An ‘800-year-old mobile phone’

COURTESY MIRROR

A picture of an ‘800-year-old mobile phone’ has sent conspiracy theorists into overdrive – again.

The supposed archaeological find – which bears a striking resemblance to a 1990s mobile phone – has gone viral and prompted much discussion online.

The ‘keys’ on the object bear a resemblance to cuneiform, an early system of writing used by the ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq) around 3000 BCE (Before the Common Era).

A number of conspiracy theory sites have posted details about the striking image in the last few days, with claims it was found during a dig in Austria earlier this year.

However, they all repeat details from a post on picture sharing site Flickr dating back to January 2012 making the same claims.

In that post, there are no details given about when the dig took place are given or who was involved.

Comparison: If you were using a mobile in the late 1990s these may look familiar

It does claim though, as do the more recent posts, that the excavations were carried out in the Fuschl am See area in Salzburg.

There appear to be no other images from the same ‘dig’.

The resurfacing of the image nearly four years on has been met with a mostly humorous response online, with many declaring it a hoax.

Among the comments on the Conspiracy Club website are “I bet it has horrible coverage” and “there’s probably five missed calls from Chuck Norris on it”.