- 1. Email: [email protected] 26, 2009PETROGLYPH OF
A SAILING BOAT (Copper Harbor, Upper Michigan, c.1640 BC)Dr. R.M.
de Jonge , [email protected] The AAPS is the
Ancient Artifact Preservation Society. It held its First Conference
on Ancient Copper in the town of Houghton, on the Upper Peninsula
of Michigan, July 10-12, 2009 (Refs.1-3). One of the activities
during the conference was a visit to the petroglyphs near Copper
Harbor, on the northern tip of Keweenaw Peninsula. The most
beautiful glyph is a hugh sailing boat, shown in Fig.1. In
antiquity, the natural harbor of this town was used for the
transport of copper ingots to Lake Michigan, and further south
along the Mississippi River, as well as all the way to the east, to
the Saint Lawrence River. It was also important for reaching Isle
Royale, some 50 miles to the northeast, another area of extensive
mining operations (Refs.4,5,20-22).The petroglyph site near Copper
Harbor is west of town near the end of the local bay. The glyph of
the sailing boat has a width of 36cm, and a height of 17.5cm,
including the top of the mast 19 cm. The hull of the ship has a
height of 7cm, including the lower part of the mast almost 11cm.
The sail has a width of 14.5cm. The carved lines are not V-shaped,
but more U-shaped, having an upper width of 3.5 mm, and a depth of
2 mm. The carving was made on the ground, on a flat, natural area
of the bedrock, consisting of sandstone. It is an oblong area of
stone, having a height varying from roughly 30 to 60cm (Ref.3).The
sailing boat should be considered as seaworthy (Refs.6,7). Some
dimensions of this large boat are interesting. The length of the
hull equals five times the height of the sail. The length of the
sail equals the height of the mast, and both are twice the height
of the sail. The height of the mast equals six times the width (or
height) of the lower part of it, below the sail.- Finally, it
should be noted, that the carved line within the sail makes a long
zigzag all the way to the top. For the time being, it appears to be
a mysterious feature of this petroglyph.When studying the glyph, it
appears that the left edge of the sail has been accidently flaked
off (although it might have been done on purpose). Probably, it
already happened when the glyph was carved, and apparently, people
decided to make the best of the situation. However, it is also
possible that the flaking off happened in a (much) later time
period. In that case a careful restau- ration may now be observed.-
Note, that a recent flaking off occurred near the sail, at the
right si- de above. It just damaged a tiny part of the upper right
corner of the glyph.Date of the Glyph The hull of the boat consists
of five rows of planks, and the sail appears to be made of seven
strips of cloth. When studying these horizontal elements of the
carving, it appears to us, that in first instance, a dynasty
encoding is most likely to be intended (Refs.8-10). Including the
lower part of the mast the hull consists of 5+1= 6 elements,
encoding the first six dynasties of Egypt. These are known to us as
the Old Kingdom. The 5 rows of planks correspond to the first five
dy- nasties, when the ancient Egyptian civilization flourished. The
lower part of the mast corres- ponds to the 6th Dynasty, when the
culture of Egypt was declining.
2. The sail has seven strips of cloth, encoding the next, seven
dynasties. It appears, that the upper strip provides the
approximate date of the glyph. It corresponds to the 6+7= 13th
Dynasty (c. 1794-1641 BC). The date of the glyph appears to
coincide with the end of this dynasty, c.1640 BC.- Note, that the
top of the mast peaks in two layers, which correspond to the 12th
and 13th Dynasties. It is correct, that the culture of the Middle
Kingdom started to decline at the end of the 12th Dynasty, a
process which continued in the 13th Dynasty. Note also, that the
bottom of the mast was placed on the fourth layer of the hull. It
is correct, that the culture of the Old Kingdom started to decline
at the end of the 5th Dynasty, a process which continued in the 6th
Dynasty.Round Trip Because of the dynasty encodings, it appears
that the sailing voyage started at the Nile Delta of Egypt, at 30N.
