The Stone Quarry (Long Before True)
By Steven & Evan Strong
We’d seen the photographs, exchanged details through Email and spoke on the phone, but until meeting Kate, her husband Tony, brother, whose name is Alex, their daughter and the two carved figures, nothing was certain.
They live on a small farm on the Central Coast (NSW), a beautiful setting in a secluded valley and somewhere far enough away from the noise and competition to make living a pleasure. It didn’t take long for me to realise why Kate and Alex were not only honouring their parent’s legacy, in particular her mother, but they were the rightful present-day custodians of these archaeological treasures. The artefacts could not be in better hands and what lay ahead looked even brighter. Kate and Tony’s young daughter, barely able to walk, had the eyes that would melt the heart and stir the soul of a North Korean dictator, and left me more than awe-struck by the wisdom and insights that lay within. A very, very old soul. The artefacts are sacred and the Elders from Mount Hagan had chosen wisely.
We sat outside and talked for a while before I brought out the two ancient rocks. I felt it important to set a complementary ancient technological setting before Kate’s artefacts were introduced, and they did indeed achieve that purpose. It was now obvious to them that the amazing technology evident on their carved stones was not alone.
However, before sighting the objects it would be disrespectful not to fist acquaint ourselves with their parents, their deeds and inclinations, with particular emphasis on the day in the Highlands when the Elders first revealed these amazing objects to the family.
At best estimation Alex feels he was eleven at the time and is confident and clear in his recall, while Kate was five at the time which has with it a few limitations, but together with Alex their recollections of that day formed a solid and reliable account.
Their parents were previously living in PNG in the 60’s, their father managed a coffee plantation. They came back to Australia but could never leave the land and people behind and returned in the mid 70’s where their father took on the management of an airline service. But it was their mother who made a real connection with the Indigenous peoples. They both learnt to speak Pidgin English, and spent leisure time in pursuit of new villages and adventures. High on their mother’s list was making contact with the custodians of a highly regarded, but extremely remote quarry, famed for the quality of stone. Getting to this place was a feat of some proportions, even by their standards it was an arduous trek for adults let alone a five year old girl and her big brother, by the by the end of the day they reached the place and people they sought.
Details of the actually exchange are sketchy and Alex and Kate hope with further reflection and research of letters and papers more will come to light, but we have the suspicion that the statue of this being was something revered, but it was perhaps tinged with fear. They do remember that some time was spent trying to determine some sort of time frame, but that seemed to be lost in translation and antiquity. Nothing, be it “Christmases” or “Grandfathers,” came close, it was very, ancient coming from the time of “Long Before True.” Although lacking in numerals, all we need is 300 years to earn a pass mark as according to all accredited historical text books there was no metal, tools, expertise or tradition of such technology and sculpturing in PNG or Australia. It is patently obvious many noughts are part of this equation and that a variety of steel blades of the highest quality, from broad to exceptionally fine, were used in creating this profiled stone sculpture.
Of course, some of these elements and questions will never be fully identified, but after about 20 minutes in conversation my curiosity would no longer hold its silence and I broke into a conversation on an unrelated topic and asked Kate if we could see the being and bird.
Kate brought out an old case, probably belonging to her parents, I opened it and inside was yet another surprise. Inside was not the two stone artefacts as expected, photographed and discussed on show, but three! And the third object was without doubt the most mysterious, at first glance it resembled nothing. The carving seemed lacking in comparison, function or a clue as to why anyone would bother. The bird was far bigger than suggested by the photograph, not that I’m even sure how to elaborate on that observation, but we all expected something that could fit in the palm of the hand not use in a gym. It weighs over 3.3 kilograms and still retains the blade marks that highlight each feather in the outstretched wings. Kate and Alex were in agreement that it was, minus the wispy tail which would make it impossible to stand and balance, the iconic bird of PNG, the Bird of Paradise. As both artefacts were made from the same rock, it seems safe to assume they were local and manufactured in PNG, as for the carved statue of the being, nothing is that clean cut.
Alex succinctly summed up the essential difference between the Alien/Hominid carving and the other two PNG stone artefacts just before we left. He picked the two rocks Ros had found and placed it beside the Alien/Hominid carving, stating that these three artefacts stand together in stretching boundaries and questioning conventional historical assumptions. The other two remained to the side of the table, he felt that the bird and six pronged cog infer and sit at the periphery yet allow the doubters room to manoeuvre thus sowing doubt, while the three relics he selected are bold and powerful contradictions that demand respect and will elicit either a strident denial or immediate revision.
