Treasure hunter fishes for thousand-year-old Viking sword – 03/18/2024 – Science

The long, thin piece of metal looked like a scaffolding pole when Trevor Penny, 52, saw it on the banks of an English river in November.

He practiced his hobby of magnet fishing — which involves using a strong magnet attached to a rope and dropped into the water — by digging up household items, tools and other metal debris from waterways near his home in Oxfordshire.

What he pulled out of the water, however, was more interesting: a rusty Viking sword that was more than a thousand years old.

The piece, found in the River Cherwell and identified by an archaeological group tracking public discoveries, probably dates to a period between 850 AD and 975 AD

Penny said he handed it over last week to the Oxfordshire Museums Service, where it is hoped it will go on display after being restored.

The play harks back to a medieval era in which Vikings landed in the British Isles, plundering and pillaging their way across England and Scotland. Their incursions ended, but their descendants are still part of the British population.

In recent years, metal detectors have helped unearth artifacts and treasures that have been buried underground for centuries.

Upon realizing what she had found, Penny contacted the person responsible for identifying archaeological discoveries made by the public.

The discovery was “another piece of the puzzle that could illuminate our shared heritage”, said Edward Caswell, who documents the Oxfordshire discoveries for a service run by the British Museum. More analysis was still needed, he cautioned, but experts confirmed the sword fit in with others from that era.

“We have found Viking weapons, including swords, deposited in rivers in England,” said Jane Kershaw, associate professor of archeology at the University of Oxford. According to her, around 70 swords of this type have been found in Great Britain.

The sword found by Penny may have been accidentally lost. It is known, however, that these weapons were also frequently and intentionally thrown into waterways as part of a ritual.

“Rivers were seen as portals to other worlds, where gods and other creatures or spirits could live,” said the professor, adding that archaeologists interpreted such rituals as a Viking appeal for protection or luck, perhaps in battle.

Many of these weapons were found in the north and east of the country, according to Kershaw. She called the sword a rare example of Viking activity in the region.

“It’s outside the normal discovery zone for these weapons,” she continued. “But the Vikings were active in that area. There is much we don’t know about their activities.”

According to the professor, people like Penny are making increasingly important discoveries and it is crucial that they report them. “It’s enormously valuable information. As long as they’re recording it, they’re doing archeology that would otherwise be lost.”

The possession of these artifacts, however, can be a delicate issue and depends on whether or not they are classified as treasure.

When found, metal objects over 300 years old must be reported to authorities within two weeks, according to a law in Britain. Museums can claim ownership of these items, and finders and landowners receive a reward if they are found to be treasure.

Penny found the sword on land owned by the Canal & River Trust, a charity that manages many of England’s inland waterways. The group has banned magnet fishing on its property, saying it can be “dangerous” and that sharp objects could cause problems for visitors.

The institution called the sword an “exciting discovery” and agreed with Penny to transfer any potential ownership rights to the sword to a local museum.

Since starting magnet fishing three years ago, Penny has helped find other items with historical value, including old railway tools and a suspected World War II grenade that had to be detonated by authorities.