A gleaming gold necklace.
(Photo: Museo Arqueologico de Asturias)
TheCeltswere an Iron Age culture spread across northern and western Europe.
Powerful tribes ruled swaths of land in Spain, among other regions.
A gleaming gold necklace. (Photo: Museo Arqueológico de Asturias)
Known for intricate stonework designs and stunning gold jewelry, the Celts were a powerful artistic and military presence.
The worker, Sergio Marciandi, spotted a flash of gold among rocks.
It turned out to be a twisted gold choker.
One of the engraved torcs. (Photo: Museo Arqueológico de Asturias)
The necklace has been exposed through time after likely being buried by its ancient owner in atreasure hoard.
Recent rockslides may have exposed it after centuries.
Marciandi alerted Pablo Arias, an archaeologist at the University of Cantabria, to the find.
Arias and researchers from the Asturias Archaeological Museum excavated the site, discovering another necklace.
The latter was broken, but nearly as impressive as the first.
Both torcs demonstrate clear evidence of wear by their ancient owners based on rub patterns on the metal.
They can also be compared to discoveries in the region centuries ago where provenance was not properly recorded.
We have very precise information about where they were found, notes Arias.
One of the engraved torcs.
