MikeRock Report post Posted August 10, 2020 Quite a find, Bronze age harness so well preserved that they can see how the harness was assembled. Pretty darn cool!! https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-53714864 God bless Detectorist 'shaking with happiness' after Bronze Age find 10 August 2020 Image copyright Crown Copyright Image caption Items believed to be pieces of the Bronze Age harness were also found A metal detectorist was left "shaking with happiness" after discovering a hoard of Bronze Age artefacts in the Scottish Borders. A complete horse harness and sword was uncovered by Mariusz Stepien at the site near Peebles in June. Experts said the discovery was of "national significance". The soil had preserved the leather and wood, allowing experts to trace the straps that connected the rings and buckles. This allowed the experts to see for the first time how Bronze Age horse harnesses were assembled. Image copyright Dariusz Gucwa Image caption Mariusz Stepien discovered the hoard near Peebles in June Mr Stepien was searching the field with friends when he found a bronze object buried half a metre underground. He said: "I thought 'I've never seen anything like this before' and felt from the very beginning that this might be something spectacular and I've just discovered a big part of Scottish history. "I was over the moon, actually shaking with happiness." Mr Stepien and his friends camped in the field as archaeologists spent 22 days investigating the site. He said: "Every day there were new objects coming out which changed the context of the find, every day we learned something new. "I'm so pleased that the earth revealed to me something that was hidden for more than 3,000 years. I still can't believe it happened." Image copyright Crown Copyright Image caption Archaeologists found a sword still in its scabbard during their excavation Archaeologists found a sword still in its scabbard, decorated straps, buckles, rings, ornaments and chariot wheel axle caps. There is also evidence of a decorative "rattle pendant" that would have hung from the harness, the first to be found in Scotland, and only the third in the UK. Emily Freeman, head of the Crown Office's Treasure Trove Unit, said it was "a nationally-significant find." She said: "So few Bronze Age hoards have been excavated in Scotland, it was an amazing opportunity for us to not only recover bronze artefacts, but organic material as well. "There is still a lot of work to be done to assess the artefacts and understand why they were deposited." The beginning of the Bronze Age in Britain can be put at about 2,000 BC. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuck123wapati Report post Posted August 10, 2020 Very cool article. I look all over with my metal detector and all i find are beer pull tabs from the 70s maybe i should look somewhere besides my backyard lol. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DJole Report post Posted August 10, 2020 1 hour ago, chuck123wapati said: Very cool article. I look all over with my metal detector and all i find are beer pull tabs from the 70s maybe i should look somewhere besides my backyard lol. Heh! Don't forget to throw those tabs back because in another thousand years they might be museum pieces... I'm always amazed at what turns up randomly in British farmer's fields, after a few hundred or thousand years resting in the soil. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuck123wapati Report post Posted August 10, 2020 7 minutes ago, DJole said: Heh! Don't forget to throw those tabs back because in another thousand years they might be museum pieces... I'm always amazed at what turns up randomly in British farmer's fields, after a few hundred or thousand years resting in the soil. I love archeology and always laugh at the surprises it holds for the experts. For some reason they know modern mans brain is no larger or smarter now than then but they always think its some kind of miracle when they discover ancient products that are so well thought out and built so well. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spyros Report post Posted August 11, 2020 (edited) 6 hours ago, chuck123wapati said: I love archeology and always laugh at the surprises it holds for the experts. For some reason they know modern mans brain is no larger or smarter now than then but they always think its some kind of miracle when they discover ancient products that are so well thought out and built so well. I'm still surprised I can make things in my shed, up to 10-15 years ago I was convinced everything in the house has to come from a big factory in China. Most people around me still believe that, can't get their head around the fact that you don't need a giant machine or a production line to make a bag. Archaeologist wouldn't be too much different... making things is a mystery to the average modern man so of course they are impressed that an ancient guy was not as useless as them LOL average guy today couldn't pluck a chicken or start a fire to save his life Edited August 11, 2020 by Spyros Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rahere Report post Posted August 23, 2020 (edited) Per the museum curators, they found the entire harness, not just the metal. Whoever tanned that must have done a proper job! Edited August 23, 2020 by Rahere Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
