Bronze Age statue caught by unsuspecting fisherman

When a Russian fisherman set his net in a riverbed, he expected to catch carp, but what he got instead was an ancient golden statue. Nikolay Tarasov, 43, was fishing in southern Russia when he felt his net get caught on a rock. When he pulled up his net, he saw the rock had a face.

Photos courtesy The Siberian Times

Tarasov brought the 12-inch golden figurine to a local museum where he was told it was more than 4,000 years old and likely a statue of a pagan god. Despite being told that it was worth its weight in gold, the humble fisherman gave the Bronze Age relic to the museum at no charge.

"To sell it and make profit? What are you talking about?," he asked The Siberian Times. "People should see it, and learn the history of their region. It was quite clearly precious for the museums of any country."

Not your average catch ... or your average fisherman