Franklin court mastodon tooth

myminifactory

This massive prehistoric tooth was meticulously scanned with a cutting-edge NextEngine 3D scanner at the esteemed archaeology laboratory within Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park. The specimen's catalog number is a unique identifier, INDE 66583. According to the detailed catalog entry for this remarkable item: It was initially identified in 1959 as potentially originating from the Paris Basin region of France, but further investigation suggested it might also be linked to Western Missouri Spring sites. The tooth's provenance remains uncertain, possibly belonging to either Zygolophodon Turicensis (a species found in Western Europe) or Mammut Americanum (a North American species that may have roamed the Grands-Osages River area of Missouri). Discovered during plumbing work on December 4, 1959, in the basement of 316 Market Street's Franklin Court building in Philadelphia, PA, which was once a rental property owned by Benjamin Franklin and later served as the home of William Duane from 1802 to 1809. As documented in his correspondence, Franklin proudly possessed a fossil mastodon tooth and various other fossils, many of which he had received in the late 1760s from George Groghan, an Indian agent who operated in what would eventually become Kentucky.