A mysterious leaden sarcophagus discovered in the bowels of Paris’ Notre-Dame cathedral after it was devastated by a fire will soon be opened and its secrets revealed, French archaeologists said Thursday.
The announcement came just a day before the third anniversary of the inferno that engulfed the 12th century Gothic landmark, which shocked the world and led to a massive reconstruction project.
During preparatory work to rebuild the church’s ancient spire last month, workers found the well-preserved sarcophagus buried 20 metres (65 feet) underground, lying among the brick pipes of a 19th century heating system.
But it is believed to be much older—possibly from the 14th century. Read more.
A very rare piece of folk art depicting the exorcism of a small child. It was carved around 1910 in the mid-western United States by an unknown artist. The sculpture features wonderful details like a horned demon sitting on top of a terrified child, whose eyes can be spotted peeking out from under the blanket.
This remarkable piece of Amercian folk art was up for sale at Sotheby’s in 2019 with an estimated price of $40,000 – $60,000 USD.
50,000-year-old extinct cave bear paws, human hand bones, stretched and pulled audiotape of the earliest audio recording of time (experimental clock, 1878), 19th-century mourning ribbon, bocote, shellac, glass
42¾" x 47 ½" x 47 ½"
@jangojips and I literally saw this yesterday, and we have Questions about the sourcing of the bones.
Like, the humans are repurposed anatomical specimens. But where are all these cave bear bones from??
