A treasure hunter unearthed a 1,000-year-old gold pendant near the castle made famous by “Downton Abbey.” Experts believe the rare artifact may symbolize the “Hand of God.”

A metal detectorist recently unearthed a 1,000-year-old gold pendant during a treasure search — and experts believe it may represent the “Hand of God.”

Nick Berry, a 58-year-old father of two from Northampton, England, was recently metal detecting on farmland in Ashmansworth, a village in Hampshire, England, when he made the discovery, according to Bournemouth News and Picture Service (BNPS).

The farmland is close to Highclere Castle, the 19th-century mansion best known as the filming location for the TV series “Downton Abbey.”

MAN SEARCHING WITH METAL DETECTOR UNEARTHS MASSIVE VIKING AGE FORTUNE, SHATTERING RECORDS

Berry said the artifact was in nearly pristine condition after he brushed away the mud.

“There were three of us searching, and I was in the middle,” Berry told the news agency. “I got a really good signal. I dug down and looked into the hole and saw straight away the glint of gold.”

Nick Berry, shown above, of Northampton, England, discovered a 1,000-year-old gold pendant while searching farmland in Hampshire. (Bournemouth News and Picture Service)

The hobbyist said he had a “really strange feeling and felt quite emotional” as he pulled it out of the ground.

“I just stared at it. I knew straight away it was something very different and could tell it was Anglo-Saxon,” he said.

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“I have been metal detecting for over 30 years and have never seen anything like it. And everyone I have spoken to about it has said the same.”

The artifact is believed to date to the ninth or 10th century. It may have been worn as a necklace pendant by a wealthy or high-status individual, according to BNPS.

An unusual gold pendant just discovered has been linked to religious imagery appearing on late Saxon and Viking-era silver coins. (Bournemouth News and Picture Service)

Photos reveal the gleaming, hand-shaped artifact with several small indentations on its surface.

“The hand has always had a strong symbolic meaning, like when you shake hands to show the other person you haven’t got a weapon in your hand,” Berry said.

PUZZLING SOUND IN BACKYARD LEADS HOMEOWNER TO MASSIVE 1,000-YEAR-OLD TREASURE

來源：福斯新聞