A metal detectorist searching private land on the Isle of Man has uncovered a rare bronze spoon that experts believe may have been used by an Iron Age shaman to tell the future.
The spoon, which is shaped almost like a strawberry, is one of only 28 that have been found in Europe and dates back to 400 to 100 B.C.
“Although it sounds rather plain because we call it a spoon, it really is an unusual find illustrating potential ritual activity taking place on the Isle of Man,” Allison Fox, curator of archaeology at Manx National Heritage, said in a Feb. 10 statement.
Experts are unsure exactly what these spoons were used for, however. The bowl of the utensil is engraved with two lines that form a cross at the bottom, separating the bowl into four quadrants.
“It has been suggested that liquid of some form would have been poured into the spoon which has the cross, and whatever quarter it landed in would tell something about the future,” Fox said.
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Similar ritual spoons have been found in Britain, Ireland and France.
The British Museum has several of these metal spoons, which are often found in pairs — one with an incised cross and one with a small hole. A liquid such as water, beer or even blood may have been dripped from the spoon with the hole into the cross-hatched spoon. According to the British Museum, the fact that many spoons were found in graves may suggest they were personal items rather than part of the funeral ceremony.
The newly found spoon is the first of its kind to be found on the Isle of Man, according to Fox, and “this find in particular puts the Isle of Man firmly on the map of Iron Age ritual.”
The detectorist and the landowner have donated the bronze spoon to Manx National Collections. It is now on display at the House of Manannan, a museum on the west coast of the island.
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