Archeologists identify 4,000-year-old shaman's toolkit near Stonehenge

Artifacts found in the Upton Lovell G2a Bronze Age burial displayed in the Wiltshire museum in Devizes, England. (Journal of Antiquity)

After being discovered nearly two centuries ago, archeologists have determined mysterious items found at a burial site are part of the toolkit of a shaman, who is said to have made countless gold treasures 4,000 years ago."

The spiritual leader and goldsmith's toolkit was identified by archeologists at the University of Leicester after researchers pinpointed residues of gold found on the artifacts.

Found in Upton Lovell, Wiltshire, in 1801, the toolkit included five stone hammer-like tools and polished stones, all of which contained shiny traces of gold. In a study released in the Journal of Antiquity on Friday, the researchers say the artifacts were used to make objects of wood or copper, which were then decorated with a thin gold sheet.

"What our work has revealed is the humble stone toolkit that was used to make gold objects thousands of years ago," said lead author Rachel Crellin in a statement.

The toolkit was found in an ancient burial site near Stonehenge, which dates back to the Bronze Age between 1850 and 1700 BC. According to the Wiltshire museum in Devizes, England, two individuals, including a shaman, were found in the Upton Lovell G2a Bronze Age burial.

Named the "Upton Lovell Shaman," this metalworker and religious leader was buried with an elaborate costume made of animal bones and is considered one of the few people during the Bronze Age to have mastered metalworking. Next to him, a woman was found in the burial, wearing a necklace of shale beads and an arm ring. The place in which they were buried led towards Stonehenge and researchers believe it was likely the route many traders would take, which is why so many rare and raw artifacts have been found at the English monument.

"The man buried at Upton Lovell, close to Stonehenge, was a highly skilled craftsman, who specialized in making gold objects," Lisa Brown, curator at the Wiltshire Museum, said in a statement. "New research like this is invaluable in helping the museum to tell Wiltshire's ever-evolving story."

Using a scanning electron microscope attached to an energy dispersive spectrometer, which is a type of X-ray analysis, the archeologists were able to determine whether the residue was indeed gold and if it was ancient or modern.

In the early 2000s, research by University of Cambridge professor Colin Shell first identified the possible traces of gold on the tools, however it wasn't until these recent findings that experts were able to determine the remnants on four additional stone artifacts and exactly how ancient they are.