Read Online Incredible Metal Detecting Discoveries: True Stories of Amazing Treasures Found by Everyday People by Mark D Smith - Free Book Online
Authors: Mark D Smith
Ads: Link
find. The first
attempt involved a camera being pushed down into the coffin. They
quickly learned the entire coffin was filled with silt. This meant
they would have to remove the silt very slowly while analyzing every
tiny speck.
Their
work revealed bones, small bracelets and one small bead. The coffin
belonged to a little girl, but it was the only coffin found in the
area. Why was she buried here all alone? It is this question that
makes the story a little more interesting. The question remains
unanswered.
Once
the find was made public, people were allowed to vote on a name for
the little girl. The name that was chosen is Oriens. This word comes
from the Latin verb which means “to rise.” I hope this
little girl's spirit does not live up to her newly appointed name.
The Thetford Hoard
They
always say that you should leave the best for last, and this
particular metal detecting story is the best or worst depending on
how you look at things. Crematory tags, rings with fingers attached,
Indian burial sites and coffins with the remains of children don't
even come close to the supernatural qualities of this find. If you
found any of the prior finds even the slightest bit frightening, then
hold on tight because this one makes a 5 star Hollywood horror film
seem like a nice cozy children's bedtime story.
Arthur
Brooks was the star of this find. Notice how I did not say he was the
“lucky” one here? You should also notice that I am
speaking of Arthur in the past tense because he is no longer among
the living. His death and this find have been the centerpiece of
controversy and hushed debates at many a pub over frothy mugs of ale.
Some
say he died as a direct result of this find and the pieces of the
hoard are cursed. Others say it was just coincidence. I will let you
be the judge. Here is what happened in November of 1979.
Arthur Brooks was illegally searching some land that was
scheduled to be built upon when he found the hoard. He did not have
permission to hunt and knowing that the area would no longer be
accessible, he quickly scrambled to retrieve as much of the hoard as
possible before it got too dark.
Arthur kept his find hidden for six months before
deciding to sell it on the black market. Once the pieces started
arriving on the black market, archeological investigators started to
track it down.
By the time they figured everything out, Arthur was
terminally Ill. He died in July of 1980 less than 8 months after
making the find. Of those 8 months, Arthur kept the treasure in his
possession for six.
The original dig site could no longer be accessed
because a building has been built on top of it. We will never know
the true entire contents of the hoard, but we do know Arthur
recovered the following items.
23 high purity gold rings
3 silver strainers
33 silver spoons
4 gold bracelets
5 gold necklaces or neck chains
4 necklace pendants
2 sets of necklace clasps
1 gold amulet filled with sulfur
5 beads – 1 emerald, 1 engraved, 3 glass
1 gold belt buckle
1 shale box
What's so scary about all of these great finds? It looks
like beautiful jewelry doesn't it? These are the types of things
everyone with a metal detector wants to uncover, but some people
believe these items were cursed. Here is why.
The gold amulet filled with sulfur is the first clue.
Sulfur has often been associated with demons, ghost stories and hell
itself. Why would there be a gold amulet filled with sulfur buried
with all of these seemingly harmless pieces of treasure?
Many of the rings in this hoard appear in near perfect
condition. These rings are made of a high purity gold. Some of them
are 94% gold. There is a reason why modern jewelry is not made from
pure gold like this. It has nothing to do with prices.
Gold in pure form is soft. It is so soft that rings made
from high purity gold often bend or break after being worn for a very
short time. None of the rings in this hoard appear to have ever been
worn. How could rings that are
attempt involved a camera being pushed down into the coffin. They
quickly learned the entire coffin was filled with silt. This meant
they would have to remove the silt very slowly while analyzing every
tiny speck.
Their
work revealed bones, small bracelets and one small bead. The coffin
belonged to a little girl, but it was the only coffin found in the
area. Why was she buried here all alone? It is this question that
makes the story a little more interesting. The question remains
unanswered.
Once
the find was made public, people were allowed to vote on a name for
the little girl. The name that was chosen is Oriens. This word comes
from the Latin verb which means “to rise.” I hope this
little girl's spirit does not live up to her newly appointed name.
The Thetford Hoard
They
always say that you should leave the best for last, and this
particular metal detecting story is the best or worst depending on
how you look at things. Crematory tags, rings with fingers attached,
Indian burial sites and coffins with the remains of children don't
even come close to the supernatural qualities of this find. If you
found any of the prior finds even the slightest bit frightening, then
hold on tight because this one makes a 5 star Hollywood horror film
seem like a nice cozy children's bedtime story.
Arthur
Brooks was the star of this find. Notice how I did not say he was the
“lucky” one here? You should also notice that I am
speaking of Arthur in the past tense because he is no longer among
the living. His death and this find have been the centerpiece of
controversy and hushed debates at many a pub over frothy mugs of ale.
Some
say he died as a direct result of this find and the pieces of the
hoard are cursed. Others say it was just coincidence. I will let you
be the judge. Here is what happened in November of 1979.
Arthur Brooks was illegally searching some land that was
scheduled to be built upon when he found the hoard. He did not have
permission to hunt and knowing that the area would no longer be
accessible, he quickly scrambled to retrieve as much of the hoard as
possible before it got too dark.
Arthur kept his find hidden for six months before
deciding to sell it on the black market. Once the pieces started
arriving on the black market, archeological investigators started to
track it down.
By the time they figured everything out, Arthur was
terminally Ill. He died in July of 1980 less than 8 months after
making the find. Of those 8 months, Arthur kept the treasure in his
possession for six.
The original dig site could no longer be accessed
because a building has been built on top of it. We will never know
the true entire contents of the hoard, but we do know Arthur
recovered the following items.
23 high purity gold rings
3 silver strainers
33 silver spoons
4 gold bracelets
5 gold necklaces or neck chains
4 necklace pendants
2 sets of necklace clasps
1 gold amulet filled with sulfur
5 beads – 1 emerald, 1 engraved, 3 glass
1 gold belt buckle
1 shale box
What's so scary about all of these great finds? It looks
like beautiful jewelry doesn't it? These are the types of things
everyone with a metal detector wants to uncover, but some people
believe these items were cursed. Here is why.
The gold amulet filled with sulfur is the first clue.
Sulfur has often been associated with demons, ghost stories and hell
itself. Why would there be a gold amulet filled with sulfur buried
with all of these seemingly harmless pieces of treasure?
Many of the rings in this hoard appear in near perfect
condition. These rings are made of a high purity gold. Some of them
are 94% gold. There is a reason why modern jewelry is not made from
pure gold like this. It has nothing to do with prices.
Gold in pure form is soft. It is so soft that rings made
from high purity gold often bend or break after being worn for a very
short time. None of the rings in this hoard appear to have ever been
worn. How could rings that are
Similar Books
