Bottle Artefact
We soon worked out that the 14 symbol carved in the stone was important to lead us to the next step whatever that may be. As an arrow appeared on the right-hand tip of the 4, it wasn't hard to conclude that whatever we were being led to it would be in that direction. Unfortunately, I had removed the stone from its position. Walking back to the hole we saw that luckily, the impression of the stone was still visible in the earth. This enabled me to replace the stone exactly as it had originally been positioned.
The stone measures 7.5 x 7 inches at its widest point and is 4 inches thick.
Now that we had our direction, we turned our attention to the 14 symbol. Assuming it was a measurement of some sort. Thinking it may be 14 meters, I paced out 14, metre length steps along the direction the arrow was pointing. Standing on the spot achieved, it did not feel right to me, and there was nothing there anyway. After a few more unsuccessful attempts of trying to make sense of the 14 as a measurement, I tried a different approach.
Returning to the hole, I knelt down low and sighted along the line indicated by the arrow incorporated into the 4 design. (See image below)
Line of sight from the stone arrow
As you can see from the image above, the 4 arrow pointed straight at a small cave. I lost no time investigating this new location. After digging down a few inches, I found another rock. A quick wash in the spring revealed no markings. It was awkward to dig as the rock overhang left little room to manoeuvre. I found the easiest way was to loosen it with my trowel and then scoop out the earth with my hands. At a depth of about two feet, my fingers brushed against something smooth. I told Sandy I had found something that felt like glass. I wasn't that excited because at this time I did not know that what we were looking for would be sealed in a glass bottle. My immediate thought was that it was just an old discarded bottle. Clearing away the earth so I could see exactly what it was, I poked my head further into the opening and saw that it was indeed a glass bottle. The bottle though not empty, wasn't filled with wine, or any other liquid but what looked like a piece of paper.
First Glimpse of the Bottle Artifact
Above you can see the bottle in position before it was removed for examination. After confirming the bottle did contain a piece of paper it's not hard to imagine the excitement Sandy and I were experiencing. After I had taken the photograph above, I carefully removed the bottle from the small opening. I could not see much of the bottle's contents as it was covered in soil. I passed it to Sandy for cleaning while I checked the hole for anymore hidden objects, but found none. I stood up eager to find out what Sandy was getting so excited about. She handed me the bottle and pointed out something that could be seen through the glass now she had brushed off the soil. I saw red writing, B Sauniere. Could this be Sauniere's signature? Was the message inside really written by the priest of Rennes-le-Chateau almost one hundred years ago? Only time and research would be able to tell.
We excitedly examined what little else of the writing we could see on the rolled up piece of paper inside the bottle, which was not much. Worried that someone may turn up and see what we had been doing; we quickly filled in the holes and gathered up the tools. After wrapping the bottle carefully in the towel I use for wrapping my tools, so they did not dig in my back through my rucksack, we left to return to our hotel.
The Bottle Artefact
The Bottle remains water and air tight due the cork having been sealed with red wax. This has resulted in preserving the message inside.
The bottle can be easily be dated by the process in which it was manufactured.
Made in a multi- part mould as indicated by the seams around the top and neck, this dates it to pre- 1900 as after this date this process was no longer in use.
From the photograph above, a signature is clearly visible through the glass. If genuine, and it is Sauniere's signature, and I am not entirely convinced it is, the message contained inside could reveal at last the true secret of Rennes-le-Chateau. My doubt in its authenticity lies in the wrong slant of the accent above the ‘e’. (Just visible) Although, it would be a stupid forger to have made such a simple mistake as this.
Maybe its author did this on purpose, and the reason will only become clear when the bottle is opened and the message inside examined.
After much discussion between Sandy and myself, we both decided, however tempting it was to open the bottle there and then, to wait until we returned to the UK. At this time, we were still un-decided as what was the best way this could be carried out. I wanted the opening to be witnessed and recorded so there could be no accusations of anyone tampering with the contents.
We also wanted forensic tests to be carried out, probably on the ink and paper, if this was possible. The text inside would also be examined for any modern words not used in Sauniere's time. Also further investigations would need to be carried out with any new information revealed.
An ideal opportunity arrived with a forth-coming meeting of 'The Rennes Group' chaired by Guy Patton. Sandy agreed to organize the meeting and it took place in Glastonbury.
This was how it was advertised:
At the Rennes Group meeting, taking place at Glastonbury Saturday 29th October 2005, the film footage of a possible Templar Tomb will be shown publicly for the first time. Also at this meeting, the sealed bottle Ben found by following Sauniere's church clues will be opened live. A discussion will follow on its contents.