A metal detectorist in England has discovered a 1,000-year-old gold pendant believed to depict the "Hand of God." Nick Berry found the artifact while searching farmland in Hampshire, near Highclere Castle, the historic mansion famously used as the setting for the television series "Downton Abbey."
Experts suggest the hand-shaped pendant dates to the ninth or tenth century and likely belonged to a wealthy or high-status individual. It may have been worn as a necklace pendant or a talisman. The "Hand of God" is a Christian symbol that appeared on late Saxon and Viking-era silver coins and in religious artwork.
Berry described the moment of discovery, stating he felt a "really strange feeling and felt quite emotional" as he unearthed the gleaming gold object. He recognized it as potentially Anglo-Saxon, a find unlike any he had encountered in over 30 years of metal detecting.
The artifact was reported to a local finds liaison officer and subsequently sent to the British Museum for examination. It has been declared treasure under the UK's Treasure Act, meaning Berry and the landowner could receive a payment based on its market value if it is acquired by a public institution. The pendant is estimated to be worth a five- or six-figure sum in British pounds.
This discovery adds to a growing number of significant finds by metal detectorists across Britain, including Bronze Age gold bracelets and Roman cavalry swords discovered in recent years.