What do you think this is?
When do you think it was made?
Where might it be found?
Answers:
What do you think this is?
This is a cannonball! Might have been an easy guess, but even ruddy iron spheroids can sometimes have an interesting history. Cannons were first used in China in the 12th century, and by the end of the 1500s were widespread throughout Asia and Europe. The use of cannonballs (as opposed to smaller projectiles) was first described in 1341, again in China.
When do you think it was made? Where might it be found?
Interestingly, in the case of this artifact these two questions cannot be answered without taking each other into account. That is, this cannonball was found buried in a yard in Puyallup ninety years ago, in 1933. From this we can assume it was made in the US from iron and possibly lead. It was donated to the Karshner Center in 1974.
For more information, visit:
Questions? Comments?
Email us!