Searching the “Plains of the Nephites”

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Heartland Research Group, LLC

SEARCHING FOR ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE ON THE FARMS OF OHIO

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Visit of SENSYS Representatives from Berlin, Germany to Glenford, Ohio July 15th to July 19th, 2018

Sunday, July 15th, 2018

SENSYS German Representatives arrive from Berlin, Germany to Columbus, Ohio.

Monday, July 16th, 2018 10:00 a.m.

Assembly and Testing SENSYS German Representatives pick up the MAGNETO MXV3 System, transport it to the Dennis DeRolph farm for assembly, calibration, and testing. This technology is a non-intrusive high-speed magnetometer surveying system which is capable of reaching a depth of four feet below the terrain surface. The potential for this technology is to survey unprecedented large areas of terrain and therefore discover archaeological features which have never been known to exist. These discoveries have the potential of expanding our understanding of prehistoric peoples in Ohio. There is also the possibly of finding evidence of contact between pre-Columbian Native Americans and cultures from Europe and the Mediterranean Basin.

Tuesday, July 17th, 2018 10:00 a.m.
First Demonstration of Capability for Technology in Glenford Ohio

This place was selected because of its close proximity to a known Hopewell village site as well as the topographic nature of the landscape and the presence of artifacts. It is estimated there is a probability of finding sub-surface features consistent with the Hopewell inhabitants of the area. The site is located near Jonathan Creek, the most important waterway in the entire valley. This site is also near the Yost Earthworks which are carefully constructed geometric monuments which are aligned to the yearly solar standstills and the 18.6-year lunar standstill cycle. These earthworks were constructed by the Hopewell people living in a long-term site. This regional landscape is within  miles of Flint Ridge, the most important source for flint in the Eastern United States. Flint was the chosen material for the production of tools necessary to sustain all pre-historic life ways. The expectation for this site is to image evidence of long term habitation such as fire pits, postholes of dwellings, storage pits, and possibly linear features consistent with geometric features constructed by the local Hopewell culture.

Wednesday, July 18th, 2018 10:00 a.m.
Near Thronville, Ohio

In 1914 William Mills published an important document of pre-historic cultural features called The Archaeological Atlas of Ohio. Mills documented more than 5,300 sites in the 88 Counties of the State of Ohio. This 12-acre site was selected for demonstration because Mills Atlas indicates the presence of an earthen circle and square in the area. The geometric circle, square, a linear earthwork are the primary hallmarks of the Hopewell culture. Therefore, it is estimated there is a good probability of finding evidence of the geometric features which would be the first time the precise locations of these features are confirmed.

Thursday, July 19th, 2018 10:00 a.m.
Review and discussion of the Heartland Research Group
Glenford Community Center
125 High Street, Glenford, Ohio

In this meeting participants will be able to review the results of the archaeological surveys and to discuss future plans. The review begins with an interpretation of the magnetometer survey results and its importance to the archaeological record of the area. The discussions then focus on the logistics involved with moving the project forward including its goals and expectations. The possibility of a third site demonstration will be discussed. This third demonstration would be in the November/December time frame inside the stone walls of the Fort Glenford Hilltop Enclosure. This site has an estimated vey good probability of producing results never recorded before.

Friday, July 20th, 2018 6-9pm- Special OHIO Fireside July 20th, 2018.
LDS Chapel 1918 North Bridge Street CHILLICOTHE, Ohio 45601
Speakers:
DR. JOHN LEFGREN 6-7 PM “Christ in America, as Witnessed by the Earthworks of Ohio” CALVIN HAMILTON 7-8 PM Amazing Science Among the Nephites
RIAN NELSON 8-9 PM “Nephite Geology, Geography, and Archaeology”

Se SENSYS demonstration video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ippAA86Bdc
SENSYS Website Here: http://www.sensysmagnetometer.com/en/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/sensysmag

Applied German Technology with Book of Mormon Research
Prepared by John Lefgren, PhD
04/30/2018

“There is a new technology which uses the differential of magnetic forces to identify ancient features under the surface of the earth. The impact of this new technology on archeology is comparable to the impact which MRI technology has had on the practice of modern medicine.

SENSYS, a German Company located outside Berlin, is the world’s leading provider of magnetic and electromagnetic ground survey systems and components for archaeological research. Representatives of this company have agreed to come to America  to demonstrate the operation and effectiveness of their equipment on Nephite sites in Central Ohio. The Germans will be here in Ohio from July 16th to July 19th. Their technology will identify ancient activity in the ground under the fields and forests of Ohio.