Including the lower part of the mast, the hull consists of 5+1= 6
elements, cor- responding to the Strait of Gibraltar, 6 to the
north, at 30+6= 36N. The carving of the ship is applied on the rock
in such a way, that the top of the mast is pointing south. So, it
appears, that people choose for the Southern Crossing of the Ocean,
which is most convenient, indeed (Refs.8-13).The whole ship has
6+7= 13 elements, corresponding to the mouth of the Gambia River,
West Africa, at 13N. However, it also consists of two big parts
(the hull and the sail), encoding the southern Cape Verde Islands,
2 to the north, at 13+2= 15N. The sailing direction from these is-
lands, with the wind and the current, corresponds to the latitude
of the Nile Delta, 30SSW. The sailing boat consists of two parts,
encoding the sailing distance of 2 (Egyptian) Moiras= 20. The hull
has 5 layers, encoding the place of arrival, Cape So Rock (the Holy
Rock), Brazil, at 5S.Including the mast the hull consists of 5+1= 6
elements, corresponding to the north coast of Suri- name (former
Dutch Guyana), at 6N. The whole ship has 6+7= 13 elements, encoding
the North Cape of South America, at 13N. It has two big parts,
corresponding to Cape Gracias Dios, the east cape of Honduras, at
13+2= 15N. The whole ship has 13 elements, encoding the sailing
direction from Cape Catoche, Yucatan, to the SE Cape of Cuba,
13ENE. The ship consists of two parts, corresponding to the sailing
distance of 2 moiras= 2, equal to the distance from the north coast
of Cuba to Florida. Finally, one sailed to the Mississippi Delta,
at 30N, the same latitude as the Nile Delta.The glyph of the
sailing boat is located at Copper Harbor, one of the most important
natural har- bors for the transport of copper ingots in the area.
It consists of 6+7= 13 elements, encoding both the latitude of
30+13= 43N, and the complementary latitude of 90-43= 47N, exactly
at the le- vel of Copper Harbor. Most ingots were shipped along the
Mississippi River to the south. The sail consists of 7 strips of
cloth, encoding the important confluence with the Ohio River, 7
abo- ve the Mississippi Delta, at 30+7= 37N (Refs.8,14). The
sailing boat consists of two parts, also encoding the island of
Bermuda in the Ocean, 2 above the Delta, at 30+2= 32N. So, part of
the copper was transported via Bermuda to the Azores.The hull of
the boat has 5 layers, corresponding to Cape Hatteras South, at
30+5= 35N. Inclu- ding the lower part of the mast, it contains 5+1=
6 elements, corresponding to Cape Hatteras North, at 30+6= 36N.
Both are the east capes of the US. The whole ship has 13 elements,
enco- ding Americas Stonehenge, New Hampshire, and the south point
of Nova Scotia, at 30+13= 43N. Americas Stonehenge is the most
important megalithic monument of North America (c.2400 BC). It was
a training center for learning how to cross the Ocean. Part of the
copper ingots arrived here from the mouth of the Saint Lawrence
River (Refs.8,15,16). 3. From the south point of Nova Scotia people
sailed in the direction of the Azores. One oriented at Cape Race,
Newfoundland, which is the East Cape of North America, at the
complementary la- titude of 90-43= 47N. This is the latitude of
Copper Harbor, where the glyph of the sailing boat is situated. The
two big parts of the ship correspond to the initial sailing
direction (ISD) from Ca- pe Race to the two islands of the West
Azores, 20ESE, with the wind and the current, as well as the
sailing distance of 2 Moiras= 20. The two parts also encode the
Central Azores, 2 above the Strait of Gibraltar, at 36+2= 38N, as
well as the two islands of the East Azores, and finally, the two
islands of Madeira.Copper Trade When studying the glyph of the
sailing boat, it turns out that both ends of the ship are
different. The left end is high, protecting the sailors and the
cargo from the waves of the sea. So, the left end is the stem or
the fore-part of the ship, and the right end is the stern or the
hind-part. The top of the mast is pointing south, as mentioned
earlier, so the ship is sailing to the east. This means that the
ship is sailing home, fully loaded with copper ingots
(Refs.4,5,8,13)! Note, that the rec- tangular sail closely
resembles a copper ingot, to illustrate this statement. The ship
has a total of 13 elements, corresponding to the latitude of
Americas Stonehenge, N.H., and the south point of Nova Scotia, at
30+13= 43N (Refs.8,15,16). It is the complementary latitude of
Copper Harbor, at 90-47= 43N. So, the boat is leaving the East
Coast of North America to cross the Atlantic O- cean.There are two
important trade routes in North America: one going south to the
Mississippi Delta, and one going east to the mouth of the Saint
Lawrence River. The carving of the ship is applied on the rock in
such a way, that the top of the mast is pointing south. On top of
the mast are two arrows, each consisting of two pieces of line. The
mast and the sail contain together 1+7= 8 ele- ments, and the hull
contains 5 elements. The mast and the sail point south. So, it
appears that 8/13x100= 62% of the copper was shipped to the Delta.
