Thirteen-year-old detectorist finds a treasure trove of Bronze Age axes on her third expedition

Milly Hardwick, from Suffolk, was searching a field near Royston in Hertfordshire on only her third detector event when she noticed a particularly strong signal. She enlisted the help of her father to help with the dig, who joked that the signal suggested it might be an axe. Little did he know that the joke would turn into reality and the axe would be the first of 65 artefacts in a unique collection...

"It was the third time I'd been out with the metal detector; I didn't even quite know what I was doing," the eighth-grade student told the BBC. "I got the signal and shouted at my dad. When he started digging, he jokingly said it might be an axe." They were both shocked by the surprise. When they saw about 20 other objects a little deeper in the excavation, they decided to stop work and contact archaeologists. On their recommendation, they camouflaged the site so archaeologists could professionally examine them the following days.

Milly plans to walk with her father Collin, who has been searching for four years, every Sunday in hopes of finding more treasure. She said that if she is offered any money for the find, she will split it equally with the landowner. When asked what she might spend it on, Milly replied, "My dad has this thing we call a 'digging tool' - like a really small shovel - I'd love to get one of those."

Milly's mother, Claire, says that from the moment of the find "it was absolutely crazy" and many people in their neighborhood became interested in the find and the circumstances. "What's happening is beautiful anyway, but it's also nice that it's happy newsthan some of the depressing news we've all been getting lately," she said.

When asked what she thought about the search for her husband and daughter, she replied, "I think their ultimate goal is to find some gold, but who knows. You just have to be lucky and go through with it..." adding that it's funny that when the girl is spotted by others in the field they say, "Oh my God, she's here now, we might as well go home.' But she goes on to explain that the other detectorists like the girl and often take pictures with her and talk about the search.

Milly concludes, "Whenever I go out, I find things. For example, I found a gold-plated button and a Queen Elizabeth coin. It's just nice to be out in the field for hours and get signals that could be literally anything..."

Roman Nemec
Sources: bbc.com, hertfordshiremercury.co.uk, abc.net.au

The bronze objects date from around 1300 BC.

The axes and their parts shortly after their discovery

Part of an excavation of bronze axes and other artefacts from 3,300 years ago.

Thirteen-year-old Milly Hardwick

The young detectorist's best finds to date

Milly's mother believes her daughter will one day make a name for herself