Metal detectors have led to the “first of its kind” ancient discovery in the Netherlands.
The find turned out to be a fragment of a 10th-century Viking sword, the Fries Museum and Friesk Academy announced in a press release.
On May 3, 2024, Xander Visser was exploring farmland near Widmarsum in the Netherlands with a metal detector.
This spring, an ancient discovery was revealed in the Netherlands. Fragments of a 10th century Viking sword were discovered by metal detectors and are currently being investigated further. (Photo courtesy of Alison James)
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While searching the property, something caused the metal detector to go off.
After digging just under eight inches into the ground, Visser came across an ancient object that he immediately recognized as part of a pommel.
One of the distinguishing features that made the pommel recognizable was the decoration displayed on the pommel.
It has a boar's head on each end, symbolizing strength and courage in Viking culture, and was also associated with combat and protection, according to a press release.
Sander Visser discovered on May 3, 2024. His metal detector led him to a fragment of a Viking sword. (Photo courtesy of Jacob van Essen, Hoge Noorden)
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According to a press release, this ancient discovery provides strong evidence for the role of modern-day Friesland in connecting the Viking network.
“This amazing discovery shows that there is still much to discover about the Viking Age in Frisia, an area larger than modern-day Friesland. Much has been learned about it through recent research. “We're starting to understand,” said Dr. Nereke Eisenager van der. said Pruim, director of the Friske Academy and an expert on the Frisian and Viking worlds, according to a press release. “This beautiful pommel cap is the first of its kind to be discovered in the Netherlands, so it deepens our understanding of Frisia's contact with the Viking world in Scandinavia and the British Isles and adds to our historical knowledge. It adds a new dimension to it.”
This important discovery is just the beginning of a long research journey to learn more about the history behind Viking artifacts.
The Fries Museum and the Frieske Academy are collaborating on the study of this artifact, and more insights are expected to be published at the end of 2025, according to a press release.
Research into this ancient discovery is just beginning. Further insights are expected to be published in late 2025. (Photo courtesy of Jacob van Essen, Hoge Noorden)
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“Our combined expertise allows us to study this discovery from different angles: from the Frisian context, from the Viking world, and from the sword tradition,” says the Fries Museum of Medieval and Mountain Culture. said Dr. Diana Speakout, curator of . According to the press release, he said:
Discoveries made using metal detectors are being reported one after another around the world.
In late 2023, a group called Teignbridge History Finders discovered a hoard of 21 ancient coins in Devon, England, which they named the Oakey hoard.
Back in September 2019, an archaeologist named George Ridgeway collected over 680 ancient gold and silver coins using a metal detector in Suffolk.
