The gold bracelet piece is now on display in a museum in England.
Finding any amount of money on the ground is pretty exciting for a 12-year-old. A $5 bill can make their day. But how about a priceless, ancient gold bracelet?
Two years ago, Rowan Brannan and his mom were walking their dog through a field in Pagham, England, near the southern coast, when he noticed an odd piece of metal. After those two years of careful investigation, that piece is believed to be a rare Roman military golden cuff bracelet from the first century AD given to a man in the army as a reward for bravery, and it's now ready for display.
"Rowan has always been into finding all sorts of bits and pieces," Amanda Brannan, Rowan's mom, told the Sussex Express. "I'm forever saying, 'Put it down, it's dirty,' but on this occasion he kept holding this bit of metal, convinced that it was actual real gold."
He wasn't wrong.
After bringing it home, it sat until a visitor intrigued by the story prompted more action. The family took it to a jeweler, who confirmed the bracelet was real gold, and the visitor sent a picture of it to a friend involved in metal detecting who encouraged the family to take the piece to a local Finds Officer. The piece eventually made its way to the British Museum for analyzing.
"We took it to the jeweler and that got me a bit excited," Rowan told the newspaper, "and when it was sent way and it was like 'gold' and then it got more exciting. Then it got to the treasure process, and it just got even more exciting."
The type of bracelet, which is unlike other pieces from the Roman period, is a rare find in Roman Britain, according to a statement from the Chichester District Council. The piece, which is just a partial section of the bracelet, not the full bangle, likely belonged to a man and was a military armilla awarded for bravery.
"Acquiring this bracelet for The Novium Museum's collection will offer our visitors additional insights into ancient practices," Adrian Moss, leader at Chichester District Council, said in a statement. "In particular, it will help shed light on military attitudes, including how Roman soldiers were rewarded for their bravery, gallantry, and service, particularly with regard to the Roman invasion of Britain in AD 43."
A grant allowed the museum to purchase the "exceptionally rare find" and put it on display.
"The story of the find itself is fascinating," Moss said. "It really goes to show that you never know what you might discover by keeping your eyes peeled when out and about."