Tag: Paul S Marak

Surface Shaping Tools

Shaping is done by applying friction onto a given surface, by way of grinding, scraping, sanding, and polishing. During this process, not only is the carved stone being worked: the tools, themselves, will be ground down and will begin to share the same shape with the stone being worked on. In other words, the tool becomes a negative image of the carved area: a square peg in a square hole.

After aligning the edges and angles of the stones to a specific worked surface, one can reverse engineer the process that led to the tools’ final shapes. This includes being able to place the stones in the order in which they were used.

The series of images shown below are examples of left-handed tools and the area where they were used. As a note: I’m holding them with my right hand in order to get a clear shot of the worked area.

Look at the image and imagine someone is facing east(left), straddled across the second stone, leaning forward, and with the right hand, is gripping the tip of the first stone. Now imagine, with a stone in the left hand, this individual is creating the large indentation that is clearly visible in the image.

There are the 2digit stone tools, very finite, where the artisan pinches a pebble between the thumb and finger. Then, there are 3digit tools, as mentioned in an earlier post. After finger-held tools, palm tools are next in line.

As the name suggests, the palm tool is held within the grasp of the entire hand. Amongst the many benefits of this positioning, the biggest is that the artisan is utilizing the power and control generated by the muscles and bone structure throughout the arm and shoulder.

In the mind of a carpenter

If a carpenter is standing still, while swinging a hammer, the distance and angle to the nail determines the dynamic geometry that exists between the body and the subject matter.

Additionally, at the point before collapsing this geometric structure, the carpenter will either compromise the effectiveness of the swing, or the carpenter will change positioning, in order to regain balance: dynamic triangulation.

Dynamic triangulation becomes fluid, as the artisan moves from one position to another. This is the dance of geometry. This critical knowledge exists, hidden behind the physical world. It, along with the geometry of the hand, determines the very shape of these stones: poetry in motion, solidified in stone.

The righteous implication that will forever alter the way of forensic archaeology, prehistoric United States of America, and the original people of this land.

I couldn’t believe what I was looking at! Could it be? Were these stones not just tossed into a hole and buried? Was I standing where someone else stood, back in ancient times? More than that though, is this a worksite, where the stone carver set these tools down exactly as I unearthed them?

Let the evidence lead the way, because math and science do not lie. IndianRock.art: taking amateur archaeology to the next level

This standing cairn stone, pictured below, was the first large stone recovered from the Garden Site. It has four sides, representing the cardinal directions: north, east, south, and west. It rests atop the boulder below it, with a marker to help position the stone correctly.

Interestingly, this standing stone can be laid horizontally spanning across the two larger base-stones, forming a triangular opening between the three stones. This opening faces directly towards the winter solstice midday sun, suggesting that there might be additional stones just north of the site, where the sun might shine onto.

As a child growing up, I would watch ‘National Geographic’ specials on TV. The knowledge gained from those shows came into play, as soon as I noticed the repeating geometric patterns in the stones.

Shortly after noticing these repeating patterns, I referred to my memories of watching archaeologists uncover artifacts on the early NG documentaries. First off, I knew that I needed to log everything that pertained to my growing hypothesis: someone, at some point in time, quarried stones for carving and then buried them, including their stone tools. Additionally, the stones were placed intentionally, in conjunction with the patterns of the sun and moon, as their illumination played upon the surrounding landscape.

So then, I graphed the area, both horizontally and vertically: with each separate area having its own designation, represented by numbers and letters. Then, I systemically unearthed the site, sifting the contents through a 1/8″ screen.

I arrived in Missouri, a man without faith and only to meditate. Little did I know, my life was about to change in ways that I still find difficult to comprehend.

For the first couple of years, I just observed the natural flow of nature and its cyclical ties with the sun, moon, and stars.

Hello. Before phase2 of the Garden Site dig begins, I would like to review phase1, which was a preliminary unearthing to determine what it was that I was encountering, while digging in my Missouri garden. This review will consist of a series of posts, containing info on the dig process, discoveries made, and an in-depth preliminary conclusion. Phase2 is scheduled to begin early summer 2026.

(Disclosure- I am a seasoned finish carpenter, by trade; and so, I will be leaning on my understanding of finished surfaces, hand tools, and the relationship between the two, in terms of anatomic geometry, range-of-motion, and triangulation- as it plays upon a worked surface: Rock-art forensic archaeology.)

IndianRock.art – The Holy Land of the Lamanite