Among the true archaeological sensations is a perfectly crafted stone sphere dating back to 45-55 million years ago. How reliable is this find?

An account of this appeared in the April 1862 issue of the scientific journal The Geologist. The author was Maximilien Melleville, vice president of the Academic Society of Laon, France. In the account, Melleville described a chalk sphere found at a depth of 75 meters in early Eocene lignite beds near Leon. If this sphere was made by humans, they must have lived in France 45-50 million years ago. The account provides numerous details about the find, which help to dispel any doubts. In his account, Melleville writes: "Long before this discovery, quarry workers told me that they had often found fragments of wood turned to stone [...] bearing traces of human activity. I now greatly regret not having asked them to show me these things, but I did not believe it was true until then." Here we have an account that is at least worth further investigation.