Rare treasure buried during medieval wars unearthed by historian with metal detector
A treasure trove of medieval artifacts lay buried beneath the ground in a small city in the Netherlands for centuries.
Then a man equipped with a metal detector and a sense of curiosity discovered it.
Historian Lorenzo Ruijter, 27, unearthed a cache of 1,000-year-old gold pendants and silver coins in the Dutch city of Hoogwoud in 2021, according to Reuters.
“It was very special discovering something this valuable, I can’t really describe it. I never expected to discover anything like this,” Ruijter, who has been seeking out treasure for over a decade, told the outlet.
The treasure consisted of four crescent-shaped pendants, which were likely worn as earrings, two segments of gold leaf and 39 silver coins, according to a March 9 news release from the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities.
The earrings, which are decorated with thin, twisted wires, are the most significant of the findings, the museum said. One of them appears to be engraved with a face surrounded by a halo, which has been interpreted to be a portrait of Jesus.
The trove was likely buried around 1248 A.D., according to the museum. This period during the High Middle Ages in the Netherlands was characterized by frequent violence.
The small country in northwestern Europe was incorporated into the Holy Roman Empire during this time and became involved in recurring wars between feuding states, according to Netherlands Tourism.
Gold jewelry from this era is rare, according to the museum, making the find an important discovery.
After he made his discovery, Ruijter loaned the items to the museum, where they will be on display until June. It will then be moved to a temporary exhibit that will open in October.
Google Translate was used to translate the news release from the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities.
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