9. Lehi and Nephi brought much honey with them from Bountiful in Oman. 1 Nephi 18:6 “And it came to pass that on the morrow, after we had prepared all things, much fruits and meat from the wilderness, and honey in abundance…” It would make sense that the Lord may have led them to another land (Apalachicola FL) that had an abundance of honey producing vegetation, or Lehi may have brought the seeds from Israel to grow the White Tupelo Gum trees, nyssa ogeche, that are found naturally in Florida. Remember the Jaredites also brought bees with them to the Promised land. Ether 2:3 “And they did also carry with them deseret, which, by interpretation, is a honey bee; and thus, they did carry with them swarms of bees, and all manner of that which was upon the face of the land, seeds of every kind.”
Location of Apalachicola and
Tallahassee, where it is claimed Lehi landed, and Nephi built his temple;
(Whiter circle) The White Tupelo (nyssa ogeche), which makes up less than 1% of
the woody plant population is found a little west of Apalachiocola
To suggest that this single tree was the reason or cause of the honey mentioned in Nephi seems rather far-fetched, and since it is indigenous to areas such as swampy seacoast, it would not have been found in Jerusalem and could not have been brought with Lehi.
Secondly, bees are attracted to
numerous areas, and to suggest that only Apalachicola, Florida, for some reason
was ideal for Lehi’s bees and, therefore, a reason to choose this area for
landing is also unworthy of debate. As an example pollinating populations
of bees are attracted by adequate sources of food, water, and shelter, with flower-rich
habitats where bees can nest rest, and forage, the latter from spring through
fall. Such native shrubs oand trees and plants are Eastern redbud;
Sparkleberry; Bottonbush; Flatwood plum; Basswood; False Indigobush; Highbush
blueberry; with forbs (phorb) or flower plants: Horsement; beardtongue;
Milkweed; Blanketflower; Spderwort; Sunflower; Sage; Coreopsis; Ironweed;
Mistflower; Goldenrod and Silkgrass.
In addition, “bee plants” such as sweetclover, thistle, alfalfa and dandelion, and include for the summer: cosmos, echinacea, snapdragons foxglove, and hosta; and in the fall: aster, balm (lemon mint), zinnia, sage, verbena, sedum, witch hazel and goldenrod are late bloomers that will tempt foragers. There are nearly 1,000 pollinator friendly plants (perennials, annuals, trees, shrubs, and vines which bloom through as many seasons as possible) native to the United States. It should also be understood that Pollinators transfer pollen and seeds from one flower to another, fertilizing the plant so it can grow and produce food. Cross-pollination helps at least 30 percent of the world's crops and 90 percent of our wild plants to thrive.2 Without bees to spread seeds, many plants—including food crops—would die off. Thus, bees are found everywhere and have throughout history, with the single exception of that period directly after the Flood when all life was extinguished on the planet other than that was in the Ark.
Third, we know Lehi had honey because of his finding it in abundance in Bountiful upon reaching the Oman coast of the Arabian Peninsula (1 Nephi 17:5). Evidence of these ancient bees were found in caves overlooking the coast above Khor Rori. Such an environment is totally the opposite to that of the swamp rivers where it is claimed Lehi landed.
10. “There were thirteen mounds, including a sizeable temple mound and a shell midden more than a mile long, shared with a bustling village the area around what is now Magnolia Cemetery.”
Response: If this is the area where Lehi landed as
claimed, then there should be no temple reference in this location. While they
spent at least one year in this area of “their father’s first inheritance (Alma
22:28) while they planted and harvested an abundant crop, Nephi soon left,
warned by the Lord that his brother sought to kill him (2 Nephi 5:6). They
traveled in the wilderness “for many days” before pitching their tents (2 Nephi
5:7), which is where Nephi built a temple, like unto that of Solomon. This is the first
temple indicated in the scriptural record, therefore there would have been no
temple built where the first landed.
11. “Materials were clustered around the Apalachicola delta and coast to Pierce, where the Pierce Mounds and Middens, at the mouth of the river and overlooking both north-south and east-west traffic, were part of a major multi-component center with remarkable Middle Woodland mounds and spread from there up the river.”
Response: The Pierce Mounds, named for Alton Pierce, an early owner of the site, consisting of 100 acres, ran northward along the Apalachicola River. These mounds begin at the river mouth, and move northward to the Chattahoochee Landing, just below the confluence on the Florida/Georgia border. There is no evidence of anything other than dirt mounds and middens, that is a refuse heap, but no ruins of any kind. In fact, the only basic evidence is in pottery and pottery forms and decorations and how the pottery was made.. This early period is characterized by Deptford pottery, which was plain-surfaced or simple-stamped with a parallel-line design into the wet clay before firing (somewhere like an uneven waffle pattern).
These pieces have determined the periods of Early Woodland Period 1000BC to 200BC; Middle Woodland 500 BC to 500 AD; Late Woodland 200 BC to 500 AD; Late Woodland 500 to 1000 AD. It is claimed that these early Woodland people used spears and atlatils, which were replaced by bows and arrows; however, Southeastern Woodland peoples also used blowguns.
