The disc of Phaistos is the most important example of hieroglyphic inscription from Crete and was discovered in 1903 in a small roo...
Thursday, November 18, 2010
How well do we know our history?
In 1974 a strange object was discovered on the riverside of Mures river, near the town of Aiud, Romania. The object similar to a hammer was brought to the Institute of Archaeology from Cluj-Napoca were it was thoroughly studied. Surprisingly, the object was made from alumimium, a metal first obtained in 1808 and produced in large scale after 1885. Aluminium is obtained from bauxite - aluminium oxide found in great quantities in Earth's crust. It has the advantage of resisting corosion. This is the reason the object found near Aiud was so well preserved, having approx. 10,000 years.
One question remains: When was aluminium actually discovered?