When the National Museum of Ireland received a parcel containing two ancient axe heads in June, its researchers were stumped. Besides an unsigned note from an anonymous sender, the artifacts came with no accompanying details about the find or contact information. But now, following a public appeal by the museum, the mysterious sender has come forward.
A farmer from County Westmeath named Thomas Dunne has revealed himself to be behind the baffling package. Speaking to the Irish Times, Dunne explained that he had stumbled on the artifacts by accident.
“I was cutting silage one day and a bit of metal fell off a mower,” he said. “We started looking for it then because we thought it might go into the silage harvester and break it up. So, I got a man with a metal detector to look for it and that’s how [the axe heads were] found. It was in the side of a field underneath a row of beech trees; there would have been ancient forts on the land around here.”
Upon study, the museum’s experts have determined the axe heads date to the Early Bronze Age, around 2150 to 2000 B.C.E., and could be of significance in illuminating Ireland’s ancient past. But, for a better understanding of the objects, researchers needed to know the exact location of their discovery.
“The context of such discoveries helps archaeologists piece together ancient settlement patterns and cultural practices,” said the museum in a statement appealing for more information. “For instance, hoards or collections of objects were often deliberately placed in specific locations for reasons that could range from ritualistic to supernatural.”
Dunne himself caught wind of the appeal after it had been in the news for a week. “It’s absolutely mad when you think about it,” he said, adding that the NMI was “horrid happy over this whole discovery.”
The National Museum of Ireland. Photo courtesy of the National Museum of Ireland.
According to the Irish Times, Dunne has since met the NMI’s researchers at the find spot, which has been logged and will be further studied.
“This field is for cutting silage for beef cattle,” said Dunne of the location. “The land has been in our family for the last 40 years; we bought it in 1983 from another farmer who had retired. It would make you think what was going on around here over the years, like these [axe heads] are 4,000 years old.”
Irish law prohibits the unauthorized use of metal detectors to hunt for archaeological finds, but Dunne will likely not face any charges, according to the Guardian. Any archaeological discoveries with no known owner are automatically the property of the state and need to be reported to the NMI or a local museum within four days, per the museum’s guidance.
“We are thrilled about the discovery of these Early Bronze Age axe heads,” said Matt Seaver, the assistant keeper of Irish antiquities at the museum. “The NMI’s role is to preserve these treasures for everyone in the State, ensuring they are available for future generations. We rely on the public’s support to achieve this.”