The hull of the ship is pointing to the east. The length of the
hull equals five times the height of the sail, confirming the 5
elements. So, 5/13x100= 38% of the copper was transported to the
Bay of Saint Lawrence.- A source from c. 1458 BC reports
percentages of 61%, and 39%, respectively, at this later date
(Ref.17).The dynasty encodings suggest, that the boat is an
Egyptian trading vessel from the Nile Delta, at 30N. This latitude
corresponds with the 30 days of a month. The 5 rows of planks and
the 7 strips of cloth form together 5+7= 12 elements, corresponding
to the 12 months of a year. The height of the mast equals six times
the width (or height) of the lower part of it. It emphasizes the
latitude of the Strait of Gibraltar, at 30+6= 36N. However, it also
stresses the c.360 days of the year. These time encodings suggest
that the petroglyph provides information about the yearly transport
of copper to the Old World. This transport is expressed in copper
ingots, of course, be- cause the sail resembles a copper
ingot.Note, that an extra, vertical piece of line runs from the
hull to the sail at the left side of the mast. The ship consists of
two big parts (the hull and the sail), and the hull has five rows
of planks, en- coding a yearly transport of 20,000 copper ingots to
the Old World (a number of five figures). The length of the sail
equals the height of the mast, and both equal twice the height of
the sail. The zigzag all the way to the top of the sail cuts the
surface area of it in half. It stresses the im- portance of the
number two, at least twice.- The lower part of the mast joints both
parts. It also has a height of two elements, and a width of two
elements. It is situated on the four lower rows of planks of the
hull, encoding another 2,000 copper ingots (a number of four
figures). So, the to- tal yearly export was 22,000 copper ingots
(c.1640 BC).- A source from c.1458 BC reports a 4. yearly export of
25,000 ingots at this later date (Ref.17). So, it appears that the
order of magni- tude is correct, and, probably, also the exact
figure.The next question might be: How many ships were involved in
this trade? The upper layer of the hull is most important, because
it is the deck of the ship. It bends via the hind-part into the
lowest layer. The deck layer symbolizes the whole ship, and the
lowest layer symbolizes the hull. Both layers represent the
circumference of the hull. The ship consists of two big parts, and
the cir- cumference of the hull consists of two layers, encoding 20
ships (a number of two figures). The hull has five layers, and the
keel, at the bottom of the hull, consists of one layer, encoding
anoth- er 5 ships (a number of one figure). At the fore-part of the
ship the upper layer bends around the hull, confirming it. So, a
total of 25 ships were involved in the trade (c.1640 BC).- A source
from c.1458 BC reports a number of 27 ships at this later date
(Ref.17).The next, important question might be: What was the
duration of the round trip? During sailing on the Ocean people
oriented on the sky. The two upper layers of the sail point to this
sky (Fig.1). It appears, that the time period is expressed in days.
The two upper elements suggest, that the 30 days of the month (a
number of two figures) are important, because these are deter-
mined by the Moon. The mast consists of two arrows on top, and a
bottom part below the sail, forming together three elements, which
encode a duration of the round trip of 300 days (a num- ber of
three figures).- The ship now consists of 3 parts: the hull, the
sail, and the mast. The ele- ments which form the circumference of
the hull symbolize a round trip. Within this circumfe- rence are
three layers, confirming the 300 days (a number of three figures)
(c.1640 BC).The carved line within the sail makes a long zigzag all
the way to the top (and back). It illustrates the importance of the
duration of sailing back and forth across the Ocean. The two upper
layers of the sail, which point to the sky, may also suggest that
the 12 months of the year (a number of two figures) are important.
These are determined by both the Sun and the Moon. The quantity may
also be expressed in months. The whole ship, and the two arrows on
top, also encode a du- ration of the round trip of 10 months (a
number of two figures). These 10 months are equal to the 10x30= 300
days, just mentioned (c.1640 BC).- A source from c.1458 BC reports
a duration of 290 days at this later date (Ref.17).In a year the 25
ships have to transport a total number of 22,000 ingots across the
Ocean. If the round trip would have lasted a year, or 365 days, the
metal cargo of each ship would have been 22,000/25= 880 ingots.
However, the round trip last shorter, only 300 days. So, on the
average, the cargo of each ship equals (300/365)x880= 723 copper
ingots (c.1640 BC).- A source from c. 1458 BC reports 736 ingots at
this later date (Ref.17).The last, important question might be:
What was the overall export of copper ingots to the Old World
before c.1640 BC? The bottom of the mast is placed on the four
lower layers of the hull. It means, that copper trade began at the
end of the Fourth Dynasty when America was discovered. The
rectangular sail, with four sides, resembles a copper ingot,
confirming it. So, copper trade began at the start of the Fifth
Dynasty, c.2500 BC. It coincided with the discovery of America via
the Atlantic (Refs.8-13). This glyph dates from c.1640 BC, about
860 years later. If the year-ly transport of copper ingots would
have been all the time the same, the total copper export would have
been 860x22,000= 19 million ingots. However, this is not realistic,
of course. It may be expected, that the (yearly) copper export
slowly increased as time progressed. So, the real, o- verall copper
export will be much lower. 5. It is probable, that the petroglyph
of the sailing boat was made, because the overall copper export
reached a nice, round figure. The lower part of the mast and the
seven strips of cloth of the sail form together 1+7= 8 elements.
