Man Metal Detecting Stops Dead In His Tracks After Uncovering A Strange ‘Relic’ In The Soil

Centuries ago, this region was one of great cultural significance, a place where both Nordic pagans and early Christians once thrived. But today, few would suspect this quiet Danish village of hiding an incredible secret — one that’s turned the world of archaeology on its head. So what exactly did this amateur detectorist find?

Some 1,500 years ago, a volcano erupted in Iceland, creating wide-ranging chaos across all of Scandinavia. And in response, the region’s despairing inhabitants left offerings to appease the angry gods. Now, in the 21st century, archaeologists are uncovering these treasure troves and learning more about the Nordic people of long ago.

Was this what Schytz found unexpectedly buried beneath his friend’s field? Or was it something else — a relic from the nearby Jelling Mounds, perhaps, or treasure dating back to the reign of Gorm the Old? Well, according to experts, it’s one of the most important discoveries ever unearthed on Danish soil.

To even the most casual observer, it’s easy to see why Schytz chose Jelling as the site for his treasure hunt. After all, the small village, located some 150 miles west of the Danish capital Copenhagen, is steeped in history dating back long before the Viking Age. As such, it must have seemed a promising spot to try out his new metal detector.

In fact, it’s for these historical connections that Jelling, nowadays a somewhat unremarkable place, is mostly known. Back in the 10th century, you see, it was the royal seat of a king known as Gorm the Old. Together with his son, Harald Bluetooth, he was responsible for uniting the kingdom of Denmark together under one ruler.

According to legend, Gorm was the son of Harthacnut, a semi-mythical figure allegedly descended from the folk hero Ragnar Lodbrok. A Norseman, he’s believed to have arrived in the region towards the beginning of the 10th century, deposing the reigning monarch and taking control of Western Denmark.

After Harthacnut died, the story goes, Gorm became king in his stead, establishing a seat at Jelling. From there, he ruled over a vast territory, the size of which is still debated today — though most believe that it was limited to the peninsula of Jutland. Later, though, his son Harald would go on to conquer all of Denmark.

In fact, Harald’s one of the key figures in Danish history, credited with uniting the kingdom and bringing the religion of Christianity to the region. During his reign, he erected a large stone covered in runic carvings in honor of his mother and father, and as a monument to all he’d achieved.

Today, this monument forms part of a historic site known as the Jelling Mounds. Appearing on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the complex also incorporates a similar structure erected by Gorm in memory of Thyra, his wife. According to experts, the location provides a unique insight into a period when both pagan Nordic and early Christian influences held sway over Denmark.

In fact, the stones at Jelling are considered so significant that a depiction of them is seen on the current Danish passport. And they aren’t the only things that this historic region has to offer. Surrounding the stones is a series of burial mounds, believed to date, at least partially, all the way back to the Bronze Age.

In other words, this quiet village in the Danish countryside is a veritable treasure trove for anyone interested in history. So when Schytz decided to try out metal detecting, it must have seemed an obvious choice. After all, his friend owned a field in the area, giving him free rein to test his equipment on the same soil once walked by 10th-century kings.

But in the end, it wasn’t a relic of Gorm the Old or Harald Bluetooth that Schytz found buried beneath modern-day Jelling. Instead, it was something even older. According to reports, while the amateur treasure hunter was scanning the field back in December 2020, his machine alerted him to something of interest below the surface.

Apparently, Schytz had only been searching for a matter of hours when his metal detector began to beep. Digging down, he spotted a twisted metal object lodged in the earth and pulled it out for closer inspection. What he’d stumbled upon would turn out to be one of Denmark’s greatest archaeological discoveries – though he didn’t realize that at the time.

“It was scratched and covered in mud,” Schytz explained in a September 2021 interview with Danish TV channel TV Syd, as translated by Artnet News. “I had no idea, so all I could think of was that it looked like the lid of a can of herring.” But it wasn’t a scrap of useless metal – it was a piece of gleaming gold.

