Topic: Cave Art

Recent discovery adds to Dunbar Cave’s collection of ancient art

By Debbie Boen | March 9, 2008 |

In February Dr. Jan F. Simek, distinguished Professor of Science at UT Knoxville, came to Dunbar Cave to confirm a finding made by Dunbar Cave Staff, Nathan Smith.  Dr. Simek has concluded that it is indeed an Indian artwork in the category of a mud glyph. This means that Dunbar Cave has all three types of cave art that are possible: petroglyphs, pictographs and mud glyphs.

The first type of art is petroglyphs, images carved or incised into rock by prehistoric or neolithic peoples. Dunbar Cave has several drawings of this nature. They are concentric circles that are carved into the rock with a design similar to the pictograph shown at the right. These carvings are found along the cave tour but are very difficult to see.

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Experts examine Dunbar Cave graffiti; questions asked, answered

By Debbie Boen | January 12, 2008 |

When you see the amount of graffiti on the walls inside Dunbar Cave, you can’t help but feel shameful about that horrible violation to the cave.

Thousands of scribbled signatures cover the fragile walls of this living underground environment. One visitor commented, “I wonder if there was a time when each person was handed a marker as they were going into the cave?” Visitors also see little of natural stalactites or stalagmites; many of them were taken down either through vandalism or for grinding up into mineral waters.

Nathan Smith, David Britton and Ranger Adam Neblett

A one-quarter mile length of cave on the tour shows very tiny drips of new growth on the ceilings and floors. The cave owners since 1973, the State of Tennessee, have been preserving the cave from vandalism. «Read the rest of this article»

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The Story of God - A BBC Video

By Bill Larson | March 5, 2007 |

Professor Robert Winston presents a definitive three-part documentary series on the history of mankind’s quest to understand the nature of God.

The Story of God is an epic journey across continents, cultures and eras exploring religious beliefs from their earliest incarnations, through the development of today’s major world faiths and the status of religious faith in a scientific age.

The series examines the roots of religious beliefs in prehistoric societies and the different ways in which humanity’s sense of the divine developed. «Read the rest of this article»

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