Thursday 29 August 2013

Paleo Bird Effigies

This afternoon I received a copy of, Field Guide, Finding and Identifying The North American Indian Stone Bird Effigy. by Dennis J. Moore. ISBN 978-0-578-06622-6

I'm unable to bring you a proper review of this book, but what I will give you are some first impressions and insights into the publication.

'The North American Indian Stone Bird effigy is an artifact directly associated with ancient tree burials. Tree and platform burials are mankind's oldest and most widespread way of dealing with a body after death.

The mysterious ritual practice of making and using a stone 'bird effigy' at funerals and cemeteries appeared fully developed in Michigan over 13,000 years ago by people moving north after the last Ice Age.'
From the back cover of the book.

A weighty soft cover volume, almost 200 pages, full of glossy high quality photos of single artifacts and lithic groupings. Instantly recognisable topologies and comparisons of suspected artifacts and lithic collections flow from page to page.

At fist glance who could possibly argue with such a detailed study into the origins of these artifacts, and who should doubt Mr Moore for his ability, recognition of sites, and for detailing this archeological evidence, for us all too see.

Let me tell you why at first visual appraisal I have no reasons to doubt the validity of Dennis Moore's study. Almost every page brings to me recognisable shape form topology, glyph content and visible agency. I am in no way condoning every lith in the book as a genuine artifact, what I am saying is I see a lot of very convincing images of artifacts in his book.

Trying not to be unfair to Dennis, his book and artifacts, I feel it a testimony that he has managed to produce such a detailed volume, without having access to what I consider to be a better selection of such things, that is unfair as such as location and culture discoveries of Dennis are not within his control, saying that this is by far the most complete topology of lithic discoveries from any archeological site I have ever seen, the academics would do well to follow in his footsteps.

My publication, if ever published, will have quite a name to live up to if ever to be compared.
To find out more, Go visit Dennis's website Paleo Bird Effigies.
USA @ Revelation in Stone.
Below, one of my own iconographic lithic finds.