Petroglyphs and a Human Burial in West Virginia
A Field Report by Larry Mulligan
New England Antiquities Research Association
Petroglyphs and a Human Burial in West Virginia
A Field Report by Larry Mulligan
In the fall of 1983, I received a copy of West Virginia's tourism magazine, Wonderful West Virginia. On the covers of the magazine were photos of two remarkable inscriptions, called the Wyoming County and Horse Creek petroglyphs. The accompanying articles described the investigations of archeologist Robert Pyle and Ida Jane Gallagher, at the time a freelance writer. Included in a third article were translations of both inscriptions by Barry Fell, who declared both to be ogam script, written during the 6th to 8th centuries A.D. West Virginia being a long way off, I dutifully filed the amazing story in my files under "other" and continued to spend my time with more local pursuits.
This past summer, with the intention of spending a few well-placed days off, I began researching the West Virginia area on the Internet, and was able to contact Mr. Robert Pyle, who graciously gave me a bit of direction to one of the sites, and a contact to visit another. I was able to visit three sites, which are shown below, along with the Horse Creek petroglyph. A brief description follows each photo.
Wyoming County Petroglyph
Barry Fell's translation: "At the time of sunrise a ray grazes the notch on the left side on Christmas Day. A feast-day of the Church, the first season of the (Christian) year. The season of the Blessed Advent of the Savior, Lord Christ (Salvatoris Domini Christi). Behold, he is born of Mary, a woman."
Wyoming County Petroglyph
On December 22, 1982, Ida Jane Gallagher and several others watched as the sun rose and, amazingly, struck the petroglyph on the left side and then crept across the entire panel, thus proving the translation. This petroglyph is located in northwestern Wyoming County.
Horse Creek Petroglyph
Barry Fell's translation:
First line:
"A happy season is Christmas, a time of joy and goodwill to all people."
Second line:
"A virgin was with child: God ordained her to conceive and be fruitful. Behold, a miracle!"
Third line:
"She gave birth to a son in a cave. The name of the cave was the Cave of Bethlehem. His foster-father gave him the name of Jesus, the Christ, Alpha and Omega. Festive season of prayer."
Horse Creek Petroglyph
This petroglyph is located in Boone County, approximately 50 miles from the Wyoming County petroglyph.
Dingess Petroglyphs
Originally part of a rock shelter, the Dingess petroglyphs were removed from their original location due to looming strip mining. They presently reside in nearby Laurel Lake Wildlife Management Area. These petroglyphs are located in Mingo County, approximately 40 miles from the Wyoming County Petroglyph. A standing stone 27 feet high was also destroyed at the site by strip mining.
Three Views of Dingess Petroglyph
The Cook Petroglyph
This petroglyph is located in Wyoming County, approximately 5 miles from the Wyoming County Petroglyph. Two tentative translations were attempted in 1998, both as ogam. A bone needle with ogam-like symbols carved on both sides was discovered at the site in 1997.
Cook Petroglyph
Boat Rebus ~ Cook Petroglyph
Burial site at Cook
In 1989, about 30 feet from the Cook petroglyph, human remains were unearthed from under the overhang in the below photo. C-14 and DNA testing completed through the efforts of archaeologist Robert Pyle indicate a European person was buried around 700 A.D. in this grave. For more details visit Prehistoric Planet.
Burial Site
There are many other examples of ogam inscriptions in West Virginia. For more information on the above sites and other petroglyphs, I recommend the book All That Remains, available at AncientRemains.
Copyright © 2002 by Larry Mulligan
New England Antiquities Research Association
