Out-of-place Artifact

An out-of-place artifact (OOPArt or oopart) is an artifact of historical, archaeological, or paleontological interest found in an unusual context, which challenges conventional historical chronology by its presence in that context. Such artifacts may appear too advanced for the technology known to have existed at the time, or may suggest human presence at a time before humans are known to have existed. Other examples may suggest contact between different cultures that is hard to account for with conventional historical understanding.

This description of archaelogical objects is used in fringe science such as cryptozoology, as well as by proponents of ancient astronaut theories, young Earth creationists, and paranormal enthusiasts. It can describe a wide variety of items, from anomalies studied by mainstream science to pseudoarchaeology to objects that have been shown to be hoaxes or to have mundane explanations.

Critics argue that most purported OOPArts which are not hoaxes are the result of mistaken interpretation and wishful thinking, such as a mistaken belief that a particular culture could not have created an artifact or technology due to a lack of knowledge or materials. In some cases, the uncertainty results from inaccurate descriptions. For example, the cuboid Wolfsegg Iron is not really a perfect cube, nor are the Klerksdorp spheres actual perfect spheres. The Iron pillar of Delhi was said to be "rust proof", but it has some rust near its base; its relative resistance to corrosion is due to slag inclusions left over from the manufacturing conditions and environmental factors.

Supporters regard OOPArts as evidence that mainstream science is overlooking huge areas of knowledge, either willfully or through ignorance. Many writers or researchers who question conventional views of human history have used purported OOPArts in attempts to bolster their arguments. Creation science often relies on allegedly anomalous finds in the archaeological record to challenge scientific chronologies and models of human evolution.Stromberg, P, and PV Heinrich (2004
''The Coso Artifact Mystery from the Depths of Time?''
, Reports of the National Center for Science Education. 24(2):26–30 (March/April 2004) Retrieved March 8, 2014. Claimed OOPArts have been used to support religious descriptions of prehistory, ancient astronaut theories, and the notion of vanished civilizations that possessed knowledge or technology more advanced than that known in modern times.

Unusual artifacts

* Antikythera mechanism: A form of mechanical computer created between 150 and 100 BC based on theories of astronomy and mathematics believed to have been developed by the ancient Greeks. Its design and workmanship reflect a previously unknown, but not implausible, degree of sophistication and engineering.
* Maine penny: An 11th-century Norwegian coin found in a Native American shell midden at the Goddard Site in Brooklin, Maine, United States, which some authors have argued is evidence of direct contact between Vikings and Native Americans in Maine. The coin need not imply actual exploration of Maine by the Vikings, however; mainstream belief is that it was brought to Maine from Labrador or Newfoundland (where Vikings are known to have established colonies as early as the late 10th century) via an extensive northern trade network operated by indigenous peoples. If Vikings did indeed visit Maine, a much greater number and variety of Viking artifacts might be expected in the archaeological record there. Of the nearly 20,000 objects found over a 15-year period at the Goddard Site, the coin was the sole non-native artifact.

* The Shroud of Turin contains an image that resembles a sepia photographic negative. It is much clearer when it is converted to a positive image. The actual method that resulted in this image has not yet been conclusively identified. Some claim the image depicts Jesus of Nazareth and the fabric is the burial shroud in which he was wrapped after crucifixion. Mention of the shroud first appeared in historical records in 1357. In 1988, radiocarbon dating established that the shroud was from the Middle Ages, between the years 1260 and 1390.Taylor, R.E. and Bar-Yosef, Ofer. ''Radiocarbon Dating, Second Edition: An Archaeological Perspective''. Left Coast Press, 2014, p. 165. All hypotheses put forward to challenge the radiocarbon dating have been scientifically refuted,Radiocarbon Dating, Second Edition: An Archaeological Perspective, By R.E. Taylor, Ofer Bar-Yosef, Routledge 2016; pp. 167–168. including the medieval repair hypothesis,R. A. Freer-Waters, A. J. T. Jull, "Investigating a Dated piece of the Shroud of Turin", ''Radiocarbon'' 52, 2010, pp. 1521–1527.The Shroud, by Ian Wilson; Random House, 2010, pp. 130–131. the bio-contamination hypothesis and the carbon monoxide hypothesis.Professor Christopher Ramsey, Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, Oxford University, March 2008, at https://c14.arch.ox.ac.uk/shroud.html

* The Tamil Bell is a broken bronze bell with an inscription of old Tamil. The bell is a mystery due to its discovery in New Zealand by a missionary. Although nobody knows for certain how the bell came to New Zealand, one possible theory is that it was dropped off by Portuguese sailors who had acquired it from Tamil traders. Prior to being discovered by the missionary, local Maori had used it as a cooking pot. Given that it was supposedly discovered generations earlier, the artifact's exact origins could not be identified. The bell is now located at the National Museum of New Zealand.

