Erlend Bore, a Norwegian citizen, bought a metal detector on “medical advice” and discovered gold jewelry from the 6th century, a finding considered the “gold discovery of the century” in his country.
The unexpected discovery was made at the end of August on the southern island of Rennesøy, near Stavanger.
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The loot consists of nine gold medallions and pearls that once formed a luxurious necklace, as well as three rings of the same metal, the University of Stavanger said in a statement on Thursday. Said items lay buried on a farmer’s property.
The fiftieth-year-old, who wanted to be an archaeologist as a child, she had gotten the metal detector to motivate herself to get out and move more, as recommended by her doctor and physical therapist. He was about to give up and end his search when unexpectedly the detector began to go off on a hill.
Then, he notified the archaeological services that discovered about 100 grams of jewels dating back to around 500 AD, at a time of great migrations of peoples in Europe.
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“This is the gold discovery of the century in Norway,” said Ole Madsen, director of the Stavanger University Archaeological Museum.
“Finding so much gold from a single discovery is extremely rare,” he added next. The last comparable discovery in the Scandinavian country dates back to the 19th century. According to archaeologists, this latest discovery is unique, especially for the motif that appears on the medallions, a kind of horse from Norse mythology.
Håkon Reiersen, an associate professor at the museum, said the gold pendants — flat, thin, single-sided gold medals known scientifically as bracteadas — were likely hidden valuables or an offering to the gods in times of extreme necessity and drama.
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Professor Sigmund Oehrl, an expert in this type of pendant, also from the same museum, points out that around 1,000 gold bracteades have been found so far in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. He later explained that the symbols on the pendants usually show the Norse god Odin healing his son’s sick horse.
The horse’s tongue dangles from the gold pendants and “his stooped posture and crooked legs show that he is injured,” Oehrl said. “The symbol of the horse represented illness and anguish, but at the same time hope for healing and new life”, he completed when analyzing the pieces.
Objects from before 1537 and coins from before 1650 are considered state property and must be surrendered. Therefore, and as provided by law, Erlend Bore and the owner of the land should receive a reward. The plan is to display the find at the Stavanger Archaeological Museum.
THE NATION (Argentina)/GDA
With information from AFP and Associated Press
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