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PRE-COLUMBIAN
VIRGINIA ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE Adam Arkfeld adam.arkfeld@gmail.com Please CLICK on Underlined Categories for details and Photos to enlarge.
Depress Ctrl/F for subject search. Investigations of an
archaeological site along the Opequon
Creek in the Northern
Shenandoah Valley of Virginia since 2012 points to the presence of
ancient Scythian colonists.
Significant amounts of iron slag and refractories are present. (see Radiocarbon Report #1 &
#2). Also
recovered are cast iron artifacts (Fig. ?).
The metallurgy here was quite advanced. As unlikely as it seems, slags found suggest aluminum
production. One at first is very
skeptical, as it seems far too advanced for the time period. However, then there was the discovery of a
piece of aircraft aluminum that has been sculpted into a profile (Fig. ?
). (Enki perhaps). It was recovered at a depth in association
with stone artifacts. Another large
piece has been recovered since (Fig. ?).
See vimana craft with tail rudder on upper right (Fig. ???). Impossibly small pilot at controls. Very mysterious. An
advanced blast furnace was operating in the area circa 150 AD. (Fig. 19) Remnants of the milldam and deep race
channels are readily observable (Fig. ?).
C14 results bracket the TL date ??.
Not only was evidence uncovered of advanced metallurgy but also fired brick
was manufactured in great quantities during the same period (Fig. ?). TL results
from the brick are in process of determination. Evidence indicates that a step mound was faced with glazed
brick pavers (Fig. ?). There are
virtually tons of 2000-year-old brick in
situ. (Fig. ?). The
furnace wall sample was dated 150 AD by the University of Washington. There is proof that smelting was occurring
here on an industrial scale using an anthracite fired blast furnace. Sections of the milldam are still existent.
Significant earth works created to channel the millrace are still apparent. Anthracite has been found in association
with the furnace. C14 testing of the slag confirms fossil fuel use. Two different samples tested by Beta Labs,
both produced infinite dates.
Anthracite is the only coal suitable for smelting. Geological maps show that east coast
anthracite beds accessible by water are limited. The most accessible mine from the Chesapeake is the Meadow
Branch Mine in West Virginia, and 20 miles west of the furnace site. The archeological site is the closest one
can get to the mine where a mill could be constructed and there is a
navigable water route to the Potomac River. The fuel was crucial to their metallurgy,
which would explain why this location was chosen. A two pound pig bar is
shown on the cover of Fig. 19.
Most recognize thie limestone
sculpture in Figure 7
as an Anubis bust. On learning that
it is from Virginia, an observer's vision becomes fuzzy and denial sets
in. The iron-embalming knives (Fig.
9) cause a similar reaction. I
have fired clay and stone Horus hawks, Osiris, Thoth...pretty much the whole
pantheon. Many Baal figurines (Fig.
?) and his signature pornography (Fig. ?)
as well. There is no lack of
Scythian characters, tall pointed hats abound (Fig. ?). The stone mounds here are interlaced with
logs, consistent with Kurgan design. The Sumerians were probably the only
culture with knowledge to make an accurate planetary chart (Fig. 13). This example was recovered adjacent to a stream in an aqueous
environment. The etched circles on
the back of a Taurus (or bison) bull (Fig. 12) have been permeated with white calcite.
This mattock was recovered within
10 feet of the cast iron profile.
Both of these artifacts were submerged and preserved in mud and sand.
The water has a high mineral concentration.
I have sealed both because exposure began deteriorating them rapidly.
The wood remaining in the socket of the mattock is petrified. I have little doubt of the antiquity of
the iron mask as the profile matches many others in my collection that are
made of stone. The mattock is made of the same metal and shows identical
patination/oxidation. It can be
surmised that both items are from the same time period. Assuming that organic material is still
present, the wood remaining in the socket makes that mattock an ideal iron
artifact to test and date. the Opequon Creek = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = = = Wilson, Charles A. and A. A.
Field. 2017. The Arkfeld site Iron Smelting Virginia 150 AD.: Discoveries
Along the Opequon Creek. Ancient American.
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Jeannine (1995). "The Scythians in southeastern Europe". Nomads of the Eurasian Steppes in the early Iron Age (PDF). Zinat press. ISBN 1-885979-00-2. Day,
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