Results 1 to 9 of 9

Thread: 'Winged Monster' Rock Art Finally Deciphered

  1. #1
    Retired Member United States
    Join Date
    13th September 2013
    Location
    Dixieland - USA
    Posts
    1,030
    Thanks
    642
    Thanked 6,928 Times in 1,027 Posts

    'Winged Monster' Rock Art Finally Deciphered


    Compiled DStretch images that show the rock art drawings in their entirety. From left to right, notice the two quadrupeds, the tall person, the
    supplicating person and the snakelike figure. The style of these images matches other Fremont culture rock-art paintings in the region.



    The mystery surrounding the ancient rock paintings of Utah's Black Dragon Canyon has finally been solved. For decades, researchers and creationists
    have debated whether the vibrant red pictographs are images of humans and animals, or rather, depictions of a large winged monster, possibly a pterosaur.


    Now, using cutting-edge technology, researchers suggest the red paintings show five separate images, including a tall bug-eyed person, a smaller person, a sheep, a dog and a serpentlike figure.

    "It is not a single figure. It is not a pterodactyl," said co-lead researcher Paul Bahn, a freelance archaeologist. "It's a beautiful set of images."

    The rock paintings belong to the agrarian Fremont culture (circa A.D. 1 to 1100). Other Fremont rock paintings — known as Barrier Canyon style — show abstract humanlike figures with elongated bodies and round heads, the researchers wrote in the study. These long figures are usually accompanied by tiny "attendants," including people, birds and four-legged creatures, such as hoofed animals, canines, felines, badgers and bears.

    Amateurs discovered the painting in 1928, and soon after talk of the "winged monster" arose. In 1947, a man named John Simonson traced over the paintings with chalk and said the end result looked like "a weird bird."

    Chalking rock art was a common practice in earlier years — ancient rock art is usually faint, and chalk can help make it visible — but today it's illegal, Bahn said.

    "It's one of the worst things you can do, because it damages the art, it imposes what you think you can see on it, it messes up the chemistry of the rock, probably, and it just doesn't disappear," Bahn told Live Science.

    Intriguing interpretations

    The chalking may have influenced subsequent viewings of the art. Rock-art specialist Polly Schaafsma said she saw a "beak lined with sharp teeth" in a 1970 report. In 1979, geologist Francis Barnes said it looked "very much like a pterosaur, a Cretaceous flying reptile."

    The fossils of pterosaurs, flying reptiles that lived from 228 million to 66 million years ago, are found in the region. Some creationists began saying that the painting was a real-life impression of pterosaurs that lived at the same time as humans, and a few people even tried to identify the species, saying it was Quetzalcoatlus northropi, a reptile with a wingspan of about 39 feet (12 meters), Bahn said. (Many creationists believe the Earth is just several thousand years old, instead of about 4.5 billion years old, and as such humans and dinosaurs would have lived together.)

    But to many researchers, the painted area clearly shows separate images, not a single image of a pterosaur.

    "I myself visited the site in person a few years ago," said Phil Senter, an associate professor of biology at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina, who was not associated with the study. "There's no pterodactyl there at all. It's a collection of other images."

    Benjamin Smith, a professor of world rock art at the University of Western Australia, stressed that humans knew little about dinosaurs and other extinct animals until the 1800s, long after the Fremont culture people painted Black Dragon Canyon.

    "Since Native American art is of spiritual significance and holds significant religious content, images can also depict magical and mythical subject matter," said Smith, who was not involved with the study. "Not all animals in Native American art therefore need to depict real-world creatures. Some will be supernatural, but none will be dinosaurs."

    Novel techniques

    Bahn and his colleague Jean-Loïc Le Quellec, a rock-art expert at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, traveled to Black Rock Canyon for their new TV documentary series, "On the Rocks," in which they feature rock art from around the world.

    Other experts have written studies that attempt to debunk the creationist pterosaur interpretation, but the new study is the first to use cutting-edge techniques, including a tool called DStretch and a portable X-ray fluorescence device, Bahn said.

    With DStretch, researchers can photograph a pictograph and upload it onto a computer. The program then helps researchers highlight the original pigmentsin the painting, in this case ochre, even when the colors aren't visible to the naked eye. Users can also disentangle colors from unwanted additions, such as chalk.

    "Where you've got paint that has faded over the hundreds or thousands of years, DStretch will make them very clear and very visible," Bahn said.

    The DStretch results showed "very clearly that these are a set of separate figures," he said. "What was supposed to be one wing of this pterodactyl is actually two little four-legged animals. The so-called head and beak and neck of the pterodactyl [are] actually a human figure with its spindly legs and its two arms stretching out."

