In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

would be expected. The resulting image looks very much like a depiction of the moon partially obscuring the sun as in a partial solar eclipse (Figure 14.9). Two anthropomorphic faces, ovoid lines with eyes and mouths indicated, with one including two “horns,” “feathers,” or “antennae” at the top of the head and possibly an arrow projecting from the side or rear, also appear as designs in relief at Safe Harbor. In addition, a turtle and a ¤sh are executed as outlines, the former possibly and the latter probably newer, non-Native carvings. In my visits to the Safe Harbor sites over nearly a 20-year period, I have had many opportunities to observe and analyze the petroglyphs there. Perhaps most important, I have come to believe that at least some of the carvings are not merely representational images of animals, humans, and their tracks but that they are symbolic—they were meant to convey ideas. The strongest argument for this concept lies in the placement of cupules in direct associaFigure 14.5. Anthropomorphs on Big Indian Rock (36La184), Susquehanna River, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (photograph by the author). Sites on the Susquehanna River 251 tion with numerous human and animal ¤gures (Figure 14.10). Although we can only guess at what the cupules may signify, their occurrence and variations suggest that they were indeed intended to convey some type of information . There is also a possibility that some ¤gures may have served as directional markers. In several instances bird, animal, and human tracks on Little Indian Rock occur in linear series. Two human ¤gures, one on Big Indian Rock and one on Footprint Rock, appear to be “walking” in a southerly direction. And as perhaps the most obvious directional marker, the pair of human footprints on Footprint Rock, the only side-by-side footprints at Safe Harbor, point a person standing in them directly to the mouth of the Conestoga River, approximately one-half mile upstream (Figure 14.11). Three designs on Little Indian Rock may have served as markers for the fall and spring equinoxes and the winter solstice. Two of these are the preFigure 14.6. Thunderbird and anthropomorphs on Big Indian Rock (36La184), Susquehanna River, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (photograph by the author). 252 Paul Nevin Figure 14.7. Petroglyphs on the main portion of Little Indian Rock. Numerous additional designs occur on a detached portion, on the vertical upstream face, and on “Footprint Rock,” just 3 feet upstream from Little Indian Rock. Those designs are only exposed when the water level of Lake Aldred, as this part of the Susquehanna River is known, is drawn down (drawn by the author and Matt Halter). viously mentioned mirror-image serpentine lines, which align with the point on the hillside where the equinox sun rises (Figure 14.7). It could be conjectured that two serpents are carved here because the sun rises in the same position at both equinoxes. The third design is another serpentine line (Figure 14.7). A large curve at one extremity makes assigning the direction it “points” more dif¤cult than with the twin equinox lines. However, when I observed a sunrise at the time of the winter solstice the design was visually aligned to it. I was able to establish a line extending from the end of the design closest to the sunrise point to a point bisecting the extremes of the design’s width, which aligned with the sunrise point. While the preceding discussion could be conjecture and coincidence, exFigure 14.8. Petroglyphs on Eagle Rock (36La1092). The two and one-half foot long serpent is one of two at Safe Harbor executed in outline or relief (drawn by the author). Figure 14.9. Possible eclipse motif on Little Indian Rock. “Moon” in outline or relief is tangent to the intaglio-carved center of “Sun” in this photograph. Seven rays radiate from the Sun’s body (drawn by the author). 254 Paul Nevin Figure 14.10. Some of the Safe Harbor motifs having associated cupules. a, Little Indian Rock; b–e, Big Indian Rock; f, Circle Rock (drawn by the author). Figure 14.11. Some of the Safe Harbor carvings indicating direction. a–c, Little Indian Rock; d, Big Indian Rock; e, Eagle Rock (drawn by the author). Sites on the Susquehanna River 255 cavations at the Slackwater site (36La211), ¤ve miles up the Conestoga River, where the paired footprints point, exposed a supposed ceremonial structure at a Late Woodland village that was aligned...

Share