Unearthed Viking artefacts.
Credit: Facebook/Kulturarv i Vestfold og Telemark fylkeskommune
A family in Norway stumbled upon something extraordinary when they were looking for a lost earring in their backyard.
The family in the Norwegian island of Jomfrusland were pointed towards an area behind a tree when they were searching for the earring with a metal detector.
This led them to unearth a pair of brooches that date back to the Viking period.
Speaking to the science publication Live Science, Vibeke Lia, an archaeologist, said that the relics comprised "an oval-shaped brooch that would have been worn by a woman in a halter dress, to fasten the shoulder straps at the front”.
Based on the style of the brooches, which are made from bronze and gold, it is believed that the items date back to the 9th century.
“The next step is to assess whether this site is in danger of deterioration. If it’s safe there, then it will probably not be dug but preserved where it is,” she added.
The photos of the ancient specimens were also shared online by a local heritage preservation organisation.
The objects were engraved with detailed descriptions of animals and geometric patterns as per Live Science. Based on the traces present on the items, archeologists have opined that they were covered in gold at one point.
The discovery seems to suggest that an aristocratic Viking woman was buried at the site some 1200 years back.
The discovery adds more significance as it may give more evidence to the existence of Vikings in the Norwegian isle. Previously researchers had found piles of loose rocks, known as Cairns, and suspected Vikings had made those piles but could not be sure since historical records only go back to the Middle Ages.
At present authorities are not sure about what they will do with the site where the artefact was found. An individual noted the first step will be to assess the condition of the site, and if it is not found to be deteriorating then the objects will be preserved where they are.