Franz Zahn made the startling discovery in the northeast Swiss town of Güttingen while cleaning scrap metal from a farmer’s field.
An amateur archeologist in Switzerland uncovered a collection of Bronze Age jewelry dating back to about 1,500 BC, it was announced Wednesday.
The find was made in the Swiss town of Güttingen when amateur metal detectorist Franz Zahn was clearing scrap metal from a farmer’s carrot field. Zahn’s metal detector alerted him to the presence of a spiked bronze disk in the plowed field.
Further investigation revealed the disk, along with 13 others, made up an opulent ancient necklace identified by local archeologists as part of “typical costume jewelry” worn by women during the Bronze Age.
Archaeologists uncovered a set of Bronze Age women’s jewelry, dating to around 1,500 BC, in a carrot field in Güttingen in Switzerland. The set contains a necklace made of bronze spiked discs, two spiral finger rings, more than a hundred amber beads and bronze and gold wire… pic.twitter.com/XO0INfebkq
— Ticia Verveer (@ticiaverveer) October 17, 2023
A large collection of other items was discovered nearby, including a bronze arrowhead, a perforated bear tooth, a rock crystal, a petrified shark tooth, a small ammonite and “several Bohnerz inks.”
“The natural occurrence of these iron ore beads and the ammonite are probably located in the Schaffhausen area,” according to a Swiss article about the discovery.
Researchers believe the items may have been thought to imbue special healing or protective qualities to the wearer, like an amulet.
Officials say the jewelry dates back to “a time when important advanced civilizations flourished in the Mediterranean.” They noted that a similar find was made in the nearby area of Mäuseturm a few years ago, although the items recovered there only dated back to 1,000 BC.
Local officials say the items will be displayed in Switzerland’s Museum of Archeology in Frauenfeld next year after restoration.
