A METAL detectorist has discovered a hoard of Bronze Age artefacts in the Borders which experts have described as “nationally significant”.
Mariusz Stepien was searching a field near Peebles with his friends on June 21, when he found a bronze object which was buried half a metre underground.
The group proceeded to camp in the field and built a shelter over the find to protect it from the elements – archaeologists then spent 22 days investigating the find.
Among the items found were a complete horse harness – preserved by the soil – and a sword which have been dated as being from 1000 to 900 BC.
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Stepien said: “I thought I’ve never seen anything like this before and felt from the very beginning that this might be something spectacular and I’ve just discovered a big part of Scottish history.
“I was over the moon, actually shaking with happiness.
“We wanted to be a part of the excavation from the beginning to the end. Every day there were new objects coming out which changed the context of the find, every day we learned something new.”
As he was getting strong signals from the earth around the initial object, Stepien contacted the Treasure Trove Unit to report his find.
They also found decorated straps, buckles, rings, ornaments and chariot wheel axle caps.
The hoard has been moved from the site in a large block of soil and taken to the National Museums Collection Centre in Edinburgh.
Emily Freeman, head of the Treasure Trove Unit overseeing the recovery and assessment of the find, said: “This is a nationally significant find – so few Bronze Age hoards have been excavated in Scotland.
“It was an amazing opportunity for us to not only recover bronze artefacts, but organic material as well.
“There is still a lot of work to be done to assess the artefacts and understand why they were deposited.
"We could not have achieved this without the responsible actions of the finder or the support of the landowners.
“The finder was quick to act when they realised they had found an in-situ hoard, which resulted in the Treasure Trove Unit and National Museums Scotland being on site within days of discovery.”
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