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Norwegian Man Makes ‘Gold Find of the Century’ Using Metal Detector
Norwegian Man Makes ‘Gold Find of the Century’ Using Metal Detector
Sputnik International
The man found the treasure while out on his doctor's orders to get more exercise. Using his metal detector, he made the discovery of the century.
2023-09-08T03:46+0000
2023-09-08T03:46+0000
2023-09-08T03:44+0000
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A Norwegian man who was out walking on doctors’ advice stumbled upon a rare discovery: a cache consisting of nine gold medallions and gold pearls that once made up a costly necklace, as well as three gold rings.The medallions—or bracteates—date back to about 500 AD (during a time known as Norway’s Migration Period), and weigh a little more than 100 grams. The item also features a type of horse from Norse mythology, a rare design according to archaeologists.Bore, who said he had longed to be an archaeologist as a child, unearthed the treasure on the southern island of Rennesøy, near Stavanger, in August after he first bought the metal detector. In fact, he was about to head home for the day after searching when his metal detector alerted him to the discovery.According to professor Sigmund Oehrl, from the Archaeological Museum at the University of Stavanger, the symbols on the bracteates feature the Norse god Odin healing his son’s sick horse. On the recently discovered coins, the horse's tongue hangs limply out of its mouth while “its slumped posture and twisted legs show that it is injured.”Oehrl adds that just 1,000 golden bracteates have so far been found across the three Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden and Denmark.To find this much gold at the same time is highly unusual, said Ole Madsen, director at the same museum where the items will be preserved and displayed. Madsen has emphasized that Bore’s discovery is the “gold find of the century in Norway.”Norwegian law dictates that objects from before 1537 and coins older than 1650 are considered state property, and that those items must be handed over. However, both Bore and the landowner will receive a reward, of which the amount has yet to be determined.
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gold, gold medallions, history, archaeology, metal detector discovery, norway, scandinavian history, bracteates
gold, gold medallions, history, archaeology, metal detector discovery, norway, scandinavian history, bracteates
Norwegian Man Makes ‘Gold Find of the Century’ Using Metal Detector
Archaeologists have indicated that the new discovery is Norway’s “gold find of the century.”
A Norwegian man who was out walking on doctors’ advice stumbled upon a rare discovery: a cache consisting of nine gold medallions and gold pearls that once made up a costly necklace, as well as three gold rings.
The medallions—or bracteates—date back to about 500 AD (during a time known as Norway’s Migration Period), and weigh a little more than 100 grams. The item also features a type of horse from Norse mythology, a rare design according to archaeologists.
"At first I thought it was chocolate coins or Captain Sabertooth coins," said 51-year-old Erlend Bore, who made the discovery. "It was totally unreal."
Bore, who said he had longed to be an archaeologist as a child, unearthed the treasure on the southern island of Rennesøy, near Stavanger, in August after he first bought the metal detector. In fact, he was about to head home for the day after searching when his metal detector alerted him to the discovery.
According to professor Sigmund Oehrl, from the Archaeological Museum at the University of Stavanger, the symbols on the bracteates feature the Norse god Odin healing his son’s sick horse. On the recently discovered coins, the horse's tongue hangs limply out of its mouth while “its slumped posture and twisted legs show that it is injured.” Oehrl adds that just 1,000 golden bracteates have so far been found across the three Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden and Denmark.
"The horse symbol represented illness and distress, but at the same time hope for healing and new life," he added.
To find this much gold at the same time is highly unusual, said Ole Madsen, director at the same museum where the items will be preserved and displayed. Madsen has emphasized that Bore’s discovery is the “gold find of the century in Norway.”
Norwegian law dictates that objects from before 1537 and coins older than 1650 are considered state property, and that those items must be handed over. However, both Bore and the landowner will receive a reward, of which the amount has yet to be determined.
