“Misplaced Artifact” is the term used for dozens of prehistoric objects found in various places around the world. These items indicate a level of technological advancement that does not match the time they were made. “Misplaced artifacts” often baffle conservative scholars, and delight enterprising researchers open to alternative theories and lively debate.
After the explosion of a rock in Dorchester, Massachusetts (USA) in 1852, a metal vessel was found. After this discovery, questions arose: how did the vessel get into the rock, which is more than 500 million years old, and was it really in the rock?
An article in Scientific American, June 5, 1852, quotes the Boston Transcript: “This strange and unknown vessel was recovered from a solid conglomerate of stone fifteen feet below the surface. … There is no doubt that this find was recovered from the rock”(See full article below). The mentioned rock was formed in the Neoproterozoic, that is, from 541 million to a billion years ago.
The Bad Archeology website questioning the report states that the vessel was probably not found in the rock, and those who found it, incorrectly, only assumed it was there when they found it at the site of the explosion. The website says it resembles recent artifacts.
It is now unclear what made the people who found the item be so confident that it was indeed recovered from the rock, but then there seemed to be no question that it was.
Scientific American describes the exhibit as "an ancient metal vessel, possibly made by Tubal-Cain, the first inhabitant of Dorchester." Tubal-Cain was the blacksmith described in legend, the ancestor of the biblical character Cain. Did the Scientific American author joke about extraordinary claims that the exhibit could be so old, or did he describe this riddle with humor?
Many "misplaced artifacts" look like modern inventions or objects. Some say that this is because these artifacts are actually modern products, and it just seems that they came from distant eras. Some say this is because human civilization has flourished and destroyed many times over the course of earth's history, and similar cultures have emerged each time.
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Scientific American article:
A few days ago, there was a powerful explosion at Meeting House Hill in Dorchester, which is several genera (measure of length = 5 m) south of the Rev. Meeting House. Mr. Hall's. The explosion threw out huge pieces of rock, some of which weighed several tons, and scattered small fragments in all directions. Among them was a metal vessel, torn in two by the explosion. Putting them together, they made a bell-shaped vessel 4.5 "high, 6.5" at the base, 2.5 "at the top, and about eight" in diameter.
The vessel is similar in color to zinc or to metal, which contains a significant portion of silver. On the sides there are six images of flowers or bouquets, beautifully inlaid with pure silver, and around the lower part of the vessel is a grapevine or wreath, also inlaid with silver. The engraving, carving and inlaying are exquisitely done by some skilled artisan.
This strange, unknown vessel was recovered from a solid stone conglomerate fifteen feet below the surface. It is now in the possession of Mr. John Cattell. Dr. JWS Smith, who recently traveled to the East and examined hundreds of strange handicraft items by sketching them, has never seen anything like it.
He made a drawing of the vessel and measured it precisely for scientific research. There is no doubt that this strange object was thrown out of the rock as described above; but would Professor Edgessies or some other scholar be willing to tell us how he got here? A question worth investigating, since in this case it is not a hoax.
The above is taken from Boston Transcript, and we wonder how Transcript can suppose that Professor Edgessies can explain how it came to be here better than John Doyle, the blacksmith. This is not a question of zoology, botany or geology, but a question related to an ancient metal vessel, possibly made by Tubal-Cain, the first inhabitant of Dorchester.