Basques in the susquehanna valley 2,500 years ago?

[jeff of pa]

Inscription on one of the Mechanicsberg Stones




Back in the 1940s, Dr. W.W. Strong assembled about 400 inscribed stones from Pennsylvania's Susquehanna Valley. Called the Mechanicsburg Stones, they seemed to bear Phoenician characters -- at least Strong interpreted them as such. Naturally, Strong was ridiculed, for the Columbus-first dogma was dominant then. More recently, however, B. Fell claimed that the Mechanicsburg Stones are the work of Basque settlers circa 600 BC. The Basque theory has fared no better than the Phoenician. Now, a noted authority on the Basque language, Imanol Agire, has strongly supported Fell's conclusion that ancient Basques carved the stones.

http://www.science-frontiers.com/sf015/sf015p01.htm

 

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[P.B. and Dylan]

That is wild. Think of the possibilities for relic hunting!

 

[davest]

Jeff, I didn't read your link, but here's an interesting thing.

While detecting on a beach in West Central Florida, my digging buddy found a Macedonian coin dated 356 BC. To think we get the history of Columbus discovering the good old U.S. of A. in school really amazes me. In fact, I went to a parochial school in Reading, and I don't think any of the nuns ever mentioned Macedonia or the Basques.

 

[jeff of pa]

I Can't Believe People still think there were no Ships
before 1492.

At least they must. if they believe that Nobody saw the land here
before that & Put ashore :P

Maybe it should be Columbus set foot on, or Invaded the Americas in 1492 ?

 

[planebill]

There is also ample evidence of a Celtic presence in No. America. Celtic writing (Ogham) has been found and translated in W. Va. A Dr. Fell is mentioned in this article as well - perhaps the same as B. Fell that was mentioned in Jeff's ink. The Wva carvings date to 500-800 AD and there is reference to others dating much earlier. Also interesting to me - as a proud native Mountaineer - the places where they found these carvings are remote even today! What the heck were Celts doing there? It is not easy country to traverse nor to remain in. The Native American tribes did not have much of a permanent presence there except along the major river bottoms.

Our history is far from complete. Here are a few links on the W.Va. Celtic carvings.


http://www.prehistoricplanet.com/wv/features/petroglyphs/
http://catholicism.org/americas-first-christmas-card.html
http://www.prehistoricplanet.com/wv/features/petroglyphman/index.htm

 

[eathabs]

Good stuff Jeff! Hard to think that Columbus still gets the credit for being the first.

davest, Central or Holy Name? Maybe the nuns spent too much time at the Peanut Bar and forgot to mention the others

 

[davest]

St. Margarets. Got out before my mind turned to mush.

 

[deepskyal]

Back in the 1980's, I had the pleasure of working with an historian that had a private plane and was doing infrared photography, trying to support evidence of mound builders in W.Va. and he also subscribed to the theory that at one time, people were able to walk from Europe to N. America, via higher ground passages that are no longer evident.
Unfortunately, he crashed his plane in W.Va while doing some photography while flying alone and probably under the influence of a little pot.

If the theory of walking from continent to continent is viable, it could explain some of the strange findings that just don't seem to fit the Columbus is the first discoverer thinking.

Al