A Norwegian family using a metal detector to find a lost gold earring discovered something more precious -- Viking artifacts dating back more than 1,000 years, officials said.
The Aasvik family was searching in the garden of their yard on the small island of Jomfrulandr and dug up a bowl-shaped buckle and another item under a large tree that appear to be from a Viking-era burial ground, the BBC reported.
A Facebook post on Sept. 25 by the Cultural Heritage of Vestfold and Telemark County Council showed the family with a clasp and buckle with intricate engravings, which were found in their yard, according to CBS News.
Norwegian family finds Viking-era relics while looking for earring https://t.co/a0uv699uoc
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) September 29, 2023
Jomfrulandr is located off the coast of southeastern Norway about 130 miles southwest of Oslo.
Experts believe the artifacts were used during the ninth-century burial of a woman, the BBC reported.
“We think this is a woman’s grave that is preserved in the family garden, and we think she was buried there in the 800s,” the council wrote on Facebook.
The council posted photos of the artifacts on social media. The larger item has an X-shaped design, while the smaller item, which is broken has a central raised point with a more intricate X-shaped design
Experts knew there had been settlements in Jomfruland from hundreds of years ago, but available data only extended to the Middle Ages, CBS News reported.
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