Arya News - Archaeologists say the iron cannonball was likely fired during the 1836 Battle of the Alamo and remained undisturbed where it landed for nearly 190 years
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Archaeologists at the Alamo uncovered a second cannonball believed to date to the 1836 Battle of the Alamo
Researchers say the iron cannonball likely remained in its original location for nearly 190 years
The discovery comes just three months after the team unearthed another battle-era cannonball nearby
Archaeologists excavating the Alamo have made another rare discovery beneath the historic Texas battlefield: a second cannonball believed to have been fired during the famed 1836 Battle of the Alamo.
The iron cannonball was unearthed on June 2 by the Alamo’s archaeology team, just three months after researchers discovered a bronze cannonball nearby. According to the Alamo , the two projectiles were found in adjacent excavation units outside the northeast corner of the Alamo Church and at nearly the same depth.
For the archaeologists who uncovered them, that’s what makes the discoveries especially remarkable.
The cannonballs found by the Alamo
Credit: The Alamo
“What that tells us is that they were in likely their original deposition,” Dr. Tiffany Lindley, the Alamo’s director of archaeology, said in a statement. “So whenever they were dropped, the very first time — possibly in 1836, probably — they haven’t been touched since. And that’s what makes them extra special.”
Lindley called finding even one cannonball “maybe a once-in-a-lifetime” moment.
“The first one was maybe a once-in-a-lifetime — or in my case, a twice-in-a-lifetime — discovery,” she said. “It’s really exciting. It’s the best job in the world.”
The first cannonball, discovered March 5, just before the 190th anniversary of the Battle of the Alamo, is made of solid bronze. The newly discovered projectile is solid iron and slightly larger, though the two weigh roughly the same.
While researchers are still analyzing the artifacts, Alamo Senior Researcher and Historian Kolby Lanham believes the two cannonballs may have come from opposing sides of the conflict.
Archeologist exams cannonball found from the Battle of the Alamo
Credit: The Alamo
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“Though the cannonballs are of different material and they weigh roughly the same size, the newest one is slightly larger and likely was fired from a six-pound cannon,” Lanham said. “The likelihood is that the bronze one belonged to the Mexican Army and the iron one belonged to the Texans at some point.”
Based on the surrounding soil layers and historical records from the Mexican Army, Lanham believes both projectiles were likely used during the Siege and Battle of the Alamo.
“The first one we found, I thought, there’s no way in the world we just found a cannonball from 190 years ago,” he said. “Then fast forward just a couple of months, and we found a second one. It’s just a huge kind of once-in-a-lifetime deal — but obviously it’s happened twice.”
Read the original article on People