Tag Archives: Diffusionism

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The Message of the Newberry Tablet – Part 3

© 2015 B. L. Freeborn

Smithsonian Photo of Newberry Tablet, compliments of Roger Jewell

Smithsonian Photo of Newberry Tablet, compliments of Roger Jewell

To the first post on the tablet – To the previous post on the tablet.

In the last posts we looked at the overall layout of the Newberry Tablet and a few symbols.

In this post six symbols are studied: the glyphs found at the bottom corners, the cross, the symbol at 1, 3 and the similar symbol at 3,9. The last symbol to be studied combines the cup symbol found in the upper left corner with what looks like a bird foot print and is found at 10,10. There are two of the latter. The second is found at 14,5. It combines the idea of the cup with sound ‘ni’ with glyph #451 with sound ‘hur.’ This sounds remarkably like the word ‘hour’ and if the craters in Hudson Bay were used as the start line for longitude then the ‘hours’ of Earth’s rotation are marked off from this place. We should recall that the word ‘ni’ means ‘here, now, and/or upon us’ and is today spelled ‘nigh.’

This idea is repeated in the bottom left corner. There is a double loop with a line on top of it. It is a combination of glyphs #368 and #380 from the Luwian Glyph list. The double loop was determined to mean ‘evil’ which a double crater would certainly represent. This symbol would then repeat the idea of the line of longitude index point. It is used four times in the table.

Again the idea is reinforced by the symbol in the bottom right corner which is found in the glyph list at #17 and represents the ruler. This glyph is repeated five times in the table. So then the four corners, which should define the topic of the tablet, are: a cup (crater), an eye, a line at evil and the ruler.

The last three symbols are the cross which is used seven times and is found in the glyph list at #309. It likely represents the idea of ‘a place’ or ‘an intersection.’ The other two symbols are the upside down trident at 1, 3 and the related symbol that puts a hook on top of the glyph. The first symbol is #455 and has sound ‘la’ or we might say in both modern and old English it is the word ‘lay.’ The similar symbol combines this with the hook glyph #378. So, it expresses the idea of ‘laid with the hook’ or ‘at/by’.

The table is filling in!

The study will continue in the next post.

The Newberry Tablet's decipherment continues in this image as six more glyphs are filled in.

The Newberry Tablet’s decipherment continues in this image as six more glyphs are filled in.

 

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The Message of the Newberry Tablet – Part 2

© 2015 B. L. Freeborn, updated September 2022

Smithsonian Photo of Newberry Tablet, compliments of Roger Jewell

Smithsonian Photo of Newberry Tablet, compliments of Roger Jewell

To see the first post on the tablet – To see the previous post on the tablet.

In the last posts we looked at the overall layout of the Newberry Tablet and a few symbols.

In this post four symbols are studied. We begin with the hook or staff symbol because it involves the least argument as to its meaning. Whether or not a particular sound is associated with it cannot be determined. It is found in the Luwian Glyph list at #378. It appears 7 times on the tablet. Notice the double staves in the third row just above the two blank spaces which imply its importance. They are in positions: 3,4 and 3, 5.  Count within this line from both directions and find a stave at 4,7 and the second at 5,6. Recall 4 x 7 is 28 or half 56. The other totally suggests 56.

The other staves are located at: 1,8; 6,2; 9,1; 9,10; and 11,4.

One of the next two symbols of interest is found at 1, 9 and it is an X with an extra down stroke and the other is at 1,2 which is an X with an extra upstroke and side stroke. These symbols are not found in the glyph list. Barry Fell thought they were Cypriot Letters for vowels i, a, and e but it takes little effort to confirm that few other letters are found in that script. If it is compared to prior Adena Tablets studied such as the Waverly and Cincinnati the idea of a dead man is suggested then by the first symbol. This leads to the idea the second is also a man. Perhaps he is doing something that was common then such as shooting an arrow. So for our purposes here, the first represents death and the second shooting, shot, arrow or battle. This death symbol is used three times at: 1,9; 4,9; 9,6. The battle symbol is used seven times at: 1,2; 4,5; 6,6; 9,5; 10,7; 13,3; 13,8. Indeed, they follow each other in line 9 as if to say ‘shot dead.’

