The Tucson artifacts, sometimes called the Tucson Lead Crosses, Tucson Crosses, Silverbell Road artifacts or Silverbell artifacts were a controversial archaeological find made in 1924 by Charles E. Manier and his family while out on a Sunday drive to Picture Rocks, Arizona, seven miles north of Tucson. It comprised thirty-one lead objects consisting of crosses, swords, and religious/ceremonial paraphernalia, most of which contained Hebrew or Latin engraved inscriptions, pictures of temples, leaders' portraits, angels, and even what appears to be a diplodocus dinosaur. The name "Calalus" was given to the "terra incognita" (unknown land) based on one of the inscriptions written in Latin. These date to 790 to 900 AD according to the Roman numerals on the artifacts themselves (including the A.D.), but the site contains no other artifacts, no pottery shards, no broken glass, no human or animal remains, and no sign of hearths or housing.[1] More recent analysis has determined them to be a hoax.[2]
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The lead objects were found in what is known as caliche, or a layer of soil in which the soil particles have been cemented together by lime. The first object removed from the caliche by Mr. Manier was a crudely cast metal cross that weighed 62 pounds; after cleaning it was revealed to be two separate crosses riveted together. After his find, Mr. Manier took the cross to Professor Frank H. Fowler of the local university in Tucson, who determined the language on the artifacts was Latin, and translated it to say "Calalus, the unknown land", as mentioned above. Mr. Manier then took his find to the Arizona State Museum to be studied by an archaeologist, Karl Ruppert. Mr. Ruppert was impressed with the artifact, and went with Mr. Manier to the site the next day where he found a seven pound caliche plaque with some inscriptions including an 800 AD date. There were thirty-one artifacts found in all.[1]
The Tucson artifacts were believed, by their discoverer and main supporters, to be of a Roman Judaeo-Christian colony existing in what is now known as Arizona between 790 - 900 AD. No other find has been formally established as placing any Roman colony in the area, nor anywhere else in North America.[1]
The Latin inscriptions on the alleged artifacts record the conflicts of the leaders of Calalus against a barbarian enemy known as the "Toltezus" (Toltecs).
Charles Manier and Thomas Bent were the two main supporters. In November 1924, Mr. Manier brought his friend Thomas Bent to the site, was quickly convinced of the authenticity of the discovery, and upon finding the land was not owned, immediately set up residence on the land in order to homestead the property. Mr. Bent felt there was money to be made in further excavating the site. Mr. Bent is credited with much of the known information pertaining to the site, about which he wrote a manuscript that was about 350 pages and titled "The Tucson Artifacts". There are a few problems with "The Tucson Artifacts" by Thomas Bent however; firstly, the document is unpublished, making it hard to view outside of the Arizona State Museum; secondly, is it was written forty years after the major events took place; and finally, his final summary of the article is hardly even-handed, but is presented as a point-by-point establishment of validity of the finds. Both Manier and Bent were supporters of the Tucson artifacts as a genuine archaeological find.[1]
Timotéo Odohui appeared in a local news article as a possible explanation for the artifacts. Timotéo was a young Mexican boy who supposedly lived near the site and was a sculptor. The article mentions his possible connection to the site and his ability to craft lead artifacts. Bent wrote that a craftsman in the area had recalled the boy, his love for sculpture of soft metals and his collection of books on foreign languages, and told the excavators this.[3]
In 1975, a professor by the name of Cyclone Covey from Wake Forest University, reopened the controversy in his book titled "Calalus: A Roman Jewish Colony in America from the Time of Charlemagne Through Alfred the Great". Professor Covey was in direct contact with Thomas Bent by 1970, and planned to carry out excavations at the site in 1972, but was not allowed, due to legal complications preventing Wake Forest University from leading a dig at the site.[1]
Burgess, Don. "Romans in Tucson? The Story of an Archaeological Hoax." Journal of the Southwest 51. 1 (Spring 2009)