The Toynbee Tiles Mystery

Since the 1980s, hundreds of tiles have been discovered embedded in the asphalt of streets across major cities in the United States and South America. Each tile contains variations of the same cryptic message: “TOYNBEE IDEA IN MOViE `2001 RESURRECT DEAD ON PLANET JUPITER.” Who created them and what the message means remain unknown.

The Tiles

The tiles are approximately the size of a license plate, made of layers of linoleum and asphalt crack filler. They are embedded directly into street surfaces, often in the middle of busy intersections, where they persist for years despite traffic.

The core message references historian Arnold Toynbee, Stanley Kubrick’s film “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and the concept of resurrecting the dead on Jupiter. Some tiles contain additional text, often paranoid rants about the media, government, or persecution.

Distribution

Tiles have been found in major cities including Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Washington D.C., Pittsburgh, and cities in South America including Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro.

Philadelphia appears to be the epicenter, with the greatest concentration of tiles. The South American tiles suggest either international travel or collaborators.

Investigation

Documentary filmmaker Justin Duerr spent years investigating the tiles. His 2011 film “Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles” traced the tiles to a Philadelphia resident named Severino Verna, though Verna never confirmed or denied involvement.

Duerr’s investigation suggested the tiles were placed by one person driving around late at night, dropping tiles through a hole in the car floor to stick to warm asphalt.

The Message

The meaning of the tiles remains unclear. The reference to Toynbee and “2001” has never been convincingly explained. The tiles may represent a sincere belief in resurrection through technology, an art project, a form of guerrilla philosophy, or something else entirely.

New tiles continue to appear, though less frequently than in the past.

Assessment

The Toynbee tiles represent one of modern urban America’s strangest mysteries. Someone spent decades and considerable effort embedding cryptic messages in city streets. The message’s meaning remains unclear, and the creator has never come forward.

The tiles that remain continue to puzzle those who notice them—a cryptic message from an unknown source, slowly wearing away beneath the traffic of unaware cities.