There is a remarkable tombstone installed in a church in Jamestown, Virginia, the site of the first English settlement in North America in 1607. The tombstone dates to 1627, and is covered with carved depressions (once filled with brass inlays) that depict the outline of an English knight with a sword and shield. But while the exact location of the first burial site has been lost, researchers have uncovered a fascinating piece of information about this 400-year-old memorial. They have determined that the limestone used to make the tombstone was quarried overseas in Belgium, before being shipped to London for later transport to the New World. Did the Conquest of the New World Save the Spanish Empire? Journey to Knighthood: The Hidden Steps of Becoming a Medieval Knight 300-Million-Year-Old Fossils Reveal Existence of a Colonial Era Trade Route In their new study, Dr. Marcus Key, a professor of natural philosophy from Dickinson College in Pennsylvania, and Dr. Rebecca Rossi from the California Geological Survey analyzed some chips of rock that came from the knight’s tombstone. They were searching for the remnants of ancient fossils, which are easily preserved in limestone.  "Due to the evolutionary process, biological species are much more unique through time and space than chemical elements or isotopic ratios," Dr. Key explained in an interview published by Phys.org. Read moreSection: NewsHistory & ArchaeologyAncient PlacesAmericasRead Later