I began history hunting when I was four years old, and it all started from watching Indiana Jones.

I used to go fossil hunting, searching my family’s farm for relics. Of course, the relics I found back then were mostly fossilized seashells or oddly shaped stones, but it was during that time that my pᴀssion for uncovering history was really forged.

I got my first metal detector when I was 12 years old from my grandma, and from then on, my love for history—and particularly Roman history—took hold.

We have a Roman road that runs right by our farm in Suffolk, and I used to detect along there. I would imagine Roman soldiers walking down that road, which made it feel like I was stepping into the past.

I work for my family’s butchery company, but metal detecting and history hunting has always been my true pᴀssion.

I found my first Roman coin when I was 16. It was a sestertius of Marcus Aurelius. Finding that coin was a magical moment.

I had found it near a pond, or more accurately, a type of spring, which is interesting because later I would discover that springs have a connection to many ancient Roman hoards, such as the Helmingham Hall hoard that I first discovered back in 2019.

That discovery of the Roman hoard at Helmingham Hall in Suffolk, England, has been one of the most wonderful journeys of my life. To think that I love Roman history and then to go on and find the largest hoard of its kind ever discovered in Britain is beyond magical.

One of the coins in the hoard was a gold aureus of Claudius, the very emperor who led the invasion of Britain. That connection made the find even more special. It’s heavy and a beautiful coin, and has been acquired by the museum in nearby Ipswich.

It would have been quite valuable at the time, the equivalent of us carrying around a coin or dollar bill worth hundreds today.

The earliest coin in the hoard dates to 206 BC, during the Roman Republic, and the latest is from the reign of Claudius, around 46-47 AD.

When I found the hoard, per the law, I declared it as treasure. Through the treasure process, museums are given the opportunity to buy the coins first, and they acquired 68 of them. The rest were turned back over to me and the landowner.

We put them to auction and they were given an original valuation of £75,000 ($100,000). But they actually went for just over £132,000 ($176,000). That just shows the level of interest in Roman history. The Roman Empire is a big topic at the moment.

For me, that’s what it’s all about: To be able to add to historical knowledge.

You do have to know what you’re looking at, though. I found a beautiful Roman quern-stone—a grindstone for food like grain—wedged into a bank, which made me think a farmer had probably thought it was just a big stone and tossed it to the side.

To be a successful detectorist, you need to do the research so you can put together the clues that you find.

I’ll never stop detecting. Who knows what will come next? Perhaps an Anglo-Saxon hoard is in my future. We live close to Sutton Hoo and its famous ship burial.

All I know is that I’ll keep searching because every find brings me closer to history, and that’s why I do it.

George Ridgway is a detectorist and history hunter who discovered Britain’s largest early-Roman hoard. You can follow him on Instagram at @george.historyhunter and his podcast @TheLandRovers.

All views expressed are the author’s own.

As told to Shane Croucher.

Do you have a unique experience or personal story to share? See our Reader Submissions Guide and then email the My Turn team at [email protected].