00:05he
00:06He was out on an average soggy day, but he had long become used to the weather that his hobby
00:10brought him
00:11Still he enjoyed the methodical back-and-forth motions as he swung the machine left and right left and right
00:17inches over the grassy soil
00:20Furiously loud beeping jolted his wandering mind as excitement began to course through his veins
00:25Little did Mike knows soon the authorities would be involved
00:30Mike Smith is an avid history lover and he simply can't get enough of finding treasures buried in the dirt
00:35long ago
00:36So on your average day while most people are shopping or perhaps watching a bit of television
00:41You would instead find Mike out in a field wielding his metal detector
00:45Often its rewards are minimal and sometimes nothing at all, but the addictive hope of a big fine spurs him
00:50on
00:51It most certainly is not a hobby for everyone
00:54You need a certain tenacity about yourself to brave the elements of Pembrokeshire in the United Kingdom
00:59Often raining always wet and as much chance of finding something noteworthy as playing the lottery
01:05Unless you count old pennies, but this particular day brought on by a twist of fate was not a penny
01:11finding day
01:12To Mike's dismay he found that his favorite field was completely waterlogged from the week's steady downpour
01:17But he was determined to keep looking he had a strange feeling that today would be a lucky day as
01:23he moved to another field nearby
01:25He had no idea that just underneath his feet something sinister was lying in wait
01:30Mike swept his metal detector in a wide arc over the field and suddenly he heard a loud beep
01:35He began to walk but the machine kept beeping
01:38He was puzzled at first and thought that maybe his metal detector was faulty
01:42Either that or whatever was buried in the ground below him was enormous. There was only one way to find
01:47out
01:48He abandoned his equipment pulled out a trowel and began to dig
01:52The wet dirt gave way easily and soon he could see a round piece of metal sticking out from the
01:57soil
01:57He uncovered it with his hands until he was able to grip on it and then he pulled it with
02:02all his might
02:03The rusted piece of metal wouldn't budge no matter how hard Mike pulled
02:06He decided to try to dig around the mysterious object to free it from the earth as he began to
02:12uncover more and more of the rounded piece of metal
02:14He saw that it was attached to something he uncovered a second link and then a third when he finally
02:20realized what he had unearthed a chill went up his spine
02:24Mike had found something strange it had iron links that seemed to go on and on deeper into the ground
02:29and it was attached to something
02:31but what
02:33Just then Mike realized that it was getting harder and harder to see and the light was fading fast
02:38He cursed when he realized that he hadn't brought a flashlight the mystery would have to wait
02:43Mike barely slept a wink that night. He had only told his closest friends about what he'd found
02:49Speculations ran through his mind. What could possibly be attached to the other end of the rusty old chain? What
02:54if it was something awful?
02:56He'd read about ancient burial sites hidden beneath the Pembrokeshire ground and the thought of stumbling upon one and always
03:01Filled him with an inexplicable sense of terror
03:04It was not lost on Mike the Pembrokeshire was described as a land of mystery and enchantment by the anonymous
03:09author of
03:11Mabinogian the famous 11th century collection of folktales
03:15This last rocky outpost of Wales is surrounded by the Celtic sea and is still steeped in ancient myth and
03:20legend
03:21So it's no wonder it's known as one of the most haunted places on earth
03:25What Mike didn't know was that he was about to come face to face with Wales eerie past
03:31At first light Mike was already out the door and went on his way to his site
03:34He had to find out what it was at the other end of the chain
03:37What secrets had lain undisturbed for so long on that field?
