Small pyramid-shaped metal artifact unearthed in Norfolk, England

CAIRO – 25 August 2021: Archaeologists in England have discovered a small pyramid-shaped metal artifact that may have been used by an elite warrior in the ancient ages in Norfolk.

The height of the 1,400-year-old metal pyramid is about 0.24 inches (6 mm) and its length is 0.47 inches (12 mm).

“There is no archaeological site related to the discovery, as the area in which the pyramid was discovered has no traces. It seems that it was lost randomly from its owner hundreds of years ago in an unknown place, and was not buried," said Helen Jake, National Discovery Adviser at the Portable Archeology Project (PAS), which is run by the British Museum and the National Gallery of Wales.

The metal pyramid was discovered by a metal detector. Prospectors in Britain are encouraged to use metal detectors - and in some cases are required to report the artifacts discovered.

The newly discovered sword pyramid consists of gold and agate stones that may have come from India or Sri Lanka, and may have reached England via distant trade routes.

The sword pyramids are "rather rare finds," Eleanor Blakelock, a researcher at University College London's Institute of Archeology and expert in historical mineralogy, told Live Science in an email.

Sword pyramids like this one have also been found in Sutton Hoo Cemetery, which roughly dates back to the same time period.

Researchers have suggested many possible uses for these sword pyramids. "In the tombs, the sword pyramids are always at the top of the scabbard," Jake said, while one theory suggests that it served as a symbol calling for peace.