Back in June, the National Museum of Ireland received a package containing two axe heads from the Bronze Age from an anonymous donor. Now, the mystery of how these artifacts were uncovered and who sent them has been finally solved.
After receiving the package, the museum experts found that the axe heads were from the Early Bronze Age and date back to 2150-2000 BC. They pleaded with the anonymous donor to step forward and provide further info so they could learn more about the artifacts.
The plea was successful, as a farmer named Thomas Dunne, from Westmeath county, recently revealed that he was the one who found the axe-heads.
According to Dunne, who was interviewed by Irish media outlet RTÉ News, he was working in his field when a piece of a mower broke off. Worried that the metal piece could result in future headaches, Dunne hired a metal detectorist to look for it.
While looking for the piece, the metal detectorist discovered several other pieces of metal, including the two axe heads. While Dunne initially believed they were scrap, metal detectorists found them unusual and decided to send them to the National Museum of Ireland for examination.
Dunne only realized that the items found on his field had historical significance several weeks later after the plea from the National Museum of Ireland made the news.
“I couldn’t believe that they came out of my field,” Dunne told RTÉ News.
While experts might be interested to see what else Dunne’s field may be hiding, the farmer doesn’t have plans for further excavations.
“It’s just an ordinary, green field. There are no monuments or anything else around it,” he added.