A 15-year-old has made an incredible discovery while exploring a river in Dorset, England. He found the bone of a skull in the river bed, which is about 1400 years old.
Tom Read was exploring the river in a fishing suit when he spotted something strange in the water. He had received the suit a few days earlier for his birthday. Ever since he was three years old, his hobby has been looking for things in the ground and around. He shares his finds with the public on his Instagram account tom.finds.
When he pulled the object out of the water on this day last July, he was surprised himself:
“Of course I didn’t expect to find something like this on my first river exploration trip. At first I thought it was an old leather shoe – but when I looked closer I realized it was a skull.”
Tom’s mother first calls the police – the family is not clear whether it is an ancient or recent bone and whether a crime may have been committed. The officers examine the bone. They also consult researchers at Bournemouth University. Radiocarbon dating confirms that the skull dates from between 430 and 600 AD. During this period, Britain was ruled by the Anglo-Saxons, who ruled here after the fall of the Romans. It is not yet clear whether the bone will be part of an exhibition.
Video source: Wales Online