Chimpanzee Digs Up Artifact, It Becomes His Dark Obsession

Terrified

The chimpanzee was facing away from Lukas. He could see that whatever he had been digging for had been discovered. But the monkey swiftly stowed it away as the man circled him to see what was in his paws.

The chimpanzee had developed a sick obsession with this item, but when Lukas managed to steal a peek at the artifact it contained, he was terrified for his life.

A Different Path

Lukas understood that many people found his choice of career controversial, especially given his heritage. His father was a successful doctor, and his mother was an actress.

Both his parents had admirable jobs. However, Lukas wanted something that would be more fitting to his own desires and dreams. Not a lot of people understood that.

His Passion

Lukas Karlsson was born and raised in Kristiansand, Norway. The community was very close to each other, and everybody knew everybody. When his parents learned what he planned to accomplish, they weren’t sure what to say because every family had a specific reputation to preserve.

Lukas did not dream of one day becoming a doctor on an actor. No, his passion lay with exotic animals. Up until he went to the zoo, he would only get to view animals from different continents on TV.

Exotic Animals

Lukas first became interested in strange animal species when he was a young child and went to the Kristiansand Zoo. He made the instantaneous decision to follow a career that would allow him to become closer to them.

And after graduating from high school, he was offered a job at the exact zoo he had frequented as a child, making his fantasies come true. But he had no clue how risky approaching these animals at this close range could be.

Excitement

Even if most wouldn’t have accepted his career, Lukas’ parents did. By no means was it a luxurious profession. To make sure that tourists had the best time possible, he worked in the shadows at the zoo.

He simply adored being in such close quarters to the animals. He had to tidy up after them, but he also had the opportunity to feed them by hand. If only he had known that would be the cause of his demise.

The Chimpanzee

Lukas enjoyed visiting one animal, in particular, more than anything. He was aware that he would never get the opportunity to view it outside of Africa and Asia because it was an unusual species.

Norway was the only country in much of Europe where they truly didn’t have anything like it. The animal in question was the chimpanzee.

The Chimp That Stole His Heart

A chimpanzee named Isak stole Lukas’ heart. Before Lukas started working there, he had been at the zoo for ten years. It was the Kristiansand Zoo that stepped in to help Isak when he lost both his parents to poachers.

Most African zoos already have many chimps, which would cause Isak to be bullied by his fellow chimps. His kind was unique here in Norway, however. He would eventually learn that Isak was hiding something very serious from him.

Acting Strangely

For a few months, Lukas had been watching over Isak, feeding him, and developing a relationship with him. But shortly, his actions took an odd turn. He changed from being an upbeat chimpanzee to one who appeared to be determined and solely focused on digging.

It began modestly. He would use his bare hands to dig out some mud. Lukas dismissed it as him being bored or searching for worms. However, he would have made an effort to step in if he had understood the true cause.

Obsession

The digging became a fixation over the course of the following few weeks. Isak ate and slept very little. He had improved his tools and was just interested in digging. Instead of utilizing his hands, he was now making do with whatever he could find.

He just realized that a stick performed far better than his hands. He had begun to employ that to delve further than he had previously been able to. Lukas, though, wouldn’t be prepared for the explanation.

He Was Consumed By It

There was something different about Isak’s eyes. He was consuming himself with this dark obsession. Lukas wondered if his strange behavior was due to an illness. It was imperative that he intervened.

Lukas would have already found what he was searching for by the time he got permission to enter Isak’s enclosure. He would never be the same again.

An Object

The chimpanzee’s back was turned to Lukas. It was clear to him that he had found whatever he was digging for. But as he walked around the chimp to see what was in his hands, the chimp quickly hid it away.

This object had become the chimpanzee’s dark obsession, but as soon as Lukas managed to sneak a glance at the artifact it held, he feared for his life.

Sharp

All Lukas could tell at first was that it was sharp. He moved back a bit to give Isak some room. He didn’t want to end up on the wrong end of the sharp object that he had. But when Isak noticed the fear in his zookeeper’s eyes, he decided to show him.

Isak opened his palm and showed it to Lukas. Lukas couldn’t believe what he was looking at. It had to be of Viking origin and at least 1000 years old.

An Arrowhead

The object was, in fact, an arrowhead. Lukas could tell that it was very old. It must have been long buried and forgotten before the zoo even existed. He imagined how it must have belonged to a Viking from centuries ago.

The Viking would have probably looked a lot like Lukas since Norway is one of the original settlements for the ancient people. Lukas knew he had to show someone what Isak had found.

A Negotiation

Lukas knew that his chimp friend wouldn’t give up the arrowhead easily. He had been obsessed with finding it over the last few months that he wouldn’t just give it to him. But then Lukas thought of an idea.

He negotiated with Lukas. After an hour of coaxing with the best food the zoo could offer, Isak finally traded the arrowhead for a yellow bunch of bananas and other assorted fruit. Now Lukas could have the arrowhead examined.

A Special Artifact

Lukas had the arrowhead examined by a man named Bjorn Pederson from the University of Agder. He was a professor of archaeology and managed to tell him a few things about the object.

It was quite a special artifact. He told Lukas that it dates to the Iron Age, around 2000 years ago. It was 4.6 inches long and would have been a prized arrowhead for a hunter at the time. But now, Lukas was faced with a dilemma.

