A few months ago we traveled north to Fort Mountain State Park to see the mysterious stone wall on top of the mountain. In the pictures you can see a view from the mountain, the path leading to the stone wall, and two pictures of the wall. That path may look like an easy climb but it certainly was not! The following information comes from ngeorgia.com
Enigmatic. Puzzling. Mysterious. These words are frequently used to explain a nondescript stone wall at the top of a mountain in Georgia. The wall runs 855 feet and varies in height from two to six feet. When built, it was probably significantly taller. Why was it built? Who built it? When was it built? These are the questions puzzled researchers ask.
Currently, most scholars believe that the wall originated about 500A.D. and has a religious purpose. Many early cultures built structures related to astronomical events. In this case the wall runs east to west around a precipice. The effect is that the sun illuminates one side of the wall at sunrise and on the other side at sunset. Native American cultures worshipped the sun and all things in nature. The absence of religious artifacts supports this theory since it was common practice for Native Americans to take ceremonial objects with them when they moved.
I love theme days so I thought I'd try a day just for pictures of the sky. This could include sunsets, the moon, planes, clouds and even superman if you can find him! If anyone is interested in posting a picture of the sky on Fridays let me know and I'll make a blog list on my side bar.
31 comments:
Hello dear Dot, finally catching up with you!! Those rock walls are so fascinating and how mysterious that no one really seems to know who built them and when! I so love all your pictures...yes even the beetle in the previous post, although I don't like bugs! lol xoxo
Dot, Mama and I thoroughly enjoyed M is for Mountains. I read every word out loud to her during a commercial of "NCSI" and held my laptop up so that she could see the photos--I clicked to enlarge the four-part photo. Fantastic job!
I don't have enough sky photos to join you, at this time. If I manage to get a collection fo them, I'll get back with you. It's a neat idea for sure.
Intersting post dot. Amazing how much knowledge from the past has been lost and what knowledge was around all those years ago.
Like the pictures
Lovely views and how interesting about the wall. I'll try and rustle up a sky photo for Friday....a lovely idea Dot :o)
Rx
Hey dot wonderful mountains!
Funnily enough I took some pics of the sky last night.
I'll post one on Friday, which is my caption competition day!
Dx
Talk about good scientific reasoning -- "most scholars believe that the wall originated about 500A.D. [have they done C14 dating on the stones?] and has a religious purpose. [a kinda catch-all answer if ever I heard one] Many early cultures built structures related to astronomical events. In this case the wall runs east to west around a precipice. [if the precipice is E-W oriented than how could it have been built differently?] The effect is that the sun illuminates one side of the wall at sunrise and on the other side at sunset. [well it would do wouldn't it?] Native American cultures worshipped the sun and all things in nature. The absence of religious artifacts supports this theory since it was common practice for Native Americans to take ceremonial objects with them when they moved. [so the evidence isn't there so it must have been - a great non-sesquior that]
"
sorry to sound cynical - I just couldn't help it -- it is actually quite fascinating.
Dot, I will try your Friday thing if I can remember. I love photos os the heavens.
Mmmm... mountains... marvelous!
Fascinating information and photos. We have Serpent Mound and other mounds with much Native American significance but no walls. So it must have been something different in their culture. Could it have been the Celts who left some stone walls and shelters in New England and disappeared?
Great mountain pics! :)
I wish I could see your mountains first hand Dot - I adore all that wilderness and solitude, the silence yet the deafening noise of nature. You've captured it so well!
Beautiful mountains - enjoyed you post!
If only those rocks could talk!! How very interesting!
Thanks, Dot, for visiting my ABC Wednesday M is for M & Ms post.
I really enjoyed your pictures.Don't remember hearing about that state park when we lived in GA.What town is it located near? We lived in the Atlanta area and visited state parks north of us.For the life of me I can't even remember the names of them now.I remember one had a lake and we would take our girls swimming there.Guess it is time to do some research and refresh my memory.
Thanks for the N Georgia web site.I found the info I was looking for there.I had no idea that there were so many state parks just in north Georgia.The three parks that we frequented are: Amicalola Falls State Park,Unicoi State Park near Helen(that is where we went to the beach and I remember the water being very cold since it was in the mountains) and Vogel State Park.
Beautiful pictures.
I have a few pictures of the sky that would go with your Friday Sky theme.
This is beautiful countryside Dot.
The wall does sound intersting and mysterious. I love going to places like this, they have their own special energy.
Great pictures and seeing the path made me want to take a walk on it. :-)
I love those stone walls. It is amazing how long they remain standing!!
Great shots and info, thanks.
I'll join in fri sky day too, thanks.
Looks like a great walk. I like the idea of a sky day.
Thanks for visiting me.:-)
Interesting to learn about the wall. I`m no good in English... but I do my best...
Dot, I'm catching up on your blog. Nice pictures. I would love to walk the stone walkway. Year before last, I climbed to the top of Cape Hatteras Light House.
Once again you are posting some great pictures. I would like to see a few more from the Island you visited.
Interesting mystery.
--steve buser
New Orleans Daily Photo
This is a great post for "M'...lots of different M's....no where near as much trouble to find something as "I" was!!!!
I think I'd like to wonder that mountain top, take in the sights and sit and ponder the wall and it's builders, now it dose not matter why or what it was for because to me the beauty is in the mystery of the place.
Friday Sky sounds fine by me....count me in.
Interesting wall but I don't know anything about it. I like the idea "skyphotos" on Friday but as you know I don't post every day and I have not that many skyphotos. Maybe a monthly photo is better for me. Thank you for your nice comments I appreciate it very much.
Since we live in the mountains, I love the mountain post. Lots of old stone walls here in Va , never thought they could be older than the earliest settlers!
Jean
Hello!
My name is Marie and I live on the south west coast of Norway. I found this blog through On2wheels in Norway. It is beautiful! I would like to sign up for some sky photos tomorrow. If that's okay?
My first thought was an ancient religious purpose.
Lovely photos.
Mari-Nanci
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