STONEWATCH
NEWSLETTER of the GUNGYWAMP SOCIETY
Written & Edited by the Board Members of the Gungywamp Society
Vol. 19, No. 1 ISSN 0892-1741 Winter 2001-02
New Research Findings
One of the goals of the Gungywamp Society is to continue research into the "who, what, when, where, why and how" of certain puzzling sites in the Gungywamp complex. Our researchers are keenly interested in getting at the facts, as much as they exist, to give us the most accurate picture of the Gungywamp's history. As most researchers know all too well, new research information can result in significant changes in theories which had previously been thought true of a particular site. Such is the case for the alleged "Christogram" rock carvings found in two separate sites in the eastern section of the Gungywamp complex.
The "Christograms" will probably long remain one of the Gungywamp's most controversial findings. In fact, one of these alleged "Christograms" formed the Gungywamp Society's emblem since its inception in the late 1970s.
Sometime in the late 1970s-early 1980s, the controversial Dr. Barry Fell, past president of the Epigraphic Society, described certain rock carvings in the Gungywamp as "Christograms" to our past president, Dave Barron. One of the "Christogram" rock carvings was described by Fell as the Greek letters IC, with a bar over these letters. A III carving follows closely after the IC carvings. Fell indicated that the bar over the IC was the common means of showing an abbreviation, rendering the Greek letters IC as an abbreviation for "Iesu" (Jesus/Jesu). The III carved immediately after the IC were not given a hard and fast interpretation by Fell, but the suggestion was that it could represent the Trinity. Some observers have seen a fourth I added onto the III following the IC. The IC III rock carving measures approximately two inches high and eight inches long.
Recent research into the IC III site has revealed some serious flaws with Fell's "Christogram" interpretation. First, in all authentic forms in which the Greek IC is used, it is, without exception, always accompanied by the Greek abbreviation XC (Christos), and most usually, the Greek word, NIKA or NIKOS ("Victor") is found written underneath the IC XC. An abbreviation bar is found over the entire IC and another over the entire XC. The "Christogram" found in the Gungywamp does not include the standard XC and NIKA/NIKOS inscriptions. The "bar" carved above this alleged "Christogram" in the Gungywamp is not over the C but only over the I, and there is also a small left-upward notch at the bottom of the I, which makes the rock carving look more like the initials JC rather than IC.
Secondly, one of our researchers and board members, Jack Rajotte, did some land records investigation for the eastern part of the Gungywamp complex. In his research, Rajotte discovered that there was a John Christopher who was a son of Christopher Christopher, a seventeenth century owner of a part of the Gungywamp land. Christopher Christopher served in the Connecticut colony's early government. Common custom for the colonial time period was the building of rock walls as borders and enclosures. The JC III rock carving is found in a small rock ledge outcrop which forms part of an old rock wall.
Our most reasonable conclusion, then, on the controversial IC III/JC III rock carving is that it is most likely the carvings of John Christopher's initials. The III carvings may stand for his being the third member of his family to bear that name, or the III could represent a surveyor's marking, since the carving is found in a rock boundary wall.
Fell postulated that another kind of Christogram, the Chi Rho, would most likely be found in the Gungywamp, presumably somewhere near the JC III carvings. Sure enough, three years after Fell's postulation, alleged Chi Rho carvings were found approximately a quarter of a mile from the JC III carvings. The style of these alleged Chi Rho carvings were interpreted by Fell as an early version of the Christian Church's Greek letter Chi Rho symbol, X with the overlapping P. The Chi and Rho letters formed the first two initials (XP) of Jesus' designation as the Christ (Greek for "Anointed One," translated from the Hebrew word, "Messiah" with the same meaning). Fell determined the style of the alleged Chi Rho symbol in the Gungywamp as being consistent with those of the fourth to seventh centuries found throughout Christendom.
The late Dave Barron at the eastern section of the Gungywamp Complex, at the ruined remains of a chamber. This is the location of the supposed CHI RHOs one of which can be seen to the right of Barron. Photo donated by Gungywamp member
Chi Rho - Ancient monograms of Christ
The alleged Chi Rho rock carvings, approximately six obvious carvings which measure roughly two and a half to three inches high, are located on a rock ledge which is part of the apparent remains of a chamber. One speculation has it that some of the Chi Rho carvings were made by metal instruments while others were made by rock instruments. In reality, there is absolutely no way to distinguish whether the carvings were made by either metal or rock instruments. (It has been earlier reported that other Chi Rho carvings were found at another location, but after repeated searching in that exact location, no other Chi Rho carvings were found.)
This past year, a close examination was conducted on these carvings by Gungywamp board members and researchers Paulette Buchanan, Carol Hallas and Jack Rajotte. Over the last year and a half, thorough research was also conducted by Buchanan on Chi Rho styles used throughout most of the Christian Church's history, particularly of the time periods Fell indicated. None of the styles found in the research match the style of the alleged Chi Rho carvings found in the Gungywamp. There are a few styles of the Chi Rho: (1) a distinct Chi X with a clear overlapping of a distinct Rho P; (2) a prominent X with a right-leaning P superimposed over the right side of the X; (3) a X which takes the form of a cross (+) with the P superimposed over the vertical line of the cross. Most of the alleged Chi Rho carvings found in the Gungywamp show a P with a diagonal line joined at the bottom right of the P, thus forming an English letter R. A few of the alleged Chi Rho carvings have a small extension of the diagonal line bisecting the vertical line of the P, but not extending long enough to resemble more modern depictions of the Chi Rho, and thus still resembling an R.
Our most logical interpretation, then, on the alleged Chi Rho carvings in the Gungywamp is that they are not authentic representations of Chi Rho styles from any era. Like the JC III carvings found nearby, the R carvings are most likely someone's initial, left behind during the colonial or post-colonial period. A worst case scenario is that these carvings were made by unknown persons sometime after Fell's postulation.
No fourth to seventh century artifacts of European design/origin have ever been found in the Gungywamp. An excavation where these alleged Chi Rho carvings are found was conducted in 1995 by Buchanan and overseen by Dave Barron. The excavation pit was approximately 3 x 3 x 3 feet wide and deep. This excavation took place directly in front of the rock ledge where some of the alleged Chi Rho carvings are found on that rock ledge. All that was uncovered in the excavation was a broken nineteenth century whiskey bottle and a metal oxen shoe.
The Gungywamp researchers know that these findings may be disturbing for some who have long believed the alleged "Christograms" in the Gungywamp offered sure-fire evidence that early Celtic Christian monks had inhabited this area and other regions along eastern North America. But the problem has always been that no one can prove, actually and conclusively, that this is the case. Without a doubt, the Gungywamp still offers mysteries, such as who built the chambers or who carved the eagle-like image into one of the rocks found in a row of standing stones. Our research work continues, however, and we remain dedicated to doing our very best to offer the most likely interpretation to the sites in the Gungywamp.
