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.

The second type of cave art is Pictograms or pictographs, images produced by adding pigments of coloring to the cave wall.  The pictographs in Dunbar Cave were drawn with the carbonized charcoal on the ends of the river cane torches that the early visitors used to light their path.

The third type of cave art is what is known as a mud glyph. Mud glyphs are images traced into wet clay on cave ceilings, walls, or floors using fingers or sharp tools, and since things inside a cave do not change unless tampered with, the mud glyphs, as well as the other Indian art works, are well over 500 years old.

The mud glyph that was discovered in Dunbar cave was drawn with three fingers and formed a box with cross marks through the middle. This type of design is something that Professor Simek is familiar with in his study of the Mississippian Era Indians. The mud glyph was found in a crawl space which Park staff member David Britton identified as an area used in the past by bears as a place to hibernate during the winter.

Also found nearby is proof of neolithic visits, stoke marks which were created when the visitors cleaned off the tips of their river cane torches.

Dr. Simek plans to conduct more research on Dunbar Cave and its early inhabitants later on in the year. Dunbar Cave Park Manager announced that the cave is closed to both the public and cave staff except for the cave tours. Cave tours begin again on March 8 and 9, 22 and 23 by reservation only. Both pictographs and petrogyphs can be viewed during the cave tour. With the renewed interest these and future discoveries will likely generate it is advisable to call and make reservations well in advance for the 20 people maximum cave tours by calling (931) 648-5526.

Devilstep Hollow Cave is another culturally significant Tennessee cave with Native American art. In order to protect the cave and it’s art the State of Tennessee has closed that cave to public access.  See a video at: http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080225/VIDEO08/80226001

Photographs of Dunbar Cave and the Neolithic art

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.

Before the State of Tennessee purchased the site, Dunbar Cave was owned as a resort ; it provided 58 degree natural air conditioning at the mouth of the cave.

Other amenities were added to take advantage of this natural coolant: a dance floor, food and bingo booths, then a bigger dance floor, swimming pool, and a man-made lake with paddle boats. The scene was a source of fun, romance and entertainment from the 1930’s through 60’s. The cave had lights in it, which have since been removed. Countless visitors walked its paths.

This picture shows tour guide smoking as he’s leading a tour. Behind him, the wall of the cave is covered with graffiti.

Only a few years ago, as Larry Mathews was writing a book about Dunbar Cave, a picture in the cave was noted and later carbon dated by experts. Experts attributed the cave art to Mississippian Era Indians, often referred to as Mound Builders, and dated the art around or before the 14th century. You can watch Fox News coverage of Artifacts, on the Friends of Dunbar Cave web site at http://www.dunbarcave.org/

Finding graffiti made by Indians was an exciting discovery, staff at the cave continues to peer through the graffiti to spot more Indian art. To tour the cave and see the art, you must make a reservation with the State Park. Tours run between March and November. Call (931) 648-5526 and visit the Dunbar Cave web site, http://www.state.tn.us/environment/parks/DunbarCave/index.shtml

Three of Dunbar Cave’s staff have recently made some other discoveries about the graffiti in Dunbar. One signature in particular caught their interest: it said, “Capt.,” “southern” and “1863. ” After a lot of study they surmised it said:

Capt. G. Holt, Southern 3d Ky reg(iment) August 1863, Beware Yankee

David Britton’s research proved the findings: Captain Gustavus Holt was a Confederate soldier. Along with most significant Southern Civil War battles, his regiment participated in the battle of Shiloh. In 1864, the year after he signed his name in the cave, he was made a lieutenant colonel and within that same year made a colonel. In 1865 he returned to Murray, KY, to practice law.

The question arises to those who know Clarksville history: since Clarksville was under Union occupation in August of 1863, how did this Confederate Captain manage to sign his name on the cave wall? One speculation suggests that while the Union was having a picnic on August 18, Captain Holt dressed in civilian clothes, entered the cave and signed his name under the enemy’s nose to despite the occupying forces. Anyone with any information is invited to contact Dunbar Cave State Natural Area @ (931) 648-5526.

Professor Robert Winston

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.

It looks at the divergence between religions that worship a range of deities and those that represent strict monotheism.

Professor Winston says: “However you define God, and whether you believe in God or not, the world we live in has been shaped by the universal human conviction that there is more to life than life itself; that there is a ‘god’ shaped hole at the centre of our universe.

“We have come up with many different ways to fill that hole, with many gods or just one, with gods of hunting, gods of farming, gods of war and gods of sea and sky.”

The series begins with Professor Winston examining the religions which believe in many different gods and explores why mankind started to believe in God at all.

The answer to that question, says Professor Winston, can be found in the caves where our ancestors first approached their gods and in the fields where people still call on them for help, in the cities where our ancestors have been honoured and in the temples where the gods have been appeased with sacrifices.

“But most of all the answer,” says Professor Winston, “lies in the human desire to be united with something bigger than ourselves.”

He travels to the Gargas Caves in South West France where, he says, if the story of God has a beginning, it is to be found.

He examines mysterious stencilled hand prints from 27,000 years ago which appear to have one or more fingers missing – do these represent early humans’ attempts to reach out to God?

In India, Professor Winston explores the origins of Hinduism and the emergence of Brahman as the supreme being with many different forms.

Some experts believe that there may be 330 million gods across the Hindu faith and he looks at the notions of karma and reincarnation, also popular in Buddhism.

While there are those who believe in many gods there are also those who believe there is only one true God and Professor Winston delves into the past to discover the beginnings of monotheism.

Judaism, Christianity and Islam are examined in order to understand the ideas they share about God and the issues that divide them.

Professor Winston goes in search of an answer to the centuries old question: ‘If God created humanity why does God allow humanity to suffer?’

Finally he explores how belief in God has been challenged in the modern world by secular ideas, in particular science.

He looks at those scientific disciplines (nuclear and astro-physics) where a convergence between faith and science seems possible.

Professor Winston ventures into vast underground laboratories in Switzerland where they are trying to prove the existence of the ‘God particle’ and speaks to an American geneticist who believes there is a God gene which predisposes some people to have religious or spiritual beliefs.

He also puts his own belief in God to the test with a mathematical formula that has been adapted to calculate the probability of God’s existence.

Part One of Three

Click here to view the embedded video.