A Norwegian man out walking on doctor’s advice has unearthed rare 6th century gold jewellery with a newly bought metal detector, in what archaeologists said on Thursday was Norway’s “gold find of the century”.
“At first I thought it was chocolate coins or Captain Sabertooth coins,” said 51-year-old Erlend Bore, referring to a fictional Norwegian pirate.
“It was totally unreal.”
The cache included nine Norwegian gold medallions and gold beads that once formed an opulent necklace, as well as three gold rings.
Archaeologists say the find is unique because of the design on the medallions – a type of horse from Norse mythology.
Bore, who dreamed of becoming an archaeologist as a child, made the discovery on a farmer’s land near Stavanger in August after buying a metal detector on his doctor’s advice to get more exercise.
He had been searching and was about to go home for the day when the device suddenly started beeping on a hillside.
He called archaeologists who took over the search.
The jewels, weighing just over 100 grams, were found to date from around 500 AD.
“This is the gold find of the century in Norway,” said Ole Madsen, director of the University of Stavanger’s Museum of Archaeology.
“To find so much gold all at once is extremely unusual.”
The last comparable find in Norway dates back to the 19th century.
