Jolie Rouge
05-28-2003, 10:12 AM
The granite rocks weigh between six and 25 pounds with have flat backs on one side and odd carvings of faces on the other that feature sunken eye sockets and wide, gaping mouths. People have been finding them in the woods in central Massachusetts for decades. But no one quite knows what they are. Now The Associated Press reports that retired state geologist Joseph Sinnott wants to solve this mystery: Were they sculpted by prehistoric settlers, American Indians, or modern-day jokers wanting to play a hoax on archaeologists?
Sinnott has five of them in hand. "I'm not saying I know who made these," he told AP. "I'm looking for information on who made them. Nobody I've spoken to has ever seen anything like these." In reality, they aren't too impressive, but they keep turning up--and all were found within eight miles of each other. As news spreads that Sinnott is interested in these rocks, folks call him. One family has had one in their barn for about 60 years. Another was used as a candle holder. Yet another was just stored away in an old bowling bag.
Some insist the rocks are just a hoax.
Sinnott isn't so sure. He can tell the rocks are hundreds of years old, but he can't date the carving with certainty. "These weren't made in a day, maybe not even a month," he explained to AP. "You'd have to spend weeks just picking out the eyes with a stone." The local Nipmuc Indian tribe says they look nothing like any of the carvings they've done. But Sinnott has a plan: This summer he's starting an archaeological dig to look for more stone faces and other debris that could be carbon dated. Another geologist, Richard Lynch, believes the stones were used for sacrificial rituals.
Sinnott has five of them in hand. "I'm not saying I know who made these," he told AP. "I'm looking for information on who made them. Nobody I've spoken to has ever seen anything like these." In reality, they aren't too impressive, but they keep turning up--and all were found within eight miles of each other. As news spreads that Sinnott is interested in these rocks, folks call him. One family has had one in their barn for about 60 years. Another was used as a candle holder. Yet another was just stored away in an old bowling bag.
Some insist the rocks are just a hoax.
Sinnott isn't so sure. He can tell the rocks are hundreds of years old, but he can't date the carving with certainty. "These weren't made in a day, maybe not even a month," he explained to AP. "You'd have to spend weeks just picking out the eyes with a stone." The local Nipmuc Indian tribe says they look nothing like any of the carvings they've done. But Sinnott has a plan: This summer he's starting an archaeological dig to look for more stone faces and other debris that could be carbon dated. Another geologist, Richard Lynch, believes the stones were used for sacrificial rituals.