(Background: At the time I was involved last year in the excavations at 8/DA/12, The Great Miami Stone Circle, at Miami, FL, I kept a more-or-less continuous private "log" of activities and onsite discussions. I was also involved at that time elsewhere with a large and active Internet Discussion board - the "Skeptics Board" - then-dedicated largely to intellectual debate and review of the methods and goals of science, and the rationale of scientific philosophy. It developed, and with the urgings of my then-fellow discussants there, that I take them "behind the scenes" as it were of an archeological "dig," and share my daily accounts of the work and activities with them. Moreover we often there reviewed and discussed this material extensively as to whether it conformed to scientific procedures, understandings, and paradigms, etc. These postings have never appeared locally or popularly in accounts of the "Circle" but may have been used elsewhere. As might be understood this latter audience was composed of people from distant states, including archeological organizations, and countries even - including international participants.Yesterday, 9/24/99, the Miami Herald carried a report of a petrographic determination by local geologists that the so-called basaltic "Maya axes" found at 8/DA/12 were indeed, not of stone from "Central America" at all - as had been frequently suggested ever since their initial recovery. (See for instance, the Miami Herald coverage of 4-14-99, and elsewhere) but are rather from a location in central Georgia. This is a nice vindication of a view that I (and perhaps a few others) have maintained all along: that the axes are generic types most likely from somewhere in Appalachia (the orographic province). I must add that this was not a well-received view onsite, and marked one as an iconclast if you maintained it too seriously. The"Maya Connection" was early-on the game to beat onsite. It is interesting therefore that the geological team leader is quoted thusly in yesterday's news report: "And the winner is the Piedmont area of Georgia, between Atlanta and Macon, probably very close to Macon."
I will have more to say to this matter of the axes in a later, related post. For now however, since I feel that my views were largely unremarked onsite at the time, and I (and other excavators too who, like me, assisted here) have certainly been totally ignored by the Dig Director since the site was closed in February this year, I would here like to get firmly on the record a claim for, and documentation of, priority that I had specifically floated this notion that the Miami Circle Site at 8/DA/12 might bear an affinity with this specific region of central Georgia nearly one year ago!
Moreover, my suggestion arose independent of consideration of the axes - but rather from that of the aspect of the basin ring itself - which is the real issue at stake in all discussion of 8/DA/12 (whether by its "principals" or others who have worked and studied there).
I specifically remarked onsite as early as October 1998 a gross similarity at least between the basin ring at 8/DA/12 and the vomitoria ring in the (restored) Earth Lodge at Ocmulgee Old Fields near Macon, GA. It was a time of ferment onsite when the only views really entertained (and reported in the Herald and elsewhere) were those seeking to establish an outpost for Mayan visitation, an "Astronomical Stonehenge," (and on the Net and elsewhere: a railroad bridge foundation, an incidental artifact from modern septic tank excavation,etc. etc.). I suggested my "hypothesis" had merit at least of citing from a recognized and published archeological phenomenon specific to the Southeastern US, and might thus have more going for it than the many bizarre "off the shelf" suggestions then being followed.
My idea received no serious acknowledgment nor even comment from the regional archeologists present, and the Dig Director never acknowledged nor discussed it with me at all. Nor did another prominent area archeologist, an "expert witness" in the Court procedings relevant to 8/DA/12, which followed at a later date and are indeed yet in progress, and to whom I freely made available at his request, notes and observations I had entertained about the site.
This is not sour grapes: it is merely my legitimate right as one who has extended no little physical and mental effort toward the solution of the many problems at 8/DA/12, to establish my priority to tendering this possible link, as such priority is recognized in formal research, by contrast to the many conflicting claims which always mark "research" carried out in the popular press, which has largely been the case here.
