Metal detectorist finds 1,200-year-old artifact from mysterious pagan cult. See it

While in the lowlands of the Czech Republic, a metal detectorist discovered a small, copper object on the ground. Close inspection revealed it was a buckle depicting a serpent devouring a frog-like creature.

The strange object was brought to the attention of European researchers, who assumed they had a one-of-a-kind artifact on their hands.

But, as it turned out, nearly identical buckles had been found throughout Central Europe. They belonged to members of a mysterious pagan cult, according to a Dec. 8 news release from the Czech Republic’s Masaryk University.

In total, four buckles — all depicting a serpent and a frog — were found in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Germany, researchers said.

The symbol of a serpent consuming a victim was a feature of multiple European cultures, including Germanic and Slavic mythology during the Middle Ages. It was once universally understood, researchers said, though its meaning has been lost over time.

Researchers associated the symbols on the buckles with a pre-Christian cult active in central Europe.

Upon analyzing the buckles, archaeologists determined they were produced by the Avars, a nomadic people, sometime during the 7th or 8th centuries A.D.

All four of the buckles were sourced from the mountains of Slovakia, where copper was mined. Further, even though they were found in distant locations, the buckles may have been fashioned in the same workshop, researchers said.

The discovery indicates that, during the Middle Ages, the peoples’ of central Europe had a communication network that stretched over vast distances.

Google Translate was used to translate a news release from Masaryk University.

This story was originally published December 15, 2023 at 5:31 PM with the headline "Metal detectorist finds 1,200-year-old artifact from mysterious pagan cult. See it."