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A gold brooch attributed to the Late Germanic Iron Age has been uncovered in Denmark by metal detectorist Mikkel Warming. The object is provisionally dated to the mid-6th century AD based on typological characteristics, although further specialist assessment is required.The find was identified following a non-distinct metal-detecting signal consistent with low-value metallic debris. Subsequent excavation revealed a gold object at shallow depth within compact soil. No immediate surface indicators distinguished the signal from common modern refuse...The brooch measures approximately 40 mm in length. Its surface is densely decorated with repeated circular motifs arranged in a highly regular pattern. The ornamentation...

A remarkable archaeological discovery in eastern Norway has revealed the largest Viking Age coin hoard ever found in the country, offering new insights into trade, wealth, and political transformation during the late 10th and early 11th centuries.The hoard, uncovered in a field near Rena in Østerdalen, currently consists of 2,970 silver coins, with excavations still ongoing. Archaeologists believe the total may rise further as the site continues to be investigated under controlled conditions. The discovery is already being described as unprecedented in a Norwegian context.The coins originate from a wide geographical area, underscoring Norway's extensive international connections during the Viking...

A structure long interpreted as the remains of an early medieval fortification is now being reclassified as a Viking Age boat grave, suggesting activity at the site several centuries prior to Oslo's conventional founding date.The site lies beneath the medieval royal estate, historically linked to Harald Hardrada. He is often credited with establishing Oslo around 1048...The dating itself also comes into question. A coin hoard found near the top of the mound had been used as key evidence. But closer examination shows the coins were placed into an already existing feature. That detail suggests the mound predates the deposit.The shift...

Archaeologists in Chile have uncovered a 16th-century silver coin, confirming the location of one of South America's most infamous failed colonial settlements at the site of Rey Don Felipe – later known as Puerto del Hambre, or "Port Famine".Located on the north shore of the Strait of Magellan, Rey Don Felipe was founded in 1584 with around 300 Spanish settlers. According to historical accounts, the extreme conditions led to the settlers starving or freezing to death, and by the arrival of English navigator Thomas Cavendish in 1587, the settlement was mostly in ruins.The coin, valued at eight reals and bearing...

A new Roman adventure begins! Join Miss Detectorist UK as coins fall from the earth along an ancient Roman road—now a quiet Wiltshire farm field. What starts as a routine dig turns into an extraordinary metal detecting day: a haul of 25 Roman coins and two incredible artefacts, including a beautiful bronze snake ring that hasn’t seen the light of day for nearly 2,000 years. Step into the past with Miss Detectorist and her detecting buddy as they trace the footsteps of Roman Britain, uncovering stories buried beneath the soil. From the first signal to the last astonishing find, this...

According to a Phys.org report, a team of researchers led by Sophia Adams of the British Museum and Jamie Armstrong of Durham University have examined more than 950 objects recovered from two separate hoards discovered by a metal detectorist near the site of a known Iron Age power center in northern England. The artifacts have been dated to between the late first century B.C. and the early first century A.D., and appear to represent about 300 whole objects that had been deliberately dismantled, damaged, and placed in ditches. The researchers suggest that most of the artifacts were parts of at...

Amateurs using metal detector located the tomb and after the initial major finds they contacted the archaeological authorities.The well-preserved grave contained an uncharacteristically large 12th-century sword as well as what appeared to be a Viking-age blade that may have been part of a cremation ceremony.The find was brought to light in a field in Hyvikkälä, Janakkala, which had showed signs of pre-historic settlement, by amateur metal detectorists After uncovering a few minor objects, the metal detector picked up a spear tip and an axe blade. After some digging, the group discovered a broken sword. At this point, the hobbyists broke...

According to a Live Science report, a 2,200-year-old gold coin was discovered by a metal detectorist in eastern Germany. Known as "rainbow cups" for their curved shape and the folklore that treasure can be found where a rainbow touches the ground, such coins were minted by the Celts, who did not inhabit this region. Only two other Celtic coins have been found in the German state of Saxony, and are thought to have been obtained through trade between the Celts and Germanic-speaking people. Saxony state archaeologist Regina Smolnik said that this rainbow cup is in excellent condition, and was therefore...

The Melsonby Hoard is one of the largest and most significant Iron Age finds ever uncovered in the UK.The hoard contains over 800 objects from the Iron Age, dating back around 2,000 years. Early analysis suggests the items were buried in the first century AD, around the time of the Roman conquest of southern Britain.The discovery was made in December 2021 by metal detectorist Peter Heads, who quickly reported it. In 2022, a team from ‪@DurhamUniversity‬ with support from the ‪@britishmuseum‬ and over £120,000 in grant funding from Historic England, excavated the site. Now, the ‪@YorkMuseumsTrust‬ is launching a fundraising...

An ordinary spring day quickly became extraordinary after a nature-loving metal detectorist unearthed a cache of ancient treasure. Marius Mangeac confirmed the discovery to Fox News Digital. He said he found the hoard in a field near Letca Veche, a small village in southern Romania.. Mangeac said that he found the coins “on a beautiful Saturday that didn’t foreshadow anything of what was to come.” “I took my detector and went out alone, as I often do, for exercise and to relax in the fields and forests,”.. “I didn’t think this day would surprise me and bring me face to...

