Last week The University of Chicago was the recipient of a mysterious package addressed to Dr. Henry Walton Jones, Jr., otherwise known as archaeologist Indiana Jones. The school has no idea where it came from, how it got there, or why it was even sent in the first place, but it does know that its contents would be valuable to Dr. Jones, a former student of the university. Found within the package was an elaborate, handwritten journal by fictional University of Chicago Professor Abner Revenwood, who had taught Dr. Jones during his undergraduate years. The book itself has an aged appearance, and contains weathered inserts, pictures of Marion Ravenwood, and replica money to make it all appear older than it likely is.

The university is now on a quest to discover the package's origins, and even created an official indianajonesjournal@uchicago.edu email address in case someone wants to drop a hint or help uncover a clue. The university speculates that it could simply be a mishandled delivery for someone else, a viral marketing hoax, or part of an alternate reality game — but it hopes that it's really part of one of the most impressive college applications ever made. If you'd like to help solve the mystery, you can get started by checking out photos of the package's contents provided by the university.

Update: As Verge member Hawaii Tom points out, a replica notebook — nearly identical to the one received by the university, package and all — was sold on Ebay back in October, and a similar replica is on sale right now. Sadly, it seems that it's all just one big replica delivery mix-up, and not the work of a determined college applicant.

Update 2: Wired reports that the journal was in fact made by the same individual that held the Ebay auction linked above. Seller Paul Charfauros contacted the University of Chicago via email, writing that the US Postal Service had sent him a note that one of his replicas had been lost in the mail. The journal was originally intended for a customer in Italy.

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