    Marvin Rowe, a rock-art expert and professor emeritus of chemistry at Texas A&M University, scanned the cave art with portable X-ray fluorescence, which reveals an artifact's chemical makeup.

    "He showed that where there are paintings, you get a tremendously high reading of iron, of course, because it's iron oxide, this paint," Bahn said. "In other areas, between the so-called neck of the pterodactyl and its body, there's nothing, because there is no paint there."

    With these two methods — the DStretch and the X-ray fluorescence — the researchers say in the study that they removed the "interpretational bias" that is inherent with eyeballing rock art, and used a scientifically replicable process instead.

    But the pterosaur perception will likely continue to linger, Bahn said.

    On the new documentary, the researchers invited a creationist to view their results. "We were all very polite to each other, and he showed us what he thought he saw on the wall," Bahn said. "We said, 'It looks like a number of separate figures to us.'"

    "He said, 'No no, no, I've had this checked out with infrared, and the whole thing is one single painting. It's a very detailed painting of a pterodactyl,'" Bahn recalled.

    That idea is outlandish, especially because the separate images are easily seen with the naked eye, Bahn and other rock-art experts said.

    "Things are sometimes exactly what they seem to be," Senter said.



    Source: http://www.livescience.com/51886-win...eciphered.html



    peace...

  2. The Following 8 Users Say Thank You to skywizard For This Useful Post:

    Aragorn (20th August 2015), bsbray (20th August 2015), Cearna (20th August 2015), Frances (21st August 2015), jimmer (21st August 2015), sandancer (20th August 2015), shamanseeker (21st August 2015), The One (20th August 2015)

  3. #2
    Retired Member
    Join Date
    13th September 2013
    Location
    Blue Mountains NSW
    Posts
    1,056
    Thanks
    27,209
    Thanked 6,042 Times in 1,040 Posts
    I'm going, to have at go at what came to me, about this. We have on Earth what is known as "free spirits", they do not go on the journey as we do, but instead remain in the spirit form and had and still do have a role in teaching and explaining what each person's role is in life and how each of us fits into the totality of the evermore.

    In very older times, there was some means for maybe only the shaman or spiritual leader, to go inside a dark space, to contact the spirit world to ask questions if a leader of a tribe or clan, or for someone to begin an initiation into the afterlife for a specific person, who had come of age, to find their place in the hereafter as well as here. There were ritual to be followed in doing this, for the Druids a mound was used, or some stone inlays were used to stop suffocation. The person went into the mound, a fire was lit to bring the Spirit world to them, there would be some means of going into a deep trance, the mound would be covered in more dirt, and the person would stay until their trance state completed itself. during this time it was more often than not a serpent who came to take them through their Spiritual journey, in those days, the serpent was not recognised as evil, they were known as the spirit to take you to see what was needed to be seen.

    In Australia, we have a spirit called, the Rainbow Serpent, who in Aboriginal belief takes them into their "Dreamtime", which explains to them how everything came about and explains who is to mean what to each person, particularly as their totem clan to belong to, as all Aboriginal Laws revolve around the totems, so that no mistakes can be made about who you can join to be wed if you like.

    The Native American, have a similar purpose in their "vision quest" which as well gives them the name they are to be know as as well.

    I can't spell Ayawaska, but it too is a means to the same thing, and it is usually a serpent who guides you through your journey, the drink just puts you into the right state if you allow it to. The New Guineans solve this with a shedding of snake skins, to release self from snake infested blood tainting them in the outer world, the Fijians used Karva Karva to knock senseless, so self can begin. Many of the original rituals have been lost, but some part of it remains as a memory, but will not bring a man into manhood, at the right age, so many tribes incorporated the need to overcome fear into their coming of age ceremonies. with each ceremony there is usually ritual explaining of the stories that each tribe found important to explain what life is and how it began.

    In other lands, people took link to some ceremony that makes the coming of age important especially to manhood, but for example in Catholicism to become re-christened or reborn you must learn of the important lessons, then you are able to participate in their own particular brand of ritual, which to me is personally abhorrent in its symbolism, but to the faithful means a great deal.

    Now back to the Serpent, if you look at the circles around the head of the serpent, that is an indication of the serpent being able to shed Light to you as it is the giver of knowledge of Life. The head would never be left out, so I feel that the rock where the head would be, broke off and the figures added at a later date. these figure are very similar to the depictions on very old Rock art in Australia, that round head being an indication of Spirits, not people, for people need mouth, nose and ears, but Spirits do not. The one appearing to bend, could easily have been bending to a Being of note, but unless you were the person who drew the picture, it would be difficult to know, for it ends, where the break seems to be in the rock face.

    The animals could more likely be deer, because in that time, people did not know of sheep, but this could be a dear, plus either an immature one or a female, for deer represented fear of no one to these people, for they were fast and could easily go up higher than men could, and men were not to kill a female deer for food, as none were so knowledgeable as the female deer was at finding all the best feeding spots.

