Licensed Engineer, Military Veteran, Father, Grandfather, Husband, Friend
Intensive research on any subject of interest, is my favorite pastime.
View all posts by ejheath53536
19 thoughts on “Wisconsin stone tablet unearthed.”
Nice to meet you James .We hope you are going to join us in our Linear B Lessons. Richard is a really great teacher of this Minoan language.
I’m not sure if you are being fasciious, but the artifacts are well taken care of. There are no ingots, only the mold remnant. All artifacts were unearthed during landscaping, next to my garage. You have my unabridged respect for your dedication into the investigation and disclosure of a lost civilization and your indulgence in the examination of my artifact(s) is greatly appreciated. It is my personal goal to uncover the translation and date of this tablet. It is quite real, as are the accompanying pieces. I am barely middle-class income, so I would imagine the cost of carbon dating to be quite high. I am more than willing to have this done, I don’t have the funds. It would certainly clear things up. I don’t even know what is involved in that process. I will continue to watch for more pieces as we move forward with more landscaping. I will provide more photos, if you are willing to view them.
Not at all, James. You are doing a fantastic job, and I encourage you in every way possible. It sounds like you are working hard on the tablet, and I again encourage you to get as much professional assistance as you can with it. Well, as for carbon dating, if you submit it to the University of Wisconsin or any other university nearby which has an archaeology epartment, I am quite sure they would be willing to foot the bill for carbon dating, and at any rate they will certainly help you determine its authenticity. I am far from saying that it is not authentic, as I believe it is, but you really do need to get confirmation, James.
May I ask, how deep was it when you dug it up? That MAY be a clue in itself, but not necessarily, as cities dig up and disturb ground frequently, and bulldozers can dig things up from quite a depth, and then redeposit them at a shallower depth, as you can well imagine.
Let me know of further developments, and do not allow yourself to be discouraged.
Lord knows, I am often enough. It is all in your hands now.
PS Rita will tell you I am never facetious. That is simply not in my nature.
I am too generous a soul for anything as crude as that, so rest assured.
My family ties are in Canada, as well. My ancestors hailed from England(1830’s) and moved to the Quebec area, prior to moving into Wisconsin via entrance through Vermont. Wealthy merchants(millwrights) from the Norfolk area of England, their father was married to the ‘Good Witch of Holme-Hale'(female holistic doctor), he became a doctor as well. One of the brothers started the first nature conservancy in Wisconsin and has a community named for him. Now, is there a fee for carbon dating? Could I attempt to decipher the tablet using linear A and then Linear B separately? Correct me if I am wrong, Linear A typically reads right to left but could read left to right as well, within the same message, but a different line. But it never reads vertically. Linear B reads only left to right? I have made such an attempt using the odd numeral 5 symbols as the alchemy symbol for lead and reversed the translation for ‘we’ to place/put, verses “to gather”. Using the arrow as Thor’s Hammer to signify ‘crushed’ and the first 5 symbol as lead sulfate. The adjacent symbol appears as a chiminae and would represent a furnace, with a pouring action. The final symbol to the top right appears to me as a mixed or overwritten symbol for mi-na-ro(mineral), but the detached marks have me at odds for what they might mean. The second line again from the right: put/place…molten…lead oxide..ladled and poured fractionally. the third and fourth line include alchemy symbols for the trace metals in ‘galena’ and the last symbol 5 would be for the final product of lead bullion, including arsenic. I believe the partial symbol in the lower right corner is for zinc, another trace mineral in galena. Give this a try and see it works for you. It certainly seems to fit.
What did you think of the terracotta shard? This was from disturbed earth. Backfill for a foundation. May have come from the foundation excavation, directly. Might be from a large depression in my orchard, as well.
Sorry I took so long replying to this, James. I get so wrapped up in translating tablets, replying to posts of other members, classifying 1,000s of Linear A & B Tablets (over 3,000 already!) that I just do not seem to have time enough. It drives me half nuts sometimes. Anyway, you family background is fascinating!
As for myself, I am half Scottish (my mother was born in Scotland) and about 1 tenth German, no more, but actually Canadian and extremely glad I am, as Canada is such a peaceful, wonderful country, you know, health care, etc.
