Latest news with #TreasureTroveScotland
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
A Man Got a Metal Detector for Christmas—and Found a 4,000-Year-Old Ax on the Family Farm
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." A Scottish metal detectorist unearthed a 4,000-year-old Bronze Age axe head in three pieces, reuniting the fragments after days of searching. Experts believe the axe head, found in Aberdeenshire, offers a glimpse into the transition from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age in local communities. The historic find is being analyzed by Treasure Trove Scotland, with hopes of displaying it in a museum near the family farm where it was discovered. Cameron Anderson follows a well-trod adage from metal detectorists: 'If in doubt, dig it out,' he told the BBC. That determination helped the Scot to find three pieces of a Bronze Age metal axe head in his family's field over the course of multiple days. 'This is by far the oldest and most important thing I have found,' he told the BBC, adding in a Facebook comment that this is 'my best find yet.' Anderson's full axe head actually came in three distinct pieces, which he found over the course of a few days. He started by unearthing the largest portion (the blade end), followed that up by finding the butt of the axe, and finished the find off by digging up a small chunk from in between the two main sections. 'Being able to reunite all three pieces is an interesting aspect of this example,' a spokesperson for Treasure Trove Scotland at National Museums of Scotland in Edinburgh told the BBC, 'and it is possible that axe was deliberately cut into pieces in the Bronze Age before being placed in the ground.' Anderson—a 45-year-old who has been using metal detectors for about 20 years—credits his wife's Christmas gift of a new, better detector with allowing him to uncover this historic piece. He set out on his hunt in a field at his family's farm in Aberdeenshire, and started digging when he found a good signal. His initial search didn't turn anything up, but the reading kept displaying something in the ground, so he kept going. Just over a foot into the soil, he hit his first treasure. 'There was the axe head, I knew immediately what it was,' he said. With such a wild discovery on day one, Anderson was motivated on day two, and located the second piece at the far end of the field. With two pieces in hand, it became obvious that there was still a third missing piece needed to complete the axe head. And there was an entire field to cover. 'I thought maybe I had missed it,' Anderson said. 'It was a needle in a haystack, but I then found that third shard. The jigsaw was complete after 4,000 years.' Bruce Mann, senior historic environment officer with the local authority, told the BBC that these metal pieces are 'prestigious items' that can shed more light onto local history. Experts believe that the axe is from the early Bronze Age, and is likely between 3,800 and 4,200 years old. 'The change between the old world of stone to the new one of metal would have had a profound impact on communities at the time,' Mann said. 'Whether cast locally or traded from elsewhere, it is a fascinating glimpse into life at the time.' The experts at Treasure Trove Scotland plan to continue analyzing the axe head, and Anderson hopes that the find will eventually be displayed in a museum closer to the family farm, adding that 'it's our own history here.' You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'I dug up a 4,000-year-old axe head in a field'
A metal detectorist has described his amazement after finding all three parts of what is believed to be a Bronze Age axe head in a field at his family farm. Cameron Anderson, 45, made his initial discovery near Turriff in Aberdeenshire last week, then found the two other missing pieces in the following days. He has alerted experts about the axe head, which is thought to be about 4,000 years old. "This is by far the oldest and most important thing I have found," Mr Anderson told BBC Scotland News. He has been a metal detector enthusiast for about 20 years - but said getting a new, more advanced detector from his wife for Christmas had greatly improved what he was able to find. Mr Anderson, who works in the oil and gas industry, lives on the farm which is run by his family. He described how he made the find on Wednesday last week. "I go from field to field, and I got a really good signal so started digging down," he said. When he didn't find anything, he passed over the area again, then started to think it had maybe just been a bit of ploughing metal, so started to fill in the hole and stamp it down. "Then I got a good display reading, so thought 'there's something there'," he said. "There's a saying with metal detectorists - 'if in doubt, dig it out'." Mr Anderson said he dug down about half-a-metre through sandy soil. "There was the axe head, I knew immediately what it was," he said. "I thought 'wow'." He went back the next day to resume searching, and found another piece of the bronze axe head at the opposite end of the field. "I realised there was a third small part missing, and I thought maybe I had missed it. It was a needle in a haystack, but I then found that third shard on Sunday. "The jigaw was complete after 4,000 years." He has since contacted Treasure Trove Scotland at National Museums of Scotland in Edinburgh, which deals with important finds, as well Aberdeenshire Council. Bruce Mann, the senior historic environment officer with the local authority, was able to confirm the find was an early Bronze Age flat axe head, likely around 3,800 to 4,200 years old. He said such axes appeared in Scotland at the start of the introduction of metalwork and described them as "prestigious items". "The change between the old world of stone to the new one of metal would have had a profound impact on communities at the time," he said. "Whether cast locally or traded from elsewhere, it is a fascinating glimpse into life at the time. "By taking the time to report this find, Mr Anderson has added a little more to the understanding of our shared past." More stories from North East Scotland, Orkney and Shetland Listen to news from North East Scotland on BBC Sounds Finder Mr Anderson said one theory was the axe head he dug up may have been deliberately broken up and sacrificed. "The farm has been in the family for generations," he said. "It's our own history here." He said he hoped that after assessment by Treasure Trove Scotland it could eventually find a home at a museum in the north east of Scotland, so it remains in the local area for future generations to see. Bronze Age debris hoard 'like a recycling bin' 'TV show inspired me to unearth mysterious ring' Metal detectorist dubbed 'Batman' by grateful teen