Amazingly, Schytz’s discoveries didn’t end there. As he continued to dig, he unearthed a total of 22 golden objects, which weighed more than 2 pounds altogether. According to Artnet News, the majority of the artifacts are what’s known as “bracteates.” These are a type of etched necklace found in Northern Europe between the 4th and 6th centuries.

After studying Schytz’s finds, archaeologists were able to determine that they probably date back to the 6th century, towards the end of the Iron Age. Apparently, the bracteates would once have been worn as jewelry or as good luck charms. And, if the strange engravings on the gold are anything to go by, they came from a culture rich in both religion and myth.

One piece, for example, features a design of a braided head surrounded by runes. According to the website of the VejleMuseerne in Denmark, experts believe the inscription translates to “the High.” And though the meaning of this mysterious message isn’t clear, some experts suspect that it refers to the Norse god Odin.

“[The pieces] tell a slightly different story then the one we see on Guldhornene, which is a drinking horn with the stories that belong to drinking groups,” the National Museum of Denmark’s Peter Vang Petersen told TV Syd. “Here we see Nordic mythology in its infancy.” In fact, he believes that the artifacts offer clear insight into how the country’s native legends evolved from Roman origins.

Alongside the jewelry, Schytz also uncovered a number of Roman coins, including one dating from the reign of Constantine the Great – an emperor who ruled between 285 and 337. Interestingly, this indicates that gold was being hoarded in the region over a long period of time, not just during the late Iron Age.

According to Artnet News, the presence of the coins suggests that Jelling was located within an important trade network many centuries before Gorm and Harald came to power. And the size of the hoard implies that this was no backwoods outpost – it was clearly a location of some importance.

In September 2021, experts decided to take a closer look at the spot where Schytz had uncovered his incredible hoard. Joining forces, researchers from the National Museum and the VejleMuseerne began excavating the field. And what they found has lent weight to the theory that Jelling was a significant site long before it was the seat of the first Danish kings.

As the team excavated, they realized that there was much more to the site than first met the eye. In fact, they discovered that it had once been the location of an entire Iron Age village. According to TV Syd, experts believe that the golden horde was originally hidden inside a longhouse, which has since been lost to time.

But why would someone bury such a valuable treasure? And how had it remained undisturbed for so many years? Well, one theory is that the inhabitants of Iron Age Jelling feared that war was imminent and decided to hide their valuables for safekeeping. After all, they wouldn’t have wanted any invading armies to get their hands on all that gold.

Another interesting theory is that the gold was buried as an offering in an attempt to appease the gods. As we’ve heard, a volcano erupted in Iceland in 536, cloaking much of Northern Europe in a cloud of ash. As a result, crops became difficult to grow and the region was struck by a terrible famine.

Today, experts believe that this period of hardship continued for many years, making life miserable for communities across the Northern Hemisphere. Writing at the time, the Byzantine scholar Procopius described a “dread portent” during which the sun was seemingly “in eclipse.” And his Roman contemporary Cassiodorus wrote of “a winter without storms, a spring without mildness, and a summer without heat.”

Trapped in this hellish climate, unable to grow food, the people of northern Europe must have begun to panic. And so, some experts have theorized, they made offerings of gold to the gods. With these gifts, they would have hoped to win the favor of whatever deities they believed in, perhaps persuading them to end the famine.

Over the years, this theory’s gained weight thanks to the discovery of various treasure troves dating back to the 6th century. In 2016, for example, a pair of amateur metal detectorists unearthed a stash of gold buried beneath a field in Hjarnø, an island near to Jutland in Denmark.

Ultimately, archaeologists unearthed a total of 32 artifacts from the site, including jewelry, pearls and even a needle crafted from gold. According to the VejleMuseerne, experts believe that the hoard may have been intentionally sacrificed by a wealthy family hoping to save themselves from the horrors that were ravaging the land.

