This statuette (http://www.hixenbaugh.net/gallery/detail...emnum=6263) looks very similar to the Tecaxic-Calixtlahuaca head (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tecaxic-Ca...huaca_head).
Just wondering, what is the general impression for the probability that the Mexican find could actually be authentic? I'd place it around 1 in 3. People have been around for an awfully long period of time, and there's bound to have been some wayward ships that drifted to the Americas. Whether the crew would have survived is another matter entirely, but I'm sure there were at least some amounts of (material) contact.
The fact that we still educate children today that Columbus was the first known European to make the journey, when it's been known for several decades that the Norse settled the area centuries prior, really enforces the need to keep an open mind. ~10,000 years is a very long time, and very unlikely circumstances become much more likely.
It's a damn shame that the scales don't have provenance, but I'm sure someone very familiar with ancient coinage, minting, and embossing could probably give a pretty accurate appraisal of its authenticity. I would also keep the metal content in mind. How much silver was put into the armor, and what not? I imagine that people would be highly unlikely to fake something like this with large amounts of precious metals. You don't need to fake the origin of a gold statue for it to be valuable.
Just wondering, what is the general impression for the probability that the Mexican find could actually be authentic? I'd place it around 1 in 3. People have been around for an awfully long period of time, and there's bound to have been some wayward ships that drifted to the Americas. Whether the crew would have survived is another matter entirely, but I'm sure there were at least some amounts of (material) contact.
The fact that we still educate children today that Columbus was the first known European to make the journey, when it's been known for several decades that the Norse settled the area centuries prior, really enforces the need to keep an open mind. ~10,000 years is a very long time, and very unlikely circumstances become much more likely.
It's a damn shame that the scales don't have provenance, but I'm sure someone very familiar with ancient coinage, minting, and embossing could probably give a pretty accurate appraisal of its authenticity. I would also keep the metal content in mind. How much silver was put into the armor, and what not? I imagine that people would be highly unlikely to fake something like this with large amounts of precious metals. You don't need to fake the origin of a gold statue for it to be valuable.
Christopher Vidrine, 30
