in historic
Roscoe Village,
300 Whitewoman St.
Coshocton, Ohio 43812
Saturday, Nov. 6, 1999
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Admission $8.00
Phone the Museum at (740) 622-8710 for advanced registration.
FAX (740) 622-8710*51.
Is there archaeological evidence of pre-Columbian European or Middle Eastern
settlement in the Americas? The
"Newark
Holy Stones," discovered in the 1860s
in the context of the two-thousand year old Hopewell Culture Indian mounds
near Newark, OH, were immediately controversial. Inscriptions on the stones
were in a form of Hebrew that suggested that Jewish visitors may have been
present in the Ohio Valley and even, perhaps, were the moundbuilders
themselves. The debate over the authenticity of the stones has erupted
again in recent years as archaeological, linguistic and anthropological
evidence of pre-Columbian contacts and voyages to the Americas has been
discovered. Various peoples from throughout history, from ancient Egyptians,
Hebrews and Phoenicians to the Irish, Welsh and Norse of the Middle Ages
have been advocated as pre-Columbian visitors. Much of the controversy rages
around the evidence. Are iconoclastic scholars making too much of limited
and circumstantial evidence? Or, are mainstream archaeologists and academics
so entrenched in their traditional paradigms that they're ignoring any
signs to the contrary? The symposium will allow for
advocates from both sides to present their views and engage in discussion and debate.
Don't miss this rare opportunity to explore such a controversial
and fascinating subject.
Symposium panelists include
Architect
Suzanne O. Carlson from Maine, reads Old Norse and is an authority
on potential Norse contacts. She is on the Board of Directors and Publications
Chair with the
New England Antiquities Research Assoc. (NEARA). Ms. Carlson
is a regular contributor to the NEARA Journal and a popular lecturer on New
England archaeological finds, the Viking legacy, and the Newport Tower and
Spirit Pond runestones. Her article, "The Decipherment of American Runestones,"
was published in
Across Before Columbus?, a volume of papers delivered at the
Columbian Quincentennial Conference sponsored by NEARA.
Dr. Kenneth L. Feder,
Professor of
Anthropology at Central Connecticut State
University, received his Ph.D. at the University of Connecticut. He has been
involved in archaeological fieldwork since 1972, presented numerous papers
at meetings and symposiums, and published prolifically in journals and books.
Dr. Feder's subjects range from archaeological discoveries in Connecticut and
scientific models for archaeological discovery, to archaeological hoaxes and
myths. He has authored and co-authored eight books, the most recent being
Lessons From the Past: A Reader in Introductory Archaeology;
Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology;
Field Methods in Archaeology;
and Human Antiquity: An Introduction to Physical Anthropology
and Archaeology.
Dr. Bradley T. Lepper
is an archaeologist and coordinator of archaeology
education at the
Ohio Historical Society. In addition, he is an occasional
visiting professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at
Denison University. He is also editor of the international scientific
journal Current Research in the Pleistocene published by the Center
for the Study of the First Americans at the University of Oregon. Dr.
Lepper received his Ph.D in Anthropology at Ohio State University. He
has written extensively for both technical journals and magazines in
the areas of prehistoric archaeology,
paleoindian prehistory and
Hopewell
prehistory. Especially noteworthy research includes the excavation of
the
Burning Tree mastodon and the discovery of the
Great Hopewell Road, first reported in 1995.
Dr. J. Huston McCulloch is Professor of Economics and Finance at Ohio State
University. His articles on archaeology-related issues have been published
in Tennessee Anthropologist, Biblical Archaeological Review,
Epigraphic
Society Occasional Papers, and Ancient American. Dr. McCulloch's article,
"The Bat Creek Stone: A Reply to the Critics," is published in
Across
Before Columbus?, a collection of papers delivered at the Columbian
Quincentennial Conference sponsored by NEARA. Dr. McCulloch maintains
a website at
http://economics.sbs.ohio-state.edu/jhm/arch/outliers.html
with pages on the Newark Decalogue Stone from Ohio, the Bat Creek Stone
from Tennessee, the Ohio East Fork Earthworks, and other related artifacts.
Dr. Robert Fox, a corporate ergonomist at General Motors in Detroit,
will be the moderator. He received his Ph.D. from Texas Tech University
and has published in the ergonomics and human factors engineering field.
Dr. Fox did his graduate work in anthropology and the population biology of
ancient populations with focus on the ancient Egyptians.
The symposium takes place at the Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum where
the Newark Holy Stones are permanently displayed. Authors will have their
books available for purchase and signing. Cost is $8. (Includes Preceeding
Booklet with position papers by each panelist and break refreshments.) Advance
registration is recommended. Contact the Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum for more
information and to receive registration form.
Contact person: Patti Malenke, Director.
Afterword
A writeup on the symposium by William D. Conner, with photos, may be viewed
at the
MES Homepage.
