Family finds 1,200-year-old Viking treasure while searching for a lost earring in their garden

A family in Norway got much more than they bargained for when they headed into their garden to look for a lost gold earring.

The Aasvik family decided to get out their metal detector to track down the lost item of jewellery at their home on the small island of Jomfruland.

When they approached a large tree, the device indicated it had found something, so the family started digging.

To their surprise, they unveiled several Viking artefacts including a bowl-shaped buckle and two bronze brooches that were once covered in gold.

Officials took to Facebook to praise the family for telling them about the rare discovery.

"We congratulate the family who found the first safe Viking-time find at Jomfruland," the Cultural Heritage of Vestfold and Telemark County Council wrote.

The family discovered two bronze brooches that were once covered in goldVestfold and Telemark County Council

The brooches were said to be in "pretty good condition compared to most metal-detecting finds we get," archaeologist Vibeke Lia told Live Science. It is suggested that this is because the land remained intact as it was never used for farming.

Lia added that the "next step is to assess whether this site is in danger of deterioration," adding: "If it’s safe there, then it will probably not be dug but preserved where it is."

The newfound discovery hints that Vikings once lived on the island – and this isn't the first time artefacts have been found in the area.

On the southwestern part of Jomfruland, researchers previously uncovered piles of loose rock known as cairns, with suspicions that Vikings had created them to claim the land. However, such claims have not been fully confirmed.

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