    The large figure, must be a very venerated personage - a female, for only females were ever depicted with something in their left hand, it was usually a male, who sent messages to the Gods which is what is in her hands. Everyone needed to deal with their own special God, and gave tributed to the messenger, first of all, then in snake form, the messenger carried the first link to each particular God, and thus no link got broken, and the persons kept their Sovereignty, because all links to the mind must remain pure. If the link was lost this person must take a journey of their own to meet and join their God, or lose the right to journey on. This was mandatory in all tribes at this time in history- world wide.

    I know this Rainbow Spirit very well and the workmate, who appears to me as a green eyed dragon. They came each time I was to work on Earth, to bring about change, and when I am ill they are invaluable as they can become nan0 sized or whatever size or shape they wish, and they go inside to see whatever is wrong and do their best to fix the problem for me. In Oz, they so often work with the Goddess of Life in Oz - Baywarra - who takes clear sight to someone needing know what to do to clear away bent or evil spirits, then find a clear spirit to return the sacred land to rights again.

  4. The Following 10 Users Say Thank You to Cearna For This Useful Post:

    bsbray (20th August 2015), Elen (23rd August 2015), Frances (21st August 2015), idigress (23rd August 2015), jimmer (21st August 2015), sandancer (20th August 2015), sandy (20th August 2015), shamanseeker (21st August 2015), skywizard (20th August 2015), The One (20th August 2015)

  5. #3
    Retired Member
    Join Date
    14th September 2013
    Posts
    651
    Thanks
    3,943
    Thanked 3,335 Times in 635 Posts
    Fascinating, Cearna!

    I've noticed a line, the same colour as the female figure, i.e. terra cotta, coming away from her. Do you know if this is a tail or something else?

  6. The Following 7 Users Say Thank You to shamanseeker For This Useful Post:

    bsbray (21st August 2015), Cearna (22nd August 2015), Elen (23rd August 2015), Frances (21st August 2015), jimmer (21st August 2015), sandancer (24th August 2015), The One (21st August 2015)

  7. #4
    Retired Member
    Join Date
    13th September 2013
    Location
    Blue Mountains NSW
    Posts
    1,056
    Thanks
    27,209
    Thanked 6,042 Times in 1,040 Posts
    I saw it too, but as close as I can see it is possibly part of the same story drawing as the serpent and not a part of the human, but I've no idea what it is.

  8. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Cearna For This Useful Post:

    Elen (23rd August 2015), sandancer (24th August 2015), shamanseeker (2nd September 2015)

  9. #5
    Retired Member Norway
    Join Date
    2nd July 2015
    Location
    Scotland
    Posts
    5,065
    Thanks
    73,935
    Thanked 23,318 Times in 5,067 Posts
    Cearna

    You sometimes blow me away with your posts. You are so wild, fresh and close to the Earth in so many ways. I love that a lot, you know. Have you had contact with the Australian (Ab)Originals in any way? They have knowledge that the rest of the world is missing. Please do not let anybody with so called "education or authority" take you away somewhere.

    Elen

  10. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Elen For This Useful Post:

    Cearna (24th August 2015), sandancer (24th August 2015)

  11. #6
    Retired Member
    Join Date
    13th September 2013
    Location
    Blue Mountains NSW
    Posts
    1,056
    Thanks
    27,209
    Thanked 6,042 Times in 1,040 Posts
    You did my heart good Elen, thank you.

    I frequently have made statements, and been told, "Who do you think you are", you are no more than the rest of us, but I believe in my Truth and the Truth that is given to me and I will not compromise my faith and Trust in This. Every one has a job and a role here on Earth, and I had to know what mine were. For I am going to make one of those wild statement right now, I have been been here on Earth as a female sometime and a male sometimes, usually for a distinct purpose, ever since time began here, I am always connected to Earth itself, as since death began to some one in their job, it is close to this that I am in job for, as I am always the first to clearly hear if Mother Earth needs someone in a body as herself, but not herself.

    I was so loved by her in my hour of need, in one specific given Life, that at the end of it, I asked to know, if in her hour of need at any time, would she let me right what she is in need of, and because aeons ago she called out someone please help me, I rushed to give understanding, to those who insisted on harming her, that all I believed in was, she is not rocks, she is something far more than we are. She entrusted me to simply let others know what her needs are. Being of the gentlest of natures, she gets totally Life in a role herself, but when mystics begin to use her as target practice, using nukes she becomes terrified, and she had to leave her Rocks to find safety in a body so I offered to let her use mine, till she healed enough to begin the final connection to men, as these in role cruel ones of TPTB, want only to smash her to shreds to obtain the mineral resources which are readily sold by traders throughout this Universe. They also trade in slaves and they have had a lucrative trade indeed from here.

