admin Gold treasure was discovered by a metal detector on the Island of Rennesøy in Stavanger, Norway.
Erlend Bore discovered on private land with landowner approval, resulting in the discovery of 9 coin-shaped gold pendants with rare horse symbols, as well as 10 gold beads and 3 gold rings .
Mr Bore contacted the local district council, who then informed archaeologists at the University/Museum of Archeology Jernaldergården in Stavanger.
The use of metal detectors is legal under Norwegian law provided that the landowner has given permission and the use complies with the Norwegian Cultural Heritage Act 1978. All Objects coins dating before 1537 and coins older than 1650 are considered state property and must be declared to the appropriate authorities.
According to Associate Professor Håkon Reiersen of the Museum of Archeology, the gold pendants date back to around 500 AD, around the time people migrated to Norway. Although the pendants look like coins, they are actually “bracteaters”, a type of decorative jewelry worn from the 5th to 7th centuries AD. The gold used to make bracts came mainly from coins paid by the Roman Empire to Germany’s northern neighbors as peace money.
“Nine bracts and golden pearls form a very colorful necklace. Jewelry was made by skilled jewelers and worn by the most powerful people in society. It is rare to find so many bracts together. In Norway, no similar discovery has been made since the 19th century, and this is also a very unusual discovery in the Scandinavian context,” explains Professor Reiersen.
Professor Sigmund Oehrl of the Archaeological Museum said bracts of this type were rare and represented a previously unknown horse motif. Most bracts feature an image of Odin healing his son’s horse, which in mythology is considered a symbol of renewal and resurrection to bring protection and good health to the wearer. However, on Rennesøy bractates only horses are represented.
