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Gilded horse mounts of Viking confidant of the king found in Denmark

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Gilded bronze and silver-plated mounts from a horse bridle have been discovered in the town of Hørning near Skanderborg in Jutland, Denmark along with the remains of a Viking to whom these artifacts belonged to.
The find consists of two cross-shaped fittings and a rectangular buckle.  They are now on display at the Museum of Skaderborg.


Merethe Schifter Bagge, a project manager and archaeologist at the museum said the artifacts are exquisite and so rare that it is considered among some of the greatest archaeological discoveries in Danish history. It dates back to 950 AD which could mean the Viking who owned them could have been a confidant of the king and it is believed to be a gift of alliance from the king. This type of bridle was only available to the most powerful people in the Viking Age

The Museum of Skanderborg archaeologists has secured funding for a full excavation of the area including a huge grave complex, which is unusually large for the time period.

Archaeologists hope to gai…
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Hoard of silver Arabic coins found in East Ukraine.

Numerous Arabic coins were in the collection.

Numerous silver coins which dates back to the Samanid Empire (819-999 AD) and other artifacts were discovered by a metal detectorist in North-East Ukraine at a site by the Psel river in Sumy Oblast.

 Silver fittings, which are remains of a belt were also found with the coins and it is believed that the coins were kept in a bag or some kind of purse, attached to the belt.  The coins are silver dirhams which were minted in the Samanid Empire, a Sunni Iranian empire, surrounding Afghanistan, and parts of Iran, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and between 819-999 AD.

Several other small artifacts were also found.

Silver fittings from a belt for keeping the coins.
              
 
                       

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Gilded horse mounts of Viking confidant of the king found in Denmark

Image
Gilded bronze and silver-plated mounts from a horse bridle have been discovered in the town of Hørning near Skanderborg in Jutland, Denmark along with the remains of a Viking to whom these artifacts belonged to.
The find consists of two cross-shaped fittings and a rectangular buckle.  They are now on display at the Museum of Skaderborg.


Merethe Schifter Bagge, a project manager and archaeologist at the museum said the artifacts are exquisite and so rare that it is considered among some of the greatest archaeological discoveries in Danish history. It dates back to 950 AD which could mean the Viking who owned them could have been a confidant of the king and it is believed to be a gift of alliance from the king. This type of bridle was only available to the most powerful people in the Viking Age

The Museum of Skanderborg archaeologists has secured funding for a full excavation of the area including a huge grave complex, which is unusually large for the time period.

Archaeologists hope to gai…
Read more

Beginner's luck for 3 Year old boy who unearths Medieval reliquary worth £70 000

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3 Year old James Hyatt from Billericay, Essex wanted to join his father and grandfather metal detecting and a trip planned out on a field in Hockley, Essex seemed like as perfect opportunity as any to have his first ever try at treasure hunting.

Within minutes of taking hold of the metal detector, there was a distinctive beep, indicating a non-ferrous target buried in the ground. He started digging and much to the astonishment of everyone unearthed a gold locket which was not a modern piece of jewelry. 
Experts identified it as a reliquary and dated it to the era of Henry VIII (early 16th century), the engraving is a type which was popular during that time.

Medieval Christians believed in the power of relics, any physical remains of what was considered a holy site or person and any object which they had contact with. Anything touched by Christ or his apostles were considered to have healing powers and since Saints were believed to provide a spiritual link between life and death and acts …
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Medieval ring found in Robin Hood's Sherwood Forrest.

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Mr.Mark Thompson was metal detecting in Sherwood Forest, in Nottinghamshire, where the legend of Robin Hood originates when he discovered a beautiful gold ring set with a blue sapphire stone.  It has the image of an infant Christ engraved on one side and that of a Saint on the other.

It is believed to date from the 14th century and similar to one found with the tomb of Archbishop of Canterbury, William Whittlesey, who died in 1374.


A regional finds liaison officer, Dot Boughton, confirmed that the case has been referred to the coroner to be formally declared a treasure, following tests at the British Museum.
Mr. Thompson says that he found the ring within 20 minutes while searching with his metal detector in the forest and making this find could completely change his life.


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Long lost treasure of gold coins discovered on the coast of Namibia

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Gold coins of significant value were discovered during a search in a recently drained, man-made lagoon on Namibia's coast near Oranjemund.   

The area where the treasure was found, is located close to an old mining site, which is in the surf zone, where the incoming waves made mining impossible, so miners pushed up a huge sea-wall with bulldozers parallel to the beach, with the ends running back to the beach,  resulting in a large man-made lagoon, sheltering the site from the pounding surf.  The following day after the discovery of the gold coins, bits of metal, pipes and other parts of a ship was found and it was then rather certain that a shipwreck should be located close by. Shortly following this, a startling discovery was made.  


A ship, loaded with $13,000,000 worth of gold and other valuables lay buried under the ocean floor. Searches of the Namibian shoreline turned up many finds in relation to ships which got lost at sea and this has been a very significant find.

