Metal Detectorist Stumbles on a Rare 2000-Yr-Old Bronze Spoon Likely Used for Rituals

Utensils made of bronze and copper were widely used in the ancient times. For example, several excavations in the past that were carried out in Europe, unearthed artifacts used for religious ceremonies and rituals. Recently, a metal detectorist skimming the western region of the Isle of Man, a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, stumbled upon a rare, ancient metal spoon, according to Manx National Heritage. The region is already famous for its coastlines and medieval castles and structures.

Metal detectorist, Rob Middleton, was skimming through the land on Patrick, one of the seven historical parishes of the Isle of Man when he discovered an Iron Age bronze spoon. It is believed the 2000-year-old bronze spoon is one of the only 28 similar spoons previously located in the U.K., Ireland, and France. The spoon approximately dates back to between 400 B.C. and 100 B.C. Middleton unearthed the bronze spoon from a land owned by a farmer named David Anderson. "It is one of the most intriguing objects ever discovered on the island," Allison Fox, the curator for archaeology at the Manx National Heritage, said per the publication.

Though the exact purpose of the spoon was not determined, the experts studying the artifact theorized that it was used in divination rituals to predict the future. The spoon came to be known as the Patrick-Middleton spoon and it was donated to the Manx National Collections and was put on display at the House of Manannan on February 14, 2025. The Manx National Heritage also extended their sincere gratitude to the finder and the landowner for their help and generosity with the latest discovery. As for the physical description of the spoon, it had a broad bowl shaped like a strawberry and a circular handle with spiral designs. Fox suggested that the liquid was possibly poured into one of the spoons usually found in pairs. ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ 

"Liquid of some form would have been poured into the spoon which has the cross and whatever quarter it landed in would tell something about the future," she mentioned. Details of those ancient ceremonies were lost in time. Such artifacts from the Iron Age are relatively scarce and bronze spoons from that period are considered rare. "Donations such as this really help us explore what our ancestors were up to, and this find in particular puts the Isle of Man firmly on the map of Iron Age ritual," Fox added. "It really is an unusual find illustrating potential prehistoric ritual activity taking place on the Isle of Man". Dr. Toby Driver from the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monument of Wales was also involved in studying the fascinating artifacts.