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Photo by Terry Wentz, wentz5@bresnan.net
Central Montana
I am seeking information about the above glyphs that are located in Montana; similar markings are found in the Dakotas and Wyoming. Even though they are not the typical style of rock-art found in most areas of the Great Basin and the Western States, the glyphs are an unique style. Some have suggested a utilitarian use for the carvings or grooves and that they are not a rock-art glyph by most definitions.
The above markings or carvings are similar to an interesting glyph type found in Luxembourg, France, Sweden, Ireland, and possibly Wales. The mark or groove is called a polissoir, or many similar marks have been given the name, polissoir, in Europe. Did the practice of making this glyph form arrive in the Americas in the distant past is an interesting question?
In Europe, many suggestions have been suggested for the form and how it was created. Some suggest that the grooves were used to sharpen arrows, stone or early metal tools; today it is suggested that the grooves are the result of an "inner visual" experience using a hallucinogen or incantation [hypnotic trance]. Others have suggested that the carvings are an expression of an innate urge for the "arts."
If you are
interested in the polissoir phenomenon contact: Mr. H.S. (Bill)
Chapman, 8 Varde View, Deganwy, CONWY LL31 9TE, Wales, U.K.
[For Mr.
Chapman's email or telephone information contact me]
Thank you for the web site look at the polissoirs
The polissoirs you show are almost identical
to ones we have here
in southern Africa. The grooves date to the
Early and late Iron Ages
(the period of Bantu-speakers or Black farmers,
which covers the
last 2000 years or so over here). In our case,
the grooves were
definitely used for grinding grain. There
are ethnographic, early
traveler and micro wear studies do support
this. There are also
different types of grooves for different types
of grain. The lenticular
grooves (your polissoirs) were used for millet
while flat and bowl
shaped ones were used for maize and so on.
The glume of grain
often leaves an identifiable residue and/or
polish. The polissoir
looks unlikely to have been used for sharpening
as the action
required to produce such a groove in fact
blunts things.
We do have so-called `sharpening grooves' here.
These have a v-
shaped cross-section (unlike the u-shaped
of grinding technology)
but this too looks more likely to blunt than
sharpen - sharpening is
best carried out with a whetstone like action
or by `slapping' the
blade across a flat rock alternately. Our
`sharpening grooves' are
also sometimes found in strange locations
(High up, low down, in
places where it would be difficult to work)
and seem to have had a
non-utilitarian use. What this was, no-one
yet knows.
Hope this helps, though it is mostly self-evident.
Regards
Sven Ouzman
Rock Art Department
National Museum
PO Box 266, Bloemfontein, 9300
Free State Province
Republic of South Africa
Tel: +27 (0)51 447 9609
Fax: +27 (0)51 447 6273
E-mail: rockart@nasmus.co.za
Web page:www.nasmus.co.za
Reprinted with permission from a personal email with Sven Quzman 12/24/99