03:41He never dreamed that in just a few hours the authorities would be swarming over his find
03:46The site was just as he left it and he returned to the task of digging with some trepidation as
03:52More of the strange object began to reveal itself. He realized something
03:55His trowel suddenly scraped on something smooth and his eyes widened as he began to wipe away the dirt to
04:02reveal something hard and brown
04:04as a metal detecting hobbyist Mike was all too familiar with the law
04:07But he'd never expected to find anything that would warrant calling the authorities
04:12This dig had started out as a fun excursion
04:14But now with the discovery of remains Mike knew that he was completely out of his depth
04:19Mike turned the object over in his hands and was horrified when he realized that it looked like a tooth
04:24a molar to be precise
04:26He shuddered as he realized that there was something off about this find
04:30Dropping his tools at once he pulled out his phone and dialed with shaking fingers, but the reaction he got
04:36wasn't quite what he expected
04:38Michael decided to inform officials at the National Museum of Wales first
04:42But what he told them had them literally laughing down the line at him
04:46What the archaeologist said at the time was that because there had never been a find down there before they
04:51didn't believe it he explained later
04:53Mike had to convince them that he'd really found something
04:56So we mentioned that he thought there may be human remains at the site and the officials attitude changed immediately
05:02They asked Mike to escort them to location the look on their faces when they saw it said it all
05:07Mike recalled later
05:09Only then was an excavation launched in June
05:12Archaeologist uncovered two rusted iron chariot wheels and this confirmed that the site held a phenomenal find a
05:20Celtic chariot burial
05:22My first find was a Celtic horse harness junction piece Mike told reporters when I found it
05:27My friend said I would never top it, but the next day I went back and found the rest, but
05:32that wasn't all Mike had found
05:34After Mike dug about eight inches deeper into the soil
05:37He found other decorative pieces including bronze bridal fittings a brooch and the handle section of tools
05:43They'd become green from corrosion, but the bronze pieces were still covered in bright red enamel
05:48This is unprecedented said Mike and underneath the chariot. There's still the three meter metal anomaly if you go by
05:56other
05:56Chariot finds there could be weapons or it could even be treasure
06:00It isn't unheard of for a burial chariot for this time period to be found in Europe, but there's never
06:05been one found in England before
06:07I still can't believe it Smith added
06:10Obviously, I've read other people's finds. I've watched them on telly and I've always thought I wouldn't mind finding that
06:15it's still surreal and life-changing
06:18Mike said it was just instinct
06:20I'd read all about chariot burials and just wished it would have been me
06:24So finding this has been a privilege and now that treasure has been found in that area the location is
06:29under legal protection
06:31Mike also had to sell all the artifacts that he found the previous day as stated by the law. So
06:36what does he get?
06:38The 34 items that Mike uncovered were sold to the museum and believe me
06:43He was well paid for them too. There was one catch though
06:46He had to split the money straight down the line 50 50 with the owner of the land that he
06:51found them in
06:52His treasures become a most sought-after prize now and the National Museum of Wales desperately want to secure them
06:57for its archives
06:59Michael goes on record saying I knew the importance of them straight away
07:02I'd read all about the chariot burials and just wished it could have been me. So finding this has been
07:07a privilege
07:08The chariot is estimated to be about 2,500 years old, but as yet there have been no human remains
07:14found
07:15Conjecture remains as to whether a chieftain or a queen was buried with the find and a tooth was found
07:20But it unfortunately belonged to a horse that presumably was buried with the chariot
07:25Chiefs of high rank in the Iron Age were often buried with their chariot horses tack and even their weapons
07:31Then a trail excavation revealed the tops of a pair of chariot wheels
07:36Often the wheels were laid flat said Mike, but this one appeared to have been buried intact
07:40It could have had the chieftain or queen sitting in it. There would have been a mound over it, but
07:45that's gone
07:47After the site was quarantined off from the general public ground penetrating radar brought up something that's something out of
07:53a science fiction movie or novel
07:55survey work uses a technology called
07:57Geophysics which map structures buried under the earth and revealed a 12 meter circular earthwork around the burial known as
08:04a ring ditch
08:06two other burials in the ring ditches were also found nearby and soon a complex of ditches walls and other
08:12features were detected
08:13Researchers believed that a huge and previously unknown Celtic settlement had been found
08:18The actual field is very large and it's only in the corner of this field
08:22But the settlement is also going into other nearby fields said Mike
08:26Adam Gwilt is the museum's principal curator of prehistoric archaeology
08:31He said these chariot pieces may have been witness to some of the historical events of the time as
08:36Iron Age peoples defended their ways of life and identities in the face of an expanding Roman Empire
08:42Something like this takes a lot of organization and funding as well
08:46So we've been working with a number of other partners to put together what's needed to do a continuing investigation
08:51So the question on everybody's lips is how much is it worth?
08:56You're definitely talking six or seven figures Smith said
08:59It's the biggest ever metal detecting find as in there's never been a chariot ever discovered by a metal detectorist
09:06There have been hordes found but never anything like this
09:09He expects to land up to 1 million pounds or more for his discovery