The first ind…
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Beachcomber discovers mysterious hoard of more than 100 foreign coins

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Robert Hodsdon from Galveston regularly metal detects on the local beach and usually makes the typical finds like a few bottle caps, some coins and the odd jewelry.
One day he made a mysterious discovery of more than 100 various foreign coins buried under the sand.
He says that while swinging his metal detector it made several beeps and he was sure it was just a coin spill which got lost.
Robert's friend, Clyde Longworth was searching for items on the beach with him when he noticed him still on the same spot for more than an hour, consistently pulling large amounts of coins, which is very unusual.

The find was made on the front of the eastern sea well where they have searched many times without uncovering foreign coins.
It soon became evident that the discovery was not a coincidence. The coins originated from Australia, India, Fiji,  and several European countries.


He believed the coins were stolen and planned on returning them to their owner.  Following an Internet search, it was found…
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Gold 15th century bishop's ring valued at £10 000 found in Yorkshire

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Adam Day is a 30-year-old metal detecting enthusiast from Yorkshire.  He recently started a metal detecting hobby and is considered to be an amateur treasure hunter.  Never did he consider his newfound hobby would bring him fame and fortune so soon.



During a search on a farmer's plowed field near Beverley Minster in Yorkshire, he came upon an amazing discovery, a 15th-century bishop's ring made of 20-carat gold.  He recalls the moment when first looking at the ring he just pulled out of the ground and realized it was of significant value and says that he was shaking at the thought of what special piece of jewelry was right there in his hands.

The gold ring is skillfully crafted and engraved with St George and St.Catherine as well as several decorative floral emblems. Since Beverley Minster is close to the location where the artifact was discovered, it is believed that it belonged in the distant past to a bishop from the local church. It has been dated  to between 1450-1550.'…
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Oldest golden coin discovered in Slovenia first of a very rare type Alexander the Great stater

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A field in Bela Krajina, which was initially farmland, delivered a surprise find of an extremely rare golden Celtic coin dating back to 3rd century BC, which has only been found elsewhere in Europe before.  
It was attached to a bronze belt which was not intact enough to restore, but organic material preserved on the belt could potentially provide the possibility of carbon dating. The condition of the coin itself is well preserved.
Ceramics and iron weapons found in close proximity initially indicates the date to be around 3rd century BC.



It is the oldest coin found in Slovenia and a Celtic imitation of an Alexander the Great stater which features on one side an image of the goddess Nike and the other that of Athena.  
Celtic tribes brought the concept of using Staters as currency to Western and Central Europe, following their service as mercenaries in north Greece.  Gold staters were minted in Gaul by Gallic chiefs imitated the staters of Philip II of Macedonia, which found their way to …
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Largest hoard of Roman coins - Wold Newton Hoard.

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Mr. David Blakey from Hartlepool, United Kingdom, discovered the largest hoard of Roman coins one morning while he was searching on a field in Wold Newton, East Yorkshire.  He almost did not make the discovery, as he was just about to go for lunch and a rest following an unproductive morning, when his metal detector sounded as it was moving over the target.

Named the Wold Newton Hoard, it contains an astonishing 1.857 Roman coins and dates around 307 CE, featuring coins representing Constantius and also the first coins to proclaim his son, Constantine, Augustus following his instatement as emperor of York.

The haul is believed to have been the equivalent of an annual salary for a Roman soldier in that era.  It has been evaluated to be worth £44,200 today.

The curator of numismatics at the Yorkshire Museum, Mr. Andrew Woods, said that the find is absolutely stunning and has an irrefutable connection to one of the most significant periods in the Roman history of York.  
This was a crucial t…
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Extraordinary discovery of golden artifacts linked to relative of Alexander the Great

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Several, very valuable and beautifully preserved golden artifacts were discovered with the help of metal detectors at the village of Sveshatari, Bulgaria, 400 km northeast from the capital, Sofia.

The find was made near Omurtag mount where the largest of 150 Thracian thombs of the Getae tribe was found in 1982.  This tribe was associated with ancient Greeks.

The Sveshatari tomb is considered significant and included in the World Heritage List of U.N. education and culture agency, UNESCO, for its unique architectural decor.

The find consists of 264 unique gold adornments and dates back to the 3rd or 4th century BC.
Fragments of a wooden box, containing charred bones and ashes, along with, among others, all gold items consisting of a tiara decorated with animal motifs, a horse head piece,  four spiral gold bracelets, a ring, several female figurines, believed to have decorated clothing, buttons and beads.



Expert in Thracian archaeology, Prof. Diana Gergova, from the National Archaeology I…
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Thomas Cromwell's 'love ring' discovered by treasure hunter banked £35,000

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A beautiful gold 15th Century ring was found by a metal detectorist near Laude Abbey in Leicestershire. It was found on the land which was owned by the late Thomas Cromwell, who was Henry VIII's advisor.


The striking piece of jewelry represents an early example of a love ring, worn by the wife of married partners, the bond between them symbolized with two natural gems embedded on the front and surrounded by a decoration which may be the representation of flower petals. 
The sides are engraved with leaf patterns.  The dimensions are 19 mm in diameter and 10 mm wide at bezel with a weight of 5.71 grams.  The land where the ring was discovered is now a Christian retreat and conference center and the finder was privileged to receive permission to search the area.



In historical days, the land was initially owned by wealthy Augustinian Priory since the 12th century.  Thomas Cromwell was surveying for land to settle on and found the location with its stunning surroundings impressive. He took…
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