A Dutch historian uncovered a 1,000-year-old buried medieval golden treasure using a metal detector.
Treasure hunter Lorenzo Ruitjer discovered the incredible haul of four golden ear pendants, two strips of gold leaf and 39 silver coins in the small northern city of Hoogwoud.
The Dutch National Museum of Antiquities revealed Ruijter’s haul from 2021 after taking years to clean, investigate and date the treasures.
They found the newest coin can be dated back to around 1250, which makes them believe the treasure was buried around then.
The jewellery was already 200 years old by then, with the museum saying it must already have been an expensive and cherished possession.
Although the museum cannot say exactly why the treasure was buried, it pointed out there was a war raging between the Dutch regions of West Friesland and Holland in the middle of the 13th century, with Hoogwoud as the epicentre.
Ruijter, 27, who has been treasure hunting since he was 10, has a theory that someone powerful buried the valuable objects as a way to protect them and planned to dig them up again when it was safe.
‘It was very special discovering something this valuable, I can’t really describe it. I never expected to discover anything like this.’ said Ruitjer.
The treasure has been loaned to the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities because of its archaeological significance, but will officially remain the property of Ruitjer.
