Rock-art image in Fern Cave, Lava Beds National Monument, California: not the AD 1054 (Crab Nebula) supernova

Abstract

The visual manifestation of the recent Hale-Bopp comet reminds us how telling are those rare objects which suddenly flare in the sky. One can suppose ancient people living by natural light were more compellingly struck by the sight of comets and supernovae, and understandably researchers seek images of them in the shapes of rock-art motifs. An absolute dating contradicts that supposition in respect of a presumed image of the visible supernova of AD 1054.

Radiocarbon Dating of Ancient Rock Paintings

“…However, radiocarbon dates on three of the figures, 230 ± 70, 330 ± 50, and 840 ± 70 years BP, were much too young for the images to have represented that event. 41 Similarly, there were two other instances in which the plasma chemical dates differed significantly from those based on archaeological inference. However, these dates were obtained on charcoalpigmented drawings, and we have no reason to suspect the radiocarbon dates.…”

“…Low-temperature oxygen plasmas contain 1−2% ionized oxygen, as well as atomic oxygen, and are highly reactive with organic carbon. However, we showed that the plasma did not affect the much larger amounts of limestone and calcium oxalate; , thus, we could cleanly extract the organic carbon under very mild conditions.…”

“…The appearance of a new star was noted historically in Oriental and Middle Eastern writings. However, radiocarbon dates on three of the figures, 230 ± 70, 330 ± 50, and 840 ± 70 years BP, were much too young for the images to have represented that event …”

“…This rock art panel shows charcoal drawings of a circle near what may be a crescent moon, an image that had been suggested as a recording of the A.D. 1054 supernova explosion that was visible to the naked eye for almost 2 years. The scale is 10 cm …”

Rock Art and Sacred Landscapes

“…Lee and Hyder ( 1989 ) incorporated paleoenvironmental data in order to propose relative dates for some of the petroglyphs in Lava Beds National Monument. Armitage et al ( 1997 ) turned to AMS dating to provide chronometric dates for a painted site within Lava Beds National Monument. Ritter ( 1999 ) examined local ethnographies to gain insights into the intertribal use of one important rock art site near an important upper Klamath River fi shing station.…”