Anyone decipher these glyphs?

[Flipperfla]

This is located in a cove at Fontana Lake in the Smoky Mountains. It is usually under 10’ of water and can only be seen when the TVA draws the lake down for the winter in late fall. The stone is about 3’ ft in diameter. I am planning another trip so I can get a tracing of the carvings. There are also some large boulder with carvings on them I will get some macro shots of. Any ideas?

 

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[IMAUDIGGER]

Try taking a photo at dawn/dusk and use a flashlight to shade the low spots.
A little bit of filter work and the marks will jump out.

 

[Flipperfla]

Very cool, thanks! Hope to be back in the area in about 4-5 weeks.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

Of course anybody could imagine many things by looking at patterns differently.

When you go back...look at this portion more closely.


It's possible it could be a weathered bear print.
Probably not, but that's all I could come up with.


Black bear prints typically feature a distinctive line across them, either mid heel or below the toe pads.


Here is a bear print on a local rock..that features lines across the pad.
Seems crude, but they nailed the triangular shape of the pad.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

Maybe the crescent shape is the moon...the other a mountain peak?

Then a single flower petal?

Just wild guesses.

 

[Flipperfla]

Good call. Never considered the degree of viewing. Do you think by the indentation in the middle of the stone this was used for grinding corn? Thanks again.

 

[Force_of_Iron]

You best hope is that it reads

"Busch Light Supply Needs Replenished"

Start a go fund me page and reap the benefits.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

That's beyond my expertise..someone else will chime in.
Could be a ceremonial rock? Around my area, with one exception, they didn't usually just go around scribing rocks randomly.

 

[Out Of Time]

It's fascinating.

Could be a grinding stone, but the divot seems to have an over-hang in the close up, which is odd.

I like the idea it was a sacrificial alter but that's due to wayward imagination.

The pictograms make it special rather than utilitarian, perhaps...

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

Was that reservoir previously a natural lake?

 

[Flipperfla]

No, it was the headwater of the Tennessee River. It is where the first settlers filtered into the Smokies. Now, Smoky Mtn. National Park. The TVA built Fontana Dam for electricity for smelting aluminum in WWII. They bought the Settlers out and flooded the entire valley. Look on Google Earth to get an idea how huge this lake is, it is basically the southern border of the SMNP, 400’ deep. Through my research I have located over 30 homesteads in the Park, some that would have to be bushwhacked to get to. Lots of history in the Hazel and Eagle Creek areas. Right in the middle of the Cherokee Nation. We go in by boat then hike the rest of the way. Hiking alone would take several days.

 

[gilmerman]

Any answer to these glyphs is just speculation, like attempting to interpret pictographs on cliffs and rocks. There is nothing wrong with us trying to figure out what was in the ancients mind. Its entertaining and healthy and maybe someday we will succeed in this enigma.

 

[Force_of_Iron]

Well, apparently it is not a plea for Bud Light as everyone ignored my post. I should have known that was too much to hope for.