It is strange that a collection of human remains as well as artefacts which were found during an excavation at the Red House in March, 2013, should have included a US$1 gold coin.
Was the gold coin found in the same place? Perhaps not. Because if the dating of the human remains was 990 to 1400, according to a Trinidad Guardian's report, then we have to assume the gold coin has nothing to do with them–except to confuse the issue. If the date-range is accurate, Christopher Columbus was not even born yet, so there could have been no United States. Not only that, but the very first US gold coin was minted in 1795.
However, this is not to say that the coin could not find itself amidst such bones and artefacts. But how?This matter will probably make people lose faith in carbon dating (as well as DNA dating), which would be a pity. What is possible is that the gold coin was not found anywhere near to the historic human remains. But how can one verify this?
Michael Anthony
Via e-mail