A man with a metal detector who came across a hoard of prehistoric bronze tools and weapons has handed over his find to the National Museum Wales. Phil Smith came across the Bronze Age haul on land in Llanbadoc in Monmouthshire and reported his find. Dating between 1,000 and 800 BCE, the haul contains axes, fragments of swords and a spearhead as well knives and harvesting tools. The 3,000-year-old pieces are being studied by experts. The treasure was thought to have been buried together in the ground, probably in a small pit, as a ritual gift to the pagan gods of the time.
     Hoards of this type since 2003 have been legally classified as treasure and it has been given to the museum by the local community council. Mr Smith initially reported his find to the Portable Antiquities Scheme, which voluntarily records and studies archaeological finds. Adam Gwilt, curator of the bronze age collections at the National Museum Wales in Cardiff said: "We are very grateful to Llanbadoc Community Council for their generosity in donating this hoard to the national collections. "We would also like to thank Phil Smith for his reporting of the find and his support for the Portable Antiquities Scheme in Wales. "This discovery, and the story that it tells, can now be shared with public audiences, now and for generations to come."

Source: BBC News (20 November 2006)