2,000-Year-Old Iron Age and Ancient Roman Pottery Unearthed by Metal Detectorist in Wales

A man with a metal detector uncovered a trove of 2,000 year old artifacts while explore a pasture in Llantrisant Fawr, Wales, in March 2019. The National Museum Wales announced the news in a release with McClatchy News late last month.

When metal detectorist Jon Matthews realized he had accidentally found a collection of buried treasure, he contacted local archaeological authorities who further excavated the site. Adelle Bricking, an archaeologist who worked on the excavation, explained the process on Twitter.

The team determined the eight finds, including two that were completely intact, dated back to the Iron Age and were likely buried around the time of Roman conquest during the second half of the first century CE.

One such object includes a metal bowl handle in the shape of an ox head with bowed horns and a jaw that extends into a handle loop.

Along with an ancient Roman saucepan and a broken handle, the team also found two wooden barrel fragments, an Iron Age bucket with copper alloy fittings, and an Iron Age copper alloy cauldron and strainer. A pair of metal bucket mounts also uncovered at the site have an abstract black and orange design.

“I feel honored to have found something so unique that is linked to Wales and our ancestors,” Matthews said in the release.

The National Museum Wales is looking into acquiring the artifacts, following an assessment by an independent committee.