Coconut fibre (Money Pit)

About This Material

Massive quantities of coconut fibre were found at various depths in the Money Pit, beginning with the earliest excavations in the 1800s. Coconut palms (Cocos nucifera) do not grow within 1,500 miles of Nova Scotia, making this one of the most compelling pieces of evidence for deliberate human engineering at Oak Island. Three separate C14 tests on coconut fibre from the island consistently date the material to the 11th-14th century: • Beta-39897 (tested October 1990): 770 ±60 BP → calibrated 1σ: 1225-1290 AD; 2σ: 1168-1374 AD. Fibre recovered by Dan Henske from Smith's Cove beach, Summer 1990. Previously identified as coconut fibre by the Smithsonian Institution (1919, 1930) and the Botanical Museum of Harvard University (1937). • Beta-66584 (tested October 1993): 820 ±70 BP → calibrated 1σ: 1168-1282 AD; 2σ: 1036-1298 AD. Sample physically obtained by David Tobias from behind an old board wall at Smith's Cove (first section, north side), where it had been stored approximately 20 years in the Oak Island museum as sample 'S-2'. • WHOI receipt 10168 / OI-3-CF2 (tested 1995-96): 765 ±35 BP → approximately 1185 AD (1150-1220 AD). Provided by Dan Blankenship to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. No detailed recovery information recorded. Beta Analytic confirmed that coconut fibre is an ideal substance for C14 dating because coconut is a growth that occurs annually, unlike tree wood which can have a significant 'old wood' effect. Dr. Murry Tamers of Beta Analytic stated the 770 BP coconut fibre result is scientifically reliable and can be depended upon within the 95% probability range (2 standard deviations). Richard C. Nieman of St. Louis coordinated the initial Beta Analytic testing in 1990. He first consulted Mendel Peterson of the Smithsonian Institution, who advised that C14 dating was the most productive approach for the fibre. Nieman also consulted a graduate student at the Art and Archaeology Department of Washington University of St. Louis, who confirmed C14 would be best but cautioned it would only provide a range of dates with limited usefulness. Nieman was shocked by the medieval result, having anticipated a colonial-era date around 1585 AD. Dr. Tamers assured him the procedures were correct and he had high confidence in the result. Nieman concluded: "I can visualize no other reason for the presence of coconut fiber other than its incorporation as part of the original project and until evidence is presented to the contrary, I can only believe that it was used as a filtration mechanism by the original constructors when the project was executed."

Recent research by David H. Neisen, Robert W. Cook, and Christopher L. Boze has proposed a revised identification of the fibre. Based on micro and macro botanical examination, their analysis concludes the material is not coconut coir but trunk fibre from the Judean Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera), specifically the mesh and sheath material that surrounds the trunk. The C14 dates remain unchanged regardless of species identification, and the core implication holds: the fibre is medieval, pre-Columbian, and foreign to Nova Scotia. If the revised identification is correct, it opens a direct connection to the Levant, where the Knights Templar cultivated date palms and sugarcane near Jericho from 1116 until the Battle of Hattin in 1187.