Trainee Metal Detectorist Hits an 800-Yr-Old Treasure; It Includes Two Very High-Quality Gold Earrings and a Coin Brooch

A trainee metal detectorist got the surprise of a lifetime while scouring in Germany. Searching for treasures is a long and tiring road, but for this metal detectorist, the story was different, stated Live Science. On one of their training assignments at Schleswig-Holstein, the trainee stumbled upon a precious hoard, shocking even their mentor. The hoard containing expensive items also reflected the past trade diversity of the area.

The mentor was taken aback by the finding, because the land that the duo was analyzing, had been examined plenty of times by other researchers. The hoard contained several gold and silver ornaments, and fragments of preserved textiles. "The hoard consisted of two very high-quality gold earrings set with semi-precious stones, a gilded pseudo-coin brooch, two gilded stone-studded finger rings, a ring fragment, a small formerly gilded perforated disc, a ring brooch, and about 30 silver coins, some of them heavily fragmented," Ulf Ickerodt, director of the State Archaeological Department of Schleswig-Holstein (ALSH) shared.

Archaeologists believe the most prominent finding from the hoard was the two earrings. "They probably date to the time around and after 1100 and are in the tradition of Byzantine goldsmiths," Ickerodt added. 30 silver coins were also located in the hoard, which after examinations were determined to be minted under the reign of Danish King Valdemar II. This assertion made researchers claim that the hoard must have been placed in the area, sometime after 1234.

Researchers also spotted a replica of an Islamic coin in the 800-year-old hoard. Experts identified it as an Almohad gold dinar, which had been transformed into a brooch. The coin appears to be from the Almohad caliphate, an Islamic dynasty that administered southern Spain and northern Africa, from the 12th to 13th centuries. Marjanko Pilekić, a numismatist from Germany shared that Islamic coins were popular in Southern Scandinavia between the 9th and 11th centuries. He claimed that the coin possibly came to the area through long-distance trade, tribute, and robbery. "It was a popular practice to pierce or loop the coins and wear them," he added.

The presence of Danish and Islamic artifacts in the same hoard implies that the area had connections to both locations. Haithabu, the UNESCO world heritage site where the discovery site is present, was destroyed in the 11th century. Despite this, the area seems to be flourishing with business opportunities, possibly because the surrounding areas were being quickly developed as a settlement and trading center. Researchers believe that the objects could be the outcome of business happening during those times. "An extensive north-south and east-west trade network has developed here since the early Middle Ages, in which the Mediterranean region, the North Sea, and the Baltic Sea were integrated," Ickerodt said. "The hoard was certainly not put down by chance."

Researchers have yet to figure out, whether these items were personal property or stolen valuables. Another possibility was that these items were buried for protection. "Especially in times of crisis," Ickerodt said, "the resulting danger leads to the hiding of possessions."