A miniature gold lock dated to the third to fourth centuries was found by a metal detectorist in Germany...An analysis of the tiny lock with CT scans revealed the artifact's inner workings, showcasing its high level of Roman craftsmanship and hinting at trade between northern Germany and Rome in the third century...Measuring just under half an inch (1.2 centimeters) in diameter, the tiny lock was identified by metal detector in a field in Westphalia, a region of northwestern Germany, in 2023...Experts at LWL immediately recognized the gold lock as a miniature version of regular locks made in the Roman provinces...

The Guardian reports that a hoard of ancient coins was discovered by a pair of metal detectorists in the Netherlands, in an area where Roman troops returning from Britain may have landed. The coins were placed in a cloth or leather pouch and deposited in a shallow pit in a swampy area. The hoard is made up of 44 gold staters bearing the name of the Celtic king Cunobelin, who ruled in southeastern Britain from A.D. 5 to 40. The hoard also contains some 360 Roman coins, including 72 gold aurei, and 288 silver denarii dated to between 200 B.C....

Live Science reports that nearly 3,000 poorly preserved coins were discovered by a metal detectorist in the Westerwald mountain range, in an area outside the borders of the Roman Empire and any known settlements of ancient Germanic tribes. The coins were unearthed by archaeologists who also recovered more than 200 unidentified thin silver fragments decorated with geometric designs from the site. The cache had been placed in a ceramic pot and hidden between two rocks. "Most of the coins are so called Antoniniani, which were the official silver coin in the Roman Empire in the third century [A.D.], but mostly...

An amateur metal detectorist profoundly believes in that maxim and it came true when he uncovered up to 15,000 Roman coins buried in a hoard that could be Wales' biggest-ever treasure find.The BBC reports David Moss, 36, from Cheshire, made the discovery that left him in disbelief after he dug up up two clay pots in an undisclosed northern part of the country.But the epic find in a muddy field left him fearing they could be stolen, so he slept with the treasure in his car for three days before taking the coins to experts, the BBC notes.The coins are...

When the Bedale hoard was first discovered by metal detectorists in 2012, it was immediately recognized as one of the most significant assemblages of Viking-era silver objects and jewelry that had ever been found in England. Dating to the late ninth or early tenth century, the collection consists of 29 silver ingots and several elaborate neck rings, among other items. According to a statement released by the University of Oxford, a recent study of the origins of the Bedale silver is shedding new light on the international scope and far-reaching extent of Viking trade. Researchers led by Oxford archaeologist Jane...

In the quiet woods near Kalisz, Poland, a group of amateur archaeologists uncovered not one, but three extraordinary treasures over the span of just five weeks this summer...The Denar Kalisz Group, in cooperation with the Voivodeship Office of Environmental Protection in Kalisz, conducted their exploration in the Grodziec Forest District of Zbiersk.Their work began in early June with the discovery of a Roman-period burial ground linked to the Przeworsk culture. Among the finds was the grave of a warrior, complete with a spearhead and shield boss.Just days later, they recovered a coin from the 11th century alongside a small ceramic...

A piece of silver associated with pirate folklore has been extracted from a dig site in a quiet Australian town. Prospector Angus James was searching for treasure in Stawell, 237km northwest of Melbourne, when he found half a Mexican 8 reales coin. “I first thought it might have been a half crown, but then I thought why is it cut in half? I was looking for the other half and couldn’t find it, so I took it home and washed it clean,” he told Yahoo News. Mexican 8 reales were linked to the term “pieces of eight” because they were...

A stunning gold Saxon sword pommel that was unearthed in a field in Leicestershire, England by an 81-year-old woman has sold at auction for $22,000 (£16k).The rare 7th-century artifact was found in 2021 while the long-time metal detector enthusiast was searching a field during a local gathering of detectives.They told her that there was nothing to be found in the field where she was searching, but she persevered and found the gold pommel seven inches beneath the ground...Weighing 20.5 grams, the pommel -- which the Leicester Museum declined to purchase -- would have been fixed to the end of the...

A 350-year-old ring belonging to the Sheriff of Nottingham is set to fetch thousands at auction after being unearthed by a metal detectorist in a find 'worthy of Robin Hood'.The ancient, high-carat gold signet ring was uncovered by chance by a lucky detectorist on farmland in Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire, last summer.The treasure once belonged to Sir Matthew Jenison, who served as High Sheriff of Nottingham between 1683 and 1684 and looked after trees in Sherwood Forest.His family were known for gleaning wealth from a hoard of valuables left in their safekeeping during the English Civil War which were never reclaimed.The ring,...

A metal detectorist who discovered a gold mourning ring dating from the 18th century is overjoyed after it was declared a British treasure.Malcolm Weale unearthed the ring in a field in the eastern county of Norfolk last August and said he was 'shaking' as it sparkled in the sunlight.The lost jewelry is believed to be a memorial ring for Sir Bassingbourne Gawdry -- the 3rd Baronet of Harling -- who died in 1723, a year that was engraved on the inside.Mourning rings are worn in memory of someone who has died, typically bearing the name and date of death of...