The Book of the Wars of the Lord: Ancient Biblical Mystery Lost to History
In a groundbreaking investigation that challenges our understanding of early American history, forensic geologist Scott Walter has uncovered compelling evidence that visitors from Europe may have reached North America centuries before Columbus. Walter, who founded American Petrographic Services in 1990, brings unique scientific expertise to historical mysteries that have long puzzled archaeologists and historians.
With over 7,000 material forensic cases to his credit and recognition as the host of History Channel's "America on Earth," Walter's journey into historical investigation began in 2000 when he examined the controversial Kensington Runestone. Through innovative methods comparing mineral weathering patterns with tombstones of known ages, he concluded the inscription was over 200 years old—a finding that directly challenges mainstream historical narratives about North America's past and opens fascinating new possibilities about who really "discovered" America.
Key Takeaways
Forensic geology provides crucial scientific evidence for dating historical artifacts like the Kensington Runestone.
Pre-Columbian contact in North America extended much further back than conventional history acknowledges.
Indigenous oral traditions often contain historical knowledge that aligns with archaeological discoveries being made today.
Learning About Scott Walter
Education and Career Path
Scott Walter holds a bachelor's degree in geology and Earth Science from the University of Minnesota in Duluth. As a forensic geologist, he has worked as a petrographer since 1985. In 1990, he founded American Petrographic Services, where he continues to serve as president. His professional portfolio includes over 7,000 material forensic investigations. Among his notable work, Walter evaluated fire-damaged concrete from the Pentagon following the 9/11 attacks.
His career took a significant turn in July 2000 when he was asked to perform a forensic study on the Kensington Runestone. Using comparative analysis between the artifact and historical tombstones, Walter determined the inscription was over 200 years old, suggesting its authenticity. This controversial conclusion led to significant pushback but marked the beginning of his journey investigating historical artifacts.
Television and Writing Accomplishments
Walter is widely recognized as the host of The History Channel's popular series "America Unearthed." On this show, he investigates controversial historical artifacts and sites across North America and beyond, challenging conventional historical narratives about when various cultures first arrived in North America.
As an author, Walter has published works including "Cryptic Code of the Templars in America." His television work and books focus on evidence suggesting pre-Columbian contact between North America and other civilizations, particularly European ones, long before Columbus's 1492 voyage.
Walter's investigations have led him to numerous significant sites, including the Grand Canyon, where indigenous traditions reportedly connect to Egyptian influences. His work consistently questions established historical narratives and explores evidence of earlier trans-oceanic contact than commonly acknowledged in mainstream history.
The Kensington Runestone Examination
Beginning the Forensic Investigation
Scott Walter, a professional forensic geologist with decades of experience, first encountered the Kensington Runestone in July 2000. Representatives from the Alexandria museum, where the artifact remains housed today, approached Walter's laboratory requesting a scientific analysis. The museum officials specifically wanted to determine the age of the inscription's weathering, not the rock itself which dates back over a billion years.
Walter, unfamiliar with the runestone or its controversial history at that time, agreed to conduct the analysis. His background in material forensic investigations made him well-suited for this project. Having founded American Petrographic Services in 1990, Walter brought significant expertise in analyzing stone materials under laboratory conditions.
Creating the Comparative Tombstone Methodology
Walter developed an innovative approach to date the inscriptions by comparing the weathering patterns of minerals in the runestone with similar minerals in tombstones of known dates. This methodology focused on studying how certain minerals weather over time when exposed to similar environmental conditions. The runestone provided an excellent subject for this approach because it had been discovered wrapped in tree roots near the surface in 1898.
The analysis required examining Revolutionary War era tombstones from the East Coast to find specimens with:
Matching mineral composition
Similar mineral grain size
Comparable weathering conditions
Using scanning electron microscopy, Walter observed that certain weak minerals originally present on the surface of freshly carved inscriptions had completely weathered away on the runestone. By establishing this comparative timeline with dated tombstones, he concluded the inscriptions were over 200 years old from when the stone was unearthed.
Managing Scientific Opposition and Criticism
When Walter submitted his report concluding the runestone was authentic, he expected his findings would be positively received. Instead, he encountered immediate and intense pushback from various academic quarters. The criticism was surprisingly harsh and has continued for over 23 years since his initial findings were published.
Walter's research challenged the conventional historical narrative that Europeans first arrived in North America with Columbus in 1492. His findings aligned with growing archaeological evidence supporting much earlier European contact, including:
Norse settlements identified in Newfoundland dating to the 1960s
Metal artifacts predating Columbus's voyages
Various pre-Columbian artifacts found throughout North America
Walter believes the resistance to his findings stems from institutional reluctance to revise established historical narratives. This opposition has motivated his continuing investigations into pre-Columbian artifacts and sites across North America. His work suggests that artifacts from Europe and the Middle East arrived in North America as part of early exploration efforts that eventually contributed to the continent's colonization.
Role of Forensic Geologists
Forensic geologists apply geological principles to analyze physical evidence in legal investigations. They examine rocks, minerals, and soil samples to provide scientific insights that can help solve mysteries or authenticate historical artifacts.
A forensic geologist must possess specialized knowledge of mineral weathering patterns and how environmental factors affect various rock types over time. This expertise allows them to determine the approximate age of inscriptions or alterations made to stone artifacts.
