Figure Stones: Prehistoric Portable Rock Art (Photos & Guide)

Ive mentioned and demonstrated numerous times hand symbology in my stone tool and prehistoric art finds. However it is not just my finds that show this symbology, it can be found in palaeolithic tools and hand axes found all over the world.  What I have demonstrated is genuine and some of the worlds oldest art, so don't be fooled by the naysayers that tell you your being fooled by your imagination because my work and research produces genuine results and observations thereof that can be independently repeated and verified.

So how is my work and research testable from a scientific point of view? Well it really is as simple as topology and convention. I have found topology not only in symbology, but materials, pigments and symbol combination. I have detailed and demonstrated these symbols and conventions not only in 'standard' stone tools, but also in finds that show no cutting or piercing properties, so that others can realize the truth for themselves. My research on pigments is also scientifically testable and results repeatable as the prehistoric people on my find site seemed to stick to the recipe they used.

My find site is very close to one of the most famous palaeolithic archaeological sites.

This small scraper shows hand symbology, which is common in flint tool finds, in this example it shows the whole hand holding a rock.

This find was recovered from a chalk cliff, notice the hand shape in relief at the bottom of the stone, thumb finger and finger nail. This item has no apparent standard tooling use.

The following pictures are all flint tools that are described as being from the paleolithic period, most were found in various places in Africa, the exact symbology shown has also been found in my own collection from here in the UK, but can also be found in stone tool finds from all over the world. Look carefully for hand shapes, partial hand shapes and thumb shapes, including nails.

 

Index finger on the right, thumb upper left, nails downwards.

                             Index finger on the right, thumb upper left, nails downwards.

 

Thumb upper left, nails downwards, possible damage on the right? leaving the index finger obscured.

Index finger on the right, thumb upper/middle left, nails upwards, as though holding the darker cortex patch upper center.

These three hand axes are all UK finds suspected paleolithic, probable thumb and nail symbology and possible cloaked figure symbology. Source: http://www.stoneagetools.co.uk/stone-age-tools-galleries.htm

These three are all from my find site here in the south of England, all show combination cloaked figure and clawed finger symbology.

The following hand axes/stone tools all show thumb and nail or claw symbology, diagnostic shaping, on some of them it is confined to the tip or is very subtle.

FAQ:

• What are figure stones?
  Stones bearing intentionally selected or modified forms that depict faces/animals; evidence includes patterned removals, edge work, and site-wide consistency.

• Artifact vs geofact—how to tell?
  Look for bulbs of percussion, platforms, repeated removals, retouch, symmetry, pigment traces and patina continuity.

• What counts as patina evidence?
  Depth/continuity across scars, iron staining alignment, and contrast with fresh damage.

Further reading:

• Eoliths: Ancient Flint Tools from Tertiary Layers
• Figure Stones: Portable Rock Art & Prehistoric Faces
• Portable Rock Art: Ancient Carvings & Symbolic Stones

Figure Stones - Cloak and Dagger - Prehistoric Art

 Cloaked figures and thumb/finger shapes are probably the most common artistic impressions to be found in the world of figure stones and portable rock art. Both of these motifs also bleed into flint tool assemblages found world wide, but the archeologists involved are often completely ignorant of the artistic images concealed in the flint tool finds, and do not realize that the flint tools also contain prehistoric art.

Take these relatively recent finds from India that apparently challenge the theory of evolution, looking closely through the finds I notice a few that I would classify as the cloaked figure and one that matches closely with the Thumb motif. I have used scientific method to prove that what I describe as the cloaked figure motif goes beyond just a tooling shape, but also appears in finds with no apparent cutting proposes. This means that the shape has a use that is not as a standard tool, logically a figurative explanation is apparent when one studies the details of finer examples.

Read more about the Indian finds here: Indian Stone Tools Unearthed

 The above animation gives a good impression of the cloaked figure motif, although its design is fairly simple, some face like details are visible.

 The Animation below also contains a good figure impression likeness, but look for the finger and nail motif.

 I suggest you zoom in and study the images below close up to see the finer details, the 'nail tip' also has traces of pigment.

 This next find not only triggers the cloaked figure but also again triggers the digit with nail,  I suggest thumb in this case.

The second in the sequence matches a thump of finger motif very closely, face details are also present in a few here but I suggest you look very closely at the last one. You may also notice the impression of an arm, hand, and cloaked sleeve in the last 3 images.

