by Dan Arnold
“Ok, what’s the second thing?”
“We’re going to have a look at some of those stone circles connected by miles of stone lined paths. What kind of stones are they and where did they come from.”
“Cool, you know me, I love to get stoned.” She grinned and sang, “…Everybody must get stoned.”
Jake just shook his head, chuckling.
Eight
Everything old is new again
After supper, Dr. Jacob Walker was in full lecture mode.
“There’s nothing unusual about any man-made structure that’s basically circular. Circles are commonly seen in nature, straight lines—very seldom. The circle is a universal symbol of completion or continuity. It’s been associated with fertility. In one form or another it’s seen on every continent and in every culture.
Most of the dwellings of our own Native Americans were cylindrical, whether they were teepees or wickiups, round was the ideal shape to be wind resistant, and shed snow and rain.
Circles are also one of the easiest symbols to draw without measuring. If you drive a stake in the ground, or lay a stone and walk around it, you can mark a crude circle on the ground. If you use a length of rope, even a vine, tied to the center point, you can create a nearly perfect circle. Trying to create straight lines of equal length and distance is more complicated. This is why nearly all of the local tribal kraals and huts are circular. We saw from the air that this is still the usual way they’re built today.
What’s interesting here in this region is that even though there are thousands of old stone circle structures which the locals assume are ancient kraals, none of them are being used for holding livestock. Additionally, some of the circular structures are very small and have no openings or doorways. In fact, some of the larger ones have no openings either. That’s odd.
So, we have these two anomalies to research. One, the calendar site on the edge of the plateau, the other is the innumerable stone circle structures the locals call abandoned kraals.
Here’s the way we’ll go at this. Harry, you contact tribal people in the area and learn what you can about both the calendar site and the other circles of stone.
Adrienne, you and I will start at the calendar site. I want to hear your analysis of the geology. We’ll start there and then begin exploring some of the other circles.
Beaudreaux, you’re our ride. You’ll fly us up to the calendar first thing tomorrow. We’ll all meet back here tomorrow night to discuss progress and determine our next objective.”
“I’m looking forward to it. I can’t wait to meet the locals and show them some love,” Harry said.
“You got to give me some lovin’…,” Adriennene sang.
Adrienne knelt at the base of one of the standing stones.
“Jake, contrary to my first impression, which was the stones are a naturally occurring feature, I have to conclude the arrangement wasn’t caused by an earthquake or other violent movement of the earth. These aren’t a geological accident. These stones were most likely brought here from somewhere else.”
“That was my thinking, and pretty much everyone else’s. That brings to mind a number of questions.”
“Right, questions like, when, by whom and why?”
Jake nodded.
“Yes.”
“As a geologist I can offer some general information. The bedrock in the area consists of Greenbelt granite. That’s an igneous rock. The monoliths are dolomite, sometimes called dolostone or dolomitic limestone. It’s a pretty common formation, but it has mysterious origins. You see limestone is derived from sedimentation in a seabed. But dolomitic limestone has a great deal of magnesium in it. There is some speculation that the magnesium may have come from an ancient meteor impact.”
“How is that pertinent?”
“It isn’t. I just think it’s interesting. What is pertinent is there is no evidence this site, as we observe it now, has ever been disturbed by anything other than the gradual changes brought by the forces of nature. It appears time has not been gentle. Several stones have fallen over. The circular shape is nearly indiscernible. I suspect it’s because the surface soil of the plateau has been sliding over the edge of the escarpment an inch or two per century.”
“So are you agreeing with my initial assessment?”
“I am.”
“I want to show you some markings I think are man-made.”
“That too, would be interesting.”
Jake led Adrienne over to a megalith at the edge of the precipice. He pointed out the grooves at each end.
“I believe these grooves were carved by whoever brought the stones here,” he said. “What do you think?”
“Well, they’re not natural. Someone made them. Judging by the extreme erosion on the surface of the stone and the age of the lichen, I’d say the grooves have been in the rock for as long as these stones have been here.”
“I’ll show you some more.”
When they’d concluded the examination of the marks, Jake showed her what appeared to be purposeful alignment of the standing stones along a north/south axis. He pointed out how the shadow of the larger standing stone in the center moved across the face of the smaller one.
“This whole cosmic astronomical connection thing doesn’t interest me,” Adrienne said. “I wonder if these stones have magnetic properties.”
“Why would they?”
“Ferromagnetism can occur in rock with a high crystalline content, like this dolomite. It can be caused by lightning. This plateau has probably been hit any number of times.”
“What brought that to mind?”
“You mentioned a north/south orientation. That reminded me of magnetic poles. I know a lot about the laws of attraction, Baby.”
Jake chuckled.
“It reminded me of the stone circle at Nabta Playa, the only megalithic circle in Egypt. It’s located almost exactly due north of here. Like this place, it has an alignment with the sun and cardinal directions. The similarities between this structure and that one suggest we will need to establish this as an archeological dig site. They found significant artifacts under Nabta Playa. There’s never been any sponsored scientific research here.”
“Won’t that require permits and the participation of a major university?”
“The short answer is, yes, it will. I don’t have the time or inclination to pursue that angle, but I’ll recommend it to the Minister of Antiquities. I doubt he’ll do anything about it, but that’s not our problem.
We don’t know how old this site is, but we know it’s ancient, at least several thousand years old. That’s enough for now. Hello, it looks like we have company.”
A few dozen yards away, a four wheel drive vehicle slowed to a stop. The man who emerged from the truck wore an angry countenance, barely cloaking his hostile rage with an authoritative manner. He pointed at them as he approached.
“Who are you people? This is a protected bird sanctuary. You can’t fly a helicopter in here without permission.”
“Hello, I’m Dr. Jacob Walker. I was here the other day with Dr. Stefan Aleksander, the Minister of Antiquities for the Republic of South Africa. We have official permission to research this structure.”
“I know nothing about that, and I don’t care. Get back in your helicopter and get out of here.”
“May I ask who you are?”
“My name is Dingane Gogo. I am the custodian here.”
“I apologize for this intrusion. We’ll leave immediately. We’ll come back later by automobile?”
“No, you are not welcome here. This is a sacred place. Go away and do not return.”
“I was given to understand this site is becoming a popular tourist destination. Are you saying all people are unwelcome here, or just us?”
“Those who come with open minds and hearts are welcome. They may learn to hear the gods. You scientific types are skeptics, or worse. You will anger the gods. Go, now!”
As the chopper lifted away from the site,
Adrienne asked a question.
“Jake, what did you make of all that talk about angering the gods? He told us he was the custodian of the site, but you told us the site was part of some sort of sanctuary for wild birds.”
Jake nodded thoughtfully, as he watched the escarpment disappear from view. After a moment he spoke into his microphone.
“He was so angry; I didn’t want to annoy him any further. I can understand why landing a helicopter in a bird sanctuary could be inappropriate, but he wasn’t really as disturbed by that, as much as by our just being there. He seems to hold to some traditional belief, with which I’m presently unfamiliar. We’ll have to have Harry look into it.”
Adrienne winked and said, “That’s what she said.”
Nine
The Khoikhoi
Chief Onga-Oma surveyed the land before him. It was good land. Water flowed in rivers and streams. There were rolling hills, savannahs and mountains. Wildlife abounded. This would be a good home for his people.
As was customary, the shaman, Inapitak would have to be consulted, but Onga-Oma was confident these lands would serve his people well. The king of Sheba had been generous in directing them here. The only requirement the great king had in exchange was that Onga-Oma’s people locate the golden nuggets and the rocks with the golden lines.
Turning, the Chief looked out over his people and their herds of cattle and goats. His tribe now boasted nearly a thousand warriors, four hundred head of cattle, nearly as many goats, and hundreds of women and children. Yes, this land would be a very good home for all of them. Their life of wandering was ended. A new life in a permanent home would begin in this place.
Later in the day, three of his scouts reported finding some odd structures built entirely of stacked stones. In the company of Inapitak and his personal guards, he left the encampment and followed the scouts to the location.
To his amazement, on the top of a hill, they came upon a circle of stones stacked nearly as high as a man’s shoulder. Within the circle were more, smaller circles, also built of stacked stones. Each stone was about as long as his forearm and about as thick. A few were larger or smaller. Altogether he estimated there were more stones than all of his people combined. The grass and shrubs weren’t beaten down, and trees were growing up among the circles.
More amazing still, he was able to see other stone circles in the distance. There was a kind of trail or pathway, lined with similar rocks, going from this circle off to the next nearest circle.
“Have you seen the people who built this village?” He asked the scouts.
“No. There are no people here and there is no sign anyone has been here in many years. Also, there is no wood for fires, roof beams, or thatch for roofing. Those smaller rings over there are too small to be huts and have no gaps or other entrance.”
The Chief touched a wall in amazement. “We build our enclosures with thorns and brush. Our huts are made of mud. They built all of this with these carefully stacked stones. Truly, this is a strange thing. The people are gone, but the walls remain. How can this be so? I don’t understand. Where are the people?”
He turned to the shaman.
“What do you see, Inapitak? What is this place?”
“This is the work of both men and gods, oh Chief. The people who built this are here no more. The gods have destroyed them.”
Chief Onga-Oma whipped his hand away from the stone wall.
“Is it cursed?”
“I do not know, my Chief. Tonight I will make my camp among these stones. I must consult the spirits. Perhaps they will grant me a vision. Give me a few days and I will tell you the answer to your question.”
Ten
Gods, serpents and men
“So, you say your people believe the first man came from up on a high plateau near here. He was put there by the gods?” Harry found this information startling.
The interpreter turned to the old shaman, Obedinga Suptib, repeating Harry’s question.
“No, not all of our people know this, most are Christians or Muslims. They worship Tiqua. They do not listen to the old tales. If they did, they would know the first man—the one you call ‘Adam’—came from up there.” the shaman said.
Even though he could make no sense of it, the strange language with its glottal stops, clicks and pops, fascinated Harry. If it weren’t for the young man interpreting for him, the conversation would’ve been impossible.
There are eleven official languages spoken in South Africa and many more spoken by people from distant lands. Harry suspected the shaman spoke other languages beside the San dialect, but he was enjoying this opportunity to speak the old tongue. Perhaps he was testing the young man.
Harry asked the obvious question, which the interpreter repeated.
“Who made the first man?”
The old shaman chuckled and grinned. He made some sounds with pops and clicks which seemed to startle the interpreter. He turned to Harry and said, “He says, who indeed?”
Perplexed, Harry caught the old shaman’s eye, asking, “Do you not know?”
When the interpreter repeated the question, the shaman raised his eyebrows.
“Do you not know?”
Harry wasn’t put off by the man’s attitude. He’d worked with drug dealers in Harlem, human traffickers in Thailand, and studied the horse culture in Kirgizstan. A person speaking in unusual ways was nothing new to him. He’d just ask the question in a different way. The back and forth through the interpreter had become natural and wasn’t even noticed now.
“As a child, when you heard the story of the first man, who did they say made him?”
The old Shaman nodded thoughtfully.
“The Zulu say, Unkulunkulu was both the Creator of everything and the first man. He created everything we see. They brought this belief with them when they came here. My people have a different history.”
“Tell me about that.”
The shaman squinted at Harry.
“You must understand, my people the San, are the only, true, first people. We have always been here. CvcgbvCagn is the principle god of the San. Perhaps it was he who made us, but he is not alone. Tsui'goab is the god of thunder and lightning. The plateau is his domain. Gaunab is a god of sickness and death. Where there is life, there is death. I am a servant of !Zu. It is he who gives me power. He gives me dreams and shows me signs and wonders.”
The interpreter paused for a moment.
“Is this helpful at all? I’m having a hard time making sense of what he’s saying.”
Harry slapped the young man on the shoulder, nearly knocking him over. He’d intended to encourage the fellow, but catching him off guard probably frightened him.
“Yes, thank you. This is exactly what I want to learn. You’re doing a great job.”
The interpreter shrugged with a crooked smile
Harry smiled back, nodding for him to go on.
The young man knit his brows in a thoughtful expression.
“You know, he may be the very last person to ever speak that language.”
“No, he won’t be the last.”
“How do you know?”
Harry grinned again, and said, “Because you speak it.”
He offered the young interpreter a fist bump.
“Ok, ask him to tell me more about the first man…”
“I’ll have to pick a spot to set down pretty soon, Jake. Fuel will be an issue if we go much further north. I could fly up into Zimbabwe, but I’m afraid if we try to refuel up there they might greet us with machine guns.”
“That’s OK, Phillipe. Take us back to that hilltop we passed a few miles to the south, you know the one with all those terraces?”
“Not for sure, but at least it’s on the way back toward civilization. OK, coming back around, now.”
Fifteen minutes of flying time brought them to a forested area of rolling hills where circles of stone were dotted all over the landscape. One hilltop had several stone circles connected by lined pat
hs and what appeared to be terraces all around.
“That looks interesting, Boudreaux One, Let me get a few pictures, then you can set us down over there.”
“Roger that, LT…approaching the LZ now.”
As they hovered a few hundred feet above it, the site revealed a series of terraces, stone circles, and what looked like roads lined with stones. The interconnected structures covered the entire surface of the hill. The complex must have encompassed one hundred acres or more. The stone lined paths or roads disappeared into the distance. Jake felt excitement as his eyes took in the sight and his mind raced, attempting to find meaning. This was incredible.
Once on the ground, Phillipe said he wanted to do some maintenance on the chopper.
“Hey, Adrienne, I’ve got goodies in a cooler. If you get hungry come on back and I’ll feed you lunch.”
“That sounds like a date, Sugar. I’ll look forward to it.”
“You won’t mind if I tag along will you?” Jake said, with a smirk. After all, he was paying for everything.
Adrienne winked and said, “Of course not, darling. You bought me breakfast.”
The first stone circle was only a short walk across open ground, at the edge of a forest.
“All of the kraals we’ve seen are out in the open savannah or on farmland. I wonder if any of them are in the forests,” Jake mused.
“Maybe, but the woodlands are mostly low-lying, along streams and in the valleys. These structures are mostly on high ground. Forests may have grown over them, but I’ll bet they weren’t built in the forests. Wow, this one looks like it could’ve been built last week. The masonry is top notch. I can’t imagine how long it would take to build a dry stone wall as well-crafted as this is.”
“No,” Jake said. “It took considerable skill.”
They were standing outside a stone circle roughly five feet in height, a little less than shoulder high for Jake. The wall was almost uniformly built to a width or thickness of about two feet. Jake reckoned the circumference to be in the neighborhood of ninety feet. Inside, another smaller circle built of the same stones also stood without any form of entrance.