'I nearly fell out of my chair': 1,800-year-old mini portrait of Alexander the Great found in a field in Denmark

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Jennifer Nalewicki is a Salt Lake City-based journalist whose work has been featured in The New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, Scientific American, Popular Mechanics and more. She covers several science topics from planet Earth to paleontology and archaeology to health and culture. Prior to freelancing, Jennifer held an Editor role at Time Inc.

Metal detectorists have unearthed a miniature bronze portrait of Alexander the Great on an island in Denmark.

The bronze fitting, known as a bracket, measures approximately 1 inch in diameter, is cast of bronze alloy and includes an engraved portrait of a wavy-haired man wearing a crown of twisted ram horns, according to a statement from Museum West Zealand. The piece"has the typical attributes of Alexander the Great, such as his distinct, wavy hair and ram horns," Freerk Oldenburger, an archaeologist at Museum West Zealand, told Live Science."The image is almost identical to another bracket portrait found years ago that contains the same stylized image."That piece, also a metal bracket, was found by a different group of archaeologists in Jutland, Denmark.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over."It's quite a remarkable piece," Oldenburger said."When it showed up on my desk, I nearly fell out of my chair because it's almost the exact same portrait as the other, but this one is a little more coarse and is made of cast bronze and not gilded silver.

 

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