The Monster Boatstone

[pointdlr]

This piece was excavated by Harvard archaeologist's at the Turner Works site that sits on the Eastern edge of Hamilton County, Ohio. This piece is without a doubt one of the most recognizable in Ohio's archaeological record. It stands as a testament to Hopewell artistry. We call it the "Monster Boat". I used to have better pictures of it, but I have misplaced them.
Hope you enjoy,
Jon Dickinson.

 

[bsit1361]

amazing..age? material?

 

[naturegirl]

Oh, enjoy it like you can't imagine! Are those horns stone too?! Thank you for posting it!

 

[jeff a]

beautiful piece of art, looks like they tried to morph an armadilo with a wood bison,is it copper? is it in the field museaum in chicago or did it go across the pond to england like alot of the stuff did back then,id love to see the actual piece someday

 

[pointdlr]

Material is Cannal Coal. It looks red, b/c it was covered in red ochre. Yes, the horns are carved out from the Cannal Coal.

Nobody knows what the "Monster" is supposed to represent. I have read it referenced as a water monster, but I have no idea where that comes from. Another reference I remember is that it is a "Hopewell Griffin" w/o wings.

The piece was made by the Ohio Hopewell Culture around the time of Jesus. The piece is somewhere in the Peabody Museum in Cambridge, Mass. A friend of mine saw it years ago, but I have heard it can't be seen anymore unless you are a research archaeologist. Don't you just love museums and their attitude towards the public? Funny how they forget who supports them.

When this mound was excavated in the early 1900's, silver, gold, meteorites, mica, sharks teeth, and a huge laundry list of exotic items were found. It can be argued that Turner was right at the top of the important Hopewell cultural centers. Today, the site is completely destroyed mostly by a mining operation. I played in a softball league for years that sits on top of part of the site.
Regards,
Jon Dickinson.

 

[Th3rty7]

Awesome artifact thanks for sharing that piece. Those Hopewell guys had some skills.

 

[joshuaream]

I went though the Peabody Museum a couple of years ago while one a business trip to Boston, and they just had pictures of it... At the time they had pulled their entire collection of North American burial relics from public display. They still had a nice display of stuff, but nothing like what they have down in the storage area. I guess some items are back up, but nothing spectacular.

They do have a friggin (pardon my french) awesome collection of pre-colombian relics though... Harvard archaeologists, and Alumni who went on to become presidents/dictators of many of those countries sent back huge & spectacular collections of relics, sculptures, etc.

If nothing else, give the British Museum credit they have most of their Hopewell pipes on display and don't charge addmission to see them.

 

[shorelinesearcher]

Awesome piece, someone asked if the horns were the same material? My question is, are they attached with pitch or some other type glue, or integral with the same lump of coal?

mike

 

[pickaway]

Nice...

 

[pointdlr]

Shoreline,
I don't know the answer to your question about the horns. I wish I had my old photos, b/c they were really good. Going from memory alone(not a good policy in my case), I think they fit into a hole. We could email the Peabody and ask them. I'm sure they would be extremely helpful..... Just for the heck of it, I am going to ask them. Might make for a related board topic.
Regards,
Jon Dickinson.

 

[pointdlr]

Found another pic on the Peabody website. Also found the field notes. Piece was excavated in 1882. Earlier than I remembered.

 

[SoIll]

I bet this would be a good book.

There are some more pics of the other stuff they found at the bottom of the page.

http://www.gustavslibrary.com/turnermoundgroup.htm

 

[Ohioan]

That would look real nice on my coffee table.

 

[catherine1]

I can't believe the horns were intact when they found it. Of course it has had some restorartion?

 

[ohio]

Jon.

I am glad you posted this. It is truly amazing what these Hopewell artisans were capable of.

Chuck

 

[Miami-valley-artifacts]

thought I would add a few pics to the mix of Turner pieces. These are actually on display down at our Cincinnati Museum center. The last one isn't from Turner but is the Cincinnati Tablet ( a whole other crazy nice piece) enjoy. Scott

 

[SoIll]

Bump

 

[arrow86]

That’s unreal .... the second pic I guess is the items underside ? I see holes in it was it a pipe of some sort or just a ceremonial piece? That groove is odd too

 

[reuellis]

Thanks for sharing.

 

[trdking]

Spectacular piece. Thanks for sharing. Gives me goosebumps