The next symbol studied (at 2, 4) is distinct and impossible to find anywhere repeated except in the Luwian Glyph list at #313. Although not a perfect match every element of the symbol is represented in the glyph. It is said to mean the verb ‘does’ with sound ‘pi.’ It is used four times in the tablet at positions: 2,4; 5,2; 7,6; and 13,9.

The last symbol is at 1,4 and looks like the head of a shovel or a D with a side bar. It also appears in the glyph list at #66 and is said to mean men or hero with sound ‘zi.’ It appears five times at: 1,4; 3,6; 5,9; 7,7; and 11,6.

In Luwian Hieroglyphs the glyphs can take on the sound or the meaning of the object as in a rebus. Theses glyphs are also called Hittite and were used heavily between the 14th to 13th centuries BC and fell into disuse by 7th century BC. Decipherment of the glyphs did not begin until the early 1900’s with most work being done since 1930 and the language associated with them was confirmed in 1973 to be Luwian not Hittite. The Newberry Tablet was discovered in 1896 with three figurines that weighed close to 1000 lbs. See Betty Sodders “Michigan Prehistory Mysteries.”

More symbols to follow!

Identification of Newberry Tablet symbols.

Identification of Newberry Tablet symbols.

On to the next post on the tablet.

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The Meaning of the Purse in Assyrian and Olmec Art

Copyright © 2014 by B.L. Freeborn

From time to time in the feedback section I receive on this blog it is evident that someone is searching for the answer to a particular question. A post I have written may come close to answering it and so they are referred here.

Assyrian Relief with Winged Genius, Walters Art Museum, Wikimedia

Assyrian Relief with Winged Genius, Walters Art Museum, Wikimedia

Last week someone was looking for the meaning of the purse in Assyrian art and so ended up at my post on the “Little Purse” which reveals an obvious link between the Assyrian and Olmec cultures. This is otherwise known as diffusionism.

So to answer the question directly, the purse indicates measurement in all forms. It is a square just as we see when we measure the globe in longitude and latitude. Each grid forms a square. We are further enlightened by the star on the wrist of the giant man. The pole star is central to measurement of the heavens. It is the point around which the heavens appear to turn which is emphasized in the Olmec version by the accented roundness of the man’s body.

It further indicates the measurement of weight. It hangs just as weights on a balance scale still do today.

Both men have one arm up and bent, and one arm down as we saw in the art of Ugarit and the statue related to Baal.

La Venta, Mexico, Olmec Monument 19, Photo by Audrey and George Delange, Wikimedia

La Venta, Mexico, Olmec Monument 19, Photo by Audrey and George Delange, Wikimedia

The giant holds a “pine cone” or the eye of a comet. This appears in the Olmec version as the ball with tail on the man’s shoulders behind his head. His body with the accented roundness of his shoulders and his clothes depict the round Earth complete with lines of latitude formed by the lines of his clothes. Indeed, the idea of a comet is again portrayed by this same round man within the serpent. He becomes the eye of a comet and the serpent is the coma.

The chest area forms a v which indicates a crater, or a broken Earth. This is doubly depicted. The curved headgear forms a crater as well. The crater was depicted in the Assyrian art as a cup held upon the hand of another giant. Both stories are depicting the details of a comet impact at the north pole, the place from which all  measurement is determined.

The arm bands of the Giant are broken indicating broken lines of latitude. His clothes depict longitude and latitude in the fringe that fans out or hangs straight. The double comet idea is further betrayed in this image by the two sword handles at his midriff.

This would be the story of Baal as we saw in the story of Newark Earthworks in Ohio. So we have a South American, North American and Middle East Version of the tale!

An actual ancient purse has been found! See it here.

The links will take the reader back to the pertinent posts.

Next up are new pictures of the Mystery Stone of New Hampshire This stone relates the Deluge Story which resulted from a double comet impact.

If you have a question not directly answered, post a comment.

Back to previous post – A Visual Tour of the Serpent Mound

Back to post – A Visual Tour of the Newark Earthworks

Ahead to more about the New Hampshire Mystery Stone