What Should He Do?

What would he do with the ancient artifact? Would he donate it to a museum, or would he keep it to himself as a souvenir? Besides, there was another possibility.

What if he sold it to some wealthy collector? Surely, there would be someone somewhere who would value having such an item in his home. After all, there weren’t so many Scandinavian Iron Age artifacts around. So Lukas made a decision.

Appraiser

He took the arrowhead to an appraiser. After knowing how much the item could be worth in the collectors market, he would be in a better position to choose what he would do with it.

So he asked Pederson about a reliable appraiser. The professor sent him to Mr. Eriksen, a renowned archaeologist who got into the appraising business after getting burnt out with the academic world. Nothing could have prepared Lukas for what he was about to hear.

$200,000

After examining the arrowhead for a while, Mr. Eriksen hit Lukas with the news: the arrowhead could be worth about $200,000 in the collectors market.

Lukas almost fainted on the spot when he heard this. That was more than what he would make in four years at his current job at the zoo! He had never had that type of money in his bank account.

He Called His Parents, But…

Now that he knew the item’s worth, deciding what to do with it was even harder than before. $200,000! Who could have guessed that a chimpanzee’s curiosity would give him access to such a fortune?

The first thing Lukas did when he got home was call his parents. He told them about his discovery and what the appraiser told him. But he didn’t expect their reaction.

“Sell It!”

Right after they heard the details, they quickly encouraged him to sell it. “Don’t be stupid,” his dad said. “Think of all the things you could do with that kind of money.”

“You could invest it, you could start a business. A business related to animals, if you want. Do you really want to keep getting paid peanuts at that zoo for the rest of your life?” he insisted.

He Didn’t Know What To Do

Lukas didn’t know what to say. He was happy at his job, but his dad’s words made him think. Every now and then, his dad let slip his dissatisfaction with Lukas’ career choice. 

He would make a comment, or huff and puff every time Lukas mentioned a story about his job or his measly salary. When it happened, Lukas felt a bit ashamed, like he was an underachiever. Maybe it was time for him to step up.

Selling It For A Good Reason

After thinking about it for a while, he decided to sell the item. However, the use he had in mind for the $200,000 didn’t have anything to do with investments or starting a company.

After all, he was happy working among animals. He didn’t see himself as a CEO or someone who made his wealth out of stock investments, but he knew what he wanted to do with the money.

Becoming A Scholar

Lukas decided that he would use the money to fund his studies. He would study for a zoology bachelor’s degree in Oslo and then apply for a Ph.D. at an American university specializing in primatology.

That way, he would manage to devote his life to the study of apes, all the while making his parents proud. The next day, he talked about it to his parents, who enthusiastically agreed with his decision. Now, all he had to do was sell the arrowhead.

The Story Of Monty

This is not the first time something like this has happened. Sometimes, animals can be archeologists’ best friends, and they can help them find unique ancient items that would otherwise have remained undiscovered forever.

Recently, a dog named Monty, who was out for a walk in the Czech village of Kostelecké Horky, found something that put the little town upside down. This is how it happened:

Pavel Frankota

Pavel Frankota, a shepherd and father of three who has lived in the village of Kostelecké Horky for his entire life, was taking a walk around the countryside with his dog Monty.

He liked to wander around those fields. He went there even when he wasn’t taking his cattle with him. He loved the sights, the peace and quiet that couldn’t be found anywhere else. Little did he know what he was about to encounter.

Strange Behavior

At one point during their walk, Monty started acting strange. He stood still for a few seconds. He raised his ears and started barking at the air.

What could be going on? Pavel had never seen Monty act like that. Usually, he was a very easygoing dog and always stood calm and collected. However, there was a good reason for this strange behavior. 

What Was The Matter?

“What’s going on, Monty?” Pavel asked. The dog kept barking, standing still like a statue. Then, he started running.

Pavel ran after him, yelling the dog’s name and telling him to stop. But Morty kept running in circles, stopping every now and then to keep running afterward; it seemed like the dog had his mind and senses set on something. 

Frantically Digging

Eventually, Monty stopped at a particular spot in the field and just started digging. Pavel stood at a close distance, puzzled, as he watched his dog obsessively scraping into the soil.

He kept going at it for almost 30 minutes, to the point where the hole he was digging was nearly 3-feet deep. But after a while, he found what he was looking for. When he saw it, Pavel couldn’t contain a gasp.

Bronze Age Items

At first, Pavel didn’t really know what was in front of him; but he knew it was ancient. After he called the nearest museum, they told him what Monty had found: 13 sickles, 2 spear points, 3 axes, and several bracelets from the Bronze Age, all dating back nearly 3000 years.

Shortly after, archaeologist Martina Beková, from the Museum and Gallery of Orlické Mountains in Rychnov, undertook an exhaustive examination of the items. Her conclusions were astounding. 

A Sacrifice

“The fact that there are so many objects in one place is almost certainly tied to an act of honoration, most likely a sacrifice of some sort.” 

“What particularly surprised us was that the objects were whole, because the culture that lived here at the time normally just buried fragments, often melted as well. These objects are beautiful, but the fact that they are complete and in good condition is of much more value to us.”

In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.