    I have been talking to a number of Clairvoyants, who stop mid sentence and say "OMG, you are Mother Earth", and I answer, "No I'm her representative on Earth", there is a soul connection or link between the two of us and in my Astrology, I have a Grand Trine between the three Earth planets which keeps me grounded. I need this to use the energies to change the Lights to the New Age Lights, which no one else seems to have worked out is here right now. Each time there is a new age I come to change the Lights over and am allowed to take some people back to from whence they came. Before December last year, I took a large number of the Aborigine Australian elders of great note back. Now they will be readily available to teach what lores are and how to live under those lores.

    As for contact to the Aborigines, no I don't get around much - no money and the doctors told me I was not to travel anywhere that takes more than 3 hours.
    However, I have had contact with their Spirit people. At one place where I was sent to work, with a Danish friend of mine, we discovered it was a female initiation site and we were not allowed to work till we were both initiated by the female spirits. Her son was sent away whilst we went through this. On another time when there were 4 of us, three women and one male, he took us to a male initiation spot - one of the ladies had been there with him before and was chased off. They tried to do it to us again, but I faced them to tell them, look into who I am, we are here to work and you must let us stay. These were very tall Spirit guardians and he told the three of us to face him with our palms facing to him, and he told us we would always be allowed back in. I asked for their help, after I had been working flat out transmuting energies from 8.30 p.m. till about 5.30 a.m. and thought I was never going to finish, and they came in to stand between each of the three women and our work went so much faster and we finished by 6.30 p.m. I was exhausted, but told him the time had come when male and female were not to separate but were to become as one in balance and harmony.

    Another encounter was with a giant Earth Guardian, at a tourist spot called the Chinese hat in a place called Mt Wilson, which is where the power energies commence before circling the Earth. We were on a hill, I suppose about 2 1/2 hundred feet up, and I suddenly realised I was looking at some ones knees, so he must have been huge. I spoke to him, he told me to call him Uncle Jack and he followed us back home. His next visit he brought with him Auntie Mimi, who is also a giant Earth guardian.

    Each time I was in Hospital the God Baywarra, came to visit me, I was lonely as my husband had no way of visiting me, so she cuddled me in her arms. Twice she suddenly left, to get rid of ghost in the hospitals and she bellowed "No one sunders my land", she keeps a look out for my safety all the time. I have been Aboriginal myself and walked through the Mist to leave, and have the right to be told some of their stories, if they are not the secret ones, one of which I wrote in spirituality in one of shamanseekers threads on the Australian Aborigines. It's a matter of finding the time, and people enough to believe that it could be real.
    Love, colleen
    Last edited by Cearna, 24th August 2015 at 09:48.

  12. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Cearna For This Useful Post:

    Elen (24th August 2015), idigress (24th August 2015), Jane56 (24th August 2015), sandancer (24th August 2015)

  13. #7
    Retired Member Norway
    Join Date
    2nd July 2015
    Location
    Scotland
    Posts
    5,065
    Thanks
    73,935
    Thanked 23,318 Times in 5,067 Posts
    Thank you Colleen I appreciate what you're saying.
    Love Elen

  14. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Elen For This Useful Post:

    Cearna (24th August 2015), sandancer (24th August 2015), shamanseeker (2nd September 2015)

  15. #8
    Retired Member United States
    Join Date
    14th August 2015
    Location
    Cowtown
    Posts
    76
    Thanks
    472
    Thanked 244 Times in 69 Posts
    Cearna, like others in this forum, I am in awe of you and your connection to Mother Earth and the spiritual realm. While reading your post above, I got full body goosebumps! Thank you for sharing your gifts of love and light, you give me hope...have a blessed evening

  16. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to idigress For This Useful Post:

    Cearna (24th August 2015), Elen (26th August 2015), sandancer (24th August 2015)

  17. #9
    Retired Member Great Britain
    Join Date
    5th May 2014
    Location
    U.K
    Posts
    272
    Thanks
    5,332
    Thanked 1,311 Times in 212 Posts
    Quote Originally posted by idigress View Post
    Cearna, like others in this forum, I am in awe of you and your connection to Mother Earth and the spiritual realm. While reading your post above, I got full body goosebumps! Thank you for sharing your gifts of love and light, you give me hope...have a blessed evening
    Colleen , I am so happy you stayed here , your words and knowledge and your love for Mother Earth are a lesson to all of us .

    Thank you :unity:

    "Be humble for you are made of earth , Be noble for you are made of stars "

  18. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to sandancer For This Useful Post:

    Cearna (25th August 2015), Elen (26th August 2015), shamanseeker (2nd September 2015)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •