Chapter 7
Part II
The stone above is one of the most spectacular pre-Olmec pieces that you will ever see. Its design encompasses the Simple, Stacked, Scooped, and Complicated styles. We’ll be covering some of the many images this stone displays shortly. Before that however, I’d like for you to locate the primary face that is being displayed from this perspective. It is facing rightward 👉. If you have been keeping up with the different types of embedded orientation points then you know that this is a “rocker” type stone. How do you know that? Simple, because of the curved bottom of this piece. Another orientation point can be found contained within the Stacked layers themselves. How so? In the last chapter you were shown two rocker stones that bore an interesting design pattern, a half-circle that formed an eye. You were even shown a third piece with the same half-circle pattern.
The example on the left shows the rigid half-circle pattern shown on previous stones. On the right you will find an example of how this pattern appears on the Stacked stone above. If you can find this pattern within the layers BRAVO!, you have located the right eye 👁️. Flushing out the details for the remainder of this face is relatively easy once you have found this orientation point 😉.
What you just saw in the sort clip above were stones number 2 and 3 from the picture below. Were stones like these used to play some type of ancient game? Perhaps, or maybe these stones, like so many others, were utilized to display faces and images. Of the four stones, stones 1-3 are cubed shaped, although somewhat roughly. Stone 4 on the other hand is thinner and somewhat squared.
The stones you just saw appear to be made of different types of iron-ore. This raises the question of how the Aha were consistently able to fashion such a hard material. Regardless of how they accomplished such a feat, I can assure you that they did and quite often. In fact, over the course of many decades, I have observed these type of shaped stones more than any other. With the Aha people, there seems to have been a special fondness for both shaped hematite and iron-ore stones ranging in color from brown, to red, to purple. Amongst these colors purple has been observed most frequently. So that you don’t simply take my word for it, let’s look at more examples of these types of stones.
We’ll call the stones above Stone 1 and Stone 2. From these perspectives both stones appear to be triangular in shape. Take note of the Biplanar design. Stone 1 has measurements of 2.3″ in length, 1.2″ in width, and is 1.1 inches thick. Stone 2 has measurements of 2.8″ in length, 1.3″ in width, and is 1.1 inches thick.
Pretty neat huh? Well, how about adding a stone? After all, two can be seen as coincidence. Three, on the other hand 🖐 …
Here you see Stone 1 Stone 2 again. Between the pair is another Biplanar style piece. Biplanar in design that is, but certainly not shape. The third stone measures 3.0″ in length, 0.7″ in width, and is 0.9 inches thick. Were these stones manufactured using a standard template design? Sure seems likely 😊.
When viewed separately, you can see just how amazing the third stone truly is. Not only was this piece seemingly manufactured in layers, it contains what appears to be a precision cut. The cut-away section of this piece adds depth to the stone as seen in the photo on the right.
On the left is the same stone from an additional angle. The photo on the right shows the stone’s base.
Above we have a stone that is almost wafer thin (1.0 in. thick, 1.5 in. wide, 2.5 in. long). Although this stone has no visible images, via its shadow it can be said that whatever message it contained was related to time ⏳.
Above, in the photo on the left, we have Stones 1 and 2 from earlier. Although, from previous views, both Biplanar style stones seemed to be triangular shaped, a lateral view of these pieces dispels that thought. The photo on the right shows these two stones laying flat and inverted. Pay attention to how each stone now forms a diamond shape. Again, the question arises, were these two similar stones created with the use of a template design? Perhaps the picture below can be used to help answer that question 🙋.
Now we see Stones 1 and 2 with a piece substantially larger. It too appears to be based on the same Biplanar style standard template design. Stones 1 and 2 weigh 102 grams and 114 grams respectively. This third Biplanar stone weighs approximately 8.0 pounds, is 7.5 inches long, and is 4.5 inches wide. Not so portable huh 🤗? Below you can see just how similar in design these stones are.
Unfortunately, this behemoth of a stone is absent most of its outer stone layering or significant amounts of decorative pigmentation. However, if you know what to look for, one facial image is easy to identify.
From this perspective, there is a humanoid duck-billed character facing rightward 👉. In design, the duck bill is nearly identical in shape as the duck-billed image shown to you at the end of chapter 5 in the bonus content section. This design detail gives us one solid reference point for viewing the remainder of the face. A second aspect of this stone’s design helps in identifying the face also. It is the rounded portion at the bottom of this stone. This curved design pattern was often used to create floppy or chubby cheeks. Its rounded design pattern is frequently found with these stones. In most instances it represents the type of floppy cheek seen here. For another example you need only to look at the first image atop this page. That particular Stacked or Layered style stone has an identically shaped right cheek. If you know what you’re looking for, you know what you’re looking at 🧐.
Above is the third Biplanar style stone with another very similar piece. Unlike it’s near doppelganger, the tan stone is compromised of terracotta. What’s similar is that this piece was also constructed in layers.
Not only are the distinct layers visible from this perspective but, there are facial images represented in each view. Here’s a hint… The face on the left can be found by looking for the “bad air” symbol in the border of the stone. The face on the right is displaying a bird-like character.
