Archaeologists uncovered Bronze Age artifacts in Switzerland. Photos courtesy Thurgau Canton.
In Güttingen, Switzerland, around 50 miles from Zurich, Franz Zahn made an unusual discovery while exploring a freshly harvested carrot field. His metal detector had uncovered a bronze disk. Immediately realizing its importance, Zahn contacted local authorities.
Zahn’s finding made way for a larger archaeological excavation at the site. Experts soon discovered a hoard of artifacts including jewellery dated to the Middle Bronze Age (about 1500 BCE) gemstones, a bronze arrowhead, and a collection of animal teeth.
In total, archaeologists recovered finger rings, eight gold spirals and 14 bronze spiked disks with grommets, believing it to give insight into the “costume jewellery” women in the region would have worn 3,500 years ago. The collection also includes 100 amber beads, one rock crystal, and a small ammonite. After restoration, the artifacts will be exhibited in the Museum of Archaeology in Frauenfeld, Switzerland.
This incident marks joins a growing list of ancient treasure discovered in Europe using metal detectors. Just recently, metal detectors in Wales found two sets of Roman coins, and a Norwegian family came across 1,000-year-old artifacts while attempting to locate a lost earring in their garden.
