Tucson Artifacts
by Becca Gross
What are the Tucson Artifacts?
The Tucson Artifacts, also known as the Tucson Crosses or Silverbell Artifacts, totaled more than thirty lead objects resembling crosses, swords, and other religious related objects.
Where were the Tucson Artifacts found?
The First Discovery
The first Tucson Artifact was found in Tucson, Arizona in September of 1924 by ===Charles Manier===. He claims to have seen a cross sticking out of the ground by an abandoned lime kiln. It turned out to be two pieces stuck together in the form of a cross. When Manier broke the two pieces apart, he discovered a foreign looking lettering engraved onto them.[2]
Charles Manier
Manier made the first discovery of the Tucson Artifacts by discovering the two part cross with foreign lettering. Upon this discovery, he contacted Dr. Frank H Fowler, a professor at the University of Arizona who teaches Latin, and he was able to interpret the foreign lettering and identify it as Latin.