A well-preserved message in a bottle, written 200 years ago, was uncovered at an archeological site in France thanks to a team of student volunteers.
Guillaume Blondel, director of the municipal archaeological service in Eu, France, led a group in a crucial excavation at a site known as the Camp of Caesar in Bracquemont, according to an Eu Facebook post. The area is situated on a cliff that is at risk of erosion, making the time spent there even more critical.
While the students unearthed several artifacts, including coins and pottery, the item they were most excited about was a rolled-up piece of paper found inside a small glass vial.
The note in the bottle states: "P.J Féret, a native of Dieppe, a member of various intellectual societies, carried out excavations here in January, 1825. He continues his investigations in this vast area known as the City of Limes or Caesar's Camp."
Blondel told BBC News "it was an absolutely magic moment" finding the unexpected memento from a colleague across time.
According to Blondel, Féret was a prominent archaeologist of his time.
"We knew there had been excavations here in the past, but to find this message from 200 years ago... it was a total surprise," the scientist added.
"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!"
"These excavations have yielded a very moving and particular testimony," Blondel wrote in an email to Artnet. "This time capsule was left in a sector that has been excavated for a long time and is now being threatened by the retreat of the coastline."
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