The lower part of the mast encodes an export of 10 million in- gots
(a number of eight figures). The four layers of planks below the
mast, and the seven ele- ments of the sail, encode another 4
million ingots (a number of seven figures). So, it appears, that
the overall export was 14 million copper ingots (c.1640 BC). This
is a nice, round figure, indeed. It is 74% of the roughly estimated
number of 19 million ingots, shown above.A source from c.1458 BC
reports an overall export of 18 million copper ingots at this later
date (Ref.17). If it is assumed, that the yearly export of ingots
remained the same in the short time pe- riod between c.1640 BC and
c.1458 BC, an additional (1640-1458)x22,000= 4 million copper in-
gots are predicted. It confirms the overall export of 14+4= 18
million copper ingots in c.1458 BC. It appears, that the order of
magnitude is correct, and, probably also, both exact figures. Fig.1
The glyph of this Sailing Boat gives a description of the copper
trade with the Old World during the Bronze Age. (Copper Harbor,
Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan, c.1640 BC. Photo by K. Hoenke,
Ref.3)Standard Ingot To obtain an accurate picture of the
international copper trade, knowledge of the mass of the Standard
Ingot is required. Fortunately, this mass is known from several
external sources (Ref.17-19). However, the sailing boat of Copper
Harbor also provides this figure. The mass of the Standard Ingot is
related to the trade of noble metals (silver and gold), which is
much older. For a long time past these noble metals were weighed in
units of carats, corresponding with 0.20 gram. The carat is the
constant mass of a seed of the St. Johns bread or carob tree
(Ceratonia si- 6. liqua). Including the lower part of the mast, the
sail consists of 7+1= 8 elements, and the hull has 5 layers, which
show that the mass of the Standard Ingot equals 80,000 carats (a
number of five figures), or 80x0.20= 16 kg.With the aid of the
Standard Ingot, the yearly transport of copper across the Ocean can
be calcu- lated, 22x16= 352 tons/year. The average metal cargo of
each ship can also be calculated: 0,723 x16= 11.6 tons of copper.
The overall export to the Old World was 14,000x16= 224,000 tons of
copper. All these data are valid for the end of the 13th Dynasty
(c.1640 BC).- However, the cop- per trade continued till c.1200 BC
(Refs.4,5,13). If it assumed, that the yearly export remained the
same during this time period, an additional quantity of
352x(1640-1200)= c.155,000 tons of copper would have been
transported. It means, that a total quantity of 224+155= c.379
thousand tons of copper was shipped across the Ocean (c.1200 BC).-
After inspection of the whole mining area around Upper Michigan, a
total amount of disappeared copper between 250 to 500 thousand tons
was estimated by others in the field (Refs.4,5). So, our conclusion
is that its destination can now be understood.Discussion Ancient
petroglyphs of seaworthy sailing boats are very rare, and this one
is a beautiful example. Around the Mediterranean there are only a
few others from before 1000 BC, and in the whole of Europe there is
not a single one of this quality. This American petroglyph tells
the whole story of the copper trade across the Ocean with the Old
World before the end of the 13th Dynasty, c.1640 BC. We hope, that
AAPS will protect and preserve this site for posterity (Ref.1).
Patterns on a pot from the surroundings of Poverty Point, NE
Louisiana (first millennium BC), show, that a total of 24 million
copper ingots were exported across the Ocean (Ref.18). It corres-
ponds with a mass of 24,000x16= 384 thousand tons of copper. The
Battersea Shield from Lon- don, England, dated c.190 BC, confirms,
that in North America c.60% of the copper was shipped to the south,
and c.40% was transported to the east (Ref.19). This bronze shield
confirms, that a total of 24 million copper ingots were exported to
the Old World.Tin Trade In the Old World tin was a very scarce
metal. Although generally unknown, a lot of it was im- ported from
South America (Ref.17). The sailing boat of Copper Harbor also
provides an accu- rate description of the simultaneous tin trade.
