Another Strange Find.

[runner_one]

Here is another mystery I managed to photograph.
(Sorry for the low image quality, these are older cell phone photos.)



This is a carved limestone rock found at the top of a mountain peak in middle Tennessee.
This rock is on private land, and as such I can not reveal the exact location other than to say that it lies on the Eastern Highland Rim of Tennessee.
It appears to have been there hundreds or maybe thousands of years.
The landowner says it was here when his grandfather came to the area in the 1800's
It is not a millstone.
The area that looks like a hole in the center is not a hole at all but a bowl shaped depression appearing on only the upper surface of the rock.
There is no water source or stream beds in the area. There are no other structures in the area. The location is more than a mile up a VERY steep climb from the nearest road.
Surrounding the round rock are other much larger rocks of the same composition in a somewhat jumbled circle. The stone disk and surrounding rocks appear to be of a different composition than the other outcroppings on the same mountain.

The landowner believes this rock is the center of a ceremonial location by the Cherokee or other Indians. Says his grandfather told him that when he was a little boy, by the way he is now over 80 years old. However this explanation does not correlate with what I know about the Cherokee Indians in the area.

Any Ideas?

[Sunrisepony]

It may be part of the Aramu Muru Empire, they've found cave paintings in Utah and The Rockies that are connected to his Empire. I know there are megalithic sites out here, that were "attributed" to the Chumash Indians, but are definitely not and predate them. Even there are stories in their tribe about the people who came before them and built the megalithic sites. Maybe since there is a email on the Legendary Times site, you might email the photo and see if you can get Giorgio's thoughts on it. Very interesting find btw!

[mahalla2]

Wow! that's amazing, and definitely worth investigating further. I am always thankful for people like you who take the time to hike up into remote areas because I truly think this is where we will find the most ancient of treasures. Also, I believe that most Native Americans are at least a remnant of the earliest people who inhabited North America and at certain points in their remote historical past they had advanced civilizations.

[Sunrisepony]

yeah, that's pretty close. I read that is the case, the Native Americans and other Natives through out...are the most highly concentrated of the old pre-flood civilization peoples and have the highest concentration of Off Worlder DNA.

[mahalla2]

yeah, that's pretty close. I read that is the case, the Native Americans and other Natives through out...are the most highly concentrated of the old pre-flood civilization peoples and have the highest concentration of Off Worlder DNA.

And according to physicist Richard Firestone, Native Americans have the oldest form of type O blood, and even a much older type than the peoples of East Asia so I think that says alot in itself.

[Sunrisepony]

yeah, I need to find the article I read about the halogroups research thing that was done, about the migration of certain tribes etc. The DNA evidence, etc.

[Moon]

It could be part of a mill stone. Can you notify the property owners and try to find an archeologist to take a closer look at it?

It is fascinating and I like anything to do with our past whether it deals with AAT or not.

Thank you for sharing the photograph.

[mahalla2]

Runner_one is right that it does not have the typical hole in the center for a millstone but in all other ways it certainly resembles one. However, for some reason perhaps it had not been completely finished. Seems the same type of stones (granite or basalt?) lay all around the site where this photo was taken. I am curious to know if this could have been an old quarry site.

[Saxoneer]

It reminds me of a grinding stone for making flour, perhaps this one wasn't considered good enough and was abandoned?

[runner_one]

Runner_one is right that it does not have the typical hole in the center for a millstone but in all other ways it certainly resembles one. However, for some reason perhaps it had not been completely finished. Seems the same type of stones (granite or basalt?) lay all around the site where this photo was taken. I am curious to know if this could have been an old quarry site.

The location is not a quarry site as far as I can tell. The stones, including the round one pictured have been moved here from another location. Their composition is different from the rest of the stones that form the mountain.

This stone lies at the peak of a mound shaped mountain, over 500 feet above the surrounding farmland. It is not a logical site for a mill, there are far better locations in the valleys below.

