Lenape Stone
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The Lenape Stone is an archeological artifact that was found in Pennsylvania in the mid to late 1800’s. It has been a point of controversy in the archeological community. The scenes depicted on the stone represent instances that contradict mostly all evidence provided by the rest of the archeological record founded thus far. All other evidence suggests that modern humans did not coexist with dinosaurs or such in North America. The drawings on the Lenape Stone appear to show Native Americans hunting a wooly mammoth with bow and arrows. The humans were recognized to be Native Americans because they appear to have feathers on their headwear (which is commonly attributed the Native American culture). The circumstances for which the stone was found, which is in two pieces, is also controversial. The Lenape Stone was widely studied by Henry Chapman Mercer who strongly believed the stone to be authentic.
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[edit] The History
- In the time when the first part of the Lenape Stone was found, there had been much interest in the Native American culture due to the abundance of artifacts being found like arrowheads, spear-points, axes and such. The first portion of the stone was found in Bucks County, Pennsylvania in the spring of 1872 by a young farmer by the name of Barnard Hansell. Not knowing what it was, it was tucked away with other trinkets that Hansell had found until 1881 when he sold it to another young man named Henry Paxon. One of the controversies attributed with the Lenape Stone was the finding of the second piece of it. After many unsuccessful searches for the second piece, Barnard Hansell, the founder of the original piece, happened upon the stone in the same field and same area where he found the first part nine years earlier. Once the pieces were joined, they were examined by members of the Bucks County Historical Society. Most notably, Henry Chapman Mercer, who took up the most interest in the stone going on to even write a book about it, "The Lenape Stone, or the Indian and the Mammoth." H.C. Mercer is the man who interpreted the scenes depicted on the stone. Despite the controversies and evidence contradicting that the stone was not forged, Mercer stuck by his guns defending the stone. The stone currently resides in Doylestown, Pennsylvania in the Mercer Museum. It is widely accepted that the stone is a fake.
[edit] Physical Description
- The Lenape Stone is small stone made of slate. It is about four and a half inches long. The stone is thought to be a gorget. In medieval times, a gorget was a type of armor worn to protect the neck. When referring to Native Americans, it was more of an ornament that was worn around the neck or near the chest. Many of these “gorgets” were found buried with Native Americans. The Lenape Stone had inscriptions on both sides. There were two holes drilled in the stone which were supposedly used to add string to hang around the wearer’s neck. The engravings on both sides are clear. One side contains many carvings of animals including turtles, fish, birds, and snakes. The reverse side contains a picture of an elephant-like creature, Native Americans, what appears to be a forest, some teepees, and other small engravings. The Native Americans appear to be in battle with the elephant-like creature and one even appears to have been trampled by it.
[edit] The Controversies
- There is much evidence against the authenticity of the Lenape Stone. Mercer, in a rare act of not playing dumb to the facts that many archaeologists do in cases like this, even noted some of this evidence in his book. The stone is unique in the fact that there are no other carvings found depicting mammoths in North America. When the stone was found, there was no “scientific observer” around to verify the find. The only person present at the discovery was Barnard Hansall. This was true for both pieces of the stone. After it was found, the stone was cleaned multiple times making geological tests virtually impossible. Around the time when this stone was found, there were many cases of fraudulent artifacts popping up. The carvings do not appear to cross the break in the stone suggesting that they were made after the stone was separated. This would show that the stone was in fact a forgery, or that the two pieces of the stone were not related. The depiction of the mammoth coinciding with these Native Americans goes against all other evidence so far found. The type of gorget found is known to have been popular no earlier that 1000 B.C.E. which was thousands of years after the mammoths had been extinct. There were other artifacts found on the Hansell farm after the Lenape Stone. Three of them in particular had engravings very similar to the Lenape Stone and all of them were also found by Barnard Hansell. These artifacts were able to be dated and were found to be from a time period not contemporary with the mammoth.
[edit] H.C. Mercer
- H.C. Mercer graduated from Harvard in 1879. He briefly tried his hand at law, but his real passion was in American Archeology. He was born in Doylestown, Pennsylvania and it was here that he became one of the founding members of the Bucks County Historical Society. This is where the Lenape Stone would be brought after it was found and where Mercer would do most of his examination of it. H.C. Mercer believed that the Lenape Stone was an authentic artifact. In his book, he provided evidence that he believed supported his claim. Some of this evidence included other instances where elephant-like images are found. It includes elephant pipes, a mound discovered in Grant County, Wisconsin that appears to be in the shape of an elephant, and headdresses worn by ancient Mexican cultures that are shaped like elephants. Despite the overwhelming evidence against him, Mercer believed that the Lenape Stone and the other artifacts found on the Hansell farm were all authentic.
