Man Pulls A Buried Chain And What He Unearths Changes His Life

It was just a typical day of treasure hunting for Mike. He has done this a couple of times already that sweeping a trail has somehow become a routine. As he strolled by land that he didn’t own, his metal detector started to beep loudly.

It was a rainy and grey day when Mike headed out of his door. His hobby had him outside whether it was rain or shine. He didn’t mind the rain or the wind.

We all get excited when we think about possibly finding buried treasure, kids in particular. There are many games that involve the concept of finding something that’s been hidden. Who doesn’t like ‘hide and seek’, or scavenger hunts?

The excitement of finding something that has been hidden for a very long time. Never knowing what you will find on any given adventure. This precisely what Mike was about to discover on this fateful day.

Mike was a lover of history, a history fanatic if you will. That is exactly why thinking back on what he found on that fateful day still excites him. The fact that he unearthed something that old and hidden sent a tingling sensation through him.

It is pretty common to find people reading, watching movies, playing some sort of game, or shopping during their downtime. Others have slightly more uncommon hobbies, like fishing, painting, or tap dancing. Mike’s hobby, however, was far more unique.

Usually, Mike doesn’t find that’s very exciting. But his hobby is an exciting one, and one that got Mike hooked. He goes out time and again to try and get that beep out of his detector. He goes to areas where he thinks that there could be a high rate of success.

Not a lot of people would be willing to go outside despite the weather the way Mike does from time to time. You can find Mike outside in rain or shine pursuing his hobby. That is the type of hobby it is too.

In addition to dealing with tough weather sometimes, detectorists have to handle a pretty decent amount of disappointment when they don’t find anything valuable. Most of the time they find debris and other sorts of junk.

Mike typically went to a field by his house with the metal detector. He liked sweeping through that field often but today he didn’t know that he would not be able to.

Mike chose a random other fields instead of his usual one. He had a gut instinct that this day was going to be different than the rest. He had no clue that something lay buried out there just waiting to be discovered.

As Mike spent his time sweeping through that field, he was excited to be spending his time doing his favorite thing. He didn’t have a clue as to how this day was going to change his life. He thought that perhaps he would find a cool old coin or something like that.

Mike was sweeping his metal detector as he usually did. There was nothing at first, but then his machine started beeping, telling Mike that something was near, he just needed to find its specific location by sweeping further.

Mike was super confused. How was he unable to isolate the object under his feet? It didn’t make any sense. After some time his only conclusion was that his metal detector wasn’t working right.

The only other explanation to why he couldn’t pinpoint a specific location is if the object under his feet was very big. While that didn’t seem likely, Mike had to know. So what was happening here?

Mike didn’t have a choice, he had to start digging. He couldn’t ignore his gut and the possibility that he just found something amazing under the ground. He started digging in a spot he chose; he had no idea what he was about to unearth.

He had to put aside the metal detector, pulled out the trowel and began digging. The muddy ground had no chance against him. It wasn’t long before he hit a round hunk of metal in the ground.

After a while, he started digging with his hands until he managed to get a solid hold on it. Hw was so anxious to see what he found. Could it finally be something valuable?

The piece of metal was rusted but was strong enough not to move no matter how hard Mike pulled. He tried again and again but nothing moved.

When Mike was working on clearing the mud around the object he noticed that it was linked to something else. What could this possibly be?

He kept on digging. He exposed one link and then another. The more of this he exposed the more confused Mike got at what was taking shape before him.

Mike stumbled across a very weird object, that was for sure. The object came with iron links that seemed endless. He couldn’t wrap his mind around what this chain was connected to and buried in this area for.

As Mike was digging, he noticed that he was running out of daylight. Soon he wasn’t going to be able to see where he was digging anymore. He ran to his can to get a flashlight so that he could continue digging.

Mike barely slept that night, and he told only his very best friend about his find. During the night, Mike thought up a few theories as to what he might find connected to that old rusty chain.

Could there be something dangerous down there? Mike was beginning to worry that he was not unearthing something wonderful and ancient, but something that was not meant to be found.

He had read in the past that there were a few old burial sites that were found below Pembrokeshire, but that was not comforting to him at all.

Not knowing what this was filled Mike with a sense of horror he couldn’t ignore. He knew it was better for him to think positively.

Mike knew that his home of Pembrokeshire was described as a land of mystery and enchantment by an 11th-century author who wrote the folktale volumes The Mabinogion.

The last Welsh outpost is an island of its own, surrounded by the Celtic Sea. This outpost continues to be a source of legend and mystery. There are many questions about the place, and about what Mike was about to discover.

Considering this area is known for its mystical and wondrous tales, as well as being a very old place, it’s no surprise that it has gotten a reputation as one of the most haunted places in the world.

The second the sun came up, he was already out of the door. He went to find his discovery site right away. He had to find out what was below the surface and linked to this chain.

What could be lying under all of this soil for so many years? He had no idea that it would lead him to calling the police by mid-day. Mike was going to do just that.

The site was exactly the same as Mike had left it the night before. He was prepared to get to digging even though he felt nervous about what he was about to uncover.

That’s when the trowel hit a smooth surface. His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he cleaned off the dirt from the hard and brown object.

He had a metal detection hobby and was serious about it so he knew what the laws were. But he didn’t expect that he would ever need to call the police on one of his finds.

Mike’s dig was supposed to be a fun adventure, but he knew the minute he found the human remains that this was way out of his league. What could this all mean?

He inspected the item he unearthed in his hand and was horrified to learn that he was holding a tooth! A molar, to be specific. He shivered at the realization that this was far more sinister than he imagined.

Mike called the National Museum of Wales before he called anyone else. But they only laughed at him on the phone.

