21 June 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Amateur makes ‘Gold Find of the Century’ in Norway

A Norwegian 51-year-old Erlend Bore out walking on doctors’ advice unearthed rare 6th-century gold jewellery using a newly bought metal detector, a discovery that archaeologists said on Thursday was Norway’s “gold find of the century.

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.

Archaeologists say the find is unique because of the design on the medallions — a type of horse from Norse mythology.

The rare find was made this summer on the southern island of Rennesoey, near the city of Stavanger.

As a child, Erlend Bore wanted to be an archaeologist. So when his physiotherapist told him he must move more instead of sitting on the couch, he bought a metal detector and searched for archaeological objects, just as a hobby.

Erlend Bore with the gold treasure he found on Rennesøy in Stavanger. PHOTO: ERIK WAAGE / NRK

“At first I thought it was chocolate coins or Captain Sabertooth coins,” said Erlend Bore, referring to a fictional Norwegian pirate.

“It was totally unreal.”

The jewels, which weigh a little more than 100 grams, were discovered to date from around 500 AD.

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 gold treasure is well preserved and has several small details. The gold pendants have a horse engraved in the middle. PHOTO: ERIK WAAGE / NRK

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.

“It’s the gold find of the century in Norway,” said Ole Madsen, the head of the University of Stavanger’s Museum of Archaeology.

“To find that much gold all at once is extremely unusual.”

Among the finds were three rings. PHOTO: ANNETTE GRÆSLI ØVRELID / ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM, UIS
Among the finds were three rings. PHOTO: ANNETTE GRÆSLI ØVRELID / ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM, UIS

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.

PHOTO: ANNETTE GRÆSLI ØVRELID / ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM, UIS

In line with Norwegian law, both Bore and the landowner will receive a reward although the sum has not yet been determined.

Cover Photo: ANNIKEN CELINE BERGER / ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM, UIS

Related Articles

The largest marine turtle fossil of its kind ever discovered in Europe unearthed in Spain

21 November 2022

21 November 2022

In northern Spain, scientists discovered the remains of a new species of enormous marine turtle. The prehistoric creature is the...

Excavation of the Temple of Athena Began in the Ancient City of Aigai

15 October 2021

15 October 2021

The foundations of the Temple of Athena were unearthed during the ongoing excavations in the ancient city of Aigai, located...

Tutankhamun of Kazakhstan, “Golden Man”

1 August 2024

1 August 2024

The Golden Man, the main symbol of Kazakhstan’s independence, is a warrior’s costume from about the 5th century BC that...

Swiss Scientists Identify Arrowhead Made from a Meteoritic Iron

1 August 2023

1 August 2023

In a recent study of archaeological collections in the Lake Biel region in Switzerland, an arrowhead from the Bronze Age,...

Centuries-old burials discovered near Antandros Ancient City in Turkey

10 January 2022

10 January 2022

Ancient tombs were discovered during a foundation excavation at a building site near the ancient city of Antandros, which is...

An Erotic Frescoes Decorated ‘Tiny House’ Has Been Discovered in Pompeii

26 October 2024

26 October 2024

During investigations at the construction site of the Insula dei Casti Amanti along Via dell’Abbondanza in the central area of...

350,000-Year-Old Human Settlement have been Discovered on the Arabian Peninsula

17 May 2021

17 May 2021

One of the world’s oldest Acheulean sites was found in the northern region of Hail in Saudi Arabia. Al Nasim...

A rare 2,500-year-old marble disc, designed to protect ancient ships and ward off the evil eye discovered near Palmachim Beach

5 August 2023

5 August 2023

A rare 2,500-year-old marble disc designed to protect ancient ships and ward off the evil eye was discovered by a...

The Half of the Rare Oil Lamp Found in Jerusalem May be in Budapest

9 May 2021

9 May 2021

We had recently reported on a grotesque lamp found in Jerusalem. The other half of the oil lamp, which is...

Farmer Found Sarcophagus of Hellenistic Period in his Field

9 April 2021

9 April 2021

The citizen named E. G. in Akçakoca, Taşkuyucak District of Gölmarmara district of Manisa (Turkey), while plowing his field, thought...

Nearly 300-million-year-old Oldest known fossilized reptile skin found in Oklahoma cave resembles that of modern crocodiles

17 January 2024

17 January 2024

Paleontologists say they’ve identified and described the oldest fossilized reptile skin ever found. A team of paleontologists from the University...

The Temple of Persian Water Goddess Anahita Discovered in Iraqi Kurdistan

8 March 2024

8 March 2024

Archaeologists excavating the Rabana-Merquly mountain fortress in what is present-day Iraqi Kurdistan suggest that it may also have served as...

Archaeologists Unearthed Third Greatest Fire Temple Existing in Ancient Iran’s Sassanid Era

11 July 2022

11 July 2022

Archaeologists have unearthed ruins of what they believe to be the third-greatest fire temple in ancient Iran during the Sassanid...

World’s Oldest Place Name Signs

4 February 2021

4 February 2021

Throughout the history of the world, our interest and curiosity in ancient cultures and lives continue to increase day by...

Archaeologists in Iraq find 2,700-year-old wine press

24 October 2021

24 October 2021

Stone bas-reliefs carved into the walls of an irrigation canal some nine kilometers (5.5 miles) long, and the remains of...