What is the Freiberg skull?
The lignite skull (Freiberg skull) is an object in the shape of a human skull said to have been found in the 19th century in Freiberg, a mining town in Saxony, eastern Germany. Freiberg prospered on silver and other mines and is also known for one of the world’s oldest mining academies.
The skull is said to be made of lignite, a type of coal, and iron ores such as limonite and magnetite.
Why it is called an OOPArt
When presented as an OOPArt, the skull is said to have been found in rock from millions or even more than ten million years ago, when the lignite formed. If true, humans would have existed long before humanity’s origin, overturning human history entirely.
It is also reported that a CT scan in the 1990s revealed layers inside like the growth rings of a tree.
The forgery theory and remaining mysteries
On the other hand, German researchers have expressed the view that the skull is a forgery made by someone. Lignite forms from plants transformed underground over long periods, and it is hard to imagine human bone turning into lignite.
However, almost no reliable records of when and how it was found, or detailed scholarly study, have been published, making it a mysterious OOPArt. Another OOPArt said to show human traces in ancient rock is the Cretaceous “finger” fossil. Famous OOPArts are listed on the OOPArts page.