It is also claimed that Early
Woodland peoples continued many trends begun during an earlier people,
including extensive mound-building, regional distinctive burial complexes, the
trade of exotic goods across a large area of North America as part of
interaction spheres, the reliance on both wild and domesticated plant foods,
and a mobile subsistence strategy in which small groups took advantage of
seasonally available resources such as nuts, fish, shellfish, and wild plants.
None of this is consistent with either the Jaredites, who were a people with advanced building and living backgrounds, nor the Npehites with even more advanced building and living background. Nor do mounds have anything to do with a people from Mesopotamia or a people from Jerusalem, and as burial mounds, contrary to the Law of Moses, which the Nephites lived (2 Nephi 5:10; 11:4; 25:24; Jacob 4:5; 7:7; Jarom 1:5,11).
According to University of South Florida archaeologist Nancy Marie White, a professor in the university’s department of anthropology, the Pierce Mounds, was inhabited for more than 2000 years prior to the arrival of European explorers. Situated on the western edge of Apalachicola, she claims the area the settlement was founded around 500-300 BC (White, “Pierce Mounds Complex An Ancient Capital in Northwest Florida,” Anthropology Department, University South Florida, December 2013).
(See the next post, “A New Landing Site for Lehi – Part V,” regarding additional coverage of the Heartland Theorists claims of the Chattanooga area of Tennessee being the city of Nephi and the area of Montrose, Iowa, being Zarahemla)
In addition, “bee plants” such as sweetclover, thistle, alfalfa and dandelion, and include for the summer: cosmos, echinacea, snapdragons foxglove, and hosta; and in the fall: aster, balm (lemon mint), zinnia, sage, verbena, sedum, witch hazel and goldenrod are late bloomers that will tempt foragers. There are nearly 1,000 pollinator friendly plants (perennials, annuals, trees, shrubs, and vines which bloom through as many seasons as possible) native to the United States. It should also be understood that Pollinators transfer pollen and seeds from one flower to another, fertilizing the plant so it can grow and produce food. Cross-pollination helps at least 30 percent of the world's crops and 90 percent of our wild plants to thrive.2 Without bees to spread seeds, many plants—including food crops—would die off. Thus, bees are found everywhere and have throughout history, with the single exception of that period directly after the Flood when all life was extinguished on the planet other than that was in the Ark.
Third, we know Lehi had honey because of his finding it in abundance in Bountiful upon reaching the Oman coast of the Arabian Peninsula (1 Nephi 17:5). Evidence of these ancient bees were found in caves overlooking the coast above Khor Rori. Such an environment is totally the opposite to that of the swamp rivers where it is claimed Lehi landed.
10. “There were thirteen mounds, including a sizeable temple mound and a shell midden more than a mile long, shared with a bustling village the area around what is now Magnolia Cemetery.”
Turtle Harbor Swamp, or Wetlands,
which include trees woody vegetation and shrubs growing in a wetland area. Along
the banks are the Pierce Mounds
11. “Materials were clustered around the Apalachicola delta and coast to Pierce, where the Pierce Mounds and Middens, at the mouth of the river and overlooking both north-south and east-west traffic, were part of a major multi-component center with remarkable Middle Woodland mounds and spread from there up the river.”
Response: The Pierce Mounds, named for Alton Pierce, an early owner of the site, consisting of 100 acres, ran northward along the Apalachicola River. These mounds begin at the river mouth, and move northward to the Chattahoochee Landing, just below the confluence on the Florida/Georgia border. There is no evidence of anything other than dirt mounds and middens, that is a refuse heap, but no ruins of any kind. In fact, the only basic evidence is in pottery and pottery forms and decorations and how the pottery was made.. This early period is characterized by Deptford pottery, which was plain-surfaced or simple-stamped with a parallel-line design into the wet clay before firing (somewhere like an uneven waffle pattern).
These pieces have determined the periods of Early Woodland Period 1000BC to 200BC; Middle Woodland 500 BC to 500 AD; Late Woodland 200 BC to 500 AD; Late Woodland 500 to 1000 AD. It is claimed that these early Woodland people used spears and atlatils, which were replaced by bows and arrows; however, Southeastern Woodland peoples also used blowguns.
Archaeologists’ Stages in Western
Florida covering the period of the Jaredite Kingdom and Nephite Nation
None of this is consistent with either the Jaredites, who were a people with advanced building and living backgrounds, nor the Npehites with even more advanced building and living background. Nor do mounds have anything to do with a people from Mesopotamia or a people from Jerusalem, and as burial mounds, contrary to the Law of Moses, which the Nephites lived (2 Nephi 5:10; 11:4; 25:24; Jacob 4:5; 7:7; Jarom 1:5,11).
According to University of South Florida archaeologist Nancy Marie White, a professor in the university’s department of anthropology, the Pierce Mounds, was inhabited for more than 2000 years prior to the arrival of European explorers. Situated on the western edge of Apalachicola, she claims the area the settlement was founded around 500-300 BC (White, “Pierce Mounds Complex An Ancient Capital in Northwest Florida,” Anthropology Department, University South Florida, December 2013).
(See the next post, “A New Landing Site for Lehi – Part V,” regarding additional coverage of the Heartland Theorists claims of the Chattanooga area of Tennessee being the city of Nephi and the area of Montrose, Iowa, being Zarahemla)
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