Dighton Rock
Encyclopedia
The Dighton Rock is a 40-ton boulder
, originally located in the riverbed of the Taunton River
at Berkley, Massachusetts
(formerly part of the town of Dighton
). The rock
is noted for its petroglyphs, carved designs of ancient and uncertain origin, and the controversy about their creators. In 1963, during construction of a coffer dam, state officials removed the rock from the river for preservation. It was installed in a museum in a nearby park, Dighton Rock State Park
. In 1980 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
(NRHP).
The boulder was most likely deposited in the riverbed during the last Ice Age
, approximately 10,000-13,000 years ago. The boulder has the form of a slanted, six-sided block, approximately 5 feet (1.5 m) high, 9.5 feet (2.9 m) wide, and 11 feet (3.4 m) long. It is gray-brown crystalline sandstone
of medium to coarse texture. The surface with the inscriptions has a trapezoid
al face and is inclined 70 degree
s to the northwest. It was found facing the water of the bay.
In 1680, the English
colonist Rev. John Danforth
, made a drawing of the petroglyphs, which has been preserved in the British Museum
. In 1690 Rev. Cotton Mather
described the rock in his book, The Wonderful Works of God Commemorated:
For more than three hundred years, people have proposed many hypotheses as to who made the original markings. They were deeply cut and would have required people sometimes standing in water to make them. Theories varied because of the English
colonists' and later American inability to decipher the petroglyphs. Their world views influenced their interpretations. They attempted to fit North American history into what they knew based on the Bible
and classical history. They did not recognize a relation between the Native Americans
whom they encountered and the ancient monuments discovered in the lands.
Hypotheses about the creation of the markings include:
The controversy entered popular culture, especially in the nineteenth century. In 1848, Massachusetts writer James Russell Lowell
suggested, concerning Presidential candidates
letters to newspapers:
Lowell made other references to the rock in his widely circulated satirical writing, and may thus have helped to popularize it.
In November 1952, the Miguel Corte-Real Memorial Society
Memorial Society of New York City
acquired 49½ acres (200,000 m²) of land adjacent to the rock to create a park. However, in 1951 the Massachusetts Legislature expropriated the same land for a State Park
. More land was purchased. Dighton Rock State Park
now has an area of 100 acres (400,000 m²). The vicinity of Dighton Rock has been beautified and furnished with parking and picnic facilities.
Boulder
In geology, a boulder is a rock with grain size of usually no less than 256 mm diameter. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive....
, originally located in the riverbed of the Taunton River
Taunton River
The Taunton River , is a river in southeastern Massachusetts in the United States. It arises from the confluence of the Town River and Matfield River, in the town of Bridgewater...
at Berkley, Massachusetts
Berkley, Massachusetts
Berkley is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census, making it the least populated town in the county.-Geography:...
(formerly part of the town of Dighton
Dighton, Massachusetts
Dighton is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,175 at the 2000 census. The town is located on the western shore of the Taunton River in the southeastern part of the state.- History :...
). The rock
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
is noted for its petroglyphs, carved designs of ancient and uncertain origin, and the controversy about their creators. In 1963, during construction of a coffer dam, state officials removed the rock from the river for preservation. It was installed in a museum in a nearby park, Dighton Rock State Park
Dighton Rock State Park
Dighton Rock State Park is a Massachusetts state park located in Berkley. The park is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation.- Description :Dighton Rock State Park is a park principally used for picnicking....
. In 1980 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
(NRHP).
The boulder was most likely deposited in the riverbed during the last Ice Age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
, approximately 10,000-13,000 years ago. The boulder has the form of a slanted, six-sided block, approximately 5 feet (1.5 m) high, 9.5 feet (2.9 m) wide, and 11 feet (3.4 m) long. It is gray-brown crystalline sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
of medium to coarse texture. The surface with the inscriptions has a trapezoid
Trapezoid
In Euclidean geometry, a convex quadrilateral with one pair of parallel sides is referred to as a trapezoid in American English and as a trapezium in English outside North America. A trapezoid with vertices ABCD is denoted...
al face and is inclined 70 degree
Degree (angle)
A degree , usually denoted by ° , is a measurement of plane angle, representing 1⁄360 of a full rotation; one degree is equivalent to π/180 radians...
s to the northwest. It was found facing the water of the bay.
In 1680, the English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
colonist Rev. John Danforth
John Danforth
John Claggett "Jack" Danforth is a former United States Ambassador to the United Nations and former Republican United States Senator from Missouri. He is an ordained Episcopal priest. Danforth is married to Sally D. Danforth and has five adult children.-Education and early career:Danforth was born...
