Current:Home > ScamsA man bought a metal detector to get off the couch. He just made the "gold find of the century" in Norway.-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
A man bought a metal detector to get off the couch. He just made the "gold find of the century" in Norway.
View Date:2024-12-23 18:36:06
At first, the Norwegian man thought his metal detector reacted to chocolate money buried in the soil. It turned out to be nine pendants, three rings and 10 gold pearls in what was described as the country's gold find of the century.
The rare find was made this summer by 51-year-old Erlend Bore on the southern island of Rennesoey, near the city of Stavanger. Bore had bought his first metal detector earlier this year to have a hobby after his doctor ordered him to get out instead of sitting on the couch.
"At first I thought it was chocolate coins or Captain Sabertooth coins," said Bore, referring to a fictional Norwegian pirate. "It was totally unreal."
Ole Madsen, director at the Archaeological Museum at the University of Stavanger, said that to find "so much gold at the same time is extremely unusual."
"This is the gold find of the century in Norway," Madsen said.
The museum posted video of the treasure on Facebook and other images on social media, writing: "It will be preserved and displayed as soon as possible in our upcoming exhibition."
In August, Bore began walking around the mountainous island with his metal detector. A statement issued by the university said he first found some scrap, but later uncovered something that was "completely unreal" — the treasure weighing a little more than 100 grams.
Under Norwegian law, objects from before 1537 and coins older than 1650 are considered state property, and must be handed in.
Associate professor Håkon Reiersen with the museum said the gold pendants — flat, thin, single-sided gold medals called bracteates — date from around A.D. 500, the so-called Migration Period in Norway, which runs between 400 and about 550, when there were widespread migrations in Europe.
The pendants and gold pearls were part of "a very showy necklace" that had been made by skilled jewelers and was worn by society's most powerful, said Reiersen. He added that "in Norway, no similar discovery has been made since the 19th century, and it is also a very unusual discovery in a Scandinavian context."
An expert on such pendants, professor Sigmund Oehrl with the same museum, said that about 1,000 golden bracteates have so far been found in Norway, Sweden and Denmark.
He said symbols on the pendants usually show the Norse god Odin healing the sick horse of his son. On the Rennesoey ones, the horse's tongue hangs out on the gold pendants, and "its slumped posture and twisted legs show that it is injured," Oehrl said.
"The horse symbol represented illness and distress, but at the same time hope for healing and new life," he added.
The plan is to exhibit the find at the Archaeological Museum in Stavanger, about 300 kilometers (200 miles) southwest of Oslo.
The most recent comparable find in Norway dates back to the 19th century.
"Given the location of the discovery and what we know from other similar finds, this is probably a matter of either hidden valuables or an offering to the gods during dramatic times," professor Hakon Reiersen said.
In line with Norwegian law, both Bore and the landowner will receive a reward, although the sum has not yet been determined.
AFP contributed to this report.
- In:
- Archaeologist
- Norway
veryGood! (631)
Related
- Wall Street makes wagers on the likely winners and losers in a second Trump term
- NASCAR Championship race live updates, how to watch: Cup title on the line at Phoenix
- Research reveals China has built prototype nuclear reactor to power aircraft carrier
- Kirk Herbstreit berates LSU fans throwing trash vs Alabama: 'Enough is enough, clowns'
- When do new episodes of 'Cobra Kai' Season 6 come out? Release date, cast, where to watch
- NASCAR Cup Series Championship race 2024: Start time, TV, live stream, odds, lineup
- 4 charged in Detroit street shooting that left 2 dead, 5 wounded
- Trump announces Tom Homan, former director of immigration enforcement, will serve as ‘border czar’
- What do nails have to say about your health? Experts answer your FAQs.
- Mississippi Valley State football player Ryan Quinney dies in car accident
Ranking
- Bitcoin has topped $87,000 for a new record high. What to know about crypto’s post-election rally
- South Carolina does not set a date for the next execution after requests for a holiday pause
- The Cowboys, claiming to be 'all in' prior to Dak Prescott's injury, are in a rare spot: Irrelevance
- 2024 'virtually certain' to be warmest year on record, scientists say
- What are the best financial advising companies? Help USA TODAY rank the top U.S. firms
- 'The Penguin' spoilers! Colin Farrell spills on that 'dark' finale episode
- Hill House Home’s Once-A-Year Sale Is Here: Get 30% off Everything & up to 75% off Luxury Dresses
- A crowd of strangers brought 613 cakes and then set out to eat them
Recommendation
-
Roy Haynes, Grammy-winning jazz drummer, dies at 99: Reports
-
Everard Burke Introduce
-
Taylor Swift Politely Corrects Security’s Etiquette at Travis Kelce’s Chiefs Game
-
Ben Affleck and His Son Samuel, 12, Enjoy a Rare Night Out Together
-
Police identify 7-year-old child killed in North Carolina weekend shooting
-
Will Trump’s hush money conviction stand? A judge will rule on the president-elect’s immunity claim
-
Vikings' Camryn Bynum celebrates game-winning interception with Raygun dance
-
Ben Affleck and His Son Samuel, 12, Enjoy a Rare Night Out Together