Two treasure hunters have discovered a number of Bronze Age artefacts whilst metal detecting in a field in West Dorset (England). The items, dating back to 800 BCE, consist of a sword hilt, and two parts of its blade, a spearhead socket gouge and a razor. The discoveries were made by Steve Sharp and Shawn Miller over a year ago and have just been released by archaeologists at Dorset County Council. The duo are now awaiting results from a valuation committee and say that Dorset County Museum, who are storing the finds, are interested in buying them.
     According to Mr Tharp, it is believed that the hoard was buried by a Bronze Age 'scrap dealer', who would have collected various items from villages and hidden them. Mr Tharp said, "We went down there one afternoon and turned up quite a lot of rubbish and a few Roman items when suddenly Shawn said: 'Bang, I've found a bit of a sword mate.'"

Edited from Daily Echo, Dorset Echo (8 November 2010)