The glyph consists of two big parts (the hull and the sail),
corresponding to Isle Royale, at 47+1= 48N, and the north coast of
Lake Superior, at 47+2= 49N. Isle Royale is located 18 above the
Mississippi Delta (at 30N), referring to the tin mines near the
present town of Oruro, Bolivia, 18 below the equator, at 18S. The
north coast of Lake Superior is located 19 above the Delta,
referring to the far more important mining area just east of Lake
of Poop, near the present town of Potosi, Bolivia, at 19S. The tin
from Bolivia was transported (as ingots) along the coast to the
north, and from the Pacific to the Atlantic. The nine islands of
the Azores encode the important latitude of the isthmus of Panama,
at 9N.In the Old World bronze was made by alloying the copper with
10% tin. The duration of the round trip on the Ocean was shown to
be 10 months (see above, c.1640 BC). This number con- firms the
percentage of tin, just mentioned (10%). So, during the whole
Bronze Age the export of tin was 10% of the export of copper
(Refs.17,19).- So, what was the overall export of tin ingots to the
Old World before c.1640 BC? Ten percent of the export of copper
ingots! The lower part of the mast and the seven strips of cloth
encode an export of 1 million ingots (a number of seven figures).
The five rows of planks of the hull and the lower part of the mast
form together 5+1= 6 elements. The four layers of planks below the
mast now encode another 4 hundred thousand in- gots (a number of
six figures). So, it is confirmed that the overall export was 1.4
million tin in- 7. gots from Bolivia (c.1640 BC).- Note, that the
seven strips of cloth of the sail correspond with the density of
tin, 7 g/cm3 (seven times heavier than water).References 1. Ancient
Artifact Preservation Society (AAPS) Website: www.aaapf.org 2.
Website: www.slideshare.net/JudyMJohnson/aaps-news-august09-pdf 3.
Website: www.slideshare.net/JudyMJohnson/wheeler-petroglyphs-conf09
4. Rydholm, C.F., Michigan Copper, The Untold Story, Winter Cabin
Books, Marquette, 2006 (ISBN 0-9744679-2-8) 5. Drier, R.W., and Du
Temple, O.J., Prehistoric Copper Mining in the Lake Superior
Region, A Collection of Reference Articles, published privately,
1961, and reprinted in 2005 6. Casson, L., Ships and Seafaring in
Ancient Times, British Museum Press, 1994 (ISBN 0-7141-1735-8) 7.
Wachsmann, S., Seagoing Ships and Seamanship in the Bronze Age
Levant, College Station, Texas, 1998 8. De Jonge, R.M., and
Wakefield, J.S., How the Sungod Reached America, c.2500 BC, A Guide
to Megalithic Sites, MCS Inc., 2002 (ISBN 0-917054-19-9).
Available: MCS Inc., Box 3392, Kirkland, Wa 98083, also on CD.
Website: www.howthesungod.com 9. De Jonge, R.M., The Discovery of
Three Continents (Santo Stefano, North Sardinia, Italy, c. 2300
BC), Ancient American, Vol.12, No.76, pgs.28-29 (2007) 10. De
Jonge, R.M., Wheelers Petroglyph (Copper Country, Michigan,
2500-1200 BC), to be published 11. De Jonge, R.M., and Wakefield,
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J.S., and De Jonge, R.M., Rocks & Rows, Sailing Routes across
the Atlantic and the Copper Trade, MCS Inc, 2010 (ISBN
0-917054-20-2). Available: MCS Inc, Box 3392, Kirk- land, Wa USA
98033. 14. De Jonge, R.M., and Wakefield, J.S., The Three Rivers
Petroglyph, A Guidepost for River Travel in America, c.1500 BC,
Migration & Diffusion, Vol.3, No.12, pgs.74-100 (2002) 15. De
Jonge, R.M., and Wakefield, J.S., A Nautical Center for Crossing
the Ocean, Americas Stonehenge, New Hampshire, c.2200 BC, Migration
& Diffusion, Vol.4, No.15, pgs.60-100 (2003) 16. De Jonge,
R.M., and Wakefield, J.S., The Embden Dragon Petroglyph, A Copper
Trading Route of the Bronze Age (Kennebec River, Embden, Maine,
c.1500 BC), Midwestern Epigra- phic Journal, Vol.18/9, pgs. 56-82,
2004-5 (ISSN 1932-5703) 17. De Jonge, R.M., The Phaistos Disc
Decoded, New Testimony of a Lost Civilization, Mid- western
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(2007), to be published 18. De Jonge, R.M., Copper Trade with the
Old World (Poverty Point, NE Louisiana), to be published 19. De
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to be published 20. Fell, B., America BC, Pocket Books, Simon &
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