The Message of the Newberry Tablet – Part I

Smithsonian Photo of Newberry Tablet, compliments of Roger Jewell

From the previous post: The Newberry Tablet’s authenticity, like all inscribed artifacts found in North America, is much debated. The best place to see it as it exists today is to watch Scott Wolter’s episode in “America Unearthed.” Virtually destroyed, there are few pictures of it in existence. The best pictures are in Roger Jewell’s book, “Ancient Mines of Kitchi Gummi” which is a well thought out explanation of the copper mines in the Lake Superior area and worth reading.

We continue: The images here are compliments of Roger Jewell.

In the last post the overall number layout of the tablet was discussed and now it is time to look at some of the symbols. They may be viewed as letters by some and hieroglyphs by others. Barry Fell viewed them as letters from the Cypriot Alphabet and translated it accordingly. The two letters that led him to think it was of that alphabet are seen (counting from left, top) in box 1,9 (next to the dot) and 13,3. Beyond these two there is little resemblance. These two symbols repeat in the array but we begin not with them but the symbols in the first box that looks like a C since it would seem the topic should be announced first.

This C symbol repeats three times at 6,1; 11,2 and 14,9 (or 1,2 from the bottom corner). For a total of four times.

Sketch of Kerbstone 86

Perhaps its shape gives a clue to its meaning. It is a cup. It is the shape of the center of Stonehenge’s main uprights. The first sound of cup is K and this sound in Hebrew is denoted by a C shape. The word cup is repeated in the word copper which was mined heavily in the region where this tablet was found. This C shape is the symbol for ‘great’ with sound ‘ur’ from Luwian Hieroglyphs (see number 363). It was repeated four times on Kerbstone 86 at ancient Knowth in Ireland. The word ‘origin’ begins with this ‘ur’ sound and the Old English word ‘or’ means ore. Does the cup indicate the origin of copper ore?

Previously Hudson Bay has been discussed and geographically this tablet is from Michigan rather close to the bay with its three large cup shapes in a vertical row that begin at 56.5 N and 79.2 W.

What then is in box 5,6? (column 5, row 6). The symbols should be consistent with the suggested meaning. The cup shape repeats with a double box in it. This repeats the idea of emptiness at 5,6 as depicted by the table with its two empty squares. In row 5, column 6 is a Y. This suggests this is a split. Opposed to the cup in the far corner is a dot, or an eye, or the repeating of the idea of ‘here it begins’ at 1,1 if read from the right. Things tend to fan out or Y out from an eye.

This is a good beginning. The longitude of Hudson Bay at 79.2 is measured from England where lies Stonehenge with its large ‘cup’ configured monoliths and more recently discovered identical CUP inscription. (See this well written paper.) And what’s more! The diameter of Earth is 7920 miles. Coincidence!?

More to follow……… on the message of the Newberry Tablet.