The Petroglyph

What is 11 feet long and 4 feet wide and covered with ancient concentric circles, crosses and other patterns?

The massive petroglyph at Reinhardt College! This boulder was donated to the College by members of the Cline family in the 1940s. It weighs approximately 5 tons and is about 1.5 feet thick.  This ancient and mysterious carved rock was found years ago on the Cline farm in the Hickory Log area of Cherokee County near the Etowah River about four miles north of Canton.  It was brought to the campus on a big wrecker and placed between two big oak trees at the east end of the Dobbs Building. It was later moved into the College library and then to the Funk Heritage Center where it is the centerpiece of the Hall of Ancients. 

This rock was one of a group of three slabs. According to historians, because of a mistaken belief that Native Americans buried gold under rocks with petroglyphs, the other two slabs were dynamited by people with hopes of getting rich. 

Petroglyphs, or rock art, are ancient symbols and drawings carved into rocks by Native Americans.  Janni Loubser, an archaeologist with New South Associates in Stone Mountain, Georgia, is an expert on petroglyphs. He said, "We know Indians did these things. This is based on archaeological evidence. With absolute certainty, some things on this boulder are 1,000 years old or more." 

Mr. Loubser said that rock dust, which was acquired by digging into the stone, was ingested for luck on hunting trips, fertility in women and for spiritual powers. The Indians believed they received power from the powder. His firm completed a report that documents the cultural and historical significance of our petroglyph.