Buzz
When it comes to making significant discoveries, everyday people have a distinct edge over experts—they’re everywhere. People go about their daily routines in all sorts of environments. From tourists to hikers, they venture into remote corners of the world, and even homeowners end up digging in places where archaeologists rarely visit.
While the professionals often grab the headlines, it’s common for regular people to stumble upon rare artifacts that shape history or contribute significantly to academic knowledge.
10. The Trajan-Augustus Coin
In 2016, avid hiker Laurie Rimon set out for a trek in eastern Galilee. As she passed by an archaeological site, a flash of yellow caught her attention. There, nestled in the grass, lay an ancient coin. After turning it over to the authorities, Rimon was astonished to learn it was approximately 2,000 years old. What made the discovery even more remarkable was that only one other coin like it is known to exist.
The exceptionally rare coin was struck in Rome in AD 107. The gold coin displayed the portraits of two Roman emperors. On the reverse side, Trajan’s image appeared surrounded by symbolic engravings. The obverse featured the phrase “Augustus Deified” encircling the face of Augustus.
What made this artifact particularly noteworthy was its rarity. Typically, the emperor Trajan is depicted on both sides of the coin. Trajan also issued various types of currency, including the Trajan-Augustus coin, in tribute to his predecessors. The coin will remain in Israel, unlike its twin, which is housed at the British Museum.
9. An Ancient Hideaway
One day, Beat Dietrich decided to take his dog for a walk. As the warden of an alpine hut in Switzerland, it wasn’t unusual for him to venture into the high mountain pass known as the Lotschberg Pass. It was here, in 2011, that he spotted remnants of wood and leather. Archaeologists had a brief opportunity to inspect the site before snow made it unreachable, and the area remained closed off until 2017.
When excavations resumed, a rocky shelter was discovered near the highest point of the pass, nearly 2,700 meters (8,800 ft) above sea level. Inside the shelter, archaeologists uncovered personal belongings left behind by a long-gone mountaineer.
Approximately 4,000 years ago, a hunter or herder (or possibly a small group) had used the shelter. For reasons unknown, they left behind arrows and a wooden box that once contained flour. Other artifacts included four pieces of worked elm, likely parts of two bows, leather strips, and a horn button and container.
This Bronze Age collection contains the oldest artifacts ever uncovered at the pass. These finds offer physical proof to support the theory that the Lotschberg Pass was used for centuries by traders, hunters, and shepherds.
8. The Somerset Skull
Years after Beat Dietrich walked his dog in the snow, another man took his dog out for a stroll. Roger Evans’s walk along the River Sowy in Somerset led to an unexpected discovery—a human skull, which soon attracted the attention of a group of curious police officers. This happened in 2017.
The authorities suspected foul play, particularly because the woman had been decapitated. However, there was little the police could do, as the remains were determined to be from the Iron Age, and she had died at the age of 45.
While much remains unknown, experts have pieced together a rough idea of what happened. The woman, who lived between 380–190 BC, had her head deliberately severed. The marks on her skull indicate that it was an intentional act, though it remains unclear whether she was alive or dead at the time.
No other remains were discovered, but decapitated skulls found in water in other locations provide some insight. In the Iron Age, heads were often venerated, and it’s believed that this skull was placed in the river as part of a religious ritual. This discovery lends further support to the idea of a Celtic 'head cult' during the Iron Age.
7. Storage Cave Used for Millennia
After the death of Alexander the Great, turmoil struck Israel as his successors fought for power during the Wars of the Diadochi. Around 2,300 years ago, someone hid a collection of valuable items in a northern cave. The hoard remained hidden until three men stumbled upon it in 2015.
Reuven Zakai took his 21-year-old son, Hen, and a friend on a caving trip. It was meant to be practice for a larger expedition, but when Hen squeezed into a tight crevice, he made an unexpected discovery—the hidden treasure.
At first, Hen spotted two coins, rings, bracelets, and earrings, most of which were made of silver. The trio reported their find and returned later with the Israel Antiquities Authority. Along with the Israeli Caving Club, to which they belonged, a more thorough search was conducted.
It quickly became apparent that the cave, difficult and dangerous to navigate, had served as a storage space for more than one hoarder. Additional artifacts were discovered, including ceramics dating back 3,000 to 6,000 years.
Officials believe that the items from Alexander’s era were hidden by locals for safekeeping in the aftermath of his death. It’s likely that the owners were forced to abandon the treasure—or worse—because they never returned.
6. Chelichnus Gigas
A few years ago, Tom Cluff took some friends into Nevada’s Clark County, where he had discovered fossilized footprints. During a picnic break, the group noticed additional tracks on the rocks below them.
However, Cluff’s discovery wasn’t his most significant find. The earlier prints had been made by an invertebrate. The new trail of footprints, however, belonged to a long-extinct reptile. Known as the Chelichnus gigas track, researchers found themselves at a loss when they compared it to known species.
The creature, however, left behind two significant clues regarding its appearance. There were no drag marks, suggesting the reptile either lacked a tail or kept it raised. Additionally, its hind feet had three toes each. Unfortunately, as with many quadrupeds, the back feet distorted the front prints by stepping on them.
Presently, the region is a desert, but when the creature roamed the area 290 million years ago, the terrain was swampy. The 60-centimeter-long (24-inch) reptile took six steps over what was likely a microbial mat, which preserved the impressions of its feet even as they filled with sediment.
