{"id":370,"date":"2015-05-22T10:56:31","date_gmt":"2015-05-22T10:56:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/archaeology.sa\/en\/?p=370"},"modified":"2015-05-22T11:00:12","modified_gmt":"2015-05-22T11:00:12","slug":"new-evidence-ancient-chinese-explorers-landed-in-america-excites-experts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.archaeology.sa\/en\/?p=370","title":{"rendered":"New Evidence Ancient Chinese Explorers Landed in America Excites Experts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Arizona-cartouche-petroglyphs.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-372\" src=\"wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Arizona-cartouche-petroglyphs-300x196.jpg\" alt=\"Arizona-cartouche-petroglyphs\" width=\"300\" height=\"196\" srcset=\"wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Arizona-cartouche-petroglyphs-300x196.jpg 300w, wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Arizona-cartouche-petroglyphs.jpg 979w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"field-image\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; vertical-align: baseline; color: #000000;\">\n<div class=\"field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">\n<div class=\"field-items\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">\n<div class=\"field-item even\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\"><span style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">John A. Ruskamp Jr., Ed.D., reports that he has identified an outstanding, history-changing treasure hidden in plain sight. High above a walking path in Albuquerque\u2019s Petroglyph National Monument, Ruskamp spotted petroglyphs that struck him as unusual. After consulting with experts on Native American rock writing and ancient Chinese scripts to corroborate his analysis, he has concluded that the readable message preserved by these petroglyphs was likely inscribed by a group of Chinese explorers thousands of years ago.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<div class=\"node-content-wrapper\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; vertical-align: baseline; overflow: hidden; color: #000000;\">\n<div class=\"content\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">\n<div class=\"field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">\n<div class=\"field-items\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">\n<div class=\"field-item even\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">On the fringe of archaeology have long been claims that the Chinese reached North America long before Europeans. With some renowned experts taking interest in Ruskamp\u2019s discovery, those claims may be working their way from the fringe to the core.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">It doesn\u2019t mean our history textbooks will change tomorrow. Anything short of discovering an undisturbed early Asiatic relic or village in the Americas may fail to convince those archaeologists who have dogmatically rejected evidence of an ancient Chinese presence in the New World, said Ruskamp.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">But, the disparate and widespread symbols he has found show many indications of authenticity. They have the potential to inspire a more serious investigation into early trans-Pacific interaction. To date, Ruskamp has identified over 82 petroglyphs matching unique ancient Chinese scripts not only at multiple sites in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but also nearby in Arizona, as well as in Utah, Nevada, California, Oklahoma, and Ontario. Collectively, he believes that most of these artifacts were created by an early Chinese exploratory expedition, although some appear to be reproductions made by Native people for their own purposes.<\/p>\n<ul style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none;\">\n<li style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">Did China discover America 70 years before Columbus?<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">Ancient Bronze Artifacts in Alaska Reveals Trade with Asia Before Columbus Arrival<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">Sea-Farers from the Levant the first to set foot in the Americas: proto-Sinaitic inscriptions found along the coast of Uruguay<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">One of Ruskamp\u2019s staunchest supporters has been David N. Keightley, Ph.D., a MacArthur Foundation Genius Award recipient who is considered by many to be the leading analyst in America of early Chinese oracle-bone writings. Keightley has helped Ruskamp decipher the scripts he has identified. One ancient message, preserved by three Arizona cartouche petroglyphs, translates as: \u201cSet apart (for) 10 years together; declaring (to) return, (the) journey completed, (to the) house of the Sun; (the) journey completed together.\u201d At the end of this text is an unidentified character that may be the author\u2019s signature.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\" align=\"center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"media-image cboxElement\" style=\"border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; width: 610px; height: 580px;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ancient-origins.net\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/large\/public\/Cartouche-1.jpg?itok=-KlszKME\" alt=\"Cartouche 1, which reads \u201cSet apart (for) 10 years together.\u201d\" width=\"610\" height=\"580\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\" align=\"center\"><em style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">Cartouche 1, which reads \u201cSet apart (for) 10 years together.\u201d(Courtesy of John Ruskamp)<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\" align=\"center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"media-image cboxElement\" style=\"border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; width: 610px; height: 582px;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ancient-origins.net\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/large\/public\/Cartouche-2.jpg?itok=a5tUdeQ1\" alt=\"Cartouche 2, which reads, \u201cDeclaring (to) return, (the) journey completed, (to the) house of the Sun.