ANCILLARY MATERIAL

An Amazing Discovery in Antarctica

Extract from the 1962 Vostok Traverse Antarctic Expedition logbook

“Once David had been safely brought out of the crevice and made comfortable, the rest of the team lowered me down to investigate the curious metallic-like objects he claimed to have seen further down in a niche carved out of the chasm wall.

I gradually negotiated my way down the rocky wall until at last I reached the niche, which must have been about 40 metres below the gash in the ice on the surface.

Closer examination revealed that the “objects” were in fact large urn-like vessels standing about 1.8 metres high and almost 1 metre across at their widest point, tapering slightly at each end. Nearly all of them appeared to be sealed by heavy lids.

I could now also see that the polished surfaces, which did indeed appear to be made of some metallic substance, were decorated with geometric forms and also what appeared to be ideographic inscriptions.

I instinctively felt that this was the proof we had been looking for, although we never expected to find artefacts that appeared to be in such a perfect state of preservation!”

Phillip McFarrel

THE SYDNEY MORNING NEWSPAPER - 1962

“The Sydney Morning Herald” Reports the Discovery

Read the article published in “The Sydney Morning Herald” announcing the discovery of the Urns and the manuscripts they contained. It is also interesting to note that even at this early stage, a great deal of controversy was anticipated…