The German machine creates about 30 data points in a space of 4″ x 4″. Each data point has GPS coordinates with an accuracy of +/- 1/4″. The machine can survey about 10 acres per hour which means that the readings are flowing at about 10. x 10^7 (100,000,000) per hour. A trained person can collect per day more than a half billion unique points of data. With this machine it is possible to consider a detailed survey of what is in the ground for hundreds of sites and for thousands of acres.

The amount of information is more than anyone could have imagined ten years ago. Fortunately, with modern-day software, it is possible to create digital images which will identify many kinds of human activity which are from 3 feet to 5 feet under the surface and which occurred at the time of Christ. It is amazing that by measuring the magnetic differences caused from the heat of a campfire the technology can identify within +/- 1/4″ accuracy the location of a pit which Lamanites dug when they were moving against Nephite settlements. That same level of detail can be applied to thousands of acres.

The fact that the technology can collect and handle this kind of data flow is remarkable. With these new methods it is possible to see the fulfillment of prophecies when God anciently promised that “Truth shall spring out of the earth” (Psalms 85:11), and that the proof of the Book of Mormon will be, “Yea, as one speaking out of the dust” (Moroni 10:27). It is so exciting to be a part of this. Believers are invited to participate. They should expect to see in this the Hand of God.

Research Hypothesis and Application of New Technology

The hypothesis for the research is taken from the Book of Mormon and is divided into three parts.

(1) The Nephites had hundreds of multi-generational settlements and fortifications on the Till Plains and the Erie Plains of Central Ohio during the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Centuries. About 50% of this land is covered with crops. The new technology can easily be applied to these large landscapes during the off seasons.
(2) In the 4th Century the Nephites were in conflict. They migrated northward along the Portage Escarpment and St Lawrence Divide as well as other routes from Central Ohio to Western New York. Some Nephites moved on the Ohio River into the headwaters of the Allegheny River, crossed the high plateau and went into the lowlands of the Great Lakes.
(3) Most of the Nephite settlements and fortifications in Western New York were built in a single generation in the mid and late 4th Century among the world’s largest drumlin fields. There is a thin archaeological layer which is associated with the last great conflict between the Lamanites and Nephites.

By the 4th Century the Nephite culture and its earthwork construction in the river valleys of Ohio had stopped. Archaeological evidence suggests that in the 4th Century these people migrated from Ohio to Western New York.

Conflict results in the displacement of people. Indeed, much of the movement of people in the ancient as well as the modern world is the result of conflict. The proposed research would examine movements and encampments of the Nephites who migrated from Ohio to Western New York during the late 4th Century. The proposed research will develop historic themes which are associated with the dislocation and displacement of people from one region to another. The research will review the accounts from the first Europeans concerning fortifications and artifacts of war for the ancient people who were in Western New York a thousand years before Columbus. The research will examine ancient sites in Western New York where archaeological artifacts are found from the rich agricultural lands of the Mississippi valleys.

The research will study various aspects of ancient life in these sites and their particular ‘wilderness’ settings, framing the discussion within the themes of movements and dislocations, and especially their multiple impacts on those Nephites who came to a land removed from their origins. A particular emphasis for the research will be movements and dislocations. The Nephites became in effect ‘stuck’ in the northeastern wilderness. They were in conflict and they coped with the situation as well as they could. The conflict will be reflected in the different features of the sites and the archaeological material which the fieldwork will produce. The research will focus on how conflict pushed the Nephites from one region to another. The research will compare the multi-generational construction of large and numerous earthworks in Central Ohio to the immediate construction of hundreds of fortifications and small villages in Western New York.

Considering the displacement of people in our time, the research will note how conflicts have pushed hundreds of millions of people from one region to another in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent and Asia. In this context the research will examine how in the ancient world one conflict pushed one people from the Heartland of America into the northeastern lands of Western New York.

To formulate an explanation for the decline of the Nephite culture the research will examine the 4th Century domestic settings in Western New York. The evidence of wars can be discovered from their fortifications. Over many centuries these sites have been picked over by thousands of ancient and modern people. The scale of conflict may be unknowable because so much is gone or what remains is no longer in a context which allows for a systematic analysis. Much of what the Nephites left behind in Western New York may be within the limits of small sites where there is likely more information concerning their domestic lives than their military conflicts. Artifacts from these sites will likely show connections to the Nephites of Ohio in arts and crafts within the framework of families and villages. In these domestic sites there was a unifying culture among the people. It was likely that religion was the “glue” that held them together in these domestic sites. There may not be much evidence within the context of domestic settings which would affirm that a “state” or “empire” held them together. It will become clear that the Nephite culture came into Western New York from the river valleys of Ohio. It will also become clear their culture disappeared in Western New York by the late 4th Century.

