A group of student volunteers working on an archaeological site in France recently made an incredible discovery. While excavating the remains of a Gaulish town, they unearthed a little glass bottle hidden inside an earthenware pot, according to the BBC.
The bottle, which had been hidden for nearly 200 years, carried a note from a prior archaeologist who had worked at the same location. Guillaume Blondel, the chief of Eu’s Regional Archaeology Service, was sent in to investigate the findings. Blondel opened the bottle and read the note.
The message reads: “PJ Feret, a native of Dieppe, member of various intellectual societies, carried out excavations here in January 1825. He continues his investigations in this vast area known as the Cite de Limes or Caesar’s Camp.”
Photo Credit: facebook.com/villedeu
PJ Feret was a local notable, and municipal records confirm that he conducted a first dig at the site 200 years ago.
Archaeologists and historians are both excited and fascinated by the discovery. The message could provide insight into the history of the Gaulish village as well as the archaeological procedures used in the early nineteenth century.
“It was the kind of vial that women used to wear around their necks containing smelling salts,” team leader Guillaume Blondel, who heads the archaeological service for the town of Eu, told BBC News.
“It was an absolutely magical moment,” said Mr Blondel. “We knew there had been excavations here in the past, but to find this message from 200 years ago… it was a total surprise.
“Sometimes you see these time capsules left behind by carpenters when they build houses. But it’s very rare in archaeology. Most archaeologists prefer to think that there won’t be anyone coming after them because they’ve done all the work.”
