Rowan’s discovery took an exciting turn when they were contacted by the Finds Liaison Officer in Horsham
While walking their dog in a Sussex field, 12-year-old Rowan Brannan unearthed a remarkable treasure! What his mom thought was just a piece of rubbish turned out to be a 2,000-year-old gold band dating back to the first century AD!
“Rowan has always been into finding all sorts of bits and pieces. He’s very adventurous and is always picking stuff up off the ground,” his mom told SWNS. “I’m forever saying ‘put it down-it’s dirty.”
The metal was caked with dirt, but the boy kept holding it and was convinced that it could be actual gold.
“It was just normal to me because I pick up a lot of things that I probably shouldn’t,” the 12-year-old told the news outlet.
Determined to solve the mystery, Rowan took the find home and researched how to identify real gold. The object ticked all the boxes on his online checklist, but the true significance of his discovery wouldn’t dawn on them until a chance encounter. A visiting hairdresser mentioned an upcoming metal detecting trip, prompting Rowan to show her the peculiar piece he’d found. Impressed, she photographed it and contacted the leader of her metal-detecting group. Recognizing its potential age, the leader advised them to reach out to a British Finds Officer. Rowan, filled with growing excitement, embarked on a months-long wait. Finally, the news arrived: his discovery was classified as ‘treasure’ due to its age and precious metal content!
Rowan’s discovery took an exciting turn when they were contacted by the Finds Liaison Officer in Horsham. Due to the artefact’s age and significance, it was classified as a national treasure, requiring them to bring it in for further examination and record-keeping.
“Then it got to the treasure process,” said the excited boy.
According to Amanda, the bracelet has undergone a “fascinating” process through the Coroner’s Court. This has allowed them to learn a great deal more about the history of the piece.
“It’s very exciting whenever we read an email and we have been kept up to date throughout the whole process.”
After much study, officials told the boy from Bognor, that he’d uncovered an “exceptionally rare” armilla Roman bracelet, a fact that was confirmed by the British Museum, the New York Post reported.
Amanda explained, “Our understanding is an armilla bracelet was given to the Roman soldiers as a mark of respect and valour and service.
“It’s been brilliantly fascinating. We have learned so many things and it is quite lovely to still be involved, so we can follow its story.
“It’s like, ‘Wow, imagine who wore that’. We’ve had a piece of history in our house.”