Worked flint with possible human infant, buffalo, lion and mammoth iconography. The images are seen in this order by rotating the stone counter-clockwise.
Rick Doninger collection, south west Indiana, USA
Frame around image of infant or fetus-in-womb face.
The possible face of a human fetus or an infant is depicted within this "cycle-of-life" art piece. The earlier post "Peter Cottontail has left the building" also has a similar face of what looks like a baby or fetus depicted on what is a suspected rabbit "prey-mother" fertility piece. Both of the faces are in the lower left corner of the zoomorphic image and in a "V" position as if depicting a pre-birth orientation.
Rick Doninger is an amateur archaeologist located in south west Indiana. Rick has identified a stone working industry that is not explained by mainstream archaeology. It has strong similarities to European Mousterian and Levallois technology traditions. Rick's conclusion, based on thousands of artifacts, is that he has identified a unique paleolithic presence in the American midwest. Rick is an active commentator on about.com's archaeology forum regarding the possibility of the older presence of humans in North America than currently accepted by mainstream archaeologists. After years of work and research, Rick is gaining the attention of scholars who are interested in the potential age of the artifacts, and apparent full-blown industry, he has identified.
Possible bison image in right profile, head in upper right of artifact.
Artifact is rotated 90 degrees here.
With I.Y. Yotova et. al. (2011) x-haplotype genetic data indicating extensive mating of Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans across Eurasia with evidence found into First American populations, as well as the Denver Museum of Nature and Science returning site dates at 30,000 BP in Nebraska (center of North America), the great possibility exists of connections to Europe and Neanderthal culture, tools and art.
Rick Doninger's photo rotated a total of 180 degrees.
A feline icon is perched at the top left of the artifact. The lion is resting its head on its left paw, seen in left profile looking to photo left.
(click photo to expand)
Ken Johnston's markup on Rick Doninger's photo. The white line indicates the "ground" the feline (presumably lion) is lying on. There may be proboscidean imagery here, where the lion is being depicted as lying across the mammoth's head. The black circle is a possible mammoth eye, the black line crossing Rick's hand is the curvature of the possible mammoth's trunk line in right profile view.
A lion in this same position (left profile, head resting on left paw) lying across a white bison head was identified by Ken Johnston on this artifact found by Pam Douglass in Licking County, Ohio.
In both the Ohio and Indiana examples, the lion's belly is just touching the "eye" of the prey animal.
Here is a direct link to the white bison head posting:
Sometimes when I look up at the sky, the clouds look like little animals morphing from cats to dogs to butterflies to sabre-toothed lions sitting on top of proboscideans.....maybe that's the epitome of "mobile art". Which means that MY mobile art is more mobile than YOUR mobile art.
ReplyDelete;-)
Or does it mean that you guys need to study the phenomenon of Pareidolia -?
Anonymous, thanks for sharing your opinion.
ReplyDeleteHere is an article I wrote about the role of pareidolia in archaeological interpretation.
http://pleistocenecoalition.com/newsletter/january-february2011.pdf#page=18
This is indeed a highly interpretive area and should be subject to skepticism. It should also be subject to the rigors of science and not be immediately dismissed without logical support. I have the benefit of inspecting and photographing most of the artifacts here. In this case, we have two lions lying across prey animals on left profile view, with the prey animal's eye just making contact with the lions belly. Describing the similarities between the two in order to help identify other possible examples, and to give others a sense of what portable rock art may look like, may confirm an art motif.
These art pieces can only be found at cultural sites, they don't get found wandering the countryside. Images and icons can routinely been seen in collections of flint tools from Europe.
The items here are artifacts, the matter of imagery and iconography in portable rock art is well documented and studied and can be described in thematic and technical terms. Artifacts are very different from clouds. You can continue looking up at the clouds and I'll study the art ;)
For example, I have several examples of feline predator looking down on prey from an above, advantage, pre-pounce (kill) position.
The Richard Wilson paper link at the side panel deals with pareidolia as well on matters of determining artifactuality.
Thanks again for the comment.
-kbj
Hi my collection is mainly clactonian. I am so pleased to see the bobble head. I also noticed this with some of my pieces and how they uncannily move for quite some time after being touched. I keep a few on my desk and often think they would have kept a child amused and may have been toys. I would like to have these near if i lived in an earthquake prone area as they would be a good alarm system and if they were on another stone surface they may even produce some sound perhaps. I have one which combined with the movement produces a rather naughty shadow lol
ReplyDeleteThe artifact by Rick Doninger contains four more images. On the top area of the head of the figure already identified, there are two images, one looking left, and one looking right. There is a baby between them. There is another image looking up. All of these images are concentrated in that one area. It has been difficult to describe at times how the images are oriented and located so that others can see them. I have found a method that might make it more clear. I will be e-mailing the pictures to you, Ken. If you like, you are welcome to put them on the blog.
ReplyDelete