Treasure hunter stumbles upon ‘2,000-year-old’ Roman jewelry on beach

A man could hardly contain his excitement after finding 2,000-year-old jewelry on a beach that he suspected others mistook for rubbish.

Lukus Merriman shared a clip with his TikTok account @thegrimbleeper showing off the Roman treasure.

The clip posted on Sunday said in the on-screen captions: “2,000-year-old jewelry.”

The 40-year-old suspected that the bronze object was a fibula, some kind of brooch or some kind of antique safety pin.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the fibula was originally used to fasten garments in Greek and Roman clothing. The Roman conquests spread its use and it became the basis for more complicated brooches.

Merriman claimed he had only found three fibulae before, but none compared to his most recent find.

He said news week: “It is rare to find one in this condition, usually there is no spring attached, or the pin is missing, or they are broken in half.

“I’ve been a metal detector for about nine years and found three, they were all broken. I’ve never had anything like this condition. I just couldn’t believe it. It’s a hobby of mine, it’s my passion.

“When people literally walked past it they didn’t know what it was, probably thought it was some junk on the beach, they just kept walking.

“For me it is priceless. But it’s probably worth £100 [$134] or £150 [$201]. It’s bronze, it comes in gold and silver, fetching thousands of pounds.”

Merriman has been scouring much of the UK for treasure with his metal detector, his hobby for almost a decade, when he revealed the find was made in Kent on the south coast.

Photo of the relic of Lukus Merriman found. The 40-year-old claims to have found Roman jewelry on the beach.
Luke Merriman

Merriman, who also shares his finds on his YouTube account TheGrimBleeper, announced that he discovered the relic near an ancient villa known as the Folkestone Roman Villa.

“The style of the brooch is from the early 1st century and the Roman villa is from AD 75,” he said.

He added: “No doubt it came from the villa, Roman coins have washed up on the beach before.

“There were reports of gold coins there, as well as bronze and silver coins. I’ve found some bronze coins, but they’re in really bad shape.”

The official Kent County Council website explains that the site is in a pre-Roman cemetery and contains the remains of a bathhouse.

The villa and buildings date from the second half of the first century AD and appear to have been inhabited until about 386 AD.

And while it says “the villa was first uncovered by cliff erosion in 1923”, part of the site was “completely destroyed by cliff falls”.

Since the video, titled “2,000-year-old relic on the beach,” was posted, it has been seen by more than 200,000 people, amazed by the ancient treasure.

Angrylilcinnamonroll commented, “I literally would have thought it was junk just a broken awl.”

WillDanceForCash gushed, “Incredible! I’ve never seen one that good before.”

Donewiththelies commented: “Love it. Treasure hunters are the best!!!! I love it.”

Snowflake Melter admitted, “I would have walked over it and thought it was trash lol.”

Caroline thought, “Wow!! I wouldn’t have known what it was! cool Congratulations!

Bella Conte advised, “I wouldn’t sell it. It’s not enough money to change your life and it’s a cool relic to share with friends.”

While MavenBlue wrote, “To find something like this that hasn’t been treated since its owner lost it 2000 years ago is pure magic. Buying one on eBay is far from the same.”

Merriman announced that there is a process to follow once relics have been unearthed, as the item will now be appraised by a museum, which will decide whether to return it or display it.

“I think I’d like to keep this one,” he added.

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