Local stone artisans Alvin Lopez of Rock Hill and Richard Rulli of Grahamsville are the focus of an article recently accepted for publication by Ancient American magazine.

The article, for which a publication date has yet to be announced, is a first person narrative written by Rulli about an archaeological find of potential significance unearthed by Lopez near Hurleyville while he was searching for appropriate stones for a wall he was building.

The find is a stone artifact with what appears to have a distorted human face etched into it.

“In my opinion as a stone mason and sculptor for more than fifty years, the patina on the stone face and specifically in the cavity of the eye, indicates extreme age, and so we have undertaken trying to determine if the time of the carving can be fixed through some scientific means,” Rulli said.

The pair has shared photographs of what has become known as The Alvin Stone with a number of experts, most of who have agreed that it is potentially very old and possibly significant.

“In my opinion, if the Alvin Stone is not natural, it somewhat resembles the human face associated with 8th to 6th Century B.C. Phoenician mortuary masks used to frighten away evil spirits,” the noted author Frank Joseph said following a look at the photographs.

Joseph has penned a number of books, one of which, entitled “Lost Colonies of Ancient America,” contains a chapter describing Phoenician influences in North America, which he says should at least prompt experts “to give the Alvin Stone some consideration.”

Ancient American magazine is based in Colfax, Wisconsin. Its self-described purpose is “to describe the prehistory of the American Continent, regardless of presently fashionable beliefs - to provide a public forum for certified experts and nonprofessionals alike to freely express their views without fear nor favor.”