Experts at London’s British Museum have confirmed they want to buy two early Bronze Age flat axes unearthed in a Silsden field by a hobby metal detectorist.
When Edward Hannon isn’t serving up burgers and chips in his job as a fast-food worker, he is out and about in all weather with his metal detector.
It was one day in July last year he and friend Sarah Coultous, 43, stopped off by chance at a farm near Silsden to try their luck at treasure hunting.
Mr Hannon is staying tight-lipped about the exact location to prevent illegal digging for other artefacts.
Tag Archives for Bronze Age
Bronze Age lock-rings declared treasure
Two Bronze Age gold rings which were found by a metal detectorist on farm land in Wrexham have been declared treasure by a coroner.
The lock-rings – worn either as earrings or in the hair by a person of wealth and status about 3,000 years ago – were discovered in Rossett.
The ornaments will now go on display in Wrexham County Borough Museum.
Bronze Age rings found in Rossett, Wrexham, declared treasure
Anglesey treasure hoard over 3,000 years old discovered
A late Bronze Age hoard of gold and copper thought to be around 3000 years old was unearthed on Anglesey .
The discovery is considered so important that it has been given the rare definition of ‘treasure’ by the coroner’s office.
They were found by a metal detecorist in Cwm Cadnant, and include a gold band – known as a hair ring – and an ear ring, which are believed to be examples of Bronze Age jewellery.
Detectorist Philip Cooper also found ingots, which would have been a form of early currency.
Bronze Age treasure found in Lydney
A gold, Bronze Age, children’s broach (sic) has been found during a weekend metal detecting rally in the Forest of Dean.
The significant find was the highlight of a successful maiden event organised by the Forest of Dean metal detecting club.
Dave Warren, of the club, said: “The weekend went really well.
“The finds were amazing overall for the whole weekend and not just the Bronze Age treasure find.
“Over the weekend people found a silver hammer (sic) coin, Bronze Age axe head and a Roman broach (sic again) and Roman coins.
“The big find was the Bronze Age golden child’s bracelet which is a very significant find for this area.
“I have been metal detecting for about 11 years and never found anything like this before.
“It must be about 2,000 years old and I would imagine it belonged to a very wealthy person and to find it here in the Forest of Dean which has never been known as a rich area, is a brilliant find.”
Bronze Age treasure found in Lydney
Feeling a bit “sic” after reading this. And obviously anything Bronze Age is going to be around 3,000 to 4,000 years old rather than the 2,000 years mentioned. And a bracelet is not a brooch. Provincial journalism, eh?
Aurelia and the Beanstalk
I attended another club dig yesterday, this time in the Bedford area, on 4 fields of bean stubble. The soil was heavy clay and it had been raining heavily overnight and continued to rain almost all day. I lasted 2 hours before giving up, looking like something risen from a primaeval swamp to terrify small children. I shivered all the way home and had a stiff drink and a hot shower when I got there.
The mud was Biblical. My pin pointer was covered to half a inch thick. Eventually I couldn’t find the on/off switch and the little speaker vents were covered with mud so I couldn’t actually hear it bleep. My finds pouch was filled with mud, the pin pointer holster was filled with mud, my knee pads stuck to the ground every time I knelt down, and both the spade handle and the detector stuck to my hand. It wasn’t just the mud, but all the loose bits of vegetation that stuck to the mud. If I wasn’t a primeval swamp monster I was at least a walking compost heap. So I gave up.
The fields were generally quiet as regards actual signals. The odd iron grunt, the occasional good signal and an awful lot of chirps and chatter. The latter was because the coil reacted every time it struck a bean stalk. Unlike wheat or barley stubble, which the coil just pushes out of the way, bean stubble is much thicker and stronger which added to the problems of the mud.
In two hours I dug 4 pieces of God-knows-what. It was impossible to work out in the field what they were because of – did I mention the mud? The more I tried to rub it off on the spot the more I seemed to rub on. Eventually I put the nondescript pieces of metal in my finds pouch, hoping they would not stick to the trowel and be lost again.
It took me several hours this morning to clean the mud off most of my equipment and to have a look at my finds. Three pieces of scrap lead and 1 copper alloy book clasp or strap end which will be going to see the FLO in December.
Those who stuck it out were rewarded for their persistence. Other finds included a dozen or more hammered coins, a Bronze Age gold ring and a medieval bronze figure of Christ some 4″ to 5″ tall, presumably from a large crucifix. There are going to be some very happy FLOs I suspect.
Finds: 1 strap end (probably).
Bronze Age copper ingots declared ‘treasure’
Bronze Age copper ingots found by a metal detector at Paignton have been officially declared treasure trove.
Archaeologists say the 3,000-year-old ingots are an ‘exciting’ find and Torquay Museum hopes to be able to acquire the heavy lumps of copper, which look like green rocks.
The official treasure trove inquiry by South Devon coroner Ian Arrow heard how Alan Miller, of Paignton, was metal detecting with the farmer’s permission in fields when he found the ingots.
The Herald Express has been asked not to publicise the exact site to protect it from treasure hunters.
Metal detector’s rare gold nearly ended up in the bin
A kitchen assistant who dug up a rare piece of gold treasure nearly threw it away.
The gold earring unearthed in an Oxfordshire field is one of the earliest pieces of metalwork in Britain – from the Early Bronze Age, 2,200BC.
Steven Bain, from Ewelme, near Wallingford, stumbled across the treasure while metal detecting in a farmer’s field in Cholsey last October.
The 27-year-old said: “If anything I nearly threw it away. I didn’t realise what it was, it just went straight into my pocket.
Bronze Age hoard found in Denmark
A hoard of four Bronze Age gold arm rings has been found by a couple of Danish metal detectorists.
The four gold rings are all different and have distinct wear marks. Which shows that they once sat on the arm of a Bronze Age man whose clothing has rubbed against the soft gold. This is the first time ever, to be found four of the so-called oath rings at once.
These are so-called eds-rings, dating from the Late Bronze Age around 800 BC.
The (slightly wonky) Google translation from the Danish:
Aurelia's Metal Detecting 