A volunteer archaeologist - a metal detector seeker, discovered a unique brooch from the 7th century

A gilded silver dress brooch with precious stones was discovered in a field near Reez near Rostock with the help of a metal detector. It dates back to the seventh century, the time of the Migration of Nations. Experts consider it one of the most remarkable finds of the past year.

The brooch was discovered by an amateur archaeologist, one of 250 cooperating detectorists, with the permission of the State Office of Culture and Monuments in a field near the town of Reez. The jewel, made of solid gilded silver, is decorated using the cloisonné technique (enamel filling with precious stones in pre-prepared metal compartments). The enamel compartments have been lined with gold foil and the garnets adjusted to fit precisely into the prepared fields. The rectangular cells have curved outer sides.

The garnets are mounted in a way that resembles the body of a dragon and snake heads. At the end of each head are cabochon garnets - specially cut to form a rounded surface without facets. They were originally in front of each of the 4 heads, but only two survive. The whole is therefore made up of four cloisonné in a semi-circular arrangement between the cabochon stones.

Similar jewels were very expensive. They were worn by the Germanic elite during the Migration period. Only 11 brooches of this design have been found in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, which is why experts consider it one of the most valuable pieces of the past year. Objects decorated in this style are particularly well known from the Rhineland and Sweden in richly decorated aristocratic funerals. This raises a number of questions: how did the brooch end up on Mecklenburg's Baltic coast? Was there a wealthy upper class here at the time of the migration of peoples?

The State Office for Culture and Heritage has been training interested parties for more than 15 years. The result is a series of amazing finds. For example. In February, near Goten in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district, another volunteer also found a valuable jewel from the time of the Migration of Nations: a fragment of a bronze brooch with gilding from the sixth century.

Other significant finds last year include a bronze axe from 1 800 BC and several bronze bracelets from around 1 000 BC, which were also discovered using a metal detector in a field near Brenz in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district. Other valuable objects have also been discovered in this region, such as two gold coins from the early 15th century - a Dutch guilder and a French ecu.

Roman Němec

Sources: ndr.de, thehistoryblog.com

Massive gilded silver brooch with garnets from the 7th century

gold coins from the early 15th century.