Historic 1,000-year-old Viking treasure found

An amateur treasure hunter stumbled upon a trove of 1,000-year-old Viking treasures in Scotland.

47-year-old Derek McLennan, a retired businessman, located what many are calling the most significant Viking treasure in the country's history; the items date back to the ninth or tenth century.

Amongst the more than one hundred gold and silver objects is an early Christian silver cross, which experts say contains highly unusual engravings that may represent the four Gospels in the Bible: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John -- but even more impressive is a large silver pot.

McLennan told the Daily Mail, "We still don't know exactly what is in the pot, but I hope it could reveal who these artifacts belonged to, or at least where they came from."

The novice treasure hunter made the discovery on Church of Scotland land, though the exact location is being withheld, so the belongings are theirs. However, under Scottish common law, the find is in the care of the Treasure Trove Unit.

A spokesperson for the Unit said, "Experts have begun to examine the finds, but it is already clear that this is one of the most significant viking hoards ever discovered in Scotland."

The Church of Scotland has agreed to give McLennan some sort of finder's fee for his part of the historic discovery.

Also on AOL:
Blind man sees for the first time years thanks to bionic eye
Two toddlers injured after bouncy house flew 50-60 feet
Lifeguards rescue three trapped swimmers from sea cave