BLACK MOUNTAIN COMPLEX PETROGLYPHS

Dictionary rock

 

Dictionary rock was named after this author realized that the petroglyphs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

defined how the glyph's author recorded the friendly and enemy forces, the size of the two 'Armies', directional reading is from the bottom - up, the passage of time and the fog of war.

 

The most important figures on the rock are the rectangle and oval on the lower left of the rock face. These two figures define the friendly forces, Defenders, represented by the oval, and the enemy forces, Attackers, represented by the rectangle. A second petroglyph, near Orange Opal Canyon, displays the same sense of organizational structure; round/oval representing the defenders and square/rectangle representing the attackers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Dictionary Rock both figures are divided into six sections by virtical lines. This division suggests a quantity is associated with each section. Therefore, the two 'Armies' are the same size, which is estimated to be about six thousand warriors. *See 'Organization' for an explanation on how this estimate was calculated.

 

The direction for 'reading' the glyphs on Dictionary Rock is from the base to the top. The glyph segments display a triangular organization.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This triangular organization appears to be based upon the shape of the rock face, which comes to a blunt point. Therefore, the glyph can be interpreted, on the left side, as the two 'Armies' of similar size clashed and with the passage of time, the two forces declined, but the details are not well understood due to the Fog-of-War.

 

The significance of the blunted point rock face as representing the spur of the mountain is subdued, because the primary focus of the petroglyph is to establish the beginning of the battle (first time frame), two more glyphs in this same cluster will provide both a panoramic overview and the minor details for the end of the battle. (last time frame) The interpretation for the right side of the glyph can not be completed until more details about the fighting on the East Wall are available.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The figures displayed above serve two functions: First, they establish two separate time frames and second, they document the Fog-of-War or the confusion caused by many, comingled warriors fighting hand-to-hand in a cloud of dust and dirt.

 

To communicate these functions, the glyph's author choose the symbol for war or fighting, two arrowheads point-to-point, displayed in different time frames. (* See War, Fighting and Peace) The following graphic displays these time frames more clearly:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the glyph, the two time frames touch, because they are related to one another as a sequence of events; moving from one time frame to another. In the graphic the time frames are separated, because the Eurasian concept of writing and communication is to keep the two time frame independent of one another, as separate events.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In terms of the Eurasian thought processes, the graphic above also realigns the symbols to read left-to-right in lieu of bottom-up. In the same vain, the graphic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

above is read from the top-down. In the first frame, top, the opposing forces are preparing for a fight, but no violence has yet occurred, the points do not touch. In the second frame down, the two opponents have made contact and the fighting has begun. In the third time frame down, the two forces continue their charge and the configuration of the symbol appears to compress. Frame four shows the forces becoming more engaged, but the attackers (bottom arrowhead) seem to have the advantage, as displayed by the overlap of the arrowheads. In the fifth time frame, the forces are fully engaged in mortal combat and the symbol displays a deep compression. By time frame five, looking at the center of the configuration, it is difficult to identify one force from another. For an observer to the actual fighting, the confusion created by the intermingling of forces in the center is termed the Fog-of-War. In many petroglyphs the fog-of-war is depicted as an unidentifiable rubbing, as if someone has attempted to erase something underneath, due to clearly defined figures beyond the outside edges of the rubbings that suggest they (the figures) once continued under the rubbings.