Bulletin of the Massachusetts Archaeological Society, Vol. 13, No. 4 Massachusetts Archaeological Society
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Bridgewater State University Virtual Commons - Bridgewater State University Bulletin of the Massachusetts Archaeological Journals and Campus Publications Society 7-1952 Bulletin of the Massachusetts Archaeological Society, Vol. 13, No. 4 Massachusetts Archaeological Society Follow this and additional works at: http://vc.bridgew.edu/bmas Part of the Archaeological Anthropology Commons Copyright © 1952 Massachusetts Archaeological Society This item is available as part of Virtual Commons, the open-access institutional repository of Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, Massachusetts. BULLETIN OF THE MASSACHUSETTS ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY VOL XIII NO.4 JUL~ 1952 CONTENTS The Kensington Stone Erik Moltke. .......•••..•....••.•••••..••••••.•.•. •• 33 The Occurrence of OCeanic Artifacts in Local Indian Collections Ernest S. Dodge. ................................... .. 38 "The Bull Brook" Site, Ipswich, Mass. William Eldridge and Joseph Vacaro ••...••••••.••..•..••• •• 39 PERIODICAl!; t - . THE CLiMENT C. MAX\··~ STATE COLLEi=:i: PUBliSHED I' THE BRIDGEWATER, MAS£.~· MASSACHUSmS ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOClm, INC. Maurice Robbins, Editor, 23 Steere Street, Attleboro, Mass. William S. Fowler, Secretary, Bronson Museum, 8 No. Main Street, Attleboro, Mass. Since the publication of the article in ANTIQUITY, June, 1951, Professor Johannes Broendsted's observations from his American Journey (as a guest of The American Scandinavian Foundation) has appeared in Aar~ger f. Nordisk Oldkyndighed 1951 with an extensive summary in English (observations on weapons supposed to be of Scandinavian origin, on the Newport Tower and on America's Runic Stones). In this article Broendsted publishes an article on the Kensington Stone by K. M. Nielsen, who, too, denies the genuine ness of the inscription. This journal and its contents may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. ©2010 Massachusetts Archaeological Society. THE KENSINGTON STONE By Erik Moltke Runologist of the Danish National Museum Translated by John R. B. Gosney Reprinted from ANTIQUITY No. 98 June 1951 In 1898 a Swedish-American farmer, Olaf Ohman, agreed with the great authorities of Norway and Sweden, cut down an aspen tree on his farm. He found enveloped Magnus Olsen, Moltke, Moe, M. Hogstad (i.e. Haegstad), in its roots a large flat stone which he only just man Bugge, Noreen, Schrick (i.e. Schuck), Montelius, in aged to get out without ruining his axe. When his ten thinking that the language is too modern, besides being year-old son had brushed some of the dirt from the faulty; and a more careful study of the words has not stone, Ohman discovered that one of the faces and one changed my opinion." To these outstanding names, and of the edges were covered with strange engraved fig especially the runologists and philologists Sophus Bugge, ures. It was soon decided that these had something to Magnus Olsen and Adolf Noreen, may be added the names do with runes. This is where the saga of the Kensington of the greatest runologists of Sweden and Denmark, Otto stone begins: from Ohman's farm to a shop window in V. Friesen, Elias Wessen and Ludvig F. A. Wimmer. Kensington, to Prof. O. J. Breda in Minneapolis, to Now two younger runologists have severely questioned Prof. George O. Curme, back to Ohman's farm con the authenticity of the stone, namely the present writer ,1 demned as a blatant forgery. Here it lay despised as and also Sven B. F. Jansson in Nordisk Tidskrift 1949. "a stepping stone near his granary for eight years, with A couple of years before the appearance of these articles out further notice." It was "rediscovered" by Hjalmar the above-mentioned journal Danske Studier for 1946-47 Holand, bought by him, and he devoted his life (three published an article on the inscription by the Danish large books and innumerable articles) to attempting to Emeritus Prof. in the Eskimo Language, William Thal prove that the inscription was genuine. Finally in its bitzer, who upholds' the authenticity of the inscription. Jubilee year 1948 it was given the place of honour in the Recently a paper by S. N. Hagen has appeared in the National Museum at the Smithsonian Institute in Wash American Journal Speculum (July 1950). Hagen says: ington as one of the finest pre-Columbian monuments of "As far as I know, no linguist or runologist has come America. forward with the reconsideration suggested by Einarsson (disagreeing with Holand who is deficient in certain ele American and European newspapers during the Jubi mentary fundamentals). While we are awaiting a study lee year were full of articles about the stone, partly be of the inscription by a competent scholar, I offer a