RE attempting to translate the tablet using Linear A and Linear B separately… well, you could, except that Linear A is also undeciphered. I am going to respond specifically to the Linear B part of your question in my next post, and that may help clear up some of your questions, I hope. Your current attempt at translation seems to be getting somewhere, James. As for myself, I donot have the faintest clue what the Wisconsin tablet is about or what it means, even though I am extremely well versed in Linear B, and have all the vocabulary down pat. It just stumps me. That is why I keep on saying what I say, that in the context of LINEAR B, it is undecipherable. I do not know what else to say. But my recent posts make it quite clear, I am sure, that your discovery is highly significant, in and of itself, in its own right, as a unique find. THAT IS A BIG DEAL!
Thanks for the detail about the depth of the area where you found it, and other pertinent information.
Although radiocarbon dating might disclose the age of the tablet, I would think it difficult to age the text written on it, without having to remove enough carbon-black medium to make the necessary grams required for such a test. It’s my concern that the tablet would be destroyed from such material removal. Would you think they could use a certain light band to possibly disclose any faded writing? I believe above the upper left symbol is additional characters, like a starburst or suns rays. I couldn’t see that section clearly. What is your impression of this?
Hi again James, Can you send the photo to my e mail address so that I can save it. I will then consult the archaeology center where I worked on Minoan pottery here in Crete.
Rita.
GREAT! We look forward to seeing it. I ENCOURAGE you to continue posting your findings,
because even if they are not Minoan or Mycenaean, they are incredibly intriguing,
because, as I said in one of my garrulous essays, the symbols on the Wisconsin
Tablet DO LOOK like some form of WRITING, which is utterly ASTOUNDING in the ancient
North American context, when writing was pretty much non-existent, even if pictographs
were not.
Here is the shard I found within two feet of the stone tablet. The upper left corner has two raise symbols. One is the symbol “f” with a crossed cross-bar. To immediate right is the symbol for boat with prow pointed to right. Obviously the large ‘S’ symbol in the middle and a raised relief figure of a woman in a long skirt, with outstretched arms. There are numerous other raised relief on this piece, but I can’t figure them out. Notice the upper right corner, the hand formed portion. This area is at approximately a right angle to the rest of the piece. I could suggest what this may have come from. I would relish the interpretation of this piece, as well as the stone tablet.
JAMES R HEATH CSSYB CPPOE..A.S.O.P.E. LICENSED CROSS CONNECTION CONTROL TESTER..LIC. STATE OF WISCONSIN EPA 608 TYPE I & IICERTIFIED EPA 609 MVAC CERTIFIED EPA HVAC PM TECHNICIAN CERTIFIED EPA AIR POLLUTION CONTROLS CERTIFIED US NAVY FIRST CLASS ENGINEMAN VETERAN
Your profession is very intriguing, James. You were in the American navy too. I was in the Canadian.
May I ask how old you are, if you do not mind. I am 69,Rita is around 80 and Yann is 17. Quite an
age span, eh!
While this tablet hails from Wisconsin, USA, what is so INTRIGUING about it is that it is
WRITING, and the aboriginals of North America never wrote anything. Their languages are
all oral. So this is some find. Plus, I am sure you have noticed, like me, that one or
two of the syllabograms (if that is what they are), they may instead be hieroglyphics,
look uncannily like some Linear A & B syllabograms. Now THAT is weird!
Richard,
You are correct in saying the tablet is not Native American. Not Ojibwa, nor Cree, nor Cherokee script. Not cuneiform, not Hebrew, French, Sanskrit, etc. In searching all recorded scripts at my availability, I strongly believe the language on the tablet to be Minoan Aegean, but of what period? Some of the symbols are more Linear B, in looking at the formation of the characters. Some ideograms may be morphed or precursor of recorded symbols. Do Linear A/B symbols reverse to convey an opposite meaning?
I also have a terracotta shard with three Minoan symbols, a piece of agate(quartz) with 8-10 fire starting strikes, a remnant of two (near parallel) bore holes of 6″ diameter(no tool marks), another terracotta shard with glaze(unidentifiable) probably from the bottom of a cup or deep lipped dish. All this found in a 8’x6′ area at a depth of two feet.
The larger of the two shards has two raised relief symbols, very close together. The larger symbol is the shape of an ‘f’ with a crossed cross-bar, and the smaller is the symbol for ‘boat’ with the prow pointed to the right. The third symbol is in the middle of the shard. It is written in black carbon and the symbol is shape of an italic ‘S’. All this said, below the ‘S’ is what appears to be the raised relief of a woman in a long skirt, with arms outstretched. I believe this terracotta piece to communicate ‘he who raises up boats, with strong fiber’; which would lead me to say this could be part of an epitaph for a shipwright.
The two bore hole remnants are approximately eight inches in length, but may have been longer. Does anyone know what a lead ingot mold might looked like?
