Bat Creek Stone

Record summary

The Bat Creek Stone was excavated from a Native American burial mound in Tennessee in 1889 and carries marks that have been interpreted by some writers as an ancient Hebrew inscription. It became a recurring piece of evidence in claims that Israelites or other Old World peoples founded pre-Columbian American civilizations. Epigraphers and archaeologists have challenged the reading, provenance, and historical interpretation, with modern-fabrication explanations frequently discussed. The lead is useful for examining how burial context, script identification, and diffusionist narratives interact.