Two years ago, a 12-year-old boy in England made a rare and precious discovery while he and his mom were walking their dog: they found an ancient Roman cuff bracelet made of real gold.
Rowan Brannan was walking the dog alongside his mother in Pagham near the southern English coast when he spotted an unusual-looking piece of metal in the field they were passing through. Brannan picked it up, showed it to his mother, and then took it home. After researchers analyzed the bracelet over the two years since its discovery, they concluded it may be a rare piece of Roman military jewelry.
The boy’s mother, Amanda Brannan, told reporters that her son was always interested in “finding all sorts of bits and pieces” and that she’s constantly telling him to put down dirty objects, yet this occasion was different. She said her son “kept holding this bit of metal” and that he was “convinced” it was “real gold.” It turned out that the young man was correct.
Brannan brought the bracelet home where it sat around for a while until a visitor prompted the family to have it inspected. They took the bracelet to a jeweler who was able to confirm it was, indeed, real gold.
After the visitor sent a photo of the piece to a friend who was an avid metal detector treasure hunter, that friend recommended showing the bracelet to a Finds Liaison Officer (FLO), whose offices are funded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS), a voluntary program in the UK appointed to record small archaeological finds from citizens. FLOs are qualified to inspect the finds and provide additional information to the finder. Their job is mainly to record the artifact for a public database – its date, function, what it’s made of, and where it was found.
Investigators believe the golden cuff dates back to the first century AD and that it would have been presented to a warrior in the Roman army as a reward for showing bravery on the battlefield.
The Chichester District Council released a statement on the golden cuff and said it represents a rare find from Britain’s Roman era. The Novium Museum was able to obtain a grant to purchase the piece from Brannan. On Tuesday, Sept. 10, the museum put the bracelet on display.