“It is tempting to conclude that the poor people who experienced the ash cloud and the rapid climate change desperately tried everything to avoid chaos,” the VejleMuseerne’s Mads Ravn explained in February 2019. “Thus, gold comes on the scene as a precious sacrifice to the powers that be… The gold treasure on Hjarnø must have been laid down by a significant man, perhaps a great man, who was to show his power to the gods.”

So was the treasure found by Schytz another example of such a sacrifice? After all, if Jelling was a seat of power during the Iron Age, it’d make sense that its inhabitants, like those of Hjarnø, would’ve had gold to spare. And in the face of ongoing hardship, they may well have chosen to sacrifice some of their riches in an attempt to appease the gods.

Whatever the origin of this particular hoard, its significance can’t be denied. In fact, some have compared Schytz’s discovery to that of the golden horns — which are among Denmark’s most significant archaeological discoveries. Unearthed in Gallehus, some 75 miles south of Jelling, these gilded artifacts are believed to come from the beginning of the 5th century.

Discovered almost 100 years apart, in 1639 and 1734, these two horns bore intricate images and inscriptions that have contributed enormously to the study of early Scandinavian language. But in 1802 a goldsmith melted them down, hoping to profit from the raw material. So today, only copies of the artifacts remain – though they’re still considered of great value.

“It is difficult to relate to the fact that it is almost as big as the golden horns,” Schytz said of his discovery in an interview with TV Syd. “But I listen to the museum people.” And the experts certainly seem to agree on the significance of the treasure unearthed by this amateur detectorist.

“This is the biggest find that has come in the 40 years I have been at the National Museum,” Vang Petersen explained. “We have to go back to the 16th and 18th centuries to find something similar. It really is a wonderful find for an archaeologist.” But how exactly did Schytz uncover something of such importance on one of his first attempts at detecting?

“It is the epitome of unlikely luck,” Schytz admitted. “Denmark is 43,000 square kilometers, and then I happen to choose to put the detector exactly where this find was.” Yet it isn’t the first time that an Iron Age hoard has been revealed thanks to the work of amateur treasure hunters.

Back in September 2020, for example, a detectorist in Chelmsford, England, stumbled upon a stash of close to 1,000 coins dating back to the Iron Age. According to reports, he was out bird-watching when he watched a feather drop to the ground and land near a flash of gold. Intrigued, he retrieved his equipment and soon unearthed the valuable stash.

Four years earlier in late 2016, a pair of detectorists managed to unearth what’s believed to be the oldest gold jewelry ever discovered in Britain. Consisting of four bands of twisted metal known as torcs, this stash is also thought to date back to the Iron Age. But the lucky amateurs almost missed out on their life-changing discovery.

According to The Guardian, the two detectorists had searched the field where the torcs were unearthed before, only to leave empty-handed. In fact, their lack of success prompted them to abandon the pastime in favor of fishing, only going back to treasure hunting after a 20-year break. This time, though, they struck gold.

But while there are certainly examples of detectorists getting lucky, finds such as Schytz’s are still very rare. In 2022, the public will get a chance to take a peek at the impressive collection, which will form part of a Viking exhibit at the VejleMuseerne. Together with other carefully curated artifacts, the treasures will tell the story of Jelling and its vital role in Danish history over the years.

Schytz's find has undoubtedly inspired countless others to seek out their own fortunes, though there's a good chance the amateur detectorist was himself motivated by a discovery made in July 26, 2020 in the tiny Suffolk village of Lindsey. That day, 40-year-old Luke Mahoney met up with his friends, Matt Brown and Dan Hunt, to search a field located close to the Lindsey Rose pub. But what he discovered was more than any of them had expected.

For years, Mahoney has searched the fields around Lindsey, hoping to stumble upon a find that would make all his hard work worthwhile. In fact, the pub landlord has grown used to his enthusiasm for buried treasure. But up until recently, the valuable haul of which all detectorists dream had continued to elude him.

