200-year-old message in a bottle left by archaeologist discovered in France

This glass is a blast from the past.

A 200-year-old message in a bottle was recently unearthed by volunteers in the midst of an archaeological dig in northern France.

The group happened upon the vial, with the letter still neatly rolled inside, buried in a pot in an ancient Gaulish village they were exploring.

The vial contained a letter still neatly rolled inside after two centuries. archaeology.org
The vial contained a letter still neatly rolled inside after two centuries. archaeology.org

The message was penned by archaeologist P.J Féret, who wrote that he orchestrated a dig at the Cité de Limes site in January 1825, according to the BBC.

“P.J Féret, a native of Dieppe, member of various intellectual societies, carried out excavations here in January 1825,” the message read. “He continues his investigations in this vast area known as the Cité de Limes or Caesar’s Camp.”

The town that supported the dig, Eu, located in the Normandy region, posted a picture of the relic to its Facebook page.

“It was an absolutely magic moment,” Guillaume Blondel, the leader of archaeological service for Eu, told the outlet.

The message was penned by archaeologist P.J Fére. archaeology.org
The message was penned by archaeologist P.J Fére. archaeology.org

“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!”