– Is it possible? Terje Marken (52) from Løten asked that question when he was out searching with his metal detector in Romedal on 14 May. Usually he finds a lot of rubbish and is quick when the metal detector beeps, but this Sunday he made the dream find. A rare gold bracteate, dated to the Migration Period 400–570 AD. – I was about to fall off my chair, because it is so rare, says archaeologist May-Tove Smiseth. A dream find Terje Marken says that this is the sixth season he has been out with his metal detector. He has found a number of ancient objects in the past, such as buttons and buckles. But there is also a lot of dirt. – I tend to say that we are rubbish pickers, because 95 per cent of the time what we find is rubbish. Therefore, it is important to be patient. And Terje has been. The golden bract was found on a field in Romedal in Stange municipality. Terje has searched there several times before, and did not expect to find it. – Finding a bracteate like that happens at most once in a lifetime. It’s extremely fun. It is a dream find. Terje hurried up and sent a picture of the bracteate to the county archaeologists in Innlandet. From there he received an overwhelming response. Extremely rare May-Tone Smiseth is an archaeologist and works as a senior adviser in Innlandet County Municipality. She says that golden bracteaters are extremely rare, and previously only two were found in the interior. – The first appeared in an altar under a church in 1791. That says something about how far apart there is between the finds of such objects, says the archaeologist. FANTASTIC: May-Tove Smiseth calls the find absolutely incredible, because it is so rare. Photo: Privat The gold medallions are originally imitations of Roman imperial medallions. They were used as pendants, and therefore have a loop attached to the top. She estimates that around 100 such golden bracteaters have been found throughout the country. Still, the one Terje found in Romedal is extra special. It is completely identical to a gold bracteate that was found in Denmark in 1861. – It says something about the contact between Norway and Denmark during the migration period. IDENTICAL: The first picture shows the bracteate found in Romedal. It is a copy of the bracteate in the second picture, found in Denmark. Terje Marken/Nationalmuseet, Copenhagen – Priceless The archaeologist says that the gold bracteate is now safely in a safe at the county council. Smiseth says that it is difficult to estimate how much it is worth, because there are so few of them. – I would say that it is priceless. But a finder’s salary will be paid. It is Riksantikvaren and cultural history that agree on how much is paid out in finder’s wages. Then they look at, among other things, how rare it is and how well looked after it is. – But the actual value of the object is probably higher than the finder’s pay, says the archaeologist. CULTURAL HERITAGE SYMBOL: On the back of the medallion we see the cultural heritage symbol, which is placed at places of interest in Norway. Photo: Terje Marken Continuing to search Terje Marken thinks it will take a lot to top the find of the gold bract. Nevertheless, he will continue to search for rare, ancient objects. Although the brachteate is the ultimate dream find, the metal detectorist is also looking for other things. DREAM FIND: Terje does not give up on the metal detector even though the dream find has been made. Photo: Private – The list is long of things I could imagine finding. Among other things, he wants some special silver coins and buckles in both gold and silver. Then it is necessary to apply patience again. – I continue to pick up rubbish, and a small reward will probably appear every now and then. Hey you! What do you think about this case? Do you have any tips for other cases I should look into? Then please feel free to contact me!
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Terje Marken found a rare 1,500-year-old gold bracteate in Romedal – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
