Metal detectorist unearths 'nationally significant' Bronze Age hoard in Scotland
A “nationally significant” hoard of Bronze Age artefacts have been found by a metal detectorist.
Mariusz Stepien, 44, came across a bronze object buried about half a metre underground in June and protected it from the elements while archaeologists spent 22 days investigating the area.
They found a complete horse harness, preserved by soil, and a sword dated to between 1000 and 900 BC in the field, near Peebles in the Scottish Borders.
Decorated straps, buckles, rings, ornaments and chariot wheel axle caps were among the items, as was a “rattle pendant” from the harness.
It is the first such pendant to be found in Scotland and only the third in the UK.
Emily Freeman, head of the Treasure Trove Unit, which oversaw the recovery of the artefacts, said: “This is a nationally significant find – so few Bronze Age hoards have been excavated in Scotland.
“It was an amazing opportunity for us to not only recover bronze artefacts, but organic material as well.
“There is still a lot of work to be done to assess the artefacts and understand why they were deposited.”
Read more: Tanker spills 1,000 tonnes of crude oil into Indian Ocean
Stepien contacted the unit after he found the items, and the trove has been moved from the site in a large block of soil and taken to the National Museums Collection Centre in Edinburgh.
He said: “I thought ‘I’ve never seen anything like this before’ and felt from the very beginning that this might be something spectacular and I’ve just discovered a big part of Scottish history.
“I was over the moon, actually shaking with happiness.
“We wanted to be a part of the excavation from the beginning to the end.
Read more: Two dogs rescued after being left in hot car for 'more than two hours'
“I will never forget those 22 days spent in the field. Every day there were new objects coming out which changed the context of the find, every day we learned something new.
“I’m so pleased that the earth revealed to me something that was hidden for more than 3,000 years. I still can’t believe it happened.”
Freeman added: “We could not have achieved this without the responsible actions of the finder or the support of the landowners.
“The finder was quick to action when they realised that they had found an in-situ hoard, which resulted in the Treasure Trove Unit and National Museums Scotland being on site within days of discovery.”
Treasure hunting has risen in popularity in recent years, a shift some put down to the success of shows such as BBC comedy The Detectorists, starring Mackenzie Crook and Toby Jones.
More significant treasure discoveries in Britain
The Staffordshire Hoard
This is the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver ever to be discovered, the trove’s own website states.
It is made up of fine objects that required a “very high level of craft skills” to make, the site says.
The hoard’s items would have belonged to Anglo-Saxon kings and princes, their households and warrior retinues.
Religious and animal artefacts, weapon parts and decorative items are among the almost 4,600 individual items and fragments discovered.
They were found near Hammerwich, a village near Lichfield in Staffordshire, in July 2009 by detectorist Terry Herbert.
The amount contains a combined 4g of gold, more than 1.5kg kilos of silver and thousands of garnets.
“There is nothing comparable in terms of content and quantity in the UK or Europe,” the website adds.
The Vale of York Hoard
Valued at £1m, this was found by David and Andrew Whelan, two metal detectorists, in North Yorkshire in 2007.
The Yorkshire Museum describes the find as “remarkable” due to its size and quality, “making it the most important find of its type in Britain for over 150 years”.
The Viking Age treasure contains 67 objects including ornaments, ingots and fragments called hack silver, as well as 617 coins.
Some of the objects come from as far as Afghanistan, as well as Europe.
Among the items is a silver coin, a dirham that was struck at Samarkand in what is now Uzbekistan, a city that sat on the Silk Road trading route.
The coin was traded up the rivers into Russia, then Scandinavia, until it made its way to Yorkshire, the museum added.
The Hoxne Hoard
The Hoxne Hoard is the richest Roman treasure find in Britain, according to the British Museum.
Several precious objects were found in Suffolk in 1992, alongside about 15,000 coins.
It was found by Eric Lawes, reportedly after he went looking for a lost hammer.
Among its treasures is a silver pepper pot that depicts a woman and dates to between 300 and 400 AD.
Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK