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Amateur Treasure Hunter Finds Bronze Age Hoard in Scotland

 

Items from a Bronze Age hoard unearthed in June near Peebles, Scotland. Photo: Crown Office Communications

Metal detectorist Mariusz Stepien made the discovery of a lifetime recently in the Scottish Borders, near the village of Peebles, just south of Edinburgh, after he heard pings indicating that there might be a large amount of metal in the ground under his feet.

The amateur detectorist told interviewers that he was “shaking with happiness” as he unearthed the Bronze Age treasure trove, dating back 3,000 years before the present. Consisting of a 3,000 year-old sword still in its scabbard, jewelry, buckles and even a chariot wheel hub, the find has been declared one of the most significant Bronze Age finds ever unearthed in Scotland.

The earth around the Bronze Age hoard in Scotland was transported as a whole to Scotland’s National Museums Collection Center. Photo: Crown Office Communications

On Monday, authorities in the United Kingdom disclosed the contents of the amazing discovery and showed photographs of their unearthing to the public for the first time.

Mariusz Stepien at the site of his Bronze Age find, just 22 miles south of Edinburgh, Scotland. Photo: Crown Office Communications

The Associated Press reported how Stepien described his feelings that day. “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.”

Just as called for in the regulations followed by all metal detectorists in the UK, Stepien and his buddies made contact immediately with the “Treasure Trove Unit” of the Scottish government. They then camped out in the fields surrounding the site for the next 22 days as they patiently awaited the methodical excavation of the treasure.

Other bronze items in the hoard included a “complete” horse harness as well as rings.

The archaeologists used extreme care in extricating the items, and some of the dirt in which they were buried was transported to the National Museums Collection Center in Edinburgh.

Emily Freeman, the head of Scotland’s Treasure Trove Unit, was quoted by the AP as saying that Stepien’s June discovery was a “nationally significant find,” in part because it was only the second Bronze Age hoard ever found in the country.

“It was an amazing opportunity for us to not only recover bronze artifacts, but organic material as well,” she added. “There is still a lot of work to be done to assess the artifacts and understand why they were deposited.”

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