\u201d \" width=\"610\" height=\"582\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\" align=\"center\"><em style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">Cartouche 2, which reads, \u201cDeclaring (to) return, (the) journey completed, (to the) house of the Sun.\u201d (Courtesy of John Ruskamp)<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\" align=\"center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"media-image cboxElement\" style=\"border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; width: 610px; height: 399px;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ancient-origins.net\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/large\/public\/Cartouche-3.jpg?itok=FdbZS438\" alt=\"Cartouche 3, which reads, \u201c(The) journey completed together.\u201d\" width=\"610\" height=\"399\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: center;\">Cartouche 3, which reads, \u201c(The) journey completed together.\u201d (Courtesy of John Ruskamp)<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\" align=\"center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"media-image cboxElement\" style=\"border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; width: 610px; height: 407px;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ancient-origins.net\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/large\/public\/Arizona-glyph-site.jpg?itok=hcw2unqB\" alt=\"The Arizona glyph site on what has always been, and still is, very private ranch property located miles from any public access or road.\" width=\"610\" height=\"407\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\" align=\"center\"><em style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">The Arizona glyph site on what has always been, and still is, very private ranch property located miles from any public access or road. (Courtesy of John Ruskamp)<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">The oracle-bone style of writing employed for creating a number of these ancient petroglyph scripts disappeared by royal decree from mankind\u2019s memory around 1046 B.C., following the fall of the Shang Dynasty. It remained an unknown and totally forgotten form of writing until it was rediscovered in A.D. 1899 at Anyang, China. Ruskamp thus concluded that the mixed styles of Chinese scripts found in these Arizona petroglyphs indicates that they were made during a transitional period of writing in China, not long after 1046 B.C.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">Ruskamp gives the following translation for the Albuquerque petroglyphs:\u00a0 \u201cG\u0113ng (a date; the seventh Chinese Heavenly Stem); Ji\u00e9 (to kneel down in reverence); Da (great\u2014referring to a superior); Qu\u0103n (dog\u2014the sacrificial animal); Xi\u00e0n (offering worship to\u00a0 deceased ancestors); and D\u00e0 Ji\u0103 (the name of the third king of the Shang dynasty).\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_374\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-374\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Albuquerque-petroglyphs.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-374\" src=\"wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Albuquerque-petroglyphs-300x232.jpg\" alt=\"Albuquerque petroglyphs (Courtesy of John Ruskamp)\" width=\"300\" height=\"232\" srcset=\"wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Albuquerque-petroglyphs-300x232.jpg 300w, wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Albuquerque-petroglyphs.jpg 610w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-374\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Albuquerque petroglyphs (Courtesy of John Ruskamp)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">The Albuquerque petroglyphs use both Seal era and Bronze era Chinese scripts, suggesting they were also written during a transitional period in Chinese calligraphy, likely between 1046 B.C. and 475 B.C. The use of the title \u201cDa\u201d before the name \u201cJi\u0103,\u201d suggests a date close to the end of the Shang Dynasty in 1046 B.C., as this appellation emerged during that time period and was replaced shortly thereafter.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\" align=\"center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"media-image cboxElement\" style=\"border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; width: 610px; height: 554px;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ancient-origins.net\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/large\/public\/comparison-of-scripts-over-time.jpg?itok=C1UWBi8_\" alt=\"A comparison of scripts over time.\" width=\"610\" height=\"554\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\" align=\"center\"><em style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">A comparison of scripts over time. (Courtesy of John Ruskamp)<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">Michael F. Medrano, Ph.D., chief of the Division of Resource Management for Petroglyph National Monument, studied the petroglyphs at that location upon Ruskamp\u2019s request. He said that, based on his more than 25 years of experience with local Native cultures, \u201cThese images do not readily appear to be associated with local tribal entities,\u201d and \u201cbased on repatination appear to have antiquity to them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">It is difficult to physically date petroglyphs with absolute certainty, notes Ruskamp. Yet the syntax and mix of Chinese scripts found at these two locations correspond to what experts would expect explorers from China to use some 2,500 years ago.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">For example, the Arizona ranch petroglyphs are divided into three sections each enclosed in a square known as a cartouche. Two of the cartouches are numbered; one with the Chinese script for \u201cone\u201d placed beneath it and in a similar manner the second cartouche has the ancient Chinese script meaning \u201csecond\u201d inscribed beneath it. Together these numeric figures indicate the order in which these images should be read. Importantly, the cartouches are thus shown to be read in the traditional Chinese manner, from right to left.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">The first two cartouches are rotated 90 degrees to the left of vertical and the third is rotated 90 degrees to the right. \u201cThe deliberate rotation of these writings, both to the left and right of vertical by an equal number of degrees, endorses their authenticity, for the rotation of individual scripts by Chinese calligraphers is well-documented,\u201d wrote Ruskamp.