One by Three: the Sacred Number
What I was struck by when opening the case was not so much the unexpected addition to the team or remarkable masonry and technology on display, but that there were three artefacts given by the Elders. Three is the Sacred Original Number and litmus test called into action whenever assessing the spiritual bona fides of any site, oral account or artefact, that is not negotiable. Establishing a triple connection, this alone strengthens the authenticity of the archaeology. Past that point, my attention and focus was total, what to make of that head?
Nothing, past or present comes close to this arrangement, and nothing we can offer beyond basic measurements has any comparative base, so no matter which way we lean it is all degrees of conjecture. The one definite that will be resolved is the make of rock, as soon as can be arranged a meeting between Kate, the carvings and anonymous experts will shed a definitive light on the geology. For now the two semi-uniformed suggestions floating in the ether include a piece of meteor or my choice, basalt with a caveat, I am concerned about a small section of air pocketing. Past that initial reaction, it needs no further consideration as a more informed opinion is at hand.
The shape is very odd, somewhat like a slightly off-balance bar-bell. It measures 18 centimetres in height, the top section which includes the carved face is 11 centimetres at its widest point while the bottom bulb is up to 10 centimetres wide. The connecting shaft which as gets closer to the head takes on a neck-shape, so much so you can clearly identify the two narrow bones that connect to the jaw and measures 6 centimetres across and 8 centimetres in length. Kate made the point more than once that it could not be a grinding stone, I suspect it was an uninformed critique she had to deal with earlier. If it is a grinding stone the balance is appalling, there is no evidence of any form of grinding at the either end and nor is there any indentation made by the gripping hand or finger when supposedly grinding.
More to the point when in this planet at any time did anyone spend so much time putting a face on a tool used to crush seed/taro to make flour? And it is that same face that I could stop staring at from the time the case was opened. It was so fine, so delicate and so unlike anybody from anytime. The artefact was found in a country of broad noses, wide eyes, big cheekbones and thick necks, and I could be referring to the paintings, carvings, masks or actual physiology of the Indigenous people, that description is universal and without exception. But in this one case, there is a nose so narrow the only modern-day comparison comes about after cosmetic nose surgery, a delicate set of lips, almond eyes, a very extreme recession of the forehead and a neck that is just too long to be anatomically functional for an Earthly being.
Not only is the neck too long and wide, there is a bored hole, perfectly circular at a depth of 3 millimetres and there at the bottom of the hole is a perfect circle of 2 millimetres depth and a flat base of 180 degrees. A machine did not drill with one sharp point, this time around a section of rock was extracted clean and intact. What was left behind is utterly incontestable, we have a new extension on a tool-kit from an antiquity and sophistication that I am having trouble finding a word or glib phrase to describe.
What is it? Who was the model who sat and posed for this sculpture? The problem is we are not discussing a fictional extra for Steven Spielberg movie, if a being of this type walked down the street tomorrow in any ‘advanced’ city, 99.99% would recognise it as a Grey Alien, Cone-Head, Pleiadian or some sort of extra-terrestrial life-form. Less than 00.01% would say it is human or any type of hominid. But maybe, just maybe, there was one strand of hominid, that kept apart and evolved into a genetically stagnant cul-de-sac, and this is the first time evidence of such earthly life forms has been brought to the public’s attention?
Alex’s Second Choices
Never an afterthought, I did not get around to asking Kate why she never sent a photograph of the six-spoked spherical flange-like object. Maybe, she left it as a special surprise or perhaps a clever ploy to guarantee my interest, what I do know is that both Kate and her brother felt this particular artefact was no less than first amongst equals. Neither Kate nor Alex could explain its application, but they did agree such objects, which were never as impressive or elaborate, were in use elsewhere in PNG.
Of course, there are differences in this object to the statue of the being, nothing is that refined or life-like, no polishing is apparent, it is a different type of rock and we still have no idea what it is. Not fully symmetrical, the six spokes were engraved out of a sphere, so when spinning it seems, if focusing only on the outer edge, to be off-balance in rotation. However the outer central circle on both edges is perfectly aligned and centrally placed and they both converge to a narrower inner circle which is half the diameter.
Then when held sideways it becomes obvious there is a distinct flanging as the artefact narrows to about ¾ of the width of the top edge. Where things get really obscure is when trying to imagine once wedged into on a wooden shaft, held in the hand or tied to rope or string, then what? I just don’t know where to go next, to invest so much time and skill on a rock that does …
The bird at least has a high recognition factor. With its head bowed, which was interpreted as being a sign of passiveness and peaceful intentions, each feather is individually marked onto the rock, the arched back and curved wings of this carving of the Bird of Paradise are anatomically correct and was constructed without leaving a trace of a percussion bulb. Outside looking like a bird and being exceptionally heavy, we cannot determine any purpose or trait except a lack of mobility.
