Timeline of Oak Island Finds and Artifacts

236 of 297 catalogued finds on the island carry estimated dates. The curve below counts how many artifact ranges cover each year from 200 CE to 1900, peaking around 1700 (119 overlapping ranges).

Eras Ancient Medieval Pre-discovery Colonial Search era Modern

Hover the curve to inspect any year. Click to lock the year and reveal the full list of artifacts below the chart. Tap any year to inspect overlapping artifact ranges. Lock the year to see the full list below the chart.

The curve plots each of the 236 island finds with a known date across the full span of its possible dates, then sums those spans year by year. This is aoristic analysis, the archaeological best practice for determining date windows.

Ratcliffe, J. H. (2000). Aoristic analysis: the spatial interpretation of unspecific temporal events. Int. J. Geographical Information Science 14(7), 669–679. · Crema, E. R. (2012). Modelling temporal uncertainty in archaeological analysis. J. Archaeological Method and Theory 19(3), 440–461.

Headline finds

Eight discoveries that anchor the timeline, from a third-century Roman bronze to a 1770 dendrochronology reading.

Ancient

Charcoal layer

148 BCE–372

Carbon-dated charcoal recovered from deep in the Money Pit shaft.

Ancient

Roman coin (Claudius II), 268-270 AD (Lot 5)

268–270

Bronze coin tied to a three-year Roman reign.

Medieval

Wooden ship's railing

660–770

Carved timber that predates the recorded discovery by a thousand years.

Medieval

Coconut fibre (Smith's Cove)

780–840

Tropical fibre, carbon-dated, from the Smith's Cove drain feature.

Medieval

Stone well (never freezes)

1028–1172

Medieval-dated stone shaft on Lot 26 that, by local report, has never frozen.

Medieval

Portuguese Tornes, 1369-1371 (Pitblado coin)

1369–1371

Earliest dated European coin recovered on the island.

Colonial

Spanish 8 maravedis copper, 1652 (swamp)

1652

Copper coin dated to 1652, found beneath the swamp pathway.

Colonial

Large log with Roman numerals (65 ft)

1770

Marked oak timber with a 1770 dendrochronology reading.

Eras at a glance

Ancient: Pre-500 CE material, including Roman-era coins, Mi'kmaq pottery, and the C14-dated charcoal layer in the Money Pit.
Medieval: 500 to 1500 CE. Carved stones, suspected pilgrimage markers, and a small number of European medieval objects.
Pre-discovery: European-contact period through to the 1795 discovery, when activity on the island predates the recorded treasure hunt.
Colonial: The deposit-and-construction window favoured by most colonial-era theories. The dominant cluster in the catalogue.
Search era: 1795 onward. Artifacts associated with the searchers themselves, plus older finds whose discovery context is the search.
Modern: Recent finds without firm dates, awaiting analysis or stylistic placement.