Archaeologists in France were left stunned by an amazing surprise while working on a site dating to Gaulic times.
Led by Guillaume Blondel, director of the municipal archaeological service of the city of Eu, the excavations in the Gaulish village on cliff-tops near Dieppe revealed, among other findings, a poignant and unique testament from the past.
Located in a previously investigated section of the site, a message was discovered in a small glass bottle from the 19th century accompanied by two coins: a “time capsule” buried almost 200 years ago, a statement from the service read.
“P. J. Féret, 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 Cité de Limes or Caesar’s Camp.”
The message in a bottle had been carefully placed in a ceramic pot dating to a much earlier century so that future archaeologists would be sure to find it.
Mr. Blondel told the BBC: “It was an absolutely magic moment. 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!”
Local archives confirm that P. J. Féret was indeed active as an excavator in the area at the time the letter was written.
The project was funded and conducted in collaboration with the Regional Archaeology Service to safeguard endangered archaeological sites due to coastal erosion.
Part of the ‘oppidum’, or fortified Gaulish camp, has already been lost as the coastal hillside it stood on continues to crumble.
The Gauls were a network of loosely connected feudal and tribal societies that shared cultural, social, and warrior traditions, inhabiting much of central and western Europe during the Roman Republic era.
Gaius Julius Caesar’s campaign to subdue Gaul—hence the name “Caesar’s Camp”—brought modern-day Spain, France, and Belgium under Roman control.