00:00As he uncovered link after link, he realized that he'd found what looked like a chain.
00:04The deeper he dug and the more of it he unearthed, the deeper the mystery became.
00:08A chill ran through his body as he began to pull. Terrified and shaking,
00:11he called the police when he saw what was on the other end.
00:14But before we start, smash the like button and make sure to subscribe if you haven't,
00:18and hit that notification bell so that you won't miss any new stories.
00:21It was a rainy day like any other when Mike headed outside. While pursuing his hobby,
00:25he had become accustomed to being outside in all kinds of weather,
00:28including grey and rainy weather, so it didn't bother him in the least.
00:32He enjoyed swinging his metal detector back and forth as he walked,
00:35never knowing what he might find. It was a calming, peaceful experience.
00:38This time is no different. That is until his metal detector started screeching.
00:43Everyone gets excited by the idea of finding buried treasure, especially children.
00:47There are any number of children's games that involve trying to find something hidden.
00:51Who doesn't love playing hide and seek or going on easter egg hunts?
00:54There is a special kind of thrill in finding something hidden after spending so much time
00:58trying to find it. This kind of thrill is part of why Mike enjoyed his hobby so much,
01:02though he never would have expected what he was about to find. The thrill of finding something
01:06that has long been buried under the ground and forgotten. You never know what you might find.
01:10This was the situation Mike was about to find himself in on this rainy day.
01:13Mike felt his heart start racing as his metal detector started to beep.
01:17What had just found? An old coin? A simple metal can?
01:20Not in his wildest dreams would Mike have guessed what he had just stumbled across.
01:24Mike has always been somewhat of a history buff. That is why the thought of what he found that day
01:28is something that excites him to this day. The idea of unearthing something that had been buried
01:32for so long was unthinkable. Out of everything that he has ever discovered,
01:36this particular discovery will always be his favorite. As a lover of history,
01:40Mike never imagined he would ever find such an amazing historical object.
01:44Generally, it's not uncommon to find people shopping, reading, playing games,
01:49or watching TV in their spare time. Some people have more uncommon hobbies such as painting,
01:53the theater, or fishing. Mike had an even more unique hobby.
01:57Mike is a detectorist. That's the name for people like Mike who like to search for objects
02:01with a metal detector. He spends days on beaches or in fields just looking to see what he might find.
02:06Mike doesn't often find anything very big or terribly important. However, the hobby is an
02:11addictive one that keeps Mike coming back again and again. Mike searches areas that he thinks have a
02:15relatively high chance of success, as much as he has to deal with letdowns and not finding anything.
02:21Sometimes, though, he gets lucky and all his hard work pays off in the end.
02:24Nothing else has ever paid off as much as this day would. However, not many people are willing
02:29to brave the elements the way that Mike has to on occasion. Mike is outside in everything from
02:34sunshine to rain and snow to pursue his hobby. This is the nature of the hobby. The weather in
02:38Pembrokeshire in the United Kingdom where Mike lives is often very rainy and wet. This means that
02:43much of his time is spent in the cold and wet while he searches for lost treasures. Not only do
02:48detectorists have to brave all kinds of terrain and weather, they also have to deal with a lot of
02:52disappointment as they rarely find anything of value. Often, they merely find junk or trash.
02:57Mike hadn't had much luck in the area. The old pennies that he often dug up were naturally not of
03:01much value. However, Mike's luck was about to change and in a very big way. This would be a day
03:07to
03:07remember. Mike often visited a specific field with his metal detector, but a week of steady rain had
03:11left it completely waterlogged. Disappointed, he realized he needed to search elsewhere.
03:16Choosing another field at random, Mike set out despite the gloomy weather. Equipped and ready,
03:21Mike began his usual search pattern through the rain-soaked field. After some time sweeping the
03:26field, his metal detector let out a familiar beep. Confused, Mike suspected equipment failure.
03:31Still, something compelled him to press on. Driven by curiosity, Mike decided to dig.
03:36What could be buried there? Switching to a trowel, Mike unearthed a round rusted chunk of metal.
03:42Intrigued, he cleared more dirt away to reveal what the object truly was. Using his hands, he tried to
03:47pull it free, but it wouldn't budge. Despite multiple attempts, the object remained stuck.
03:52Refusing to give up, Mike began digging around it, hoping to loosen it from the soil. As he dug further,
03:57he discovered the object was connected to something else. It felt like part of a larger structure buried deep
04:02beneath the ground. He uncovered a second iron link, then a third. A chain was emerging from the
04:08earth, and it seemed endless. Realization dawned it was a chain, long and mysterious, buried in this
04:14random field. What could it be attached to? Mike was determined to find out. As night began to fall,
04:20visibility faded. Reluctantly, he knew he had to abandon the dig until morning. He hardly got some
04:25shut-eye that same night, and he told only his closest friends about what he saw. Mike came up with
04:30several theories about what he might find connected to that rusty old chain. That night, his dreams were
04:35filled with all the crazy and scary possibilities of this find. He slept restlessly, part of him just
04:40eager to get back out there and solve the mystery. Could there be something terrible down there? Mike
04:44was starting to get worried that he was not uncovering something unique and awesome, but rather
04:48something that someone did not want to be discovered. There were many possible explanations for
04:52what he had found, and not all of them seemed good. The thought that he might be disturbing,
04:57something that wasn't meant to be uncovered began to weigh on him. Mike remembered reading
05:01about ancient burial sites hidden beneath Pembrokeshire. The idea unsettled him, and he
05:05hoped this wasn't one of them. Still, he couldn't shake his growing anxiety. He thought of the legends
05:10tied to Pembrokeshire tales from the Mabinojian, filled with magical beings and strange occurrences.