Here’s a lateral or side view of this stone. What geometric shape does it form? Also, notice the bubbling or cracked texture of this side of the piece. This type of finish is often seen with intense firing in a kiln. The question is, how is it possible for such a finish to be present on only one side of this stone? As simple as the stone may seem, it is exhibiting some truly advanced construction techniques.
Now, let’s focus our attention to the piece below.
Did you notice the circle within a circle ⭕ pattern? Before discussing any facial imagery, how about checking out the small clip below. Pay attention to the details 👌😉.
What you’ve just in both photos and the short the short clip are the same stone. To begin with, I know you realize that this is is the third time you’ve seen a circular design used to form an eye. This is the second time you’ve seen, not just a circular pattern but, specifically a circle within a circle pattern. In fact, this pattern is nearly identical to the way the eye was formed on our little dinosaur 🦕 friend. Again, it must be asked, was this uniform circular pattern created by the hands 👏 of man or with the use of a specialized tool or machine. Below we’ll look at a diagramed view of this piece and discuss it’s details.
From this perspective, the primary image is facing slightly forward and to the right 👉. With this image the circle within a circle design feature forms the right eye. The gouged section of the stone is where a missing left eye 👁️ would have been located. Unlike the front of this stone, which resembles naturally occuring iron-ore, the texture and look of this side resembles slag. What is slag? It’s a bi-product or waste material produced by smelting and other types of combustion and metallurgical processes. The nose 👃 is pointed, almost beak-like. As such the image may represent some type of bird or perhaps a humanoid bird-like figure. This opinion is bolstered by the egg-shaped 🥚 shadow the stone cast. Then again, it may represent a type of reptilian figure. Because if the roundness of the nose, I lean more towards the latter. Truly examine the nose itself. It too is a repeating design pattern. As you can see, from this perspective, the head or cranium is horizontal in relation to the face. This is unless the symmetrical shape is representative of some type of headpiece. Also, did you notice the other shadow this stone projects? It forms the time ⏳ symbol. As I’ve said, even shadows can represent repeating patterns. There’s a still shot with this shadow below 👇.
Always keep in mind that the symbols connected with these stones can be found anywhere, even in shadows 😉.
Here are two photos with this stone seen standing. On the left, an egg-shaped 🥚 shadow is projected. When you saw this same egg-shaped shadow previously, the stone way laying flat. How’s that for repetition 😯? What geometric shape does it’s borders firm?On the right is the projection of another geometrically shaped shadow. This time it is more of a rounded square.
This is the same stone rotated 180 degrees and photographed from a slightly different angle. From this perspective a more human-like image is displayed. Although the circle within a circle pattern has been previously used as an eye, in this example its placement puts it at the side of the head. Here, it could be representing an ear, something covering the ear, or something attached the ear of head. While no left eye is visible, it’s clear its placement would have been within the confines of the gouged or scooped section of the stone. There is a small mouth, formed my a curved notch, at the bottom of this piece. While its placement may seem odd, there are many, many other stones with mouths located in the same position on the stone. This example also displays the repeated motif of a much lighter nose in comparison to the rest of the face. Of particular note is the shape of this stone. Its borders form a geometric shape that is common with these stones and has its own symbolic significance. Also, like “titan” stones, pieces sharing this geometric shape, often share one particular avian image.
Here’s another small shaped iron-ore stone. This piece is hexagonal in shape with a patina perhaps indicative of firing 🔥. The bigger question is the significance of the shape itself. Keep in mind, six 6⃣ sided, or hexagon shaped stones typically do not appear naturally. Also notice that, like the previous stone, this piece has a smelted or slag-like appearance.
Above we have another irregularly shaped stone. in the photo on the left you can observe the angular dimensions of this piece. In construction it is strikingly similar to the layered “linchpin” designed stone shown to you earlier. It too is comprised of a series of uniform layers. In this example the layers were purposefully offset. This stone measures 5 inches long, is 2.5 inches wide, and is 1.5 inches thick at its widest points. At approximately 1.5 pounds this stone has some serious weight! In the photo on the right you can observe these uniform, offset layers in detail. You might be tempted to think that these layers are visible due to advanced erosion but, you would be wrong. Here’s why… The truth is that oftentimes visibible, exposed, or well defined layers were frequently utilized as a part of some stones total artistic design. Sometimes these layers take on a symbolic meaning. At others, depending on the placement value associated with the layers, they are use to represent physical traits such as hair, or even cuts (slices) to the skin or body. These are just some ways that visibly, exposed, or well defined layers were used. Still, as a repeated design feature, it’s a fact worth remembering 😉.
In describing this piece I said it was an irregularly shaped stone. On the left, from this perspective you can see that this piece forms the now, very familiar irregular pentagon shape. On the right the stone displays the same Cut-Away pattern seen on the three “domino game piece” shaped stones from the last chapter. Although this stone is vastly larger, the artisan used a very similar design pattern 🤔.
OOPS! If you see images without text or text without images that means you have caught me updating this post. Almost done. Chapter 7.3 will start posting as soon as this one is complete. I’ve got several “irons in the fire” right now so your patience is appreciated. Thanks 😁.