Dutch Historian Hits Pay Dirt By Unearthing 1,000-Year-Old Gold Treasure With Metal Detector

A 27-year-old historian found a 1,000-year-old medieval treasure comprising gold jewelry and silver coins in The Netherlands.

What Happened: Lorenzo Ruijter, who has been treasure hunting since he was 10 years old, discovered the treasure in 2021 in Northern Holland using a metal detector, reported Reuters.

“It was very special discovering something this valuable, I can’t really describe it. I never expected to discover anything like this,” said Ruijter, who reportedly kept the find a secret for two years.

The Dutch National Museum of Antiquities or Rijksmuseum van Oudheden announced Thursday that the treasure comprised four golden ear pendants, two strips of gold leaf, and 39 silver coins, according to Reuters.

The museum shared photos of the treasure on Twitter on Thursday.

Gaaf! Presentatie 10e/13e eeuwse schatvondst Hoogwoud in @RM_Oudheden door vinder Lorenzo. Medieval treasure presented at RMO https://t.co/Mb4Xem5ESO pic.twitter.com/lo7GMxP5dM

— Luc Amkreutz | mastodon: Amkreutz@archaeo.social (@prehistoryRMO) March 9, 2023

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Why It Matters: Ruijter has given the objects he found on loan to the museum due to their archeological significance but they remain his property as the finder, noted Reuters.

The experts at the museum said that the youngest coin is dated to 1250 and have made the assumption that the treasure was buried then, according to the report.

“Golden [jewelry] from the High Middle Ages is extremely rare in the Netherlands,” said the museum.

When the treasure was buried there was a war raging in the Dutch region between West Friesland and Holland in the middle of the 13th century and Hoogwoud, where the treasure was found, was reportedly at its epicenter.

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