1,000-year-old Medieval treasure unearthed in the Netherlands
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One of the coins dated back to 1250 CE, which researchers believe is when the treasure was buried.
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The Hoogwoud treasure includes four golden ear pendants, two strips of gold leaf, and 39 silver coins. (ARCHEOLOGY WEST-FRIESLAND/FLEUR SCHINNING)
Dutch National Museum of Antiquities reported that a 1,000-year-old Medieval treasure trove, including four golden ear pendants, two strips of gold leaf, and 39 silver coins, was discovered by a Dutch historian on Thursday.
In 2021, Lorenzo Ruijter discovered the hoard with a metal detector in Hoogwoud, a tiny town in North Holland. The metal detectorist was forced to keep the discovery a secret for two years while experts at the National Museum of Antiquities cleaned, researched, and dated the artifacts.
“It was very special discovering something this valuable, I can’t really describe it. I never expected to discover anything like this,” said Ruijter as quoted by Reuters.
One of the coins dated back to 1250 CE, which researchers believe is when the treasure was buried. Yet, the jewelry would have been at least two centuries old by then.
“Golden jewelry from the High Middle Ages is extremely rare in the Netherlands,” the museum acknowledged.
It's never understood why the treasure was buried. Nonetheless, the museum observed that in the mid-13th century, Hoogwoud was at the epicenter of a struggle between the Dutch territories of West Friesland and Holland.
Despite Ruijter owning the treasure, it is now on loan to the museum, which intends to showcase it.
