User:Andrewpaskov/Davenport Tablets Version 2

Lead:
The Davenport Tablets are three stone tablets that were discovered near mounds in Davenport, Iowa. The first two tablets were discovered on a site known as Cook’s farm a year before the third, after which the third tablet along with a clay pipe were discovered at the same dig site.

All three tablets contained various symbols on them which some people used as evidence of pre-Columbian European settlers on the North American continent.

The tablets were later revealed to be a hoax as stated by members of the Davenport Academy who later admitted that they were the ones responsible for it. The Davenport Academy was a amatuer academy that rivaled the Smithsonian collection at the turn of the 20th century. They are credited with the discovery of many important mound sites as well as the artifacts found at these sites.

Other evidence of the hoax includes clear tampering of the dig site, as well as the fact that the soil was loose upon discovery. If the tablets were as ancient as proponents of them believed, the soil should have been firmly packed.

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Discovery:

The Davenport Tablets were a trio of stone tablets discovered in Davenport, Iowa in 1877 by Reverend Jacob Gass. At the time of their discovery, the inscribed stone tablets were thought to be the missing link that proved the existence of a civilization that occupied North America long before Columbus's arrival to the Americas known as the mound builders. This pre-Columbian civilization said to have descended from the Cannanites from Israel was fabricated as a way to justify the stealing of land from Native Americans. As Europeans expanded across the continent, they noticed the existence of great mounds spread throughout North America. Refusing to acknowledge that the Native American's built these mounds, it was believed by some that mounds were built by an ancient civilization that was later displaced by the Native Americans.

The three tablets were inscribed with various symbols, and also contained artwork depicting a hunting scene and drawings of a cremation. One of the tablets also contained an astronomical table. The tablets were also found alongside a skeleton and a clay pipe, among other artifacts.

Interpretations:

Upon initial discovery of the Davenport Tablets, they were seen by some as an archeological breakthrough. One such person was Barry Fell who likened the tablets to the Rosetta Stone, and even claimed to be able to read them. Others such as Dr. E Foreman and Cyrus Thomas have asserted that the tablets were part of a clever ruse. Dr. Foreman believed this to be the case as it appeared that the tablets were inscribed with modern tools, the skeleton that had been found on site had its bones scattered around(which implied tampering with the dig site) and the soil on site was loose which would not have been possible given the supposed age of the tablets. Cyrus Thomas also believed that the tablets were fake due to the fact that both the inscriptions and astronomical calendar appeared to share extreme similarities with symbols and drawings found in a copy of Webster's Dictionary that had been published only 5 years prior.

In 1967, a reporter by the name of Marshall McKusick interviewed members of the Davenport Academy who were involved with the Davenport incident. During the interview, one of the members acknowledged that the tablets were fabricated by himself and other members. According to the interviewee, the tablets were made out of the roof of a nearby building, and this was all done in an attempt to humble and discredit Gass(he was disliked among his peers due to the fact that he was a foreigner of high standing within the academy). According to them, they did not expect the incident to blow up to such proportions, and once it did they could not come clean.