Posted on 12/29/2008 9:53:57 AM PST by BGHater
The remains of the 855-foot stone wall that gives Fort Mountain its name wind like a snake around the northeast Georgia park,and its very presence begs a question:Who put them there?
A Cherokee legend attributes the wall to a mysterious band of "moon-eyed people" led by a Welsh prince named Madoc who appeared in the area more than 300 years before Columbus sailed to America.
A plaque at the wall says matter-of-factly it was built by Madoc and his Welsh followers,but most professional archeologists give no credence to the legend.
"There has been no archaeological evidence to back up stories that either this Welsh prince or any others came to explore the New World," said Jared Wood, the manager of the archaeology lab at the University of Georgia.
As the legend goes, the group arrived at Mobile Bay around 1170,made their way up the Alabama and Coosa rivers and built stone fortifications at several spots near present-day Chattanooga, Tenn.
Dana Olson, an author who has spent decades trying to prove the legend,said circumstantial evidence on both sides of the Atlantic is too compelling to ignore.
"I've traveled all over the country finding these forts. Some of them are pretty well known,but I'm still uncovering some of them," said Olson, the author of "The Legend of Prince Madoc and the White Indians."
The stone structures have long been a topic of debate. Many scientists have come to believe that the walls at Fort Mountain and other Southeast sites were built by native Americans between 200 B.C. and A.D. 600.
"We're not exactly sure what purposes these enclosures served,"said Wood,the UGA archaeologist."But they were likely well-known gathering places for social events. Seasonal meetings of friends and kin, trading of goods, astronomical observance, and religious or ceremonial activities may have occurred there."
(Excerpt) Read more at archaeologynews.org ...
maybe for inv. ping.
I always wonder why it is that all the “educated” folks refuse to believe what the people who witnessed something have to say. I guess some folks are just to smart to understand what their eyes tell them is true.
Such as the fact that while the 'educated' people prattle on about global warming and the extinction of the polar bears the rest of us have to turn up our heat and carry a .454 Casull just in case one of those over-populated polar bears gets hungry for something other than a seal.
Their masters were concerned the slaves didn't have enough to do and were probably plotting an uprising.
Quite likely the newly arriving Caribe Indians in the South (back in the 9th and 10th centuries) put their Northe American captives to work moving rock and raising corn.
I guess we’d better start making them now. ;)
It’s a great park to visit, been there many times. About an hour north of Atlanta.
The Gahuti trail is a good day or overnight hike and will kick your tail! I never gave the wall much passing thought. Thanks for posting this.
Wow, interesting. I had no idea about this and I’ve lived in GA my whole life. I’ll have to go visit if I can
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Thanks BGHater!"There has been no archaeological evidence to back up stories that either this Welsh prince or any others came to explore the New World," said Jared Wood, the manager of the archaeology lab at the University of Georgia.That's staggeringly ignorant of him. |
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It has been long established that Prince Madoc came over to Mentone, AL. The ruins of the wall can be found there. It was part of our history lesson in the fourth grade, 1963 - 1964. History generally awards discovery to those who establish a “permanant” settlement AND to those who write the history books.
ping
Wish I had known of this August of 2006, when we spent a week a half hour away from it. Would have beat heck out of getting lost in the maze of Peachtree Lane, Peachtree Street, S Peachtree Blvd W, E Peachtree Avenue N, Peachtree Trail....
Thanks for the ping. These stone walls are an interesting mystery.
As they say in Kentucky; “Cymru am bith”.
News Wales (UK) | 8/26/02 | Unknown
Posted on 08/29/2002 9:51:38 AM PDT by scouse
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/741385/posts
(Prince) Madoc In America
Arthur In America
Posted on 07/10/2003 5:56:52 PM PDT by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/943967/posts
Undeniable Evidence - Arthur’s Voyage To The OtherWorld (America)
Arthur in America
Posted on 07/11/2003 6:58:50 PM PDT by blam
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/944676/posts
Britons In USA In 6th Century - Shock Claim (Prince Madoc)
REweb.com | 11-26-2003
Posted on 11/26/2003 3:31:04 PM PST by blam
Edited on 11/20/2004 12:49:24 PM PST by Jim Robinson. [history]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1029625/posts
Explorer Madog ‘Never Existed’ (Prince Madoc)
IC Wales | 2-27-2004 | Darren Devine
Posted on 02/27/2004 12:12:09 PM PST by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1086856/posts
Basques In The Susquehanna Valley 2,500 Years Ago?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.
by William R. Corliss
Spring 1981America B.C.A fascinating letter I received from a Shoshone Indian who had been traveling in the Basque country of Spain tells of his recognition of Shoshone words over there, including his own name, whose Shoshone meaning proved to match the meaning attached to a similar word by the modern Basques. Unfortunately I mislaid this interesting letter. If the Shoshone scholar who wrote to me should chance to see these words I hope he will forgive me and contact me again. The modern Basque settlers of Idaho may perhaps bring forth a linguist to investigate matters raised in this chapter. [p 173]
by Barry Fell
(1976)
find it in a nearby library
A Cherokee legend attributes the wall to a mysterious band of "moon-eyed people" ... who appeared in the area more than 300 years before Columbus sailed to America. ... but most professional archaeologists give no credence to the legend.Right Jared you tell them."There has been no archaeological evidence to back up stories that ... any others came to explore the New World," said Jared Wood ...
Oops ... better scratch that.
“..just meandering through the countryside without apparant purpose anywhere in the world you know they were built by slaves.”
“I guess wed better start making them now.”
Do windmills and solar panels stretching to the horizon count?
Oh, yeah, and we have to change our beliefs ~ we must no longer believe in individual initiative and hard work ~ we must begin believing in carbon footprints and cap and trade.
I can just imagine some Cherokee Indian telling the first White Settlers these were built by Welshmen. They probably never even heard of a Welshman.
People should check out the Mound- Builders to see what native Americans were perfectly capable of constructing all by themselves or the Anasazi cliff dwellings.
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