Questionable interpretations

* Baghdad Battery: A ceramic vase, a copper tube, and an iron rod made in Parthian or Sassanid Persia. Fringe theorists have hypothesized that it may have been used as a galvanic cell for electroplating, though no electroplated artifacts from this era have been found.Von Handorf, DE, and DE Crotty (2002) ''The Baghdad battery – myth or reality?'' Plating and Surface Finishing. vol. 89, no. 5, pp. 84–87.Flatow, I (2012
''Archaeologists Revisit Iraq.'' interview with Elizabeth Stone
Talk of the Nation, National Public Radio. Washington, DC. The "battery" strongly resembles another type of object with a known purpose – storage vessels for sacred scrolls from nearby Seleucia on the Tigris.
* Dorchester Pot: A metal pot claimed to have been blasted out of solid rock in 1852. Mainstream commentators identify it as a Victorian-era candlestick or pipe holder.Steiger, B. (1979) ''Worlds Before Our Own.'' New York, New York, Berkley Publishing Group. 236 pp. Fitzpatrick-Matthews, K, and J Doeser (2007
''Metallic vase from Dorchester, Massachusetts.''Bad Archaeology.
/ref>
* Kensington Runestone: A runestone unearthed in 1898 in Kensington, Minnesota, entangled in the roots of a tree. Runologists have dismissed the inscription's authenticity on linguistic evidence, while geologists disagree as to whether the stone shows weathering that would indicate a medieval date.
* Kingoodie artifact: An object resembling a corroded nail, said to have been encased in solid rock. It was handled a number of times before being reported and there are no photographs of it.Sir David, B (1854) ''Queries and Statements concerning a Nail found imbedded in a Block of Sandstone obtained from Kingoodie (Mylnfield) Quarry, North Britain.'' Report of the Fourteenth Meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science vol. 51, John Murray London.
* Lake Winnipesaukee mystery stone: Originally thought to be a record of a treaty between tribes, subsequent analysis has called its authenticity into question.anonymous (nd
''The Mystery Stone''.
New Hampshire Historical Society, Concord, New Hampshire.Klatell, JM (July 23, 2006)
''New England's 'Mystery Stone': New Hampshire Displays Unexplained Artifact 134 Years Later.''
Associated Press. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
* ''Sivatherium'' of Kish: An ornamental war chariot figurine discovered in the Sumerian ruins of Kish, in what is now central Iraq, in 1928. The figurine, dated to the Early Dynastic I period (2800–2750 BCE), depicts a quadrupedal mammal with branched horns, a nose ring, and a rope tied to the ring. Because of the shape of the horns, Edwin Colbert identified it in 1936 as a depiction of a late-surviving, possibly domesticated ''Sivatherium'', a vaguely moose-like relative of the giraffe that lived in North Africa and India during the Pleistocene but was believed to have become extinct early in the Holocene extinction event. Henry Field and Berthold Laufer instead argued that it represented a captive Persian fallow deer and that the antlers had broken over the years. The missing antlers were found in the Field Museum's storeroom in 1977. After restoration in 1985, it was conclusively identified as a depiction of a Caspian red deer (''Cervus elaphus maral'').
* Tecaxic-Calixtlahuaca head: A terracotta offering head seemingly of Roman appearance found beneath three intact floors of a burial site in Mexico and dated between 1476 and 1510. There are disputed claims that its dating is older. Ancient Roman or Norse provenance has not been excluded.Hristov, RH, and S. Genoves (2001
''Tecaxic-Calixtlahuaca.''
Dept. of Anthropology at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico.Schaaf, P and GA Wagner (1991) ''Comments on 'Mesoamerican Evidence of Pre-Columbian Transoceanic Contacts,' by Hristov and Genovés.'' Ancient Mesoamerica. 10:207–213.

Alternative interpretations

* Abydos helicopter: A pareidolia based on palimpsest carving in an ancient Egyptian temple.

* Dendera Lamps: Supposed to depict light bulbs, but made in Ptolemaic Egypt, debunked by the anlysis of the epigraphic text.

* : a disc made with incredible precision in very ancient times from Saqqara. Its purpose is unknown.
* Iron Man ( Eiserner Mann): An old iron pillar, said to be a unique oddity in Germany, but consistent with medieval methods of ironworking.
* Iron pillar of Delhi: A "rust-proof" iron pillar which supposedly demonstrates more advanced metallurgy than was available in India before 1000 CE.
* London Hammer: Also known as the "London Artifact", a hammer made of iron and wood that was found in London, Texas, in 1936. Part of the hammer is embedded in a limy rock concretion.
* Meister Print: A supposed human footprint from the Cambrian period, long before humans existed, which has been debunked as the result of a natural geologic process known as spall formation."The "Meister Print" An Alleged Human Sandal Print from Utah"
TalkOrigins. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
* Newark Holy Stones: Used as extremely unlikely evidence that Hebrew peoples lived in the Americas, but more probably a hoax.
* Pacal's sarcophagus lid: Described by Erich von Däniken as a depiction of a spaceship.
* Piri Reis map: Several authors, and others such as Gavin Menzies and Charles Hapgood, have suggested that this map, compiled by the Turkish admiral Piri Reis, shows Antarctica long before it was discovered (cf. Terra Australis).
* Quimbaya airplanes: Golden objects found in Colombia and made by the Quimbaya civilization, which have been alleged to represent modern airplanes. In the Gold Museum, Bogotá

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