, said he would now write a report on the carvings for the government and he then expected it to attract international attention.



"There is nothing else like it in the area," he said.

"It raises all sorts of questions on what people were doing there, but until more research is done in this area and whether there is a possibility of more rocks like this being found, it is impossible to say what it means."

Mr Chenoweth said it was hard for him, as a Cornishman, to try and say what the Central American culture was saying, but he added: "I believe the rock is a ceremonial place or a boundary marker for a tribe's territory

[azhenfud]

"It raises all sorts of questions on what people were doing there, but until more research is done in this area and whether there is a possibility of more rocks like this being found, it is impossible to say what it means."

HELP!

[tubebender]

I understand the by-line on the rock is "Helen Thomas reporting for UPI

It could be one of her GALL stones...

[Riley]

But more than that, how about when they say "religious significance?"

I had that in mind when I wrote my post, but the lack of coffee in the house won over my properly enumerating the thought.

There was a really funny article somewhere, years ago, about archaelogists with that same catch-all mindset analyzing the remnants of our civilisation. They decided that toilets must have been altars of some kind, and the incantation "Santised for your protection" was evidence of some sort of especially significant rite. Wish I could find a copy of it. I think it was in the New Yorker in the 70s.

[RockChucker]

Sorry.... I was watching TV and posting at the same time.

[Elsie]

Do you have one of those cards in yopur computer that shows tv on the monitor??

[piasa]

I think the article was from "The Hotel of Mysteries," and it was indeed hilarious.

[RockChucker]

"Do you have one of those cards in yopur computer that shows tv on the monitor??"

No.... I was actually watching a nuclear bomb clip from here:
http://www.open-video.org/details.php?videoid=3532&surrogate=fastforward

It's an excellent site for old 1950's school films, such as "Are you popular?" and "Atomic Alert (Elementary version)".

[Elsie]

I've only got dialup

[SunkenCiv]

Just adding this to the GGG homepage, not sending a general distribution.

Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list --
Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.

[SunkenCiv]

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