few cause two leading Scandinavian scientists had been observations..." Hagen supports the authenticity of the called to America to give an opinion. They were the inscription, for example in the following words: "This Swedish runologist Sven B. F. Jansson, who declared inscription should be a perfect joy to the linguist because subsequently in a talk on the American radio that the it is such a delightfully honest and unsophisticated rec stone was false, and the Danish professor of Archaeol ord of its author's own speech. A forger would have ogy Johs. Brs6ndsted, who brought back an excellent copy tried to imitate a language other than his own. It is of the inscription but otherwise left the conclusive word clear that this author tried to imitate no language but to the students of runes and language. his own. In branding this beautiful inscription as a forgery, scholars have thrown away not only an impor In 1910 a little book was published: - The Kensing tant historical document but also a faithful record of ton Rune Stone: Preliminary Report to the Minnesota medieval Scandinavian speech." Finally I am acquainted Historical Society by its Museum Committee. The re with an article in the Swiss Journal Atlantis (Sept. 1950). sult of the investigations by the committee was that the It is written by one of the former supporters of the in inscription was genuine, pre-Columbian. Nevertheless scription, Prof. Richard Hennig, Dusseldorf, and although the report ends with a letter from Prof. N. H. Winchell, he knows both Jansson's and my article, he concludes the philological expert on the committee. In it he is his statement with the following pompous words, rem sorry that he is going away, but he says: "I have ex iniscent of the runologists of the Hitler period: "The amined your report carefully, have visited Kensington authenticity of the Kensington Stone has been proved and and neighbourhood, and have read most of the papers thereby the presence of Scandinavians in America fully and articles relating to the rune stone. I have always 130 years before Columbus is no longer in doubt.,,2 1. In the newspaper INFORMATION, of 9th Feb. 1949, on the basis of the material brought back by Brl6ndsted, later published in the journal DANSKE STUDIER, 1949-50, with a linguistic examination of the inscription by Dr. Harry Andersen. 2. German original: "Die Echtheit des Kensington-Steins ist erwiesen und damit die Anwesenheit von Skandinaviern in Amerika volle 130 Jahre vor Columbus nicht mehr zu bezweifeln." 33 34 MASSACHUSETTS ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY: BULLETIN THE KENSINGTON STONE 811" t.r. ok 22.norr ••n\po. J :4g~X~+I~t ~f\~:~I\t -. op d. a &.1 •• f a I' d I fro • o/ltIX~~ ~O/-¥'j:t'l: • 1 n 1 and.of. v •• t: v 1. tXt>r.I~t~:rtp:f:Lr'f tXft+1: TRANSLATION had e.1 If. Ie I' : v • d .2. • k jar ••n • (We were) 8 Goths and zz ~X~ ~:~J ~tptlf'1l+t Norwegians on a joumey of ,f:'H M: exploration from Vinland to d a g a. I' 1 •••nor r I fro. d .no. a t .n I the west. We had (our) camp b}' two skerries one day's journey from this stone. .1.. a I' .oks 11 all.senld al hIll p t ir : We were out to fish (fishing) one day. Arrived home we ~i~' ~6) found 10 men red with blood 0/1 : ++'11: VJX '1-:1:\11)\ i-: Pf. and dead. AVM (AVe v1.koalh.ID'f, n:10lm an.r ($ de: Maria), free (us) from evil. Xr,'~ P:4~: p~A (We) have ten men by,the 19 Dt VM: sea to look after our shi{l(s) 'f • b 1 0 d I 0 I• d. d. (AV. Mar i a) : 14 da}'s' journey from this island. (In the) year 1362. fr I.la •• ,'f'.illU. txt\'.f:o/Xi-l,:'V +:*Xo/+T:XT:~+: harl10.1D an .. v tah a v .tl at: se: ~gi' R:ty~Rf'h~ \g:r~:px1*:R\ ~+: I pt1r•• 01'" akip.14.dag h.ria •• ~R~\fI.·pt14:~t:X+R: rF~ F: f roald.nol "h•• hI' .1' 62. FIGURE 20. The Inscription on the Kensington Stone As far as the most recent authors are concerned, one fute the philological arguments against its authenticity, may well say that Thalbitzer's philological arguments but his deep attachment to "this beautiful inscription" have been so hard hit by the specialised criticism of gives its peculiar forms of speech such a wide margin Jansson and Harry Andersen that they have no leg to as to leave the thinking reader with the impression that stand on. In spite of Hennig's determined judgment he had the inscription been in Chinese, Hagen would have produces no new argument, but confines himself to an let it pass as good LatinI But more of this below. enumeration of all Holand's old chestnuts. As for Hagen, his article shows that he is a scholarly Scandinavist It is striking not only to the Scandinavian scholar, but from time to time he puts his comrade in arms, Holand, to any ordinary reader of the Kensington inscription that gently and kindly on the right road, when the latter dis this living document can be very easily read when tran plays his ignorance of the elementary rules of Old Nor scribed in the Latin alphabet.