Metal detectorist stumbles on 2,800-year-old ‘gift to the gods’ in boggy Welsh field
Digging into the marshy soil, someone carefully buried a small collection of objects. Perhaps they buried the offering hoping for good fortune, dreaming of wealth. Maybe it was an urgent plea for mercy, healing or strength. Or maybe it was something else entirely.
The hidden treasures went untouched for millennia — until a metal detectorist stumbled on it.
Richard Griffiths was searching a boggy field in Bridgend, Wales, with a metal detector in December 2020, the Amgueddfa Cymru National Museum Wales said in a July 11 news release.
A buried object caught Griffiths’ attention. He dug into the pasture and unearthed several metal artifacts, officials said.
Archaeologists identified the find as a collection of Bronze Age artifacts, about 2,800 years old, the release said. The treasures were placed “in a small and isolated pit feature, probably as part of a religious gift to the gods.”
“I was very excited about finding this Bronze Age hoard,” Griffiths told the museum. “To think that I was the first person to hold these objects after the last person who used them, thousands of years ago, is a special thing for me.”
The collection of artifacts included four fragmented axes and other tools, officials said. Photos show the worn, rusted metal tools.
Archaeologists found another spearhead during their follow-up excavation, the release said. Photos show the partially-excavated spearhead.
“The opportunity to investigate the location of this hoard was invaluable,” Chris Griffiths, a researcher at the museum, said in the release. “The discovery of a bronze spearhead during this investigation was the ‘icing on the cake.’”
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The artifacts are being held by the Amgueddfa Cymru National Museum Wales. The museum is interested in purchasing the find after an independent committee assesses its value, the release said.
The museum also announced the discovery of another collection of Bronze Age treasures.
Bridgend is about 170 miles west of London.
This story was originally published July 12, 2023 at 11:54 AM with the headline "Metal detectorist stumbles on 2,800-year-old ‘gift to the gods’ in boggy Welsh field."
