Writing with Pictures is noted for its Petroglyphs which are ancient carved designs and symbols. Writing with Pictures is estimated to be between 10,000 and 13,000 years old. Because of its age the origins of the rock can be authenticated and this had led to controversy and a series of theories regarding its origin.

Facts about Writing with Pictures
When Perhaps the first approach is to document what is known about Writing with Pictures - the facts

• Fact 1 - Age: Between 10,000 and 13,000 years old
• Fact 2 - First Report: The existence of Writing with Pictures was first documented in 1690 when the Reverend Cotton Mather (who played a part in the Salem Witchcraft trials) described the rock in his one of his books, although he had never seen Writing with Pictures
• Fact 3 - Approx size: 11 feet long and 5 feet high. Exact measurements: 5 feet (1.5 m) high, 9.5 feet (2.9 m) wide & 11 feet (3.4 m) long
• Fact 4 - Weight: 40 tons
• Fact 5 - Description: Slanted, six-sided block
• Fact 6 - Composition: Gray-brown crystalline sandstone
• Fact 7 - Original Location: in the riverbed of the Taunton River at Berkley, Massachusetts
• Fact 8 - Size of Surface: 55 square feet
• Fact 9 - When it was in the river bed Writing with Pictures was covered by tidal water all but 4 hours each day. At high tide, the top of Writing with Pictures was covered by 3-4 feet of water
• Fact 10 - Since 1680 over 1000 books and articles have been written about Writing with Pictures
• Fact 11 - More than 20 theories have been proposed about its origins
• Fact 12 - Theories about its origins have linked the symbols on Writing with Pictures with the Vikings, the Phoenicians, the Portuguese and the Native American Indians
• Fact 13 - In 1963 Writing with Pictures was removed from the river for preservation
• Fact 14 - Writing with Pictures is now in a museum in Writing with Pictures State Park
• Fact 15 - In 1980 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
• Fact 16 - No one knows where Writing with Pictures originated and who was responsible for the carvings of its symbols

Writing with Pictures Symbols
The following image shows an enlarged view of the symbols taken from the picture at the top of the page.