Benjamin Franklin's Mastodon Tooth: Artifact Spotlight

A tooth from the ancient extinct elephant known as a mastodon was recovered from beneath the floor of a building that at one time belonged to Benjamin Franklin, one of the architects of the American independence. This artifact is believed to have belonged to Franklin, and it represents Franklin's role in the growing scientific understanding of the process of evolution that occurred during the Enlightenment of the 18th and 19th centuries. This podcast tour was based on a script contributed by Patrice L. Jeppson, historical archaeology consultant to the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary Consortium.

The sculpture of Franklin and his tooth illustrating this blog entry was created by Charles Caldwell; photo by Vincent Santucci).