Lenape Stone
Encyclopedia
The Lenape Stone is a controversial archaeological
artifact
, the earliest origins of which can be traced to Bucks County, Pennsylvania
in 1872. The drawings on the stone appear to show Native Americans
hunting a wooly mammoth, though most evidence suggests that modern humans did not co-exist with mammoths in North America
. One exception is the Naco-Mammoth Kill Site
. The circumstances surrounding the stone's discovery have made it impossible, to date, to prove or disprove its authenticity.
Once the pieces were joined, they were examined by members of the Bucks County Historical Society, including archaeologist/historian Henry Chapman Mercer
. Despite evidence which cast the stone's origin in doubt, Mercer came to be an ardent proponent of its authenticity, an argument which he put forth in his 1885 book, The Lenape Stone, or the Indian and the Mammoth. Unfortunately, however, even Mercer acknowledged that the stone's unique nature and a lack of physical evidence (such as soil samples) made scientific certainty impossible.
The stone is currently housed at the Mercer Museum
in Doylestown, Pennsylvania
.
, about 4.5 inches (11.4 cm) long, and is hypothesised to have been a 'gorget', or ornamental necklace. Supporting this theory are two holes drilled in the stone which would have enabled it to be worn about the neck. Clear engravings decorate both sides. On one side there are numerous depictions of turtles, fish, birds, and snakes. The reverse side shows an elephant-like creature, humanoid figures, what appears to be a forest, some teepees, and other markings. The humanoid figures appear to be in battle with the elephant-like creature, and one even appears to have been trampled by it.
The type of gorget the Lenape Stone resembles is known to have been popular no earlier that 1000 BCE--thousands of years after the mammoth was extinct. Additionally, three other artifacts found later on the Hansell farm bore engravings very similar to those on the Lenape Stone. All three were discovered by Barnard Hansell. These artifacts were able to be dated and were found to be from a time period not contemporary with the mammoth.
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
artifact
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
, the earliest origins of which can be traced to Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...
in 1872. The drawings on the stone appear to show Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
hunting a wooly mammoth, though most evidence suggests that modern humans did not co-exist with mammoths in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. One exception is the Naco-Mammoth Kill Site
Naco-Mammoth Kill Site
The Naco Mammoth Kill Site is an archaeological site in southeast Arizona, near Naco, Arizona. The site was reported to the Arizona State Museum in September 1951 by Marc Navarrete, a local resident, after his father found two Clovis points in Greenbush Draw, while digging out the fossil bones of a...
. The circumstances surrounding the stone's discovery have made it impossible, to date, to prove or disprove its authenticity.
History
The first portion of the stone is reported to have been found by Barnard Hansell, a farmer, in the spring of 1872. In 1881, Hansell sold the fragment to Henry Paxon, a young man with an interest in Native American artifacts. A few months later, Hansell reported finding the second piece of the stone in the same field where he had unearthed the first, nine years before.Once the pieces were joined, they were examined by members of the Bucks County Historical Society, including archaeologist/historian Henry Chapman Mercer
Henry Chapman Mercer
Henry Chapman Mercer was an American archeologist, artifact collector, tile-maker and designer of three distinctive poured concrete structures: Fonthill, his home, the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works, and the Mercer Museum.-Early life and education:Henry Mercer was born in Doylestown,...
. Despite evidence which cast the stone's origin in doubt, Mercer came to be an ardent proponent of its authenticity, an argument which he put forth in his 1885 book, The Lenape Stone, or the Indian and the Mammoth. Unfortunately, however, even Mercer acknowledged that the stone's unique nature and a lack of physical evidence (such as soil samples) made scientific certainty impossible.
The stone is currently housed at the Mercer Museum
Mercer Museum
The Mercer Museum is a museum located in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, United States, a suburb of Philadelphia. The Bucks County Historical Society operates the museum, as well as the Spruance Library and Fonthill, former home of the museum's founder, archeologist Henry Chapman Mercer...
in Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Doylestown is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, north of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 8,380. The borough is the county seat of Bucks County.- History :...
.
Physical Description
The Lenape Stone is small slateSlate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
, about 4.5 inches (11.4 cm) long, and is hypothesised to have been a 'gorget', or ornamental necklace. Supporting this theory are two holes drilled in the stone which would have enabled it to be worn about the neck. Clear engravings decorate both sides. On one side there are numerous depictions of turtles, fish, birds, and snakes. The reverse side shows an elephant-like creature, humanoid figures, what appears to be a forest, some teepees, and other markings. The humanoid figures appear to be in battle with the elephant-like creature, and one even appears to have been trampled by it.
Controversy
There is much evidence against the authenticity of the Lenape Stone. The stone is unique in the fact that there are no other carvings depicting mammoths that have been found in North America. There were no witnesses to verify the circumstances under which the stone was found (this was true for both pieces of the stone). After it was found, the stone was cleaned multiple times, making geological tests virtually impossible. The carvings do not appear to cross the break in the stone, which may indicate 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 type of gorget the Lenape Stone resembles is known to have been popular no earlier that 1000 BCE--thousands of years after the mammoth was extinct. Additionally, three other artifacts found later on the Hansell farm bore engravings very similar to those on the Lenape Stone. All three were discovered by Barnard Hansell. These artifacts were able to be dated and were found to be from a time period not contemporary with the mammoth.