One key method involves comparative analysis. By examining similar materials of known age—such as tombstones with verifiable dates—forensic geologists can establish weathering timelines that help authenticate disputed artifacts.
The work often requires sophisticated tools and techniques. Scanning electron microscopes allow geologists to examine mineral structures at microscopic levels, revealing weathering patterns invisible to the naked eye.
Forensic geologists frequently face challenges from established historical narratives. Their scientific findings sometimes contradict conventional wisdom about when various civilizations first arrived in North America, leading to controversy and academic debate.
These scientists work with archaeological sites, ancient artifacts, and historical locations to uncover evidence of pre-Columbian contact. Their findings suggest European and other foreign visitors reached North America much earlier than traditionally taught.
Access restrictions sometimes hamper investigations, particularly in sensitive or protected areas. This can prevent complete analysis of potentially significant archaeological sites that might contain valuable historical evidence.
Forensic geology provides critical insights into:
Authentication of controversial artifacts
Age determination of inscriptions
Material analysis of historical sites
Evidence of ancient cross-cultural contact
Validation or refutation of origin stories
The field continues to evolve as new technologies enhance analytical capabilities. Modern forensic geologists combine traditional geological knowledge with advanced scientific methods to unlock historical mysteries previously considered unsolvable.
Challenging Conventional History
Ancient Contact Theories
Evidence increasingly suggests that North America experienced visitors long before Columbus's 1492 arrival. Forensic geology has revealed surprising findings that contradict traditional historical narratives. The Kensington Runestone represents one such artifact that has undergone scientific examination, with weathering analysis indicating it is over 200 years old from when it was discovered in 1898.
Viking settlements discovered in the 1960s at L'Anse aux Meadows confirmed Norse presence in North America around 1000 CE. These discoveries challenge the simplistic "Columbus first" narrative taught in many educational settings. Archaeological evidence continues to accumulate suggesting multiple cultures made contact with North America centuries before traditionally acknowledged.
Academic Resistance to New Findings
The scientific community often reacts defensively when presented with evidence contradicting established historical timelines. When forensic analysis supports the authenticity of controversial artifacts, researchers frequently face significant pushback rather than scholarly acceptance. This resistance appears systematic rather than evidence-based in many cases.
Access restrictions to potentially significant archaeological sites further complicates verification efforts. Researchers investigating reported Egyptian connections in the Grand Canyon, for example, have encountered barriers to accessing lower canyon areas where relevant caves are purportedly located. Indigenous oral traditions sometimes align with these alternative historical narratives, creating an interesting intersection between traditional knowledge and modern archaeological investigation.
Multiple institutions appear invested in maintaining conventional historical frameworks despite mounting evidence suggesting a more complex pre-Columbian history. The journey to uncover North America's true past continues despite these institutional obstacles, with forensic geology providing valuable tools for authentication.
Current Research Endeavors
The Quest for Historical Artifacts
Scott Walter, a forensic geologist and host of "America on Earth," is currently engaged in what he describes as the culmination of his 23-year investigation into North America's true historical origins. His journey began in July 2000 when he was asked to analyze the Kensington Runestone, which led to his controversial conclusion that the inscription was over 200 years old.
Walter's scientific approach involves examining mineral weathering patterns to determine age. For the Runestone study, he compared mineral weathering on the artifact to Revolutionary War era tombstones with similar grain size and environmental conditions. This methodology helped establish the authenticity of artifacts that challenge conventional historical timelines.
His investigations have repeatedly suggested that North American history extends much further back than traditionally taught. The Viking settlement discovered in Newfoundland during the 1960s represents just one example of pre-Columbian European contact. Walter believes significant historical artifacts and relics from Europe and the Middle East were brought to North America, playing a role in the continent's founding.
Walter has encountered resistance to his findings from certain institutions seemingly intent on maintaining established historical narratives. Despite these challenges, he reports being on the verge of a major breakthrough in locating important artifacts based on recently acquired information about their whereabouts.
During an episode of "America on Earth," Walter investigated reports of Egyptian hieroglyphs in the Grand Canyon. Though his team was denied access to the lower canyon areas where these caves supposedly exist, indigenous sources confirmed connections between their origin stories and Egyptian elements. Government restrictions reportedly prevented further exploration of these sites.
Walter's continued work aims to uncover historical truths that have been obscured or suppressed, potentially revealing new chapters in North American history.
Indigenous Insights on Ancient Connections
Exploring Ancient Cultural Links in the Canyon Depths
Indigenous perspectives have provided valuable insights into potential ancient connections between distant civilizations. During investigations of mysterious historical sites, researchers have engaged with Native knowledge keepers who share oral traditions that align with archaeological questions.
One notable indigenous elder, who has since passed away, confirmed traditional stories about their ancestors emerging from caves at the base of the canyon. When asked specifically about Egyptian connections, the elder responded affirmatively without hesitation, indicating that their cultural narratives included references to Egyptian peoples or influences.
This oral history creates an intriguing parallel with archaeological hypotheses about ancient cross-continental contact. The elder expressed willingness to guide researchers to these significant sites but explained that government restrictions prevented access to these sensitive areas in the lower canyon where the caves are reportedly located.
These indigenous accounts add a crucial dimension to historical investigations, suggesting that oral traditions may preserve memories of contacts between ancient peoples that conventional historical narratives have overlooked or dismissed. The convergence between indigenous knowledge and archaeological inquiry points to the need for more inclusive approaches to understanding North America's complex past.