Put it all Together
We have a long way to go on this one. The object of obscure function and bird at present has given very little, while the statue of the being/hominid is clearer and could be one or the other, or perhaps something else again overlooked. As we stated earlier outside the existence of rogue technology, everything is open for further input and research.
What can be stated with confidence is that the statue reeks of a technological sophistication that is as inconvenient as it is real. The neck was bored into, not drilled or pecked, but bored and the resulting piece of rock was extracted intact. As to why and what this represents, that of course is unknown, but when set into the bigger picture it becomes possible this symbolised some sort of genetic process in that it seems something is being implanted into the spine. Or it could be far less esoteric or scientific and simply a matter of someone was showing off what this new gadget was capable. Irrespective of why, the fact remains that the rock was bored into, and this is another technological scenario that has never been considered as historically possible. There are hints of some sort of crossover of species in the engraving of one ear, the second ear has not worn away, it was never there. No hominid has ever gone down that path, all hominids past and present have two ears visible. If an error, when all around is so graphic and representational, to leave out one ear seems obscenely forgetful or intentional. On this occasion, when comparing what is there and the care and skill involved, a lapse of judgment and vision of that proportion is impossible to envisage, we opt for a deliberate statement of genetic cause and effect.
The almond shaped eyes are once again a facial feature not part of any sapien or ‘lesser-hominid,’ the reality is that nothing about this face is reminiscent of any person past or present. Yes the sharp receding forehead does have ancient parallels, but these hominids are invariably thick-boned robust sapiens with a broad face.
The same finesse in cut and skill of the hand is evident when examining the delicate nose and mouth, this is manifestly many steps above the crude scratchings on the Blombos Rocks, and very much in synchronicity with what has been created on the surface of Ros’ Rocks 1 and 2. And it is that ‘big picture’ setting that is an essential part of the three artefacts from PNG. All the way up the East coast of Sahul there exists a variety of technological techniques engraved on extremely hard rock. Difficult to cut and mark but essential because of the longevity of what is carved, the three sites change all the rules and coincidentally come forth in a cluster of three. As mentioned many times, three is the sacred number and all three sites bear witness to ancient times and earlier civilisations. An intriguing part of this archaeological trilogy is that while the two artefacts in mainland Australia may contain star maps and subtle inferences of off-world locations, up PNG way it is a little less elusive and more in your face.
Yet to be Ticked off
Without a manual to refer to, like statue or engraving to compare against or earlier paper to ruminate over, we are ‘making it up as we go along.’ Knowing very few academics would dare tread near such turbulent waters, the next steps planned are as tentative as they are prone to revision. What must be factored into any further research is that outside establishing the devices and skills evident at the rock face, who and when will be never be so easy, but nevertheless, degrees of possibility is still a realistic goal and worthy of pursuit.
When first sighting a new site or artefact we make it a rule to take in the general scene and not get to specific and distracted with details or mathematics. However, next time around measurements, angles, ratios and proportions will be primary considerations with all three atrtefacts. This ‘cone-headed’ feature needs to investigated, it is a phenomena highlighted elsewhere and certainly seems to have applications here. So too, we need to check through the ever-expanding reservoir of all earlier hominids and see if there is anything that resembles this delicate profile. Equally, during our surveillance of potential portraits, it would be remiss not to acknowledge that there are sources cited that come from afar. Whether Grey Alien, Pleiadian or ‘cone-headed’ Alien, such possibilities are not only worthwhile avenues to investigate, but most the probable subjects. And that somewhat unpalatable truth, that this is a depiction of beings not of earthly origin, whether appearing through alternate dimensions or spacecraft, will remain at this stage the primary focus in our research and most likely candidature.
We want more of Kate and Alex’s parents, steadfast in our belief that they deserved to be given these objects, that there are reasons and motivations afloat that involve spirits of the land and future developments, and that their parents alone earned the right to be part of something quite spectacular. We also fully understand the time will come when Elders of that region will become part of this, and we have already tried to open up lines of communication to facilitate to that end.
It may be all three artefacts have a connection to flight and the stars above, knowing how the Original mantra ‘as on top so below’ resonates throughout the country, we have no reason to suspect otherwise. Then again, until speaking to the appropriate Elders and Custodians, there is no final answer. For now all we can say is that whoever was responsible, don’t look inside the pages or ask the academics, they’ve got nothing here. There is nothing in their new ways and days that can assist, our only hope, as is always the case, is to consult the Old Ones versed in the Old Ways.
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