I have had the stone tablet photo examined by faculty at Cambridge University U.K. and they feel as I, some of the symbols may be variants of metallurgical form; but the time frame is not yet determined. Note the stroke direction of the symbols, as this may determine correct meaning.
I sent the photo of the stone tablet to this website, as I have searched for the best in the world; to better aid in the translation of the Wisconsin Stone tablet.
I greatly appreciate any and all help provided and in sharing this information for all those, in the world who are willing to view it.
I am sorry, but I have yet to become adept at sending photos from my phone or camera, but will continue to provide verifying photos at the earliest convenience.
Could Rita Roberts please post the photo of the terracotta shard, with the ‘S’. I sent it to her.
Regards,
Hello James, Can you send me the photo of the terracotta shard again .Reason for this is because I printed it out but forgot to save it. The printed version did not show well enough . I will then put it onto my blog. I think I may be able to help with what a lead mold would look like as my son is in the foundry trade as was his father.
Rita Roberts.
I will most certainly send the photo. But I’ll have to do so tomorrow, from my work computer.
The lead mold type would reflect the ingots found at numerous sites, which would relate directly to the period of possible Minoan occupation.
JRH
Ingots! WOW! WE gotta see these! How on earth did you find all this stuff!
It is an astounding treasure trove. Do not allow ANYONE to take any of
it from you, not even museums, archaeologists or ancient language
linguists, for at least 10 YEARS! And make sure they handle all of
these findings with absolutely clean gloves etc etc., which I am
certain anyway you do yourself.
Bye
PS I spent at least 8 HOURS writing each of my essays (PART A and Part B) for you.
I will have to read your comment at my leisure and in depth in order to be able to
do any justice to it, James. Once I have read it, I shall post my reply with
your original comment interlinear. OK!
I’ll 60 in the matter of a few days. I have quite a diverse background, as noted by email signature. Add to the list “foster parent” of three children, ages 8-17. I still rise at 3:30am daily and work a 8+hr. day, then go home to cook the evening meal, as well as tutor the children. My wife works in a regional hospital. JAMES R HEATH
Canadian Zen Haiku canadien ISSN 1705-4508 
Nice to meet you James .We hope you are going to join us in our Linear B Lessons. Richard is a really great teacher of this Minoan language.
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I’m not sure if you are being fasciious, but the artifacts are well taken care of. There are no ingots, only the mold remnant. All artifacts were unearthed during landscaping, next to my garage. You have my unabridged respect for your dedication into the investigation and disclosure of a lost civilization and your indulgence in the examination of my artifact(s) is greatly appreciated. It is my personal goal to uncover the translation and date of this tablet. It is quite real, as are the accompanying pieces. I am barely middle-class income, so I would imagine the cost of carbon dating to be quite high. I am more than willing to have this done, I don’t have the funds. It would certainly clear things up. I don’t even know what is involved in that process. I will continue to watch for more pieces as we move forward with more landscaping. I will provide more photos, if you are willing to view them.
JAMES R HEATH
LikeLike
Not at all, James. You are doing a fantastic job, and I encourage you in every way possible. It sounds like you are working hard on the tablet, and I again encourage you to get as much professional assistance as you can with it. Well, as for carbon dating, if you submit it to the University of Wisconsin or any other university nearby which has an archaeology epartment, I am quite sure they would be willing to foot the bill for carbon dating, and at any rate they will certainly help you determine its authenticity. I am far from saying that it is not authentic, as I believe it is, but you really do need to get confirmation, James.
May I ask, how deep was it when you dug it up? That MAY be a clue in itself, but not necessarily, as cities dig up and disturb ground frequently, and bulldozers can dig things up from quite a depth, and then redeposit them at a shallower depth, as you can well imagine.
Let me know of further developments, and do not allow yourself to be discouraged.
Lord knows, I am often enough. It is all in your hands now.
PS Rita will tell you I am never facetious. That is simply not in my nature.
I am too generous a soul for anything as crude as that, so rest assured.
PS where do you live?
