Two Ancient Rock Inscriptions Indicate an Archaic Chinese Presence in the American Southwest

Author(s): John Ruskamp

Year: 2017

Summary

This paper documents and offers translations for two sets of ancient, highly complex inscriptions readable as Chinese that were pecked into the rocks of Arizona and New Mexico an estimated 2,500 years ago. Here is what appears to be conclusive epigraphic evidence that Chinese explorers not only reached the Americas in pre-Columbian times but also interacted positively with Native populations, sharing both intellectual and cultural information.

Cite this Record

Two Ancient Rock Inscriptions Indicate an Archaic Chinese Presence in the American Southwest. John Ruskamp. Pre-Columbiana: A Journal of Long-Distance Contacts. 6 (2-4): 3-25. 2017 ( tDAR id: 455941) ; doi:10.6067/XCV8455941

URL: http://asiaticechoes.org/PDF/ChineseRockWriting.pdf


Keywords

Culture
Ancestral Puebloan • Archaic

Material
Chinese Artifacts • Chipped Stone • Dating Sample

Site Name
Coyote Creek; Petroglyph National Monument

Site Type
Petroglyph • Rock Art

Investigation Types
Data Recovery / Excavation • Ethnographic Research • Ethnohistoric Research • Historic Background Research

General
Chinese American

Geographic Keywords
Arizona (State / Territory) || North America (Continent)

Temporal Keywords
Ancient North American Chinese script; Oracle bone; Petroglyphs; Rock Writing

Temporal Coverage

Calendar Date: -1700 to -200 (Ancient Chinese rock writing)

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): John Ruskamp

Notes

General Note: Original text edited by David N. Keightley, Ph.D., UC-Berkeley; comments by Stephen C. Jett, Ph.D., UC-Davis. All rights reserved to Epigraphic Research.

File Information

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This paper documents and offers translations for two sets of ancient, highly complex inscriptions readable as Chinese that were pecked into the rocks of Arizona and New Mexico an estimated 2,500 years ago. Here is what appears to be conclusive epigraphic evidence that Chinese explorers not only reached the Americas in pre-Columbian times but also interacted positively with Native populations, sharing both intellectual and cultural information.