, made a drawing of the petroglyphs, which has been preserved in the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
. In 1690 Rev. Cotton Mather
Cotton Mather
Cotton Mather, FRS was a socially and politically influential New England Puritan minister, prolific author and pamphleteer; he is often remembered for his role in the Salem witch trials...
described the rock in his book, The Wonderful Works of God Commemorated:
“Among the other Curiosities of New-England, one is that of a mighty Rock, on a perpendicular side whereof by a River, which at High Tide covers part of it, there are very deeply Engraved, no man alive knows How or When about half a score Lines, near Ten Foot Long, and a foot and half broad, filled with strange Characters: which would suggest as odd Thoughts about them that were here before us, as there are odd Shapes in that Elaborate Monument.…”
For more than three hundred years, people have proposed many hypotheses as to who made the original markings. They were deeply cut and would have required people sometimes standing in water to make them. Theories varied because of the English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
colonists' and later American inability to decipher the petroglyphs. Their world views influenced their interpretations. They attempted to fit North American history into what they knew based on the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
and classical history. They did not recognize a relation between the Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
whom they encountered and the ancient monuments discovered in the lands.
Hypotheses about the creation of the markings include:
- Indigenous peoples of North AmericaIndigenous peoples of the AmericasThe indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
- considered most probable by modern scholars - Ancient Phoenicians - proposed in 1783 by Ezra StilesEzra StilesEzra Stiles was an American academic and educator, a Congregationalist minister, theologian and author. He was president of Yale College .-Early life:...
in his "Election Sermon." - NorseNorsemenNorsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
- proposed in 1837 by Carl Christian RafnCarl Christian RafnCarl Christian Rafn was a Danish historian, translator and antiquarian. His scholarship to a large extent focused on translation of Old Norse literature and related Northern European ancient history... - PortuguesePortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
- proposed in 1912 by Edmund B. DelabarreEdmund B. DelabarreEdmund Burke Delabarre , was a researcher and professor of psychology at Brown University. He graduated from Amherst College in 1886. Professor Delabarre was a pioneer in the field of shape perception and on the interaction between mental processes and the involuntary movements of the body... - ChineseChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
-proposed by Gavin MenziesGavin MenziesRowan Gavin Paton Menzies is a retired British submarine lieutenant-commander and author. He is best known for his controversial book 1421: The Year China Discovered the World, in which he asserts that the fleets of Chinese Admiral Zheng He visited the Americas prior to European explorer...
in his 2002 book 1421: The Year China Discovered America
The controversy entered popular culture, especially in the nineteenth century. In 1848, Massachusetts writer James Russell Lowell
James Russell Lowell
James Russell Lowell was an American Romantic poet, critic, editor, and diplomat. He is associated with the Fireside Poets, a group of New England writers who were among the first American poets who rivaled the popularity of British poets...
suggested, concerning Presidential candidates
United States presidential election
Elections for President and Vice President of the United States are indirect elections in which voters cast ballots for a slate of electors of the U.S. Electoral College, who in turn directly elect the President and Vice President...
letters to newspapers:
"[I]f letters must be written, profitable use might be made of the Dighton rock hieroglyphic or the cuneiformCuneiformCuneiform can refer to:*Cuneiform script, an ancient writing system originating in Mesopotamia in the 4th millennium BC*Cuneiform , three bones in the human foot*Cuneiform Records, a music record label...
script, every fresh decipherer of which is enabled to educe a different meaning".
Lowell made other references to the rock in his widely circulated satirical writing, and may thus have helped to popularize it.
In November 1952, the Miguel Corte-Real Memorial Society
Miguel Corte-Real
Miguel Corte-Real was a Portuguese explorer who charted about 600 miles of the coast of Labrador. In 1501 he disappeared while on an expedition and was believed lost at sea.-Life:...
Memorial Society of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
acquired 49½ acres (200,000 m²) of land adjacent to the rock to create a park. However, in 1951 the Massachusetts Legislature expropriated the same land for a State Park
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
. More land was purchased. Dighton Rock State Park
Dighton Rock State Park
Dighton Rock State Park is a Massachusetts state park located in Berkley. The park is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation.- Description :Dighton Rock State Park is a park principally used for picnicking....
now has an area of 100 acres (400,000 m²). The vicinity of Dighton Rock has been beautified and furnished with parking and picnic facilities.
External links
- Dighton Rock State Park, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
- Edward Brecher, "The Enigma of Dighton Rock", American Heritage, June 1958, Volume 9, Issue 4