The Newark
Holy Stones
The Newark Holy Stones is comprised of four
objects: the Keystone, the Decalogue Stone, a two-piece box made
to house the Decalogue Stone, and a bowl. Both the Keystone and
Decalogue Stone are inscribed in Hebrew. The Decalogue Stone
also bears an image of Moses. Uncovered in the Newark
earthworks in the 1860s, they were an immediate sensation.
The context suggested a link with the Hopewell
Indian culture, which thrived between 100 BC and 500 AD. Did
the ancient Near East have the technology to sail to this
continent 1000 years before Columbus? Were the “Lost Tribes of
Israel" the ancestors of the mound builders? Or, were
the stones fashioned in the mid 19th century and placed in the
mounds to deceive the public for some personal gain? The debate
continues today as archaeologists (professional and amateur),
anthropologists, linguists and religious groups jump into the
fray armed with their field’s presuppositions and data.
Historical Background
In 1860 David Wyrick, a
Newark surveyor,
discovered a carved and polished wedge-shaped stone in a shallow
hole in a small, circular enclosure just east of Newark’s
gigantic octagonal earthwork. Inscribed on this stone were four
inscriptions written in Hebrew: “the Laws of Jehovah,” “the
Word of the Lord,” “the Holy of Holies,” and “the King of the
Earth.” Some thought this find validated a popular belief
that the builders of the Newark mounds were not Native Americans
but the “Lost Tribes of Israel.” Because of the stone’s shape,
others identified it as a Masonic keystone. Charles Whittlesey,
one of Ohio’s noteworthy early archaeologists, thought it was
neither Masonic nor Jewish but a relatively modern artifact.
Five months later the Decalogue Stone,
encased in a custom-made stone box, was found in the Jacksontown
Stone Mound, located a few miles southeast of Newark. Most of
the mound had already been torn down, the stones having been
used to build Buckeye Lake. The Decalogue Stone (7 x 3 x 1.75
inches) is shaped like a tombstone and is intricately carved all
over with Hebraic letters that convey an abbreviated form of the
Ten Commandments. On the front side the inscription lines an
arch that frames the image of a man identified as “Moses.”
Unlike the Keystone, its alphabet was not identified as Modern
Hebrew but some form of an archaic Hebrew. The stones were sent
to experts. Most called the Decalogue Stone a fraud—too many
scriptural mistakes and a lack of patina from being buried for
so long. A few found evidence of a patina and felt the glyphs
could be an ancient yet strange form of Hebrew. In short, the
Holy Stones quickly rose to stardom, but soon afterwards were
shouted down with accusations of fraud. One problem
remained—what would be the motive for creating such an
elaborate, well-made hoax?
David Johnson, one of the Museum’s
founders, was himself an amateur archaeologist and a member of
the American Ethnological Society. He excavated a number of
mounds, even sending off human remains to be examined in New
York. In 1861 he purchased the Holy Stones but later considered
them fraudulent and wished to sell them. The Museum owns a
letter from a Tiffany’s broker who suggested that since Johnson
would not gain much by selling them, he may as well hold on to
them, which, of course, he did. They were part of the Johnson
Brothers’ original collection was left to the city of Coshocton
in the 1920s. In 1980 the Holy Stones jumped back into the
public eye and into the debate ring when Dr. Robert W. Alrutz of
Denison University published a major paper on them. He had been
researching them since 1974. The Newark Holy Stones: The
History of an Archaeological Tragedy was the result—a
comprehensive history based on original source material.
Theories on the Origin of the Newark
Holy Stones
Brad Lepper, archaeologist with the Ohio
Historical Society, believes the Holy Stones are a fraud.
Representing the standard archaeological position, Lepper states
that beside Norse contact in eastern Canada, there is little or
no authentic evidence of visits from Euro-Asia to the New World
before Columbus. The few examples have too many problems. If
there were significant contact, stuff (trash) would be left
behind and professional archaeologists would find it.
Furthermore, he points to the questionable Hebrew script and the
few missing words on the Decalogue Stone to disprove its
authenticity.
Varying groups believe that the Newark
Stones, in particular, the Decalogue Stone, were made by Hebrews
at the same
time that the Hopewell Mounds were built (100 BC –
AD 500). One group who call themselves diffusionists believes
there
was fundamental cultural exchange between continents
before the 15th century. The Decalogue Stone is
only one
of several examples of Near Eastern writing that has been
discovered in North America. This school of
thought is exemplified by J. Huston McCulloch (his
article on the holy stones can be viewed
here)
and David Deal, publisher of The Ancient American
magazine and the author of Discovery of Ancient America.
Some members of the Latter Day Saints (Mormon)
Church also claim that this early date of the Holy Stones supports their belief that
the Lost Tribes of Israel populated North America in prehistoric
times.
A new theory has recently been suggested by
linguist Rochelle I. Altman in The Bible and Interpretation
(January 2004). Her theory is that the Newark Holy
Stones—Keystone, Decalogue Stone and bowl, are Jewish ritual
artifacts crafted during the late Medieval period (before the
15th
c.) and probably made in France or Spain. The text is written
in a spiral or circling manner known as an Incantational Format.
She calls the Decalogue Stone a hand phylactery (a scripture
reminder for the worshiper), the Keystone—a flow detector since
flowing water was needed for cleansing, and the bowl a container
for the water. Altman does not create a neatly devised
scheme for how the stones got buried in an Indian mound.
Her analysis, based primarily on writing style, presents yet
another context for the use of the Newark Holy Stones. (To
read Altman’s article entitled “Newark Ritual Artifacts,” go
here. Click on Articles & Commentary,
then on Archaeology.)
The Newark Holy Stones are on permanent display at the Museum.
