A 1400 year old gold artifact

This was a man looking for treasure in the UK. He was going around with a metal detector. What he managed to find is amazing. It’s a piece of unusual workmanship. It turned out to be a 1400-year-old gold artifact. The find was made in the Breckland region of Norfolk last April. There is no known archaeological site there.

A 1400-year-old gold artifact in the shape of a pyramid was found by a treasure hunter.
A 1400 year old gold artifact in the shape of a pyramid was found by a treasure hunter.
Mysterious pyramid

“There is no archaeological site associated with the find. It seems to have been randomly lost in the middle of nowhere. It wasn’t buried and it wasn’t disposed of with rubbish in a crowded settlement,” said Helen Geake. She is the national finds advisor for the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS). This is a voluntary scheme. It records small archaeological finds made by amateurs. It covers the whole of the UK.

The artifact found is a tiny pyramid. It is about six millimetres high and 12 mm long at its base. The piece is made of gold and garnet stone. It may have been part of an elite warrior’s sword sheath. This is detailed by Live Science.

It is believed that it may have come from India or Sri Lanka. Probably via long-distance trade routes. Sword pyramids, like the one found in Norfolk, were also found at Sutton Hoo. These are medieval burial grounds in the United Kingdom. And they date from roughly the same period as the new find. Something is known about the Sutton Hoo burial ship case. The human remains belonged to an elite individual.

It could be part of a sword, and indicate a high status of its wielder.
Could be part of a sword, and indicate a high status of its wielder.
Multiple function

The exact function of these tiny elements is not known. One theory is that the pyramids of swords were like “tacks”. They attached a sort of retaining strap to the scabbard of the sword so that it wouldn’t rattle around too much when it was worn on the belt,” explained John Hines, professor of archaeology at Cardiff University in the United Kingdom.

“The sword itself was a very prestigious weapon in the mid-seventh century. That’s when this pyramid was made,” John Hines stressed. He is a professor of archaeology at Cardiff University (UK). It probably belonged to a high-status warrior.

A 1400-year-old gold artifact brings back stories from the past. Perhaps it indicated how high up in society the wearer was. Maybe it indicated that the person belonged to a particular group. Who knows? Ancient treasures hold many questions.

Click to rate this entry!
(Votes: 0 Average: 0)
Share!

Leave a Comment