Best
Richard
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My family ties are in Canada, as well. My ancestors hailed from England(1830’s) and moved to the Quebec area, prior to moving into Wisconsin via entrance through Vermont. Wealthy merchants(millwrights) from the Norfolk area of England, their father was married to the ‘Good Witch of Holme-Hale'(female holistic doctor), he became a doctor as well. One of the brothers started the first nature conservancy in Wisconsin and has a community named for him. Now, is there a fee for carbon dating? Could I attempt to decipher the tablet using linear A and then Linear B separately? Correct me if I am wrong, Linear A typically reads right to left but could read left to right as well, within the same message, but a different line. But it never reads vertically. Linear B reads only left to right? I have made such an attempt using the odd numeral 5 symbols as the alchemy symbol for lead and reversed the translation for ‘we’ to place/put, verses “to gather”. Using the arrow as Thor’s Hammer to signify ‘crushed’ and the first 5 symbol as lead sulfate. The adjacent symbol appears as a chiminae and would represent a furnace, with a pouring action. The final symbol to the top right appears to me as a mixed or overwritten symbol for mi-na-ro(mineral), but the detached marks have me at odds for what they might mean. The second line again from the right: put/place…molten…lead oxide..ladled and poured fractionally. the third and fourth line include alchemy symbols for the trace metals in ‘galena’ and the last symbol 5 would be for the final product of lead bullion, including arsenic. I believe the partial symbol in the lower right corner is for zinc, another trace mineral in galena. Give this a try and see it works for you. It certainly seems to fit.
What did you think of the terracotta shard? This was from disturbed earth. Backfill for a foundation. May have come from the foundation excavation, directly. Might be from a large depression in my orchard, as well.
Regards,
JAMES R HEATH
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Sorry I took so long replying to this, James. I get so wrapped up in translating tablets, replying to posts of other members, classifying 1,000s of Linear A & B Tablets (over 3,000 already!) that I just do not seem to have time enough. It drives me half nuts sometimes. Anyway, you family background is fascinating!
As for myself, I am half Scottish (my mother was born in Scotland) and about 1 tenth German, no more, but actually Canadian and extremely glad I am, as Canada is such a peaceful, wonderful country, you know, health care, etc.
RE attempting to translate the tablet using Linear A and Linear B separately… well, you could, except that Linear A is also undeciphered. I am going to respond specifically to the Linear B part of your question in my next post, and that may help clear up some of your questions, I hope. Your current attempt at translation seems to be getting somewhere, James. As for myself, I donot have the faintest clue what the Wisconsin tablet is about or what it means, even though I am extremely well versed in Linear B, and have all the vocabulary down pat. It just stumps me. That is why I keep on saying what I say, that in the context of LINEAR B, it is undecipherable. I do not know what else to say. But my recent posts make it quite clear, I am sure, that your discovery is highly significant, in and of itself, in its own right, as a unique find. THAT IS A BIG DEAL!
Thanks for the detail about the depth of the area where you found it, and other pertinent information.
Best
Richard
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Although radiocarbon dating might disclose the age of the tablet, I would think it difficult to age the text written on it, without having to remove enough carbon-black medium to make the necessary grams required for such a test. It’s my concern that the tablet would be destroyed from such material removal. Would you think they could use a certain light band to possibly disclose any faded writing? I believe above the upper left symbol is additional characters, like a starburst or suns rays. I couldn’t see that section clearly. What is your impression of this?
JAMES R HEATH CSSYB
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Hi again James, Can you send the photo to my e mail address so that I can save it. I will then consult the archaeology center where I worked on Minoan pottery here in Crete.
Rita.
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I will send the shard photo first thing in the morning, from my computer at work, Regards,
JAMES R HEATH
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GREAT! We look forward to seeing it. I ENCOURAGE you to continue posting your findings,
because even if they are not Minoan or Mycenaean, they are incredibly intriguing,
because, as I said in one of my garrulous essays, the symbols on the Wisconsin
Tablet DO LOOK like some form of WRITING, which is utterly ASTOUNDING in the ancient
North American context, when writing was pretty much non-existent, even if pictographs
were not.
Richard
LikeLike
Here is the shard I found within two feet of the stone tablet. The upper left corner has two raise symbols. One is the symbol “f” with a crossed cross-bar. To immediate right is the symbol for boat with prow pointed to right. Obviously the large ‘S’ symbol in the middle and a raised relief figure of a woman in a long skirt, with outstretched arms. There are numerous other raised relief on this piece, but I can’t figure them out. Notice the upper right corner, the hand formed portion. This area is at approximately a right angle to the rest of the piece. I could suggest what this may have come from. I would relish the interpretation of this piece, as well as the stone tablet.
JAMES R HEATH CSSYB CPPOE..A.S.O.P.E. LICENSED CROSS CONNECTION CONTROL TESTER..LIC. STATE OF WISCONSIN EPA 608 TYPE I & IICERTIFIED EPA 609 MVAC CERTIFIED EPA HVAC PM TECHNICIAN CERTIFIED EPA AIR POLLUTION CONTROLS CERTIFIED US NAVY FIRST CLASS ENGINEMAN VETERAN
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Your profession is very intriguing, James. You were in the American navy too. I was in the Canadian.
