Father-Son Detectorists Stumble on 14 Bronze Age Axe Heads, Describe the Experience as 'Unreal'

A 52-year-old man from Dorchester took his son for metal detecting at a field in the area. The father and son least expected to find 14 rare axe heads in a stunning discovery. Martin Turner and his 18-year-old son, Rhys, were on their amateur metal detecting spree in June 2023 when they found the axe heads that date back to the Bronze Age, according to BBC. They described how finding the axe heads was an unreal experience for them.

"I couldn't believe what we were finding. I knew they were old but I didn't realize how old," Turner told the news outlet. "We'd only been there for a quarter of an hour before we found the first one." Turner partially dug up the object that caught his attention and rang up the metal detector. Rhys arrived at the spot with his metal detector and it went off once again. "As he came over to me his detector, I said, 'You better dig that.' He dug up another one straight away," Turner recalled. "I turned my detector back on, went to walk away and it went off again. Not even 18 inches away, there was another one."

The father and son duo arranged the axe heads on the ground after digging them all up and started taking pictures with them. During that moment, they found yet another axe head. Soon after, archaeologists took interest in the site and planned to excavate the location, hoping to unearth more significant finds from the Bronze Age. "People spend all their lives trying to get one of these on their bucket list and he's been part of finding 14 of them," Turner rejoiced. "The feeling of holding them for the first time in 4,500 years, you're the only person to hold these in that amount of time. That's the excitement of it."

Turner wished to see the artifacts put on display at the Dorchester Museum because they are a part of the local history. However, the exact location of the site was kept under wraps to prevent people from digging up the valuable artifacts and selling them on the black market. Surprisingly enough, that wasn't the first time axes and axe heads from ancient times were discovered in Dorchester, Dorset. Over 400 axes made of tin and bronze were found in a pit of Langton Matravers village of Dorset in 2009, stated Dorset Echo.

Those artifacts were obtained by the Dorset County Museum after long fundraising efforts. The axes discovered in the area were believed to have been specially made as an offering to the gods. "This is one of the most important acquisitions for the museum in recent years. It is a truly unique Dorset treasure. We are particularly thankful to those who made it all possible," the museum's curator, Pete Woodward, told the news outlet. "The collection is of national importance but it is also of particular importance to Dorset. The hoard was made in the county and they were buried almost immediately after they were made."