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  • Northeast Rock Art

    Eastern States Rock Art Research Association

    A useful resource for Northeast petroglyph studies.
    There are only a handful of rock art sites in the Eastern United States that have been developed for education and public access. Before visiting these sites, please read the ESRARA Ethics Page. Ta…
    Rhode Island

  • #2
    The Mark Rock Petroglyph Site (Rhode Island)

    The Mark Rock petroglyph site is located on the Providence River in Kent Co., RI. It was first investigated and recorded by Edmund Delabarre of Brown University in the early 1900's. In 1928, he published "Dighton Rock" which was a study of the Dighton Rock petroglyph site as well as every other site he could locate in RI, and to a lesser degree, bordering states. In 1979 I revisited the site, uncovered some glyphs that had been buried under the sands since Delabarre's time, and recorded some glyphs for the first time that Delabarre had missed. In 2002, my friend, and former state archaeologist of NJ, Edward Lenik, published "Picture Rocks. American Indian Rock Art in the Northeast Woodlands", which included a section on Mark Rock, and included a few of my photos. I will post links to these works at the end of this thread entry.

    The dot within a circle is one of the most common petroglyph motifs in the Americas. Perhaps the world? There are several examples at the Mark Rock site. First, is a human figure, which Delabarre interpreted as a native depiction of a colonial soldier with breast straps and buttons. (Represented by figure j in his study. See map and Delabarre illustration below). It must be stated, though, that Delabarre believed natives only began creating petroglyphs after seeing Europeans write on paper, and these petroglyphs are of unknown age. At any rate, this is the best preserved human figure above the sands, although last I checked, it had become covered.




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    Figure j, in setting, Providence River:

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    This next one is most interesting. You can see 3 circles in the NE, SE, and SW quadrant of the design. Now look in the NW quadrent. The circle is completely exfoliated, but the camera still sees it, as well as lines connecting it to the NE and SW circles, and a circle in the center. In the negative of this photo, the exfoliated circle and lines are dramatically visible. Delabarre noticed the same phenomenon. The invisible circle could not be seen, at all, by the naked eye! This entire panel, as seen in the 2nd photo below, was destroyed by storms years ago, except for the little sun symbol, which I believe can still be discerned.




    From Delabbare's study, the 4 anthropomorphic figures he found. From left to right, buried, buried, destroyed by storms, buried, but not deeply:


    Next, a dot within circle design that shows "modern improvement" in what looks like a shallow drilled hole at center, but the rest is pecked and both Lenik and myself think it's a native glyph. He told me he has seen similar designs elsewhere. Dots with circles again. Damaged in recent years.
    Last edited by CMD; 12-07-2020, 07:58 PM.
    Rhode Island

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    • #3
      The Mark Rock Petroglyph Site (Rhode Island) - Part II

      A sketch of the ledge. I added the striped lines in 1979 to indicate which portions of the ledge were then buried under the sands. Now it's almost completely buried. Taken from Delabarre's "Dighton Rock":


      I used the drawing above to figure out Delabarre's scale, and then paced it off, dug in the mud, and photographed this design. Item h on the above drawing:




      Delabarre figure h, in setting, Providence River, incoming tide.

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      Here is another anthropomorphic design, that Delabarre missed, and which is located on the same portion of ledge as the anthropomorph in figure j. I gave "him" the nickname Snoopy:


      Early 19th century graffiti. Likely the Philip Greene born in 1806, and of the 7th generation of the Greene family in Rhode Island. Philip Greene's father was a farmer, plow shown to right of name, and his grandfather a mariner, hence the anchor:

      Last edited by CMD; 12-07-2020, 07:43 PM.
      Rhode Island

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      • #4
        The Mark Rock Petroglyph Site (Rhode Island) - Part III

        The Mark Rock petroglyph site as it appeared in 1920, in a photo taken by Delabarre.


        For further reading, here is Delabarre's chapter on Mark Rock, including all his photos and illustrations:

        http://archive.org/stream/dightonroc...e/236/mode/2up

        Picture Rocks(2002), by Ed Lenik, offers a good review of Native American rock art in the the Northeastern states:

        https://books.google.com/books/about...d=yIQfxjbeZ50C
        Last edited by CMD; 08-28-2022, 09:30 AM.
        Rhode Island

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        • #5
          The Mark Rock Petroglyph Site (Rhode Island) - Part IV

          The author, examining the ledge, looking north into Occupasuetuxet Cove, Providence River, 1979. Compare to 1920 photo. In the 1979 photo below, note behind the author two rectangular areas of shadow. You can find those two shadows in the far right of the b/w photo from 1920. This allows one to judge the size of the ledge when more fully exposed 100 years ago, and how little was visible in 1979. Only a small area showing by 2014.

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          As of Sept., 2014, all but a small amount of the sandstone ledge is buried beneath the sands and mud. Compare these photos from Sept., 2014, to the ledge in 1920 at it's full extent. The stick is 3' long for scale.

          Looking North:


          Looking South:

          No native carving visible above ground:
          Last edited by CMD; 08-28-2022, 09:30 AM.
          Rhode Island

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          • #6
            Better copy of Delabarre’s 1920 photo of the Mark Rock ledge. The author is seen posing for scale in the color photo from 1979. The reader should note the two rectangular patches of shadow behind and to the right of the author in the 1979 photo. Once the reader locates those same two shadows, on the far right of the ledge in the 1920 b/w photo, other portions of the ledge can then be matched up in both photos.

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            Rhode Island

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