May I ask how old you are, if you do not mind. I am 69,Rita is around 80 and Yann is 17. Quite an
age span, eh!
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OMG ! What a challenge Richard.
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While this tablet hails from Wisconsin, USA, what is so INTRIGUING about it is that it is
WRITING, and the aboriginals of North America never wrote anything. Their languages are
all oral. So this is some find. Plus, I am sure you have noticed, like me, that one or
two of the syllabograms (if that is what they are), they may instead be hieroglyphics,
look uncannily like some Linear A & B syllabograms. Now THAT is weird!
LikeLike
Richard,
You are correct in saying the tablet is not Native American. Not Ojibwa, nor Cree, nor Cherokee script. Not cuneiform, not Hebrew, French, Sanskrit, etc. In searching all recorded scripts at my availability, I strongly believe the language on the tablet to be Minoan Aegean, but of what period? Some of the symbols are more Linear B, in looking at the formation of the characters. Some ideograms may be morphed or precursor of recorded symbols. Do Linear A/B symbols reverse to convey an opposite meaning?
I also have a terracotta shard with three Minoan symbols, a piece of agate(quartz) with 8-10 fire starting strikes, a remnant of two (near parallel) bore holes of 6″ diameter(no tool marks), another terracotta shard with glaze(unidentifiable) probably from the bottom of a cup or deep lipped dish. All this found in a 8’x6′ area at a depth of two feet.
The larger of the two shards has two raised relief symbols, very close together. The larger symbol is the shape of an ‘f’ with a crossed cross-bar, and the smaller is the symbol for ‘boat’ with the prow pointed to the right. The third symbol is in the middle of the shard. It is written in black carbon and the symbol is shape of an italic ‘S’. All this said, below the ‘S’ is what appears to be the raised relief of a woman in a long skirt, with arms outstretched. I believe this terracotta piece to communicate ‘he who raises up boats, with strong fiber’; which would lead me to say this could be part of an epitaph for a shipwright.
The two bore hole remnants are approximately eight inches in length, but may have been longer. Does anyone know what a lead ingot mold might looked like?
I have had the stone tablet photo examined by faculty at Cambridge University U.K. and they feel as I, some of the symbols may be variants of metallurgical form; but the time frame is not yet determined. Note the stroke direction of the symbols, as this may determine correct meaning.
I sent the photo of the stone tablet to this website, as I have searched for the best in the world; to better aid in the translation of the Wisconsin Stone tablet.
I greatly appreciate any and all help provided and in sharing this information for all those, in the world who are willing to view it.
I am sorry, but I have yet to become adept at sending photos from my phone or camera, but will continue to provide verifying photos at the earliest convenience.
Could Rita Roberts please post the photo of the terracotta shard, with the ‘S’. I sent it to her.
Regards,
James R. Heath
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Hello James, Can you send me the photo of the terracotta shard again .Reason for this is because I printed it out but forgot to save it. The printed version did not show well enough . I will then put it onto my blog. I think I may be able to help with what a lead mold would look like as my son is in the foundry trade as was his father.
Rita Roberts.
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I will most certainly send the photo. But I’ll have to do so tomorrow, from my work computer.
The lead mold type would reflect the ingots found at numerous sites, which would relate directly to the period of possible Minoan occupation.
JRH
LikeLike
Ingots! WOW! WE gotta see these! How on earth did you find all this stuff!
It is an astounding treasure trove. Do not allow ANYONE to take any of
it from you, not even museums, archaeologists or ancient language
linguists, for at least 10 YEARS! And make sure they handle all of
these findings with absolutely clean gloves etc etc., which I am
certain anyway you do yourself.
Bye
PS I spent at least 8 HOURS writing each of my essays (PART A and Part B) for you.
Richard
LikeLiked by 1 person
I will have to read your comment at my leisure and in depth in order to be able to
do any justice to it, James. Once I have read it, I shall post my reply with
your original comment interlinear. OK!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll 60 in the matter of a few days. I have quite a diverse background, as noted by email signature. Add to the list “foster parent” of three children, ages 8-17. I still rise at 3:30am daily and work a 8+hr. day, then go home to cook the evening meal, as well as tutor the children. My wife works in a regional hospital. JAMES R HEATH
LikeLiked by 1 person