When this "clue" provided now by the recently tendered chemeo-physico identification of a source for the axes, leads other investigators (as it will if they do their homework) inevitably upon the fact of a Mississippian Period basin ring also extant in this same region, I shall insist that I pointed to this phenomenon nearly a year ago and my copyrighted comments from that date, as well as many independent witnesses, will bear me out. The professionally-excavated and reported Earth Lodge at Ocmulgee Old Fields, near Macon, GA, shows a large interior ring of individual basin holes, quite reminiscent of the display at 8/DA/12. I have visited Ocmulgee Old Fields myself. This is the very region now independently cited as the source for the basalt in the "Maya axes" at 8/DA/12, and honesty insists that my suggesting this locale might in some way be relevant to our finds here be acknowledged.
And this is not to be interpreted as saying that I now hold definitely that this is how or why the basin holes came to be at 8/DA/12. It is to cite at least a gross shared physical detail of basins-in-a-ring, and a cited priority in recognizing this, which I sought to bring forth for discussion nearly a year ago!.
Below are boldfaced excerpts (and some other perhaps dated, but interesting notes) from my copyrighted records dated 1998, in support of this claim.
Bernie Powell
DIG UPDATE 12/07/98 ©
"...Geologists say the Oolite formed here about 125,000 B.P. (____, ____, others). I believe they hold it to be possible (likely) that there may have been one or several even, short-lived marine transgressions over this site since formation of the stone(?). If so, this permits opportunity for wave-cutting and (typical) beach erosion events (?) which might explain movement of some of the large cobbles found in some parts of the ring basins to have been so deposited (one geologist, _____, said he believes they are "natural"). These stones do not show any real modification (deliberate) nor do they show much or even any "transport" (nor are they fire-reddened or friable…). Some of the archeologists (JR, others) believe they may be 'pole wedges'..."
"....One promising lead early-on was a suggestion just in passing that ancient palms grew in "circular patterns" or groves (_____, who specifically cited this for the Anastasia Formation near Palm Beach, others) and the ring of holes might represent fossil palm trunk casts, perhaps engulfed by limey muds in even a single marine incursion in a storm, whatever and this set the stage for the circular ring… To this end, I even sought out a tropical botany specialist on palms who came to the site...."
"....Perhaps on one or several occasions and for unknown periods, the bedrock was covered with soils. Presumably these might have contained humic acids derived from plant matter sufficient to initiate the well-known karstic cycle (?)..."
"...A critical question (to me) at this time is whether or no they might have "found" a unique circular flaw or some disposition that led them to undertake the circular ring of openings. (?). Perhaps they bore some cultural notion that endorsed this (many inland peoples at many time levels over vast areas of North America have left large rings of "post molds" in soil for structure walls, palisades, etc. This is not particularly unique).
What is unique is the (implied) energy to undertake this sort of thing in solid stone..."
"One of the archeological challenges here (IMO) is to search for, and identify any precursor behavior for this general geographic region that incorporates such an undertaking. It is a rare event in human evolution that does not have roots... "
"Basin Usages?...
"...Certainly one of the most "talked about" reasons for the occurrence of the basin ring on-site, has been a somewhat loosely formulated suggestion that the basins "relate" to some kind of astronomical or calendric marking device. There has been talk of "sightlines" etc. but no specific determinations have been made or suggested to my knowledge. (Information exchange is not too high onsite…). Cobbles have been found at (approximately) three of the cardinal points on the ring, as I believe. One (two?) cobbles have beenwedged or set in larger pit openings - called (I presume facetiously) bysome, "the eyeballs" etc. This "astro" thesis whatever it is, has yet tobe set forth for review or comment. A surveyor has provided many transitsightings and measurements..."
"...Some have remarked ( researcher D.) that the "Maya Zodiac" has 24 figures or elements (by contrast to the Babylonian one of our culture…). This seems wholly inconclusive (to me). Demonstration of a Mayan contact here would be most unanticipated, though there are circum-Caribbean influences in the region. I would defer to Bob Carr, Director, and South Florida archeologist here for further relative to this thesis..."
