Florida student unearths incredible 1,200-year-old treasure on her first dig

A Florida archaeology student discovered a rare piece of ninth-century gold during her first ever dig.

Yara Souza, from Orlando, unearthed the medieval medal during an Newcastle University excavation in Redesdale, Northumberland, England in July.

She discovered the decorative ancient object within the first 90 minutes of the group dig, according to the university.

'I couldn't believe I'd found something so quickly into my first ever excavation. It was actually quite overwhelming,' Souza said.

The gold object, which dates back to the 800s, is approximately one and a half inches long and has a decorative ornament on one end.

She discovered the rare find at a spot close to the route of Dere Street, a major Roman road which ran between York and Edinburgh, according to the university.

The route continued to be used long after the fall of the Roman empire and eventually became a part of a major road in England - the A68 - which runs from Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, to the North East of England.

Experts involved in the dig believe the object could have had a religious or ceremonial use because gold was high status and only used by the elite, and Dere Street connected two major religious centers.

'This is an exciting find of exceptional quality and I'm delighted for Yara that she has made this discovery at the beginning of her career as an archaeologist,' said James Gerrard, Professor of Roman Archaeology at Newcastle University and Souza's tutor

'We know that Dere Street continued to be a major thoroughfare long after the Romans and it's clear from this discovery that high status people were using it. It is possible that this pair of objects may have been deliberately buried.'

Souza is studying archaeology at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom, and had to miss the excavation program at Birdoswald Roman fort last year due to an illness.

'After I'd had to miss Birdoswald last year, it was amazing to discover something that hasn't been seen for more than a thousand years, I was really geeking out over it,' the student said.

In June, archaeologist discovered a massive 2,000-year-old leather shoe belonging to a Roman soldier in Britain.

The hefty leather sole measures 12.6 inches from toe to heel - the equivalent of a modern men's size UK 13/US 14.

The archaeologists who found it said the discovery 'drew impressed gasps' as it was pulled from the ground.

The shoe was found in the grounds of Magna, a Roman fort built along Hadrian's Wall around 112 AD.

It was found alongside two others inside an 'ankle breaker' trench, a vicious trap consisting of a narrow, deep trench that would be almost invisible to approaching soldiers.