Figure Stones - Prehistoric Art of the Paleolithic

Here are a selection of recent prehistoric art finds, all are worked flint stones, and one has a very plausible tool usage, although not a tool that I know to have been recognized in other stone age tool assemblages. I label these finds as paleolithic as they show figurative depictions of creatures that were only have believed to have lived locally in the paleolithic age or older.

 Not an unusual face depiction to find in figure stones or portable rock art, however, this one has a clever anamorphic illusion effect, very rarely demonstrated in collections outside my own, if ever. Despite the right facing profile, a possible blue tit like bird depiction can be seen inset, the reason I suggest blue tit is that it would match other more convincing depictions of the same subject I have in other finds.

 The video demonstrates the anamorphic illusion, the still above demonstrates the intricate detail put in to sculpting the eye shape.

The next two finds represent some of the easiest portable rock art to find and recognize, the thumb motif, just like flint arrow heads, these have a very distinctive shape and usage. If you want to prove your figure stone collection has validity, find these among your assemblage, they can be found almost globally, and this icon was used over vast time periods.

 This next find I suggest has a physical tooling usage, but also holds some common symbolic convention and iconography. As a tool it could be very effective at levering bark from a tree. Symbolically elephant head, with pigment eye feature, gorilla strut (head and arm)  and phallus, but from an angle not shown. Look out for the sauropod or plesiosaurs like depiction which is also present in the second photo.

Mystery of the Stone Thumbs - Figure Stones

Thumb and finger shaped stones are found all over the world, a few of them have even been labeled as fossils by their finders, which in the case of flint finds would shed doubt on mainstream geology theory and evolutionary theory timelines, if they were indeed fossils. Even one of my own finds appears to be an only lightly modified flint nodule resembling a thumb shape, but I don't actually believe it to be a fossilized thumb, just a case of very fine cortex carving, as seen often in my flint finds. I made this video to demonstrate the quintessential figure stone thumb motif, showing some of my best thumb shapes, some very subtle ones, an unquestionable flint tool bearing the same symbology at its tip, and even one or two that appear almost photo realistic. By in large these thumb shapes do not appear to be modeled on the thumbs of homo sapiens, but perhaps close cousins?

The video quality is not the best, however it still demonstrates the very distinctive thumb shape, how it was incorporated into flint blade tools, and finds that show no piecing or cutting properties. Most were found on my site here in the UK, many incorporate blades.

Figure Stones - Our Forum

About the Forum.

Firstly I would like to thank all who have joined in with our forum Portable Rock Art and Figure Stones  it has been a positive experience that is helpful and informative to all who are interested in studying this most ancient art form, thank you to all for your posts and comments, but more importantly your additions to the scientific study. Science is what we can observe and test and demonstrate, and this is exactly what many of your finds reflect. Special thanks go to Rocky, Baggy and Greglafla for welcoming members, positive commentary and general helpfulness.

A selection of Figure Stones posted on the Forum.
I have selected a few of my favorite stone find submissions and the names of the respective researchers with some additional commentary to post here. (For those who have not joined our forum). 

Rocklith76 found this in Georgia USA, this bird effigy is probably best described as a piece of portable rock art describing a thunder bird. This could easily be ascribed to known Native American Indian cultures, however other symbology appears present making this poly iconic (ape like head profiles), so i would suggest the term 'figure stone', that being the case.

Thunder Bird Effigy Stone.

Another find from Rocklith76 in Georgia, this one i find to be highly poly iconic showing common glyph content and common convention. I find this one amazing for skill in fore-fort of design, combining many figures in a neat package, the artist a true genius. Pigment created eye shapes also appear present. Suggested figuration for this figure stone includes, duck, mammoth half, cloaked figure, ape face, fish half,  pointing finger, those and more can be seen in the other pictures on the forum.

Bird effigy Figure Stone

Another great find from Georgia, this time by Robert Firesheets. I suggest the main subject here as the front half of a horse grazing, head turned backwards, an incised line to detail the hoof. Other symbology is likely present as well, face profiles can be seen along the left edge.

Anil from England has also been responsible for some very impressive finds, this next one is also proof of the validity of our study, as common convention and figuration are present.  Very detailed bear half figuration can be seen facing right, and along the right, facing left, a detailed mammoth half depiction is also present, aligned upright with the bear. More subtle imagery can also be seen, and some potentiality unknown creature depictions.