"...The basins are (to me) uniformly filled with largely undiscriminated midden contents - undistinguishable by eye at least from the overlying midden stratum so intimately in contact with then. (Indeed, in vertical profile, the basin contents (to me) are merely downward extensions of the overlying midden soil). Later micro-analysis and flotation studies of samples here may show subtle differences in basin content versus overlying midden, but this is not demonstrated at this time. Indeed, the impression is clearly one of indifferent trash receptacles as the "use" for the basins! They are filled with nondescript faunal (presumably food) scrap and marine shells. And occasional sparse artifacts. This material need not even be deliberately placed: it might represent in-wash, perhaps after site abandonment at some earlier period (?)...."
"...There is nothing to date to suggest ceremonial, magical or religious usage for the basins. No burials or inhumations (bundle burials, etc). No "offerings", votives or unusual material, objects or inclusions. (One minor solution pit to date has yielded a full-polished "Mayan-type" (per BC) axe: I have described this earlier. An almost identical such axe was found out of context in a nearby spoil pile...)...."
"Ceremonial usage would be a logical surmise given the apparent labor-intensive creation for the holes (if they are indeed so-created). I recall that the "Black Drink Ceremony" or the "Black Vomit Ceremony" was reported for early historic tribes by European explorers in the Southeast. It has been reported for some parts of Florida too. The Black Drink Ceremony was noted specifically among the Creeks I believe: a native plant ... Ilex, if memory serves ... was brewed as a tea and then drunk. It induced copious vomiting.
At Ocmulgee Old Fields in Macon, GA, I have visted in years past a restored Black Drink Ceremonial Earth Lodge. Here it is interesting, the investigators found a ring of basins ("vomitoria") perhaps 30 or so in a circle roughly the size of ours perhaps. These vomitoria were paralleled by a long low earth "bench" or raised step that curled around the inside of the council lodge between the ring of basins and the lodge walls, and this bench moreover rose slightly as an incline all around the lodge interior wall from where it started at its lowest point to end at its highest point where the circle closed - maybe a foot or so higher than the low point. It was inferred that this was likely a status seating arrangement for participants who gathered for the ritual and partook of the Ilex black drink and vomitted into the basins in front of them...
"...Early-on at the site this summer, it was suggested by several that maybe the basins were cisterns of sorts, and some were observed to hold water overnight after heavy rains... "
"....I had wondered if they might have been steam-cooking pits or similar. However, there is no suggestion of fire-blackening or fire-reddening or heat alteration of the bedrock or any entrained cobbles or stones. Also charcoal is conspicuously absent on this site (as visible chunks anyhow: it may be disseminated as grains in the black soil...).
Were the basins "blood basins" or something equally gory for occult sacrificial rites or even just prosaic butchery of animals for food, etc.? There is no direct evidence that bears on this one way or another and no particular reason to follow it out at this time."
"...I have wondered myself if the basins were maybe a "series" perhaps for some kind of retting process? (Retting is the soaking of hides, and notably plant bark and giant leaves, etc. to loosen fibers and hair, etc. so that various constituents may be reclaimed or processed further.. There seems no evidence one way or another on this, and I know of no reported practices of this on this time level for these people...(?)"
"....Were the basins perhaps cache pits? This is a time-honored interpretation on inland and drier sites everywhere where Amerinds stored their goods and even food supplies in underground pits. (Among the Mandan corn farmers of the Middle Missouri, I have helped excavate huge bottle-shaped elaborate underground chambers up to ten feet deep which were entered by ladders and whose earth walls were covered with hide and wood, etc. And where corn, buffalo, venison, etc. as well as all manner of dry goods could be stored indefinitely. They even take their name "cache" from the term for same by the early French trappers who first went among these tribes...). There is nothing like that here: in rainy, wet Florida with the water table at or just inches under the surface, subterranean storage would not be practical...."
"....The function as well as the strict etiology of this basin ring still seems elusive to me...."
© B. Powell, 1998