Maybe we should have clung to our whips and felt pens. A life IndianaJones fan in England never gave up his childhood love for the archaeological adventurer, and now it’s paying off – not on the big screen, but in a real-life treasure trove.
Although it happened in 2019, news of what one expert calls ‘the greatest treasure of precious metals found in Britain’ from the early Roman Empire has just been made public – and it’s all happened thanks to a guy with a metal detector and a serious appreciation for treasure hunting in style.
BBC reports a lawyer The Raiders of the Lost Ark fan by the name of George Ridgway had been out with his detector near the town of Ipswich in Suffolk (using the Google Earth plot of Roman roads in Britain) when he pored over something that would have caused even Indy to do a double take: a pair of Roman brooches and “a silver denarius from Julius Caesar dating from 46-47 BC”, according to Ridgeway.
Two hours later he had uncovered an additional 180 ancient coins, and over the next few months, with the help of local archaeologists, he uncovered an overall hoard of almost 750 gold and silver coins. The best part? Ridgway did it while staying true to his Indiana Jones fandom.
As a child, “I wanted to be like him – something resonated with me from an early age – locating mystical relics – he’s such an iconic figure,” Ridgway told the BBC, while admitting that , even as an adult, he still ventures outside. searching for treasure while sporting Indy’s signature fedora.
The loot itself is rare enough to make it onto Indy’s bucket list: Dr Eleanor Ghey, curator of the British Museum’s Roman and Iron Age coin reserves, told the BBC that the Ridgway’s discovery is “currently the largest hoard of precious metals found in Britain which dates to the reign of Claudius I, whose imperial reign from 41 to 54 AD was sandwiched between the notorious Roman emperors Nero and Caligula. “Roman gold coins from this period are rarely found,” she added, noting Ridgway’s discovery of a gold coin bearing the likeness of Claudius.
At least those parts won’t be packed in a crate and hidden deep in a giant, moldy warehouse. Once archaeologists have preserved the entire collection, they will likely be displayed at the nearby Ipswich Museum. And all those years of looking like Indy will pay off for Ridgway in real life, too:[T]The money will be split between Mr Ridgway and the Suffolk landowner,” the BBC reports.
Suddenly in the mood for a historical investigation? Check Dan Brown’s Lost Symbol on Peacock!
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