Then, Mahoney caught his lucky break. Behind the Lindsey Rose pub, his metal detector led him to an incredible cache of historic coins. Numbering more than 1,000, some of them date all the way back to Elizabethan times. Meanwhile, others were minted around the time of the English Civil War.

Excited by their discovery, Mahoney and his companions rushed to share the news with the landlord of the Lindsey Rose. And for several nights afterward, they kept a vigil in case looters moved in on their precious find. Eventually, the truth that they suspected was confirmed — they had stumbled upon a small fortune buried beneath this Suffolk field.

Even from the beginning, it seems, the trio were off to a good start. “We did some detecting in the morning and found a beautiful gold coin and a little sixpence,” Mahoney told the Daily Mail. Then, it being a Sunday, they retreated to the Lindsey Rose for a traditional pub lunch.

Their appetites sated, the three men returned to the field for another session with their trusty detectors. “Almost immediately I hit a signal and I pulled out this Charles I coin,” Mahoney explained. “Then I hit another signal, then another.” Before long, the trio realized that they had stumbled upon something big.

Using a specially designed shovel made from stainless steel, Mahoney began to dig. And as he did, a number of hammered, silver coins emerged from beneath the ground. “They were everywhere,” the detectorist said. “It was pandemonium. After ten minutes I hit this massive signal and I thought, ‘This is it.’”

Eventually, Mahoney’s shovel uncovered an earthenware vessel that had been buried underground for hundreds of years. And inside, they found even more treasure just waiting to be revealed. “We dug and saw the pot,” he said. “That feeling of scraping the dirt away and seeing the coins is indescribable.”

Overjoyed at the find, Mahoney reached out to Charlie Buckle, the landlord of the Lindsey Rose. Having just finished his own Sunday lunch, the 25-year-old was skeptical at first. In an interview with the Daily Mail, he explained, “Luke gets quite excited about everything he finds, so at first I was like, ‘Yeah, sure.’ But then he kept ringing me and told me I had to come down and see what he had found.”

In England, it is a legal requirement for detectorists to declare any finds to the local authorities. And so, Mahoney duly reported his discovery to the coroner, as well as the region’s finds liaison officer. However, the excitement was far from over, and he spent the next two nights keeping watch over his historic haul.

But what exactly was Mahoney afraid of in this bucolic English village? Apparently, Britain’s detectorists are at war with illegal scavengers known as nighthawks. Up and down the country, it seems, these unscrupulous treasure hunters are known for looting historic sites such as Hadrian’s Wall. Could the Lindsey hoard be the next on their list?

“I had to stay up because I didn’t want other people going into the fields and stealing the coins,” Mahoney told The Daily Telegraph newspaper in August 2020. “I was getting an hour nap here and there for around two nights in a row. These nighthawks are professional thieves who make their living by waiting for detectorists to leave the field and scavenge anything that’s left over.”

Apparently, Mahoney feared that nighthawks would raid his stash in order to sell the coins on the black market. And so, he turned vigilante in order to protect his find. Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said, “I waited in my car watching all night making sure no one tried to sneak in and take the hoard. Even now I am a bit paranoid.”

Shockingly, Mahoney’s fears appear to have been well-founded. Some days after the initial discovery, the detectorist discovered a discarded headphone casing in the field behind the Lindsey Rose pub. To him, it was evidence that someone had snuck into the field in an attempt to steal the valuable cache of treasure.

Currently, experts are still working to determine the exact age and history of the coins. However, it’s believed that they were buried intentionally around the time of the English Civil War. Lasting from 1642 until 1651, this conflict saw Royalists, also known as Cavaliers, battling the pro-Parliament Roundheads for control of the country.

As the war raged on, both sides were obliged to conscript members of the local populace to assist their cause. And in Lindsey, experts believe, one particularly wealthy citizen found themselves called upon to fight. Hoping to protect their riches, they hid them inside an earthenware container and buried them in the field that now borders the Lindsey Rose pub.

