Archaeologists have discovered surprising new details about the oldest tombstone in the United States, which dates back nearly 400 years.

The 1627 tombstone was set up in the Jamestown settlement and belonged to an English knight. But what exactly the tombstone was made of – and where it came from – stumped experts until now.

According to a study published in the International Journal of Historical Archaeology in September, the stone was not North American in origin.

The study, which is titled “Sourcing the Early Colonial Knight’s Black ‘Marble’ Tombstone at Jamestown, Virginia, USA,” argues that the black limestone actually came from Europe – and sheds light on the trade routes of the time.

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“In seventeenth-century Virginia, USA, one of the ways affluent English colonists exhibited their wealth and memorialized themselves was with engraved tombstones,” the article states. “Wealthy colonists in the Tidewater region of the Chesapeake Bay at this time preferentially selected black ‘marble’ for their gravestones that was actually polished, fine-grained, black limestone.”

“The iconic knight’s tombstone at Jamestown is one such stone.”

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The tombstone dates back to 1627 and belonged to a knight, historians say. (Preservation Virginia)

Rather than being made of a fossil found in the region, the limestone was likely transported from Belgium.

“This supports the conclusions above for transatlantic trade routes from continental Europe to Jamestown,” the study said. “These were undoubtedly not direct, but through London.”

Jamestown, not far from Williamsburg, Virginia, remains a popular tourist attraction. (Getty Images)

“We hypothesize it was quarried and cut to size in Belgium, shipped down the Meuse River, across the English Channel to London where it was carved and the brass inlays installed, and finally shipped on to Jamestown as ballast,” the study concluded. “This trade route was a small piece of the rapidly expanding Atlantic world of geopolitical colonial trade.”

Historians have not definitively concluded who the grave belonged to, but the study said it most likely belonged to Sir George Yeardley, who was the governor of Virginia at the time of his death in 1627.

The Jamestown settlement was the first permanent English settlement in North America, following the failed Roanoke Colony. (Getty Images)

“Assuming the knight’s tombstone was George Yeardley’s, then it is the oldest black ‘marble’ tombstone in the Chesapeake Bay region, and may be the oldest surviving tombstone in America,” the study said. “It is the only known tombstone in the English colonies with engraved monumental brass inlays.”

Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., took matters into his own hands and launched a rescue mission in North Carolina this week with other good Samaritans, providing crucial assistance to victims of Hurricane Helene and delivering essential supplies to those affected by the disaster.

“It makes sense that Americans come together in times of grief and strife and difficulty, and I don’t think that’s ever really changed,” Mills, an Army combat veteran, told Fox News Digital in an interview. “I mean, we’re not defined by the federal government, we’re defined by ‘We the People.’”

This isn’t the first time Mills has taken on a rescue mission. In addition to providing relief to Israelis after Oct. 7, he also provided support during Hurricanes Nicole and Ian in his own district and rescued 23 Americans along with 59 mentally and physically disabled children in Haiti. He also conducted one of the first successful overland rescues during the Afghanistan withdrawal, totaling around two to three dozen rescues in that region in 2021 alone.

RESCUE MISSIONS UNDERWAY IN NORTH CAROLINA AFTER HURRICANE HELENE BRINGS ‘HISTORIC’ FLOODING, LANDSLIDES

“The federal government, with its bureaucracy, moves too slow for the pace in which emergencies and often chaos actually moves,” Mills said. “And so, I think that it’s good that since Afghanistan and the failed botched withdrawal in 2021 you’ve seen a larger group of civilians who are coming together, a lot of which are former military or law enforcement, to pick up a slack and help as needed.”

Mills partnered with a private helicopter company, Mercury One, to deliver food, water, diapers, non-perishables, insulin medication and oxygen since Monday. According to Mills, he and a small group have already delivered thousands of pounds of supplies in the region’s hardest hit areas.

The congressman used two helicopters and also helped orchestrate search and rescues in Bernardsville, Poplar, Burnsville and the surrounding areas. He did a hoist operation of an elderly man on Tuesday, a spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

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Rep. Cory Mills delivers essentials to victims of Hurricane Helene. (Courtesy of Rep. Cory Mills)

“Anytime there’s any type of devastation or Americans that are in jeopardy, obviously it’s, it’s piqued my attention, and we need to be able to do a response to that in some way,” Mills said. “I feel like, as an elected official sort of like a responsibility to try and do what I can to help the American people, regardless if you live in Florida’s 7th District or anywhere in the country.”

By partnering with some local response teams on the ground, Mills said he and his group mapped out a couple of different areas to target to bring much needed aid to those who are coming up on day five without essentials, including cell service.

Rescue teams have also been deployed to parts of eastern Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia and Florida – areas that were also devastated by the storm.

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Rep. Cory Mills delivers essentials to victims of Hurricane Helene. (Courtesy of Rep. Cory Mills)

Hundreds of thousands more remain without power and cell service, which has led to delays in locals getting help and trying to get in touch with loved ones affected by the hurricane.

Helene’s death toll for North Carolina and Tennessee is unknown as authorities continue to respond and get in touch with families before publicizing official numbers, but the lack of data roaming and cellphone service is making that difficult. 

Fox News Digital’s Audrey Conklin contributed to this report. 

The mountainous village where “The Last of the Mohicans” and “Dirty Dancing” were filmed is no longer there following the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene, a local official told Fox News Digital. 

The little town of Chimney Rock in North Carolina sits at the base of Chimney Rock State Park and is home to the picturesque Lake Lure. Ed Broyhill, a North Carolina GOP national committee member, who owns a home on the lake, said the community has been devastated by storm damage.

“The saddest thing in the world is that a lot of the folks have etched out a living catering to tourism…. They have everything from hotels and motels and restaurants and nice stores and souvenir stores and clothing stores, and all of that was washed away. Every bit of it, all of it, was washed into the lake,” he said.

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Roads are washed out, electricity remains out for many, and Broyhill believes it will take “at least a year” to rebuild. 

He called it the “worst weather event that’s ever occurred in western North Carolina.” 

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON HELENE’S HAVOC

Boats, parts of businesses and homes all washed away following the torrential downpour of Helene in western North Carolina. (James Broyhill)

Broyhill recalled watching National Guard helicopters evacuating people from the area Sunday. He inspected the local area and saw entire sections of road missing. “It’s surreal,” he said.

James Broyhill walking on the dock of his family house on Lake Lure, North Carolina. (James Broyhill)

The North Carolina Department of Transportation has urged people to avoid unnecessary travel in western North Carolina, ahead of the usually busy fall foliage season.

“Our top priority is everyone’s safety and well-being,” Transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins said in a press release. “People should still consider roads in western North Carolina to be closed and avoid travel unless it is absolutely necessary. Priority must be given to all the emergency responders, utility and transportation crews, and others who are working hard to help with what will be a lengthy response and recovery effort.”