Site 1 - Near Flat Top, Rabun Co., GA
September 2021
Alan C, Russell Mc and I checked out a potential Native American cupule site high up on a rock outcrop off the Bartram Trail in Rabun County. We weren't quite sure what to make of it. While many of the holes in the rock appear to be natural (rough, perhaps caused by some unusual frost spalling), others appear to have been worked by the hand of man. The best guess that we could come up with was that these formations were a natural occurrence, but perhaps some clusters of holes had been enhanced (pecked and smoothed) by humans at some point in time.
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View from the rock outcrop, over what was once known as Ramey Field.
The mountains in the distance range from Brasstown Bald (GA's tallest peak) towards the left, to Pickens Nose (NC) at the right.
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Following are several examples of the holes / cupules...
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Appalachian Red Pinesap was emerging from the forest floor along the trail.
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Appalachian Red Pinesap (Hypopitys lanuginosa)
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We also saw examples of the relatively uncommon Starry Campion.
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Starry Campion (Silene stellata)
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Site 2 - Bedrock Mortar in Rock Shelter
Brasstown Wilderness, Union County, GA
February 2022
This site has been on my radar since Sheldon H. visited it last summer. I was just waiting for the right weather and a cloudy day. With rain in the forecast, we had perfect conditions for photographing the site, even with the constant wind! A nice rock shelter, used by the Native Americans, with a bedrock mortar and a single cupule pecked in the rock.
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This is one of the bigger rock shelters that I've come across, although not as large as the one at Coweeta.
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A nice bedrock mortar
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Bedrock mortar, from the other side.
Often found in pairs in our area, this one was just a single basin pecked out of the rock.
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Approximately 5 inches in diameter.
I couldn't find my scale, so had to make do with my tree measuring tape.
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This cupule measured one inch in diameter.
I forgot to replace my nylon brush when I last took it out
of my pack, so couldn't clean this off as well as I prefer.
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Sheldon inside the rock shelter.
The mortar is visible in the foreground.
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A slab atop some rocks acted like a low table...
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Rock Shelter from the opposite end.
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Another view from that side...
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One more view, looking up into the shelter from the front.
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Found this rusted can nearby, probably discarded by a hunter.
At first, the old can (condensed milk, perhaps) didn't seem to have been
opened, but two slim knife holes are visible opposite each other.
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