05:16At first light, Mike returned to the field. He had no idea his digging would soon attract the
05:20attention of officials, but as he unearthed more of the strange object, the day took an unexpected turn.
05:25Mike resumed digging with renewed focus, but an uneasy feeling lingered. Then his trowel struck
05:30a smooth surface. Rushing away the dirt, he uncovered something brown and solid had sent a
05:35chill through him. He recognized what it might be and knew immediately that he had to call someone.
05:40He could no longer handle this alone. As a metal-detecting enthusiast, Mike was familiar
05:44with the laws around discovery, but he had never imagined he'd uncover something that required him
05:48to call the authorities. What had started as a fun hobby now turned serious. He had stumbled upon
05:53human remains. The implications were staggering, and he suddenly felt far out of his depth. He
05:58contacted the National Museum of Wales first. To his disbelief, they laughed. Mike had expected
06:04many reactions, but not this. They didn't believe a word of it. Mike needed to convince them that he
06:09was telling the truth, so he dropped that he had reason to believe that there were human remains
06:13there. As soon as he said this, they changed their attitude in no time. The news that there were
06:17remains turned his story from something amusing into something sinister and serious that had to be
06:22investigated one way or another. But what would they uncover when they did? Mike waited anxiously for
06:27authorities to arrive. Though still skeptical, they were also concerned. The implications of what
06:32Mike claimed to have found couldn't be ignored. He led them to the site, and the look on their faces
06:36said it all. They finally understood the gravity of what he had uncovered. That June, the excavation
06:41officially began. Archaeologists soon uncovered two rusted iron chariot wheels. Confirming the find was not
06:47only legitimate but historically significant, it was a Celtic chariot burial site. Mike had stumbled
06:52across an entire chariot buried for centuries. Although such burials weren't unheard of in ancient
06:57Europe, finding one intact was rare. My first find was a Celtic horse harness junction piece,
07:02Mike told reporters. His friends doubted he'd top it until he returned the next day and found even more.
07:07Digging just eight inches deep, Mike found additional artifacts, a brooch, bronze bridal fittings,
07:13and tool handles. Many were corroded green, but the red enamel on the bronze bits still shone.
07:18He handled each item with extreme care, aware of their potential value and historical significance.
07:23This is unprecedented, Mike said. Underneath a chariot, there's still a three-meter metal anomaly.
07:28Based on similar finds, it could be weapons or even treasure. His discovery hinted at something much
07:34larger. While burial, chariots had been found across Europe, this was the first ever discovered in the
07:39United Kingdom. Mike never imagined he'd be part of something so extraordinary.
07:43I still can't believe it, he said. I've read about other finds, watched them on TV.
07:48I always hoped it would happen to me. It still feels surreal.
07:52He credited Instinct for the find. I'd read about chariot burials and just wished it could have
07:56been me. Now, at Island, it's a privilege. After the discovery, the site was granted legal
08:02protection to prevent looting. Under local laws, Mike was required to report and surrender everything
08:06he found even those from before the official excavation began. Mike complied fully with
08:11the regulations, handing over all 34 items. They were sold to the museum, and he was fairly
08:16compensated. He also split the profit with the landowner, as required. The National Museum of
08:21Wales quickly expressed interest in acquiring the artifacts. The discovery had become a sought-after
08:26national treasure. Mike couldn't believe that what started as a regular day became something he'd
08:31remember forever. He never imagined that when his favorite field was flooded, he would make a choice
08:35that would lead to something like this. A museum spokesperson described the site as a major Iron
08:40Age discovery that could lead to a much larger research project. Full excavation and analysis
08:45will help us understand the importance of the site, which now enjoys full legal protection.
08:49They added that the excavation was conducted jointly with Dived Archaeological Trust and funded
08:54partly by CADW. This is now an ongoing treasure case. We are working with partners to fully
08:59investigate the site and develop a broader museum initiative. Mike from Milford Haven understood how rare
09:05his find was. It's rare to find one in such good condition, rare to find at all, he said. The
09:10more
09:10they uncovered, the more fascinating it became. The treasure case remains open, with press statements
09:15issued jointly by authorities. Mike's discovery has generated intense interest across the archaeological
09:20community and beyond. Mike has been passionate about metal detecting since the age of 12, when his
09:25father gifted him his first detector. This discovery, he said, is dedicated to his 79-year-old father,
09:31John Smith, who is currently receiving palliative care following a stroke.
