LIMA, Peru -- Archaeologists discount a U.S. explorer's claims that tablets he says he found near Incan ruins in the Amazon are somehow linked to the legendary gold mines of King Solomon, but some experts say the ruins themselves could someday become a major tourist attraction for Peru.
Gene Savoy, 62, a Nevada resident, recently said the tablets will 'revolutionize the archaeological interpretation of ancient Peruvian civilizations.' His comments appeared worldwide in news stories.
But Federico Kauffman, one of the Peru's most distinguished archaeologists, said it is 'nonsense to suppose that petroglyphs seen by Savoy have some special significance, because in Peru there are 2,000 to 3,000 different locations with the same petroglyphs.'
Petroglyphs are pictorial carvings on stones.
Savoy claimed to have discovered large stone tablets in August in a cave near a large pre-Colombian ruin known as Gran Vilaya. The tablets contained the first evidence found in ancient Andean civilization of writing similar to that of the Phoenicians or Semitic hieroglyphics, said Savoy, who has been described as an 'Indiana Jones' in Nevada newspapers.
About two weeks ago, Savoy was honored by the Peruvian Senate for his part in publicizing the discovery of another ruined city called Gran Pajatan in the same area.
The ruins were found by a local government official about 20 years ago but it wasn't until Savoy visited them that the discovery was generally made public.
Gran Pajaten and Gran Vilaya, now covered by jungle growth, were part of the Chachapoyas civilization. They are about 350 miles northeast of Lima.
Peruvian officials believe that Gran Pajaten could become a tourist attraction on a par with Machu Picchu if properly developed. However, the area is remote and difficult to reach and, at the moment, is a center of guerrilla and drug smuggling activity, making it highly dangerous.
Machu Picchu is an ancient Incan city in the Andes Mountains that has become one of South America's major tourist attractions.
Savoy claimed the markings on the stone tablets were similar to hieroglyphics used during the times of King Solomon and include one symbol identical to those that appeared on the boats the monarch sent to the lands containing the legendary gold mines described in the Bible.
But Kauffman said the speculation that the symbols had something to do with Phoenicians or ancient Egyptians 'is even more ridiculous.'
'Everything that this man says has to be approached with skepticism,' said Duccio Bonavia Berber, another Peruvian archaeologist.
Kauffman said data gathered by archaeologists and Savoy indicate the tablets were fashioned between 800 and 1200 A.D.
'At this time, there are no Phoenicians, there are no Egyptians, there are feudal lords,' said Kauffman. 'Those civilizations had died.'
He said the King Solomon legend in the Bible would have occurred about 500 B.C., a time when there were no developed civilizations in the Peruvian Andes.
Betty Meggers, an archaeologist at the Museum of Natural History in Washington, said Savoy is well-known in archaeological circles and has a reputation as something of an adventurer.
As to his claims, she said, 'You can't tell until you get some specialists to look at it.'
But she said that petroglyphs were common in many places in Peru and elsewhere but that they were hard to date.
Ronny Reich, head of the archives for the Antiquities Authority in Jerusalem, said he was not aware of Savoy's claim and the only way he could determine authenticity would be to see the markings on the tablet, even by fax. But, generally, he said, he did not believe it was a credible claim.
'It happens from time to time that such bizarre suggestions come to our office ... This is a little far-fetched,' Reich said.
Savoy lives in Reno, Nev., where he founded the Andean Explorers and Ocean Sailing Club, which he says has about 1,000 members. He said the club financed his five-month trip to Peru that cost from $100,000 to $150,000.
He said he expects to earn back the money from a book about his discovery.
Savoy also founded the International Community of Christ Church, which conducts outdoor religious services. The church is currently in a tax dispute with Nevada that is before the state Supreme Court.
Savoy said on his return to Reno earlier this month that it would take years for his find to be authenticated. In the meantime, he plans to build a boat in Reno to sail throughout the world.
