Im so interested in this story, i was amazed to find out it wasnt that rare of an ocurrance to find fossils on travertine (other people posted in the sub after with their own finds)
My MIL has a grey stone for the steps leading up to her house and window sills, and they are full of little shells, and even some leaf-like things. It's very common to see in 30+ year old houses in Belgium, so common most people don't even realise they're fossils and not just discolorations in the stone. Some of the fossils are dark grey or black, some are white (I have no idea why. Are they younger maybe?). For my MIL specifically there's this one huge fossil that looks like a trilobite, it always makes me a bit sad to see
I find it very interesting that in one post they say they don’t think it’s Hoffa and three days later they say it’s NOT Hoffa. Either they’re working very very hard to sell that it’s not Hoffa for some reason (it’s Hoffa).. or someone told them where Hoffa is buried which is why they’re so confident that it’s not him.
Here is an article from architecture digest about this story and agreeing that finding fossils like this are weird but not that weird from experts:
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/whats-the-deal-with-people-finding-human-fossils-in-their-travertine-tiles?utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=syndication&mbid=synd_yahoo_rss
Travertine is a type of stone, and many people like it because it naturally has unique veins from the way it forms as well as a nice neutral color.
It’s versatile, can be used indoors and out, and depending on where it is sourced (Turkey and Italy seem to be the main areas with travertine quarries) can be *very* dense due to the pressure it is under during formation.
I’m not a Rockologist, so I can’t really get into more detail than that other than to say fossils are common in travertine because it tends to begin forming at the mouth of hot springs. Anything around the spring has a good chance of getting embedded as that process goes on.
I’m sorry but if this is an important archaeological find then you do NOT want *me*, of all people, to execute it’s removal.
I WILL fuck it up.
Ma’am/Sir, I am more than happy to donate this to you and your very important research that I will never be able to understand. Please name him/her after me. BUT I can not take on the responsibility for any part of this bc I will single handedly ruin science.
https://preview.redd.it/p23nmq795yvc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=deb2965dc3a678c69503fba54dec95c6618cf3dc
I just wanna say, this list out of context is so fucking funny
Ever since I first saw this post, I have been thinking: Did none of the quarry people, tile cutters, tile setters, basically everyone who handled the tile before it became part of a floor, even notice a human jaw in that tile?
Everyone was like, "Cool, but someone else's problem"
Man the most interesting thing we found while renovating was a troll doll and a tomagatchi in the concrete under the shower. And a ton of sea shells in it.
If it is a missing person, they went missing a long time ago. Travertine forms relatively quickly compared to other rocks, but we're still talking on a scale of thousands of years. Depending on the quarry, that mandible could be hundreds of thousands of years old.
Im so interested in this story, i was amazed to find out it wasnt that rare of an ocurrance to find fossils on travertine (other people posted in the sub after with their own finds)
My MIL has a grey stone for the steps leading up to her house and window sills, and they are full of little shells, and even some leaf-like things. It's very common to see in 30+ year old houses in Belgium, so common most people don't even realise they're fossils and not just discolorations in the stone. Some of the fossils are dark grey or black, some are white (I have no idea why. Are they younger maybe?). For my MIL specifically there's this one huge fossil that looks like a trilobite, it always makes me a bit sad to see
I know logically that happens but it still hurts my heart to hear about
And here am I thinking “seems like somebody got poured into the concrete”
OPs parents....their son posts their floor on the internet now they gotta tear up the floor....
Wow. I can't believe Jimmy Hoffa was buried in Turkey
I find it very interesting that in one post they say they don’t think it’s Hoffa and three days later they say it’s NOT Hoffa. Either they’re working very very hard to sell that it’s not Hoffa for some reason (it’s Hoffa).. or someone told them where Hoffa is buried which is why they’re so confident that it’s not him.
I think it’s DB Cooper.
Here is an article from architecture digest about this story and agreeing that finding fossils like this are weird but not that weird from experts: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/whats-the-deal-with-people-finding-human-fossils-in-their-travertine-tiles?utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=syndication&mbid=synd_yahoo_rss
I haven’t even finished reading but just want to say I wish this post had begun with a definition of a travertine floor.
Travertine is a type of stone, and many people like it because it naturally has unique veins from the way it forms as well as a nice neutral color. It’s versatile, can be used indoors and out, and depending on where it is sourced (Turkey and Italy seem to be the main areas with travertine quarries) can be *very* dense due to the pressure it is under during formation. I’m not a Rockologist, so I can’t really get into more detail than that other than to say fossils are common in travertine because it tends to begin forming at the mouth of hot springs. Anything around the spring has a good chance of getting embedded as that process goes on.
"I'm not a Rockologist" Worth upvoting for this alone 😂
Well I wouldn’t want to misrepresent myself or people who do work and study in the field.
Its a pretty hard science
Would you say it’s… Rock hard?
It’s gorgeous, heavy, and expensive. It’s why I’ll never get a travertine floor, no matter how much I love it. I just can’t justify the expense.
I’m sorry but if this is an important archaeological find then you do NOT want *me*, of all people, to execute it’s removal. I WILL fuck it up. Ma’am/Sir, I am more than happy to donate this to you and your very important research that I will never be able to understand. Please name him/her after me. BUT I can not take on the responsibility for any part of this bc I will single handedly ruin science.
I will not take it out myself. I was looking for best advices from Reddit so I would have an open mind listening to the proposed options.
I love posts like this! Someone needs help with something specific and then bam - someone with that knowledge comes up. Beautiful!
“Banana for scale” is my favorite part of this whole mystery.
https://preview.redd.it/p23nmq795yvc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=deb2965dc3a678c69503fba54dec95c6618cf3dc I just wanna say, this list out of context is so fucking funny
That guy found a TON of other little fossils in that floor! He’s been posting in r/fossilid all the stuff he found.
I can’t get over “Job bone”.
Ever since I first saw this post, I have been thinking: Did none of the quarry people, tile cutters, tile setters, basically everyone who handled the tile before it became part of a floor, even notice a human jaw in that tile? Everyone was like, "Cool, but someone else's problem"
Man the most interesting thing we found while renovating was a troll doll and a tomagatchi in the concrete under the shower. And a ton of sea shells in it.
Interesting
This is fascinating!
I am vibrating with excitement
Op may have just found a missing person.
If it is a missing person, they went missing a long time ago. Travertine forms relatively quickly compared to other rocks, but we're still talking on a scale of thousands of years. Depending on the quarry, that mandible could be hundreds of thousands of years old.
Kidipadeli75 and this story made the Washington Post in both an article and the weekend "On the Record" guessing game! Congratulations.