[runner_one]

It could be part of a mill stone. Can you notify the property owners and try to find an archeologist to take a closer look at it?

Per the landowner, an archeologist from Tennessee Tech University looked at it several years ago and concluded that it was not a millstone. beyond that he had no idea.

[mahalla2]

Runner_one is right that it does not have the typical hole in the center for a millstone but in all other ways it certainly resembles one. However, for some reason perhaps it had not been completely finished. Seems the same type of stones (granite or basalt?) lay all around the site where this photo was taken. I am curious to know if this could have been an old quarry site.

The location is not a quarry site as far as I can tell. The stones, including the round one pictured have been moved here from another location. Their composition is different from the rest of the stones that form the mountain.

This stone lies at the peak of a mound shaped mountain, over 500 feet above the surrounding farmland. It is not a logical site for a mill, there are far better locations in the valleys below.

What then is the composition of this stone, granite, basalt or ? Here is a link to an interesting article that might shed some light on your discovery although the object is much larger and was found in India.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-09-19/chennai/28256385_1_revenue-officials-stone-alandur

[runner_one]

Runner_one is right that it does not have the typical hole in the center for a millstone but in all other ways it certainly resembles one. However, for some reason perhaps it had not been completely finished. Seems the same type of stones (granite or basalt?) lay all around the site where this photo was taken. I am curious to know if this could have been an old quarry site.

The location is not a quarry site as far as I can tell. The stones, including the round one pictured have been moved here from another location. Their composition is different from the rest of the stones that form the mountain.

This stone lies at the peak of a mound shaped mountain, over 500 feet above the surrounding farmland. It is not a logical site for a mill, there are far better locations in the valleys below.

What then is the composition of this stone, granite, basalt or ? Here is a link to an interesting article that might shed some light on your discovery although the object is much larger and was found in India.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-09-19/chennai/28256385_1_revenue-officials-stone-alandur

Sorry I should have included the type of stone in the original post.

The object is made of Limestone with many of the ancient sedimentary materials such as sea shells and river pebbles still prominently visible.
The original surface of the rock has eroded away leaving many of the shells and pebbles protruding several millimeters from the surface of the rock testifying to the age of the disk.

One source I found estimates that limestone in a temperate mountain climate erodes at 102+/-65 mm per thousand years.

http://www.geologyrocks.co.uk/forum/q_and_a/limestone_erosion_rate

[mahalla2]

yes, that does change things because a limestone and shell composition is much lighter than solid rock, however, it would make sense to me that it originally had a utilitarian purpose and not ceremonial although at a much later time it could have been used for ritualistic reasons. At any rate, it is a very fascinating object and I hope you continue to investigate it's possible origins - good find!

[yerock III stoneman]

Interesting object. I've seen a couple of sundials that looked similar. Could it and the surrounding stones have been used to chart the skies and keep track of the seasons? If it was on the hill thousands of years ago, the trees may have been cut down for a better view of the horizon.

[Sunrisepony]

Limestone is decomposed coral btw. Just for comparison of age etc.

[seeker1117]

Watching the "Underground Aliens" episode from Season 2 right now. They just got through with the (sorry, I'm gonna hafta be phonetic here) "Darren-KooYoo" segment. This stone looks an awful lot like one of the round stone doors of those caves! Round, thick, with a depression in the middle only on one side. Are there caves in the immediate area where this thing is located?

[runner_one]

Watching the "Underground Aliens" episode from Season 2 right now. They just got through with the (sorry, I'm gonna hafta be phonetic here) "Darren-KooYoo" segment. This stone looks an awful lot like one of the round stone doors of those caves! Round, thick, with a depression in the middle only on one side. Are there caves in the immediate area where this thing is located?

There are several large caves within a mile of the location.

[yerock III stoneman]

Just for comparison:

Runner_one, I'm not trying to say they're the same. Your photos reminded of this sundial (former millstone?) and a couple others that I've seen before. This one is close by. Another is on a hill. ... Peace.