Amateur treasure hunter discovers history-changing crucifix

'Since I cleared the mud and saw the jewelry, I have not been able to think of anything else.'

Dennis Fabricius Holm, an amateur treasure hunter, discovered a priceless piece that holds the potential to rewrite Denmark's religious history.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - While walking with his metal detector in a field near Aunslev, Østfyn, Holm discovered a small golden crucifix that can change what we know of Denmark's religious history.

"I got off early on Friday, so I took just a few hours, I went around with my metal detector and then I came suddenly on something," Hold told DK.

As translated by the Independent, Holm continued. "Since I cleared the mud and saw the jewellery [sic], I have not been able to think of anything else."

He posted the image to one of his social media accounts, where other users suggested he take the piece to a museum for appraisal.

When he took it to the Østfyns Museum, Malene Refshauge Beck, the museum's curator and archaeologist, described it as "an absolutely sensational discovery that is from the first half of the 900s [10th century]. There is found an almost identical figure in Sweden, which has been dated to just this period."

Though the figure discovered in Sweden is quite worn, the one Holm discovered was in remarkable condition and is considered one of the most well-preserved Christian artifacts ever to be discovered in Denmark.

The crucifix weighs 13.2 grams and is 4.1 cm long. It was made of fine gold threads and filigree pellets, which are finely woven circles. A small circle at the top of the figure and its smooth backing indicates it was once worn as a woman's necklace - more specifically, a Viking woman.

Prior to the item's discovery, Christianity was believed to have reached the Vikings near the end of 1050.

Beck stated, "The figure can therefore help to advance the time when one considers that the Danes really were Christians. Simply because one can say that the person who carried it here no doubt embraced the Christian faith.

"This is a subject that certainly will have to appear in the history books in the future. In recent years, there has been more and more signs that Christianity was widespread earlier than previously thought - and here the clearest evidence so far."

Since the crucifix's discovery, Holm described his excitement at being responsible for such a find.

"I've hardly slept," he explained. "It has been very overwhelming. I have not yet grasped that find's influence on Denmark's history. It is hard to comprehend."

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