Benjamin Franklin was, of course, a founding father of the United States of America.
Benjamin Franklin as depicted in the frontispiece of: "Life of Benjamin Franklin as written by himself," edited by John Bigelow, 1875.
Photo Credit: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Adminstration (NOAA), NOAA Central Library
But he was also a member of The Enlightenment, a period of western history that saw the rebirth of interest in all things scientific, and the beginning of the study of archaeology.
In the 1950s, an electrician remodeling the basement of a building which had belonged to Franklin, discovered a mastodon tooth among the artifacts. Curiously, this ancient elephant tooth had a special meaning for Franklin, the Enlightenment, and the scientific observations of the day.
A photo essay and podcast of Benjamin Franklin's mastodon tooth was assembled with the help of Patrice Jeppson of the Society for American Archaeology.
Benjamin Franklin as depicted in the frontispiece of: "Life of Benjamin Franklin as written by himself," edited by John Bigelow, 1875.
Photo Credit: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Adminstration (NOAA), NOAA Central Library
In the 1950s, an electrician remodeling the basement of a building which had belonged to Franklin, discovered a mastodon tooth among the artifacts. Curiously, this ancient elephant tooth had a special meaning for Franklin, the Enlightenment, and the scientific observations of the day.
A photo essay and podcast of Benjamin Franklin's mastodon tooth was assembled with the help of Patrice Jeppson of the Society for American Archaeology.
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