Ancient civilizations in North America

Dr. Little reminds his followers on X about something that few Latter-day Saints are aware of.

If you have friends who have been misled into thinking there was hardly any civilization in North America during Book of Mormon times, you can help educate them by starting with this post.

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https://x.com/DrGregLittle2/status/1773512120375652402?s=20

Gregory L Little, Ed.D.

@DrGregLittle2

I have to routinely show this map because there are so many new followers. This is an 1894 map by the Smithsonian's Bureau of Ethnology showing the mound sites they had identified at that time--but only in the eastern half of the USA. The red dots are sites, many with multiple mounds. So many more sites have been found since then that a map of the eastern half of the US would be covered with dots. For example, right now there are over 12,000 mounds known to exist in Minnesota today--and about 90% of what existed have been destroyed. All of coastal Florida would be solid red as would the coast of the Carolinas.

(click to enlarge)

Some of the comments are important, too.

Comment: 

Looks like Michigan had quite a lot of them along its coastlines as well. Strangely not many in the U.P.

Gregory L Little, Ed.D.

@DrGregLittle2

As of now, there are about 12,500 mounds that still exist in Michigan including some in the U.P. Too many to put on a map! But in 1894, when that map was made, that area was not really explored yet.

Comment:

What's in the mounds? Burials?

Gregory L Little, Ed.D.

@DrGregLittle2

Some are burial mounds. Some were truncated pyramids (called platform mounds) that had structures on the tops, Some were formed into huge animal/human effigies. Some were geometric earthwork mounds. Different purposes for all of them. Many mounds had stone outer walls which few people know about. There are also stone mounds, mostly for spiritual purposes.

Gregory L Little, Ed.D.

@DrGregLittle2

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14h

I'll add that the mound complexes (sites that had multiple mounds up to over 100) were the center and focal point of the surrounding towns.

Moving to the land of Nephi

The WSJ reports that people are moving to the land of Nephi.

https://www.wsj.com/us-news/boomers-retirees-appalachia-georgia-retirement-9bf8e61f?st=vfsfkrm4z5d4ilv&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

Kirtland temple and the Book of Mormon

With all the attention on the Kirtland temple, there will probably be lots of visitors there this summer. 

Some of us think Kirtland is a solid candidate for "the temple which was in the land Bountiful." (3 Nephi 11:1) This is the last temple mentioned in the Book of Mormon.

Except for what the Lord told people at that site: "Thus said the Father unto Malachi—Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in; behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts." (3 Nephi 24:1)

D&C 109 is the dedicatory prayer for the Kirtland temple.

D&C 110 is the fulfillment of the Lord suddenly coming to the temple, followed by the messengers of the covenants. Verse 14 even says, "Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi." (Doctrine and Covenants 110:14)

That would be the topic of a much longer post, but to summarize, Ohio is within the land Bountiful in the Heartland model, and Kirtland fits as a site for the temple in 3 Nephi.

We can see from D&C 110:14 that the Kirtland temple was the fulfillment of Malachi's prophecy. It makes sense that the Lord would teach that prophecy to the Nephites at the very location where it would be fulfilled.

Just something to think about, regardless of what you think about the various possible settings of the Book of Mormon.

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If you or anyone you know is planning a trip, take some time to visit Indian Point Park which is just 14 miles northeast.

(click to enlarge)

From the parking lot, you walk west along the path to the end of the point you can see in this topographical map. Or, you can park down below on the west side and walk up the stairs to the top. If the rivers are high, you can access the upper parking lot from the east on Seeley Road.

(click to enlarge)

The historical marker explains that the walls were built around 140 BC, squarely within Book of Mormon time frames.

(click to enlarge)

I've visited similar fortifications at the convergence of rivers throughout the Midwest. Another excellent example is near Cincinnati, Ohio called Shawnee Lookout. The golf course there has a museum of excellent artifacts dating to Book of Mormon time frames. 

I've also visited numerous Book of Mormon era archaeological sites in and around Cleveland. I had thought about offering a tour during the Mormon History Association meetings in Cleveland this year, but I couldn't fit it into my schedule.

Maybe one of these days I'll put together a virtual tour. The sites are quite impressive, and they're consistent with the Moroni's America framework for the setting of the Book of Mormon.

Plus, people have told me about artifacts and other things they've found in the area that they haven't reported to officials or archaeologists because the government will seize them, maybe take their property, etc.

That's a common problem, another unintended consequence of the NAGPRA Act.

A topic for another post someday...

Original Hopewell site at Chillicothe, Ohio

 

Gregory L Little, Ed.D.

@DrGregLittle2

Mid-1800's survey of the original Hopewell Site at Chillicothe, Ohio. It was an incredible set of earthworks and mounds covering nearly 130 acres. The outer walls ran for over 2 miles and 29 burial mounds were at the site. It was likely constructed around AD 200-500. From: Squier & Davis, 1858.

5:28 PM · Feb 29, 2024

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Two sets of plates: "the book of which I have spoken"

This post discusses another aspect of the "two-sets-of-plates" scenario, looking at what Nephi said about the future Book of Mormon.

On this blog we've discussed the idea that Moroni put the abridged plates in the stone box on Cumorah, as indicated by the Title Page (the last leaf of the plates) and other extrinsic and historical evidence. 

Joseph and Oliver completed the translation of those plates in Harmony, PA. Then Joseph gave those abridged plates to a messenger who took them to Cumorah. From the repository in Cumorah, the messenger picked up the plates of Nephi and took them to Fayette where Joseph translated them as 1 Nephi-Words of Mormon 1-11.

(see chart here: https://www.lettervii.com/p/the-two-sets-of-plates-schematic.html)

To review, the Lord told Oliver that when he finished helping Joseph translate "this record" (meaning the abridged plates), there would be "other records" that he would assist to translate.

1 Behold, I say unto you, my son, that because you did not translate according to that which you desired of me, and did commence again to write for my servant, Joseph Smith, Jun., even so I would that ye should continue until you have finished this record, which I have entrusted unto him.

2 And then, behold, other records have I, that I will give unto you power that you may assist to translate.

(Doctrine and Covenants 9:1–2)

In the next section, the Lord explained what these "other records" were; i.e., the plates of Nephi.

38 And now, verily I say unto you, that an account of those things that you have written, which have gone out of your hands, is engraven upon the plates of Nephi;

 39 Yea, and you remember it was said in those writings that a more particular account was given of these things upon the plates of Nephi.

40 And now, because the account which is engraven upon the plates of Nephi is more particular concerning the things which, in my wisdom, I would bring to the knowledge of the people in this account—

 41 Therefore, you shall translate the engravings which are on the plates of Nephi, down even till you come to the reign of king Benjamin, or until you come to that which you have translated, which you have retained;

42 And behold, you shall publish it as the record of Nephi; and thus I will confound those who have altered my words.

(Doctrine and Covenants 10:38–42)

IOW, Joseph didn't have the plates of Nephi in Harmony. He wouldn't get them until the messenger brought them to Fayette. 

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Aside from the extrinsic and historical evidence that Joseph Smith translated two separate sets of plates, we have a comment by Nephi that corroborates the two sets of plates scenario.

Nephi wrote, "And now, I would prophesy somewhat more concerning the Jews and the Gentiles. For after the book of which I have spoken shall come forth, and be written unto the Gentiles, and sealed up again unto the Lord, there shall be many which shall believe the words which are written; and they shall carry them forth unto the remnant of our seed." (2 Nephi 30:3)

Notice that Nephi did not write "this book" when he prophesied about the future Book of Mormon. The "book of which I have spoken" was obviously not the book he was writing at the time.

Nephi explained that the book would be the words of "his seed," meaning his descendants, presumably as abridged by Mormon.

2 And also, that I may remember the promises which I have made unto thee, Nephi, and also unto thy father, that I would remember your seed; and that the words of your seed should proceed forth out of my mouth unto your seed; and my words shall hiss forth unto the ends of the earth, for a standard unto my people, which are of the house of Israel;

(2 Nephi 29:2)

Had Nephi's original plates been included in the original Book of Mormon, the verses should have read something like this:

"And now, I would prophesy somewhat more concerning the Jews and the Gentiles. For after the book of which I have spoken shall come forth, which book shall include these words I am writing now, and be written unto the Gentiles, and sealed up again unto the Lord, there shall be many which shall believe the words which are written; and they shall carry them forth unto the remnant of our seed." (2 Nephi 30:3)

2 And also, that I may remember the promises which I have made unto thee, Nephi, and also unto thy father, that I would remember your seed; and that your words and the words of your seed should proceed forth out of my mouth unto your seed; and my words shall hiss forth unto the ends of the earth, for a standard unto my people, which are of the house of Israel;

(2 Nephi 29:2)

Naturally, other interpretations are possible, but this is an interpretation that corroborates the extrinsic and historical evidence that Joseph translated two separate sets of plates, and that the Lord had Joseph translate the plates of Nephi to replace the lost 116 pages from the "original" Book of Mormon.