The Jamestown Rediscovery archaeological team found a small, well-preserved silver box resting on top of Captain Gabriel Archer’s coffin in Jamestown’s first church. Captain Archer was buried in the winter of 16009-10, known to history as the “starving time.” Due to corrosion, the silver box could not be opened without causing damage. The object was then taken to Micro Photonics Inc. in Pennsylvania, where it underwent high resolution Micro CT scans. These scans revealed that it contained six fragments of bone and two pieces of a small lead vessel, a probable pilgrims ampulla, which often contained holy water, oil, or blood. The silver box’s contents prove conclusively that it was a sacred object known as a reliquary. More detail of the interior of the box comes to light in Part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKiiw…
To learn more visit https://historicjamestowne.org and https://3D.si.edu to see a digital model of the burial site.
Great article and more pictures.