This was my second summer with Discovery Tours metal detecting old fields in Norfolk, England in the part of England known as East Anglia. The adventures had been many and the finds were good spanning over 1000 years. Most days we hunted plowed fields on farms throughout the area with permission and with the help of local archaeologists to identify what we found. Everything over 400 years old was cataloged and recorded by the archeeologists per English law. Things were then sent to us, usually about six months after our return home with all documents to keep everything legal.

Stories abounded from the sixteen people who took the field everyday for eight straight days, Some finds even fell under the treasure act and were recorded and placed up for the museums to bid on. If they weren't interested, the finder kept the item. If a museum wanted the piece, a fair price was paid and the money split between the finder and the landowner.

One of my favorite stories occurred on my first trip. On the third or fourth day, we went to a farm to do our daily hunt. The bus dropped us off, but due to a bus driver strike, our driver had to leave us and go cover some routes. Halfway through the day, we gathered for lunch, To the organizer's dismay (and I might add horror), nobody was finding much of anything. There were a few coins going back to the 1800s but most of the meager finds were no older than 1940. Immediately he began to figure out how we could move, without a vehicle to carry all the stuff. There were no nearby farms where we had permission. He even talked (jokingly) to the mailman when he came by. Any way you could deliver us to the old Saxon church up the road. Didn't think so. Then the English version of UPS came down the road. It was Global Expess or something like it. "Is there any way you could throw this equipment and this bunch of guys in the back and take us to that old Saxon church up the road?" As it turns out, the driver is a detectorist and knows where the church is, We all piled in the back and off we went. Luckily the top of the truck was of that green plastic that kept it from being pitch black. Ten minutes later we unloaded and headed out into the fields after tipping and thanking the driver profusely. Turned out to be a pretty good day too.

There are many important finds that are not treasure. Many of these are donated to the Norwich museum which has a Discovery Tours exhibit. When we return, the two pieces you are about to read about, will go to that museum.

As we all piled out of of the bus we were instructed about restrooms on the right (a real luxury) and fields to the left. Gathering equipment we moved into the first plowed fields. After powering up, we encountered problems immediately. The field was surrounded by a pulsating electric fence. Everytime it pulsed, every detector in the field gave a signal. We probably looked like a bunch of kids playing a version of musical chairs; everybody walk, everybody stop and dig---for a false signal. Just a few minutes in came the word. we were in the wrong field! The field we wanted was on the right of the road, not the left. Ok, off we went to field number two, and no electric fence. Instead we were looking at grass about two feet tall. Hmmmm. What to do? Beyond the high grass a dirt road ran up the hill to the hog pens. At least we could see some dirt there so off we went, some slogging through the grass trying to get a signal, some moving to the road and working up the hill along the road.

Traditionally, Romans had a tendency to camp at high points in the countryside. Our hopes were leaning that direction as we worked our way up the hill. Just short of the top, I received a good signal. Out popped a "grot" which is the English word for a pretty much unrecognizable roman coin. It was enough to fire us up though. As we worked along, one of the group came up with a Sistercious, a large roman coin. Behind the pig pens in the "hold your breath as long as you can" area, I received another strong signal. Digging down I popped out a button. Not Roman, but an old button none the less. I scanned again and the hole still held something else. Going down I turned over the dirt to reveal a strange shaped bronze item. I reached down and picked it up.

I have found several Roman coins in various stages of disintegraation, and even a roman pin back and part of a roman crenelated bracelet, but nothing that said WOW when it came up, until now. Turning it over, I had the feeling I was being watched. I was, there was a distinct eye looking back at me. I wiped off the sticky mud and saw the dorsal fin and tail. I was holding a Roman Dolphin pin or emblem. As it turned out, this dolphin probably adorned some furniture or similar item according to the archaeologists that cataloged it. None the less, I was elated. My luck on the hill ran dry, although several other small Roman coins were found there. Moving down the hill, we met up with one of the local guides who cataloged our finds, In addition, the son of the farmer and his girlfriend came over to see the finds. During the conversation, he mentioned finding pottery in the field that adjoined this hill. During lunch, permission was granted to hunt that plowed field.

We moved into the new field after lunch. As we started across, we noticed that there were a few signals------related to the electric fence encountered earlier. This time it wasn't as bad as before and as we moved away from that side of the field, it became less and less frequent, as did the signals. No one was digging anything! Many moved back down to the area with the high grass. I decided that if there was pottery, there were finds to be had. I set my sights to visually finding pottery to help clue me in. After diagonally crossing the field about 100 yards from the entrance, I spotted my first piece of pottery. I started a pattern search and started turning up a few buttons. On about the third pass, I got a strong signal. This was no button. I dug down and turned the shovel. Nothing. Using my pinpointer, I located the signal slightly to the side of the hole. I saw the green color at the same time. Pulling the item from the hole, I felt the weight and knew I had a hefty find. My first thought as I looked at it was a cane handle. That didn't quite feel right. By now others were coming up to where I was hunting. I stopped one who had become a pretty good friend and competitor in the field. He was the type of guy that anything you found was the find of the day. Always genuinely excited and complementary, it was fun to show finds to him. "Mike, take a look at this." I handed him the piece. I knew from the look on his face that he knew what it was. "I don't know if this is Roman or Celtic, but I think this is a sword or dagger pommel." My intelligent response? "What's a pommel?" Turns out it is the very end of the handle that holds the whole thing together.

He called over the expert for items from that period. The response, when Mike handed him the item (especially after finding the dolphin) was "You have GOT to be kidding me!" Yes, in fact it was a sword pommel probably Celtic with a motive resembling the head of a bird. This was later confirmed by the archaeologists.

After hunting a while longer with a few more buttons and an Irish coin, I called it a day and headed down the the farm house where the bus would soon pick us up. There to greet us was the farmers wife with several pots of fresh tea for all who desired. I desired. She told us about the history of the farm. I will say it again as with every time I write about England. ALL of the people we met were wonderful.

 While the Romans occupied East Anglia (where we were), they had periodic run-ins with some of the Celtic tribes. The Iceni tribe was led by a woman who was called Queen Bouticca. She swore revenge on the Romans after her daughters were violated by Roman soldiers. Leading the Iceni's in rebellion, she burned down several Roman towns and easily defeated one legion of Roman soldiers sent to reinforce the area. Fresh troops were sent in, this time fully prepared for warfare as Romans were trained to conduct it. Queen Bouticca's warriors were no match for the Romans and were slaughtered as they tried to retreat, blocked by their own families set up behind their battle lines. Queen Bouticca, supposedly took her own life.

No one knows where that battle occurred. They hope to find it some day. Here were Roman and Celtic items together. Could it be? Naw- if it was, they sure didn't lose much!

Hope you always have Treasured Pasts.

Stuart