Let’s be honest here, as much as we would like to think of all archeologists as these perfectly moral beings that only care about the discoveries and nothing more, the truth of the matter is that there is a lot of money involved in these findings, and a lot of the times these explorers are sanctioned by rich individuals to make the discoveries and never release the information to the general public, selling the information rights directly to their employees instead.

Such is the case for a lot of artifacts out there, although in some cases the information does leak fast enough for the artifact to be properly documented and released to the world.

This was the case for the Nampa doll, a small figurine that was crafted many thousands of years ago. It was first discovered in 1889 in Idaho during excavation when the drill suddenly couldn’t penetrate the ground anymore. The strange clay figurine that is shaped like a woman was quickly dug up and sold to the highest bidder, after which the information does get a little bit foggy to say the least.

Almost 90 years later the doll resurfaces, and professor Albert A. Wright is the first to confirm its authenticity in 1979. Soon after this incident though, the doll disappeared yet again. Some have speculated that it was sold back to the family that originally bought it in 1889, while others simply blame this on academia’s dismissive attitude towards the artifact which led to its eventual loss.

Video:

.