"Buddha" before the Pali Canon?

[Arun Gupta]

Does the following help qualify Buddha as more "historical" than Lao Tzu ?
Does myth-building extend to creation of artifacts as well ?

-arun gupta

"The account of the division (the Mahaparinibbana-sutta) of his relics gives
us a detailed view of the extent of the Buddhist community, the number of
adherents in particular places, and a synopsis of his teachings."

In 1898, Peppé excavated an old stupa at Piprahwa and found an urn with an
inscription from the time of King Asoka or before which stated that the
contents were the remains of the Buddha. In 1958 another urn was discovered
in Vaisali and, though without an inscription, has been identified as
containing his remains on the basis of its similarity to the one found by
Peppé."