5. Montserrat’s First Petroglyphs
In 2016, a different group of hikers set out to explore a dense forest on the Caribbean island of Montserrat. Their adventure, however, brought more than just a simple walk through pristine wilderness. Someone had already been to the area and left marks on a boulder. Fortunately, these weren’t mere graffiti, but rather the island’s first petroglyphs.
While ancient rock carvings are known across the Caribbean, none had been discovered on Montserrat until this point. The island is part of the British Overseas Territory, a place where no petroglyphs had previously been found.
The carvings appear to be geometric patterns, alongside depictions of some kind of beings. While it remains uncertain if these symbols carry a specific meaning, researchers agree they were sacred to Montserrat’s indigenous people. Carved 1,000 to 1,500 years ago by the Arawak Amerindians, who also left artifacts on the island, the petroglyphs bear resemblance to those found on neighboring islands.
The pre-Columbian Arawak people departed in the 1400s to flee from raids by the Caribs, another indigenous tribe. Both Arawak- and Carib-speaking communities still live in South America, where similar carvings have been discovered near rivers. If these markings form some kind of code, deciphering it could deepen the understanding of Montserrat’s distinctive history.
4. Scotland’s Rock Art Hunter
When George Currie entered semi-retirement, the music teacher decided to dedicate some time to searching for rock carvings. Not far from a well-known site, he made a discovery. Most people stumble upon ancient artifacts or sites by accident, and typically only once. However, when Currie learned that his find had not been previously documented, it inspired him to continue searching for more.
For the next 15 years, through all kinds of weather, Currie roamed the moors, fields, and occasionally peeked into caves. By 2016, he had ‘collected’ more than 670 of Scotland’s recorded 2,500 rock engravings, all dating from 4000 to 2000 BC.
One thing that caught his attention was the type of surface the prehistoric artists preferred. Many of the designs were etched into rough rocks, despite smooth stone appearing to be a better option. Some artists even worked with surface cracks and irregularities as part of their designs. Neither Currie nor researchers fully understand the reasoning behind the markings or how the rocks were chosen.
The majority of the carvings featured the iconic “cup-and-ring” design, a circular motif commonly found across prehistoric Europe. Currie’s contributions have been hailed as exceptional and were recently included in Britain’s most comprehensive study of the region’s earliest artistic expressions.
3. The Faggiano House
The house itself appears quite modern and unremarkable. Yet, beneath its ordinary exterior lies a deep history, with remnants from nearly every civilization that once inhabited Lecce, Italy. In 2000, Luciano Faggiano pursued his dream of opening a small restaurant and purchased the property.
The toilet required repairs. Faggiano anticipated it would take just a week to fix the plumbing, but instead of pipes, he discovered a hidden false floor. After removing it, Faggiano and his family spent years unearthing a fascinating underground world. Instead of running a restaurant, they explored ancient rooms and corridors dating back to long before the birth of Christ.
Among the discoveries were a Roman granary, a Messapian tomb, and a Franciscan chapel where nuns once prepared bodies for burial. The most extraordinary find was a series of etchings left by the Knights Templar. Additionally, frescoes, medieval artifacts, vases, Roman devotional bottles, and a ring featuring Christian symbols were uncovered.
The seemingly endless stream of discoveries (with artifacts still being uncovered) reveals the rich past of Lecce. This ancient land has been settled by numerous significant civilizations, including the Greeks, Romans, and Ottomans. Today, the building houses the Museum Faggiano, where spiral staircases lead visitors through different levels, each representing a distinct chapter in the city’s extensive history.
2. Submerged Temple
In 2009, 16-year-old Michael Le Quesne was on vacation with his family at Maljevik, a small bay along the Montenegrin coast. While snorkeling in shallow waters, he noticed some rocks that appeared natural, but with a strangely cylindrical shape.
Most would have just swum on, but Le Quesne was the son of a professional archaeologist and had seen his fair share of ruins. Intrigued, he called his father over. Charles Le Quesne’s expert eye quickly recognized a massive structure lying beneath the sea.
The structure resembled key buildings found at other ancient Mediterranean locations. With thick, fluted pillars—either Greek or Roman—it appeared to be a temple or basilica. The presence of additional ruins nearby suggests that the building might have served as the central structure of a prominent trading post.
Though there are no historical records indicating a settlement in the area, local shipwrecks lend support to the idea that the newly discovered ruins belonged to a port. The undisturbed 'temple' is believed to date back to the second century BC and may have been submerged following an earthquake. Its true purpose and backstory, however, remain elusive.
1. Gzhelian Age Reptile
Inspired by the 1995 film Jurassic Park, two boys set out to the beach in search of fossils. During their hunt, Michael Arsenault stumbled upon a piece of sandstone. When he stood up, he noticed a small skeleton. After some convincing, the boys’ parents agreed to take a look at what they had believed to be a dinosaur discovery.
When the adults arrived at the scene, they decided the curiously twisted creature had potential and carefully extracted it, preserving the fossil within a large chunk of stone. Though no dinosaur had ever been discovered at Cape Egmont (a beach on western Prince Edward Island), Arsenault was convinced it was one.
When a museum curator examined the fossil, he explained to the boy that it wasn’t a dinosaur at all. Instead, it was something even more remarkable. The unique skeleton belonged to the only reptile ever discovered from the five-million-year-old Gzhelian Age. At 250-300 million years old, it predates the dinosaurs.
Arsenault kept the fossil in his bedroom until 2004, when he sold it to the Royal Ontario Museum. This time, experts properly analyzed it and revealed that it was a new species, Erpetonyx arsenaultorum. The lizard represents a priceless find from the early stages of reptile evolution, a period with very few fossils still intact.