“What the archaeologists said at the time was that because there had never been a find down here before, they didn’t believe it,” he recalled during an interview.

Mike needed to find a way to convince them that he wasn’t lying, so he said that he believed that there were human remains in the ground. As soon as he said that, the response was totally different.

He waited for them to get there. When they did get there, Mike could see that they were still skeptical about what he had said but that they were also concerned. What he said he discovered could have some serious repercussions.

The excavation process of the item started in June. Archeologists unearthed two rusty iron chariot wheels. That was exactly what they needed to authenticate in order to make this one promising find.

Mike had found a complete ancient chariot that had been buried in the ground for many years. It was not uncommon to find these years ago, but finding a site like this was very rare.

After he dug around the object around eight inches deep, Mike found other decorative pieces, such as a bronze bridle fitting, brooch, and other tools.

The items had all turned green due to corrosion, though some of the bronze pieces were still encased in bright red enamel. He wanted to be incredibly careful with the pieces since he wasn’t sure if they were valuable or not.

“This is unprecedented,” he said, “and underneath the chariot, there is still the three-meter metal anomaly. If you go by other chariot finds there could be weapons or it could even be a treasure.”

It is not too uncommon to find burial chariots like this one across Europe. But it was a special case as this one was found in the United Kingdom and was the first of its kind.

“I still can’t believe it,” he said. “Obviously I’ve read other people’s finds. I’ve watched them on the telly, and I’ve always thought, I wouldn’t mind finding that, it’s still surreal, and life-changing.”

He continued, “It was just instinct. I’d read all about chariot burials and just wished it could have been me, so finding this has been a privilege.”

Other than that, Mike needed to make sure that when he sold the items he found, it would be the legal way. So what did he get in all of this?

In addition to that, Mike needed to sell each artifact in the strict way that the legal system adheres to.

All in all, he found 34 items in total. The items were sold to the museum, but Mike was compensated very well for them, which is great!

What Mike found has since become a very sought-after discovery. As a testament to how much it meant, the National Museum of Wales wanted to get the items into their archives.

A representative for the National Museum of Wales said the site was an incredible Iron Age find that could be developed into a larger project in the future. “Full excavation of the site and analysis of the find will need to be carried out before we can fully understand its importance. The site now enjoys legal protection.”

This find revealed more important and exciting finds at a once unknown Iron Age archaeological site. The representative went on and said, “Amgueddfa Cymru is working with its partners on this continuing treasure case and in developing a detailed and fully funded proposal for further investigation.

Mike, who was of Milford Haven, knew just how amazing his find was, saying: “It’s rare to find it in that good condition – it’s rare to find in any condition.”

Mike and the police and other authorities had released several statements to the media about the discovery. One joint statement said: “These are now the subject of an ongoing treasure case in Wales.”

Mike was a detectorist from the age of 12 years old. He got the metal detector from his dad one Christmas. Since that day he has had this hobby in his life in a huge way.

He commented: “I knew the importance of them straight away….I’d read all about chariot burials and just wished it could have been me, so finding this has been a privilege.”

There is still a lot of discussion about whether a chieftain or queen was buried along with the chariot. Mike did find a tooth, after all, a human one.

High-ranking authorities of the Iron Age typically were buried alongside their horses, chariot, tack, and weapon. During the dig, they found the top of chariot wheels. “Often the wheels were laid flat,” Mike explained.

“But this one appeared to have been buried intact. It could have had the chieftain or queen sitting in it. There would have been a mound over it but that has gone.”

After the authorities closed off the site to the public, they ran the area with ground-penetrating radar. What they ended up finding was right out of a science fiction movie!

The excavation used geophysical technology to look farther underground. They were able to map the layers below them. With that, they found a ring ditch, a circular earthwork that measured 12 meters. It was all about the site.

Archeologists also discovered two more burials, both in-ring ditches as well. They also found a complex of walls. These additional finds convinced the researchers that this was a Celtic settlement that has stayed hidden for many many years.

The principal curator of prehistoric archaeology at the museum, Adam Gwilt, explained, “These chariot pieces may have been witness to some of the historical events of the time, as Iron Age peoples defended their ways of life and identities…”

“…in the face of an expanding Roman empire. Something like this takes a lot of organization and funding as well so we’ve been working with a number of partners to put together what’s needed to do a continuing investigation.

He went on to say, “Something like this takes a lot of organization and funding as well so we’ve been working with a number of partners to put together what’s needed to do a continuing investigation.”

“You’re definitely talking six or seven figures,” Mike Smith stated. “It’s the biggest ever metal detecting finds, as in there’s never been a chariot ever discovered by a metal detectorist. There have been hoards found, but never anything like this.”

One open issue that stands: Who were the Celts? The answer to that isn’t as simple as you would think. The Celts were several tribes that began in central Europe. They shared a close language, religious traditions, and culture.

The very first documentation of the Celts happened in the eight century B.C. The Roman Empire was ruling at the time on the majority of Southern Europe. They called the Celts “Galli”, meaning barbarians.

Despite what the Romans thought, the Celts were not at all barbarians. Many elements of their culture and speech have made it through to today.

The Celts took hold of a lot of Europe north of the Alps by around the third century B.C., including what today is Ireland and Great Britain. These islands to the West of Europe are the ones that continued to allow the Celtic culture to survive as the Roman Empire took over more and more of the land.

The Roman armies did what they could to invade Britain but were not successful. The Celts were then able to make it their homeland as a result.

Brittany, the area in the northwestern corner of today’s France, was home to Britons and Gauls. The Celtic tradition survived in the area since it was so isolated from the rest of Europe.