British Museum reveals biggest treasure finds by public during record-breaking year

The British Museum released its annual tally of archaeological items found by the public — and the newest list is record-setting, the museum said this week. 

Overall, 53,490 archaeological discoveries were recorded in 2022, and more than 1,300 of those finds were "treasure cases," the British Museum said in a news release. Most of the items were found by people metal-detecting, though some were made by searching the mud of riverbanks for finds in a practice the museum called "mud-larking." 

"The record-breaking figures highlight the huge contribution that members of the public are making to increasing archaeological knowledge in the UK today," the museum said in the news release. 

The finds included an intricately carved rosary bead made out of bone, a 3,000-year-old gold dress fastener, and a hoard of Iron Age gold coins that were found inside a hollow container. The finds discovered may end up in museums or other collections, the museum said. 

The treasure finds are recorded by the United Kingdom's Portable Antiquities Scheme, which catalogues and chronicles information about historical items found by the public. The project is managed by the British Museum and the Amgueddfa Cymru, or Museum Wales, and supported by almost a hundred national and local organizations. 

The organization has helped record nearly 1.7 million finds, according a statement from Michael Lewis, the head of the project at the British Museum. 

The United Kingdom defines treasure, in this context, as "any metallic object, with at least 10 per cent of its weight being gold or silver, that is at least 300 years old when found." In 2023, the definition was updated to include items that are made partially of metal that is at least 200 years old, and provides "exceptional insight into an aspect of national or regional history, archaeology or culture" because of where it was found, its connection to a person or event, or its rarity. 

In:
• Archaeologist
• Britain

Kerry Breen

Kerry Breen is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University's Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News' TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.

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