The Belial Stone (The Belial Series #1)(48)

Laney bit her lip, waiting for him to continue.

“There is one site that would seem to line up with the timeframe we’re talking about. Although ‘site’ is probably too strong a word for the location.” Patrick paused again.

Laney sighed and rolled her eyes. “Uncle Patrick, if you’re trying to create some sort of dramatic build up, I assure you, you’re there.”

“Sorry, sorry. It’s not that. It just, well, it’s almost too incredible.”

“Uncle Patrick, everything about this situation is incredible. So what’s one more brick in the surreal pile?

Patrick chuckled. “True enough. Okay, then. There was a group of people called the Olmecs from northern Mexico whom traditional archeologists believe reached the pinnacle of their civilization around 1500 BC. They were known for their carvings of incredible stone structures, weighing over a hundred tons, that they moved across great distances. Do you remember the book I showed you of statues from all over the world, when you were a little girl? You called it the giant head book.”

Laney’s mind flashed back to pictures of heads carved from stone that rivaled the size of the sphinx. “I remember it. Which ones were the Olmecs?”

“They were the carvings of the heads with African features found in San Lorenzo in Mexico. And there’s debate as to the age of the ruins attributed to the Olmecs: 1,500 BC is the youngest age that can be attributed to them. Alternative archaeologists, however, believe that they are thousands of years older. Some even argue that the carvings were not actually of the Olmecs, but rather were handed down from an even older civilization.”

“Wait, how is that possible? Africans were nowhere near Central America at that time.”

“That is exactly the issue alternative archaeologists point out. In fact, they were nowhere near Central America at the later time, never mind the earlier one. Which, of course, makes it rather difficult to explain how these heads were created.”

“Why do you think these people could be related to a site in Montana?”

“For four reasons. First, there doesn’t appear to have been any developmental phase in the Olmecs’ civilization. They appeared on the scene, with an incredible technological ability, essentially out of nowhere. Second, they sprang up in Central America, which is close enough to Montana if you’re not actually trying to settle too close. Third, if the Montana site is there and dates the same as Gobekli Tepe, then the timeline is consistent with the older dates given for the Olmecs. It’s the fourth reason, though, that really gives me pause.”

“And that is?”

“Remember how some academics argued that Gobekli Tepe was pristine because the builders intentionally buried it to protect it?”

“Yes.”

“Well, at the time of the Olmecs’ downfall, all building stopped. In fact, buildings were demolished and defaced. We don’t know if they did it themselves, or if it was done to them. But in the middle of this, the Olmecs dug and created these elaborate graves that were lined with blue tiles and multi-colored clay. And into these graves, they placed these huge stone heads and some smaller sculptures.”

Laney imagined the giant stone heads and their burial. What an incredible undertaking. Such an elaborate process could only have been done for something they cared for a great deal. “They were buried to preserve them for future generations.”

“Exactly. Just as with Gobekli Tepe and perhaps this Montana site, we see people burying something to protect it.”





CHAPTER 37



Chester, MT



Gideon glanced through the photos Priddle had brought from the dig site. He, Priddle, and Kensington were in the senator’s study at his Montana ranch. Kensington had flown in for a few days to see how the site was progressing, and he was growing impatient.

Gideon’s own patience was reaching an end as well. He couldn’t understand how no stones had been uncovered yet. Why was this taking so long?

He paced along the back wall of Kensington’s office. He quickly shuffled through the pictures, looking for any evidence of the stone. Where the hell was it?

Kensington leafed through an identical stack of pictures over at his desk. He pointed to a symbol in one of the photos.

“Is this a cross?”

Gideon knew what picture the Senator was referring to. He shifted to the photo and sighed. The photo was a close-up of a double crucifix with perfectly straight edges, etched deeply into the granite. The man was a true idiot. The site pre-dated Christianity by thousands of years.

Priddle grabbed the photo across the desk and then handed it back. “Not exactly. It’s more likely an ankh or crux ansata. It’s seen throughout ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and denotes eternal life. It’s believed that the cross that’s used in Christianity was, in essence, borrowed from an older source, perhaps even linking it to the ancient Egyptian quest for immortality.”

“But it resembles a cross,” Kensington argued stubbornly.

Walking away from the two, Gideon rolled his eyes, knowing why Kensington was trying to tie this structure to Christianity. His conservative base would love it. The man couldn’t see beyond his own petty political desires. Oh, how he longed for the day the man was no longer of use.

“Yes. Yes, it does.” Priddle agreed.

Kensington continued to review the photos. “How much of the site is uncovered at this point?”