The research will help us understand what other scientists are currently investigating in this area. There are millions of historic specimens which are under the control of universities, local governments and private individuals. Gaining access to these collections may be one of the richest sources of information concerning the Nephites in Western New York during the 4th Century.

The research will select suitable archaeological sites for investigation and will organize volunteers. Volunteers will be involved in the field and will experience a bona fide excavation under the direction and management of professional archaeologists. The project will provide volunteers with full details, including in-depth project description, project size, age requirements, academic credit availability, information on accommodations, bibliographies, and more.”

Get a free link to Dr. Lefgren’s amazing 32 page new research called,  “The Sign Before the Birth of Christ” here:

SENSYS Research at Stonehenge

“Stonehenge is one the UK’s most visited tourist attractions – and one of the world’s most enigmatic ancient monuments. People come from all over the world to stare at the iconic stone pillars and wonder how, and why, they were put in place.

The site may be instantly recognizable, but there is far more to it than first meets the eye. As archaeologists study this area, mystery after mystery unfolds. But a coherent story may be beginning to emerge.

That has been particularly true over the last decade. Researchers have been studying not just the monument itself, but the area around it, hoping to find clues in this intriguing landscape of prehistoric monuments.

Underground imaging and excavation have revealed that Stonehenge was once part of a complicated network of structures: ancient burial mounds, unknown settlements, processional routes and even gold-adorned burials. The finds paint a picture of a far more mysterious and elaborate Neolithic and Bronze Age world than previously thought.” SENSYS GmbH Rabenfelde 5, [email protected]

See Stonehenge video here: http://archpro.lbg.ac.at/sites/files/archeo/media/lbi_archpro_trailer_2010.mp4)
And here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwNHats-1CU
Read about Stonehenge results here http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/#

How technology, not spades, revealed what lies beneath Stonehenge
Link Here: 

Contact FIRM Foundation
Cell/Text: Rian Nelson 801-931-9031
Email: [email protected]
Website: bookofmormonevidence.org

New Era in Book of Mormon Research
Large in Size, Significant in Location
It is Time to Get Serious About the Historicity of the Book of Mormon

When it comes to the large landscapes of the ancient world the Europeans have taken the lead. Scientists in Germany, Austria, Great Britain, Sweden, Norway, and Slovakia have done things in archaeology which Americans are only beginning to understand.

There is a book which reports on five years of work on sites from all over Europe. Papers were presented at the conference “Sensing the Past – New Approaches to European Landscapes”, held at the Goethe University in Frankfurt from 24th – 26th February 2015. Click here for a free PDF copy of the 125-page book which reports on the conference.

This book gives detailed information about remote sensing and surveying methods currently being used in Europe by archaeologists and cultural heritage professionals to explore, document and manage large landscapes. The book is connected to the heritage of ancient Europe. The book offers case studies as an important part of the LBI ArchPro research program. The book gives theoretical and practical developments related to archaeological landscape prospection at an unprecedented scale and resolution,

The Europeans have already demonstrated that it is possible and affordable to acquire high-resolution data across large areas. These areas are now measured in square miles rather than acres or square feet. In combination with modern interpretation techniques, these approaches herald a new era for the archaeology of the Book of Mormon. Taking the experience of the Europeans as a starting point, it is no longer necessary to use excavation as the first source of information for archaeological research. The setting for the Book of Mormon involves more than a million square miles. With this new technology, it is possible to start on large landscapes in Ohio where Nephite settlements were the cultural centers of North America in the 1st Century.

Our plan is to start in Chillicothe on Monday, July 16th. Come and see how modern technology from Berlin will begin to open our understanding of Book of Mormon lands. Stay tuned for more details.

Regards,
John Lefgren PhD

Download PDF here; Heartland Research Inc

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Heartland Research Group
Research Guidelines

(1) Our collection of data sets from the Heartland will use the highest standards and best methods of modern-day technology.
(2) The focus of the research will be the discovery of evidence of indigenous people who occupied the Heartland.
(3) The research will be objective and unbiased. The results will be placed on a wiki for the whole world to see.
(4) Questions or speculations concerning who these people are and from where they came will be reserved for additional studies where researchers will be free to use our new data sets.
(5) We will have data sets which are richer in detail than anything which now exists or which anyone is contemplating for these lands.
(6) Calvin Hamilton will take the lead in developing the protocol for the release of the data sets to the worldwide web. It may take a year before anything becomes available.
(7) We will use these guidelines in our discussions with people who may want to know what we are doing and how we are moving forward.