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">Some of the symbols found in the petroglyphs are common to both Chinese script and ancient Native American writing. For instance, \u201cThe Chinese petroglyph figure of Jiu conveys the idea of \u201ctogetherness,\u201d in much the same manner as the Nakwach symbol is now, and has been in the past, understood by the Hopi,\u201d wrote Ruskamp.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\" align=\"center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"media-image cboxElement\" style=\"border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; width: 610px; height: 205px;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ancient-origins.net\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/large\/public\/Hopi-Nakwach-symbol-Chinese-petroglyph-figure.jpg?itok=PIBAk9Wg\" alt=\"Left: Hopi Nakw\u00e1ch symbol. Right: Chinese petroglyph figure of Jiu. \" width=\"610\" height=\"205\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\" align=\"center\"><em style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">Left: Hopi Nakw\u00e1ch symbol. Right: Chinese petroglyph figure of Jiu. (Sears; Courtesy of John Ruskamp)<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">Another similarity is the use of a rectilinear spiral to convey the concept of a \u201cround-trip journey.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\" align=\"center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"media-image cboxElement\" style=\"border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; width: 240px; height: 294px;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ancient-origins.net\/sites\/default\/files\/rectilinear-spiral.jpg\" alt=\"A rectilinear spiral similarly used by the Chinese and the Hopi to convey the concept of a \u201cround-trip journey.\u201d\" width=\"240\" height=\"294\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\" align=\"center\"><em style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">A rectilinear spiral similarly used by the Chinese and the Hopi to convey the concept of a \u201cround-trip journey.\u201d(Wieger; Courtesy of John Ruskamp)<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">Though these similarities could be conceived as supporting a Native American origin for Ruskamp\u2019s petroglyphs, Ruskamp stated: \u201cThe extensive Chinese vocabulary evidenced at each location advocates against the authorship of the figures evaluated in this study being credited to Native Americans. None of the more complex Chinese figures identified in this report are known to have any Native tribal affiliation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">The conclusion of his paper titled\u00a0\u201cAncient Chinese Rock Writings Confirm Early Trans-Pacific Interaction,\u201d\u00a0reads: \u201cIn contrast to any previous historical uncertainty, the comparative evidence presented in this report, which is supported by both analytical evaluation and expert opinion, documenting the presence of readable sequences of old Chinese scripts located upon the rocks of North America, establishes that prior to the extinction of oracle-bone script from human memory, approximately 2,500 years ago, trans-Pacific exchanges of epigraphic intellectual property took place between Chinese and North American populations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">He published the paper on his website, Asiaticechoes.org, in April and it is currently under peer review. Last October, he began presenting his findings in speaking engagements, including most recently to the Association of American Geographers in Chicago. He will next present at a meeting of the Little Colorado River Chapter of the Arizona Archaeology Society in Springerville, Arizona, on May 18.\u00a0The editors of the journal Pre-Columbiana have confirmed they will soon publish Ruskamp\u2019s article. The journal is edited by Professor Emeritus Stephen C. Jett, Ph.D., University of California\u2013Davis, with the assistance of an editorial board of distinguished professional scholars, and is dedicated to exploring Pre-Columbian transoceanic contact.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">A retired educator, statistician, and analytical chemist, Ruskamp pursued his study of petroglyphs as a hobby\u2014little expecting to find what may lead to a great shift in how we view both American and Chinese history.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">By\u00a0Tara MacIsaac,\u00a0Epoch\u00a0Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"date\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">19 MAY, 2015 &#8211; 14:32<\/span><span style=\"color: #a7691b; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-transform: uppercase;\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;\">ANCIENT-ORIGINS<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>John A. Ruskamp Jr., Ed.D., reports that he has identified an outstanding, history-changing treasure hidden in plain sight. High above a walking path in Albuquerque\u2019s Petroglyph National Monument, Ruskamp spotted petroglyphs that struck him as unusual. After consulting with experts on Native American rock writing and ancient Chinese scripts to corroborate his analysis, he has [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":374,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.archaeology.sa\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.archaeology.sa\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.archaeology.sa\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.archaeology.sa\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.archaeology.sa\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=370"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.archaeology.sa\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":375,"href":"https:\/\/www.archaeology.sa\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370\/revisions\/375"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.archaeology.sa\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.archaeology.sa\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.archaeology.sa\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.archaeology.sa\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}