A Knight’s Tale: Unraveling the Mystery of America’s Oldest Tombstone
Marcus Key, with the enigmatic "Knight's Tombstone," the oldest surviving grave marker in America.
Research by Marcus Key and Rebecca Rossi ’12 on 400-year-old tombstone uncovers the history of long-studied artifact
by Tony Moore
In case you haven’t perused CNN, Newsweek, Smithsonian magazine, IFL Science, Archeology.org, The Independent, The Sun, Gizmodo, Phys.org or a large pile of other outlets in the last few days, you might have missed that Marcus Key, Dickinson’s Joseph Priestley Professor of Natural Philosophy, just made a big discovery, one that makes a significant contribution to our understanding of early American history.
Key's research—marking his third collaboration with Rebecca Rossi ’12 (earth sciences, archaeology)—has shed light on the origins of America’s oldest surviving tombstone, the enigmatic “Knight’s Tombstone,” found in Jamestown, Virginia.
This historic artifact, a carved black limestone slab dating back to 1627, has captivated historians and archaeologists for centuries. Key’s own 2021 research confirmed the grave marker as the oldest in the country. Now, by analyzing tiny fossils embedded in the stone, Key and his team have determined that the limestone originated from Europe, suggesting that the tombstone was a luxurious import, a symbol of wealth and status in the early days of the Jamestown colony.
“The stone is heavy, so it’s almost always sourced locally,” Key explains, noting that transportation costs are typically greater than the cost of the stone itself. “Microfossils in the tombstone were from species that never co-existed in North America, so this told us the tombstone was not local. It had to be imported across the Atlantic, specifically from Belgium.”
The Knight’s Tombstone is believed to mark the final resting place of Sir George Yeardley, a prominent colonial governor, and the elaborate nature of the tombstone reflects Yeardley’s high social status and the significance of his role in shaping the history of the New World.
As a paleontologist, Key has long had a reputation in the scientific community for being able to help archeologists determine the source of their sedimentary rock artifacts, especially building stones and tombstones. Now, with his 19th paper focusing on geoarcheology—the application of geoscience analytical techniques to answer archeological questions—word is spreading even faster.
“Due to the ‘oldest tombstone’ spin on this latest paper, it has gotten a lot more press,” Key says, adding that he’s currently working with a study with students on the building stones used in Sabine Hall in Virginia. “That tells me more archeologists will hear about this analytical approach and ask me to help them determine the source of their artifacts now.”
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Published November 5, 2024