Protocol for Site Selection and Acquisition for Survey
by Richard D. Moats, Project Archaeologist
Heartland Research Group

Purpose:
The intent of this document is to provide the specific guidelines for the selection of lands which offer a reasonable probability for producing positive results of a magnetometry survey.
Positive results meaning the discovery of unknown features below the plow zone created by pre-historic cultures which inhabited and utilized the landscape. The features may include unknown long term habitation sites as evidenced by fire-pits, storage pits, structural postmolds, and sub-surface burials. Other features, relating to “ceremonial”, burial, and “belief system” practices, include linear features created by mounding earth such as circles, squares, and various geometric configurations. The identification and location of previously known but lost features is also considered as positive results.
Another intent of this protocol is to define specific procedures for securing the selected sites to be surveyed from the land owners, i.e. the farmers, while prescribing to the Research Goals and Guidelines of the Heartland Research Group. The prime directive being the honoring of the land owners rights and respect for their livelihood regarding land usage, crops, and livestock. Without the cooperation and respect from the farmers, there cannot be no ongoing research.

Site Selection:
The focus of site selection is to maximize the likelihood of finding features relating to activities conducted by indigenous cultures primarily the Hopewell. Therefore, all sources of information must be considered.

Site selection is the responsibility of the Project Archaeologist, “PA”. This individual selects sites of their own accord but must consider all sources of information to include Mill’s Atlas, archaeological papers, books, input from the land owners family history, and previous surveys.
Input from avocational archaeologists and surface hunters and members of the Archaeological Society of Ohio must also be considered.

When selecting a site for a magnetometry survey, the terrain is a major concern. Flat terrain, such as cultivated field are the ideal in regards to equipment capability. High weeds are much more problematic. Brush and wooded areas and terrain that is not tillable is outside of the equipment capability and will not be selected for high speed magnetometry.

Long term occupation sites are larger than nomadic encampments, hunting camps, and flint reduction sites. These sites will generally be on the second and third terraces above the annual flood plain. Long term occupation sites can be defined as an aggregation of fire-pits, storage pits, and dwelling post-molds consistent with Woodland, Fort Ancient, and Mississippian Cultural associations. Long term occupation sites will be on the third and higher terraces above flood plains and on relatively flat and level terrain. They may be close to or in view of known burial mounds, earthworks, and hilltop enclosures. They will be close to a source of water particularly near the confluence of two or more waterways. The region will have been productive for food sources such as fish, birds, animals, nuts, and grains.

Undiscovered large geometric earthworks and long linear features similar to “roads” will be the panicles of discovery. They will be found above annual and five year flood plains and relatively close to the long term occupation sites. Relatively close meaning within a two miles and within long distance view. Hilltop sites are rare. There must be some “evidence of presence” of a site on a hilltop such as Mills Atlas before it is selected for a survey.

To maximize the probability of discovery, large tracts of land must be surveyed. Landforms which fall into the prescribed parameters must be surveyed between grain crops and with minimal disturbance to the farmer. The “Sensys” system is conducive to high speed surveys and is the key to the project’s success and will maximize land coverage with minimal impact on the farmer and land. Once a site is selected for survey, it must then be acquired from the land owner by contract.

Acquisition of the land:
Once a tract of land is selected, the Field Operative, “FO”, will be notified and given the details of the selection. The FO will then be responsible for Acquisition of the site from the land owner by completing a contract and defining the time of year when the survey will be conducted.

Large tracts of land will more efficiently produce results. However, once features are identified, it may be necessary to expand the area of the survey to encompass all of the site features by going to an adjacent farm and land owner. The key to making efficient surveys is the speed at which the Sensys equipment can operate. Once a data stream is completed, it will then be processed by a designated interpreter for imaging. When the imaging is complete, the results will be sent back to the FO to be given to the land owner.

In order to maximize the efficiency of the FO, multiple sites must be selected and contracted. This will insure continued operations throughout the year and on a five day per week basis. Weather and other variables must be recognized and considered for the operations of the FO. Equipment maintenance and travel times must also be calculated into the schedule of the FO.