Two metal detectorists recently came across millennia-old treasure in a small European village.
The discovery was made this spring in the Romanian commune of Breaza, Mureș County, which is located in Transylvania.
Transylvania is famous for being the setting of Bram Stoker’s novel “Dracula,” as well as its connection to the brutal leader Vlad the Impaler.
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But the recent archaeological discovery was far from frightening. In a Facebook post, the Breaza Mures Municipality City Hall wrote that two finders named Dionisie-Aurel Moldovan and Sebastian-Adrian Zăhan came across the treasure, which dates back to the Dacians.
The Dacians settled in present-day Romania in the 1st millennium B.C. The group unsuccessfully warred against the Roman Empire in the second century A.D., and Dacia became a Roman province in 106 A.D.
Pictures show various silver artifacts that have been tarnished with age.
In a statement, Romanian officials said the ancient adornments included two fibulae, or brooches, and one bracelet.
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The metal detectorists also found a smaller fibula, a neck chain with three pendant-like pins and a belt made of oval plates connected by a series of rings.
Officials also identified a rectangular silver plate “decorated with a series of solar motifs,” which also likely belonged to the belt.
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The Facebook post noted that the silver was “worn by a prominent member of the Dacian aristocracy on various special occasions,” but officials are unsure whether the stash belonged to a man or a woman.
The total weight of the silver was roughly 1.2 pounds.
“The treasure, weighing approximately 550 grams, represented an important symbol of the social status of its owner,” the translated statement read.
“Its burial in the ground can be interpreted as an offering made to an unknown deity or merely as a hiding place during a difficult period in the life of [the owner].”
The treasure is currently in the care of Mureș County Museum, where the artifacts will continue to be studied.
The discovery delighted local officials, who said they were deeply proud of their local history.
“These historical artifacts remind us of the cultural heritage and importance of our region in the history of Dacia,” the post concluded.
“This discovery honors and encourages us to proudly protect and promote our heritage.”
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