Digging in the Wrong Country

 

The Scotsman

Scottish Highlands

My recent enjoyment of dual timeline novels has involved two stories set in Scotland, a place I'd never given much thought to. Until now. Were I to consider travel again, the lush forests, high
mountains, and especially, castle ruins in Scotland are high on my list of places to visit.

This new fascination with early and medieval castles led me to search for YouTube videos of Scottish archaeology and castles. I also found a trove of archaeological videos produced by Britain’s Time Team. Oh, the finds waiting in the dirt! Time Team videos highlight relics from the iron age up to the 18th century. Imagine the excitement of such treasures and putting hard evidence together with written documents. I certainly can!

The Grouville (Jersey) Hoard.

There have been many stories of incredible archaeological finds by amateur metal detectorists as well. This hoard, for example, of more than 69,000 Iron Age and Roman coins found in the UK.

 

And even more impressive are the Sutton Hoo finds, also found in the UK, which consist of more than coins and jewelry. Below is a 6th - 7th century iron sword found there.

British Museum

Source

As a child I loved looking for fossils. So much so that recess often found me scraping through the dirt on a steep slope at my elementary school. I had success too. Though, my finds consisted only of tiny fossils like these crinoids. Not as impressive as Roman relics. 😏

No matter where I dig in the US, it's highly unlikely I'll ever come across a Roman coin. Though I'm searching in the wrong country if I long to uncover such exciting finds, perhaps one day I'll have the chance to visit magnificent ruins.