A Florida archaeology student discovered a rare piece of ninth-century gold during her first ever dig.
Yara Souza, from Orlando, unearthed the medieval medal during an Newcastle University excavation in Redesdale within the first 90 minutes of the group dig, at Northumberland, in England, according to the university.
‘I couldn’t believe I’d found something so quickly into my first ever excavation. It was actually quite overwhelming,’ Souza said.
The gold object, which dates back to the 800s, is approximately one and a half inches long and has a decorative ornament on one end.
She discovered the rare find at a spot close to the route of Dere Street, a major Roman road which ran between York and Edinburgh, according to the university.
The route continued to be used long after the fall of the Roman Empire and eventually became a part of a major road in England – the A68 -, which runs from Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, to the North East of England.
Experts involved in the dig believe the object could have had a religious or ceremonial use because gold was high status and only used by the elite, and Dere Street connected two major religious centers.