Their fortune safely hidden away, it seems, the owner of the coins went off to fight in the war. But sadly, they never returned to dig up their buried treasure. Given that in excess of 180,000 people are thought to have died in the conflict, it seems likely that they met with a bloody end before they could return home and reclaim their riches.

For centuries, the container full of coins remained hidden, resting just feet beneath the surface of the field. It’s possible that recently a piece of ploughing machinery had struck the still-buried pot, causing it to crack. After that, it was only a matter of time before a detectorist like Mahoney uncovered the valuable stash.

According to Mahoney, the oldest coin amongst the cache is a shilling from the Elizabethan era, believed to date from between 1573 and 1578. However, much of the collection is made up of half crowns minted in the reign of Charles I, between 1641 and 1643. As such, they were likely issued during the early stages of the civil war.

Interestingly, this connection could make the coins particularly significant to any collectors. During the civil war, the Royalist cause needed a constant supply of cash in order to secure the loyalty of its troops. And so, temporary mints were set up inside four English castles located in Carlisle, Pontefract, Newark and Scarborough.

There, craftsmen repurposed precious metals such as silver and melted them down, creating coins. Meanwhile, the official royal mint was moved to Oxford along with the rest of Charles’ court. As such, currency issued during this period comes with a fascinating history that could boost its value to potential buyers.

According to Nigel Mills, an expert in valuation, each Charles I coin in the Lindsey hoard could fetch as much as £75 at auction. However, if the seller can prove a connection to a specific historical event, they would be worth a lot more. In fact, he believes that Mahoney’s find has the potential to rake in an astonishing amount.

Currently, Mills estimates that the stash of coins discovered behind the Lindsey Rose pub is worth something in the region of £100,000 – the equivalent of $130,000. For an amateur detectorist like Mahoney, it’s the sort of windfall of which dreams are made. However, he does not seem to have let success go to his head.

“I want the coins to go to a local museum,” Mahoney told The Telegraph in August 2020, “and the money from their sale as a little something for me and my two friends, Dan Hunt and Matt Brown, who found them with me.” Under U.K. law, the men will need to split any profits with the owner of the land, but they will still pocket a decent reward.

Meanwhile, Mahoney has credited his favorite piece of equipment, the Minelab Equinox 800, as the secret to his success. “I knew the other nighthawks wouldn’t find anything because they weren’t using the same detectors as us – they weren’t using the Minelab detectors,” he told the Daily Mail.

Manufactured by the Australian electronics company Minelab, the Equinox 800 is one of the most advanced machines on the market. In fact, according to Mahoney, it works so well that he never uses an alternative piece of kit. “You switch it on and it does all the work for you,” he explained. “It would be able to tell me a piece of metal in the ground was a key, for example.”

Over at Minelab, the team was delighted to hear about Mahoney’s once-in-a-lifetime find – and optimistic about what he might uncover in the future. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Michelle Meyers, the company’s Vice President of Global Marketing, explained, “When we first found out about Luke’s discovery we knew he was on to something.”

“He told us he’d been using one of our metal detectors and the whole Minelab team were thrilled for him, we knew what an incredible feeling unearthing a find like this is,” Meyers continued. “Luke is a seasoned metal detectorist and knows what to do but we immediately offered our help in making sure he had access to the proper authorities in the U.K.”

On this note, Meyers had a few words of caution for anyone wishing to follow in Mahoney’s footsteps. “Starting your journey to becoming a metal detectorist is very easy and very rewarding, but you must follow the laws in your own country. In the U.K. that means abiding by the Treasure Act 1996 and reporting all finds,” she said.

Finally, Meyers explained that the team was looking forward to seeing what else Mahoney might discover using his trusty detector. But will his windfall inspire others to take to the fields of Suffolk and beyond? After all, there is no telling how many stashes such as this one are out there just waiting to be discovered.