The verdict is still out on whether Glyn Hall has discovered historical artifacts or worthless rocks.

Chris Stevenson, regional archaeologist for the state Department of Historic Resources, yesterday examined dozens of possible petroglyphs and sculptures of bears, eagles and human faces. Hall believes he has found more than 100 artifacts since last month around an organic vegetable garden on the farm he lives on near Elk Hill in western Goochland County.

"Somebody's definitely fiddled with this one," Stevenson said while looking at a boulder. "It's not natural. I see an eagle. A person made it, but it could be 50 years old, or it could be 500 years old."

A surface find such as Hall's can't be dated, Stevenson said, because anyone could have dropped the rocks there. Hall hopes to organize a professional archeological dig in the fall, which he is confident will uncover an Indian settlement.

"If an excavation uncovers a hearth or a pit with a carved bear, then you can make a definite link," Stevenson said.

Many of the pieces Stevenson examined were probably formed by nature or marked by the blades of farm machinery, he said.

"The rocks are millions of years old," Stevenson said. "Over a million years, that rock is going to get a lot of wrinkles."

A few, though, show signs of something more historically significant. One, slightly larger than a hand, not only exhibits the etching of a bear but also carved triangle shapes on either side.

"This is the most convincing one I've seen today," Stevenson said.

He also was impressed by Hall's large collection of projectile points, including spears, arrows and darts dating to 600 to 5,000 years ago. The pieces were found in the same area as the rocks, about 200 yards from the James River.

"This area would have been heavily settled in prehistoric times," Stevenson said.

That's all the incentive Hall needs to continue his search.

"To me, this is confirmation that I'm finding good pieces," Hall said. "We just need to find better ones. I will continue to look because I believe it's here. I can sense it."
Contact Janet Caggiano at (804) 649-6157 or jcaggiano@timesdispatch.com.