This find also from Anil shows some well known faces and convention, which crop up often in poly iconic figure stones. This stone also features heavy pigment use, detailed eye shapes and staggering complexity. Can you find what looks like the head description of a dinosaur? Picture comparison and highlighting thanks to Rocky over at  The Rock Art Museum

This one is a Tim Banninger find from Kansas. This find has been heavily flaked and shows numerous face descriptions.

This one from Judy Eagerton in the United States also shows some common figuration and convention. This one may take a little time to appreciate the Gorilla image, although the 'Gorilla strut' is a well documented glyph in European finds, this one is more like a sculpture than the more common flat glyph profile style. A subtle elephant half and bear half can also be seen, and a face, upper central left. Can you find what looks to be a top half of a T-rex depiction in this find?

Further reading:

• Eoliths: Ancient Flint Tools from Tertiary Layers
• Figure Stones: Portable Rock Art & Prehistoric Faces
• Portable Rock Art: Ancient Carvings & Symbolic Stones

Flint axe shows Hadrosaurus - Figure Stones

An almost photo-realistic image of a Hadrosaurus face can be seen in this flint axe find, although we don't have any actual photos of a real Hadrosaurus to compare it with. This is as good as it gets, in fact one could argue it has a better 'feel' than any modern reconstruction as it was apparently made by people who witnessed the beast first hand, although recognition would also be testament to the quality work of artists who reconstruct dinosaur images from fossils.

So what of the naysayers? can they find a photo realistic image of a VW Beetle or a tin opener in other prehistoric flint tools? No they cannot because chaos is not responsible for the image, human workmanship is.  Just like we recognize pictures in items such as books, this is clearly a flint tool and was in the hands and worked by prehistoric humans,  the flake removal also goes beyond simple utilitarian shape creation.

Above: To those who know and understand paleolithic symbology, this flint axe also triggers the recognition of the bird motif.

So is this a prehistoric artistic impression of what a Hadrosaurus face actually looked like? well it actually matches quite a few known dinosaur likenesses, but Hadrosaurus seems to be the closest match, and I have other finds that would corroborate this interpretation.

This figure stone also holds other prehistoric symbology previously recognized in my finds, although one motif I have seen repeatedly, I'm not sure what creature it represents far past the loose interpretation of marine mammal.

Above: Another find from my site, could this be a rather simple description of another dinosaur head? crude 'teeth' can be seen.

Above: This is a fossil tooth, also from my site. Current geology theory would date this tooth to at least 70 Million years old.

Above: For those who are still stuck thinking that Dinosaurs and Humans would never have met, here is a video that demonstrates there is  a huge amount of evidence to the contrary.

Please note the original video has been deleted, so a replacement video has been found.

Portable Rock Art and Figure Stones vs Native American Indians

Are Native American Indians responsible for portable rock art? Well that is actually a loaded question, obviously the indigenous peoples of America are surely responsible. However various researchers often try to ascribe their finds to a particular culture, Woodland or Archaic for example. Yes those cultures obviously did produce artistic objects, but if you compare the majority of portable rock art and figure stones finds to artistic objects found by professionals and ascribed to any particular culture, a big difference in style and technique is clear.

Here is a quick test which should give you a clue as to who made any particular art object:

Is it polished? These began to appear in the Archaic period.
Is it pressure flaked? Officially that would appear from the Clovis period and after.
Is it Ceramic?  They appear in the Middle Archaic period.
Does the rock show multiple combined images? These are from an unknown pre-clovis culture.

The following pictures are all of modern fine flint artworks from Don Wilcox found on https://flintknappers.com/ These were made with the exact same technique used by the Clovis culture. So Clovis peoples were capable of making such items, and yes a few ancient portable rock art finds have been found that do look very similar to these. I think that pretty much debunks the idea that woodland culture etc. peoples were responsible for many items labelled as portable rock art, and would suggest that a much older culture would be responsible for many of the genuine items labelled as portable rock art or figure stones.

Further reading:

• Eoliths: Ancient Flint Tools from Tertiary Layers
• Figure Stones: Portable Rock Art & Prehistoric Faces
• Portable Rock Art: Ancient Carvings & Symbolic Stones