School boys find 4,300-yr-old golden ornament in Britain

Four primary school boys have unearthed a 4,300-year-old golden object in an archaeological dig in Britain, a media report said Tuesday.

The pupils of a Cumbria-based primary school took part in a dig in Northumberland in northern England and found the ancient golden hair ornament from the Copper Age, The Independent reported.

The "intricate hair tress" dates back to around 2300 B.C. and originally came in a matching pair whose other part was found in Kirkaugh village in the region during an excavation in 1935.

The hair ornament is believed to be one of the earliest metal objects found in Britain and this is the 10th time that such an object has been found.

Experts believe that the item, which is 1.3 inches long, could have been worn by a metal worker who was in search of gold and copper.

Joseph Bell, one of the boys who discovered it said: "We were digging carefully in the ground and I saw something shiny, it was gold. Me and Luca started dancing with joy. It was very exciting."

Eight-year-old Luca Alderson said he felt excited on finding the item, but thought it was a plastic one.

The ancient ornament has been found in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

"All archaeological sites are important in their own way, but this is exceptional," said Paul Frodsham of the AONB Partnership.

North Pennines is the northernmost section of the Pennine range of hills which runs north-south through northern England.

"It can be regarded as marking the very start of mineral exploitation in the North Pennines, leading in due course to Roman exploitation of lead and silver, and eventually to the vast post-medieval lead industry for which the region is internationally famous," Frodsman added.