Just an hour and a half into her first ever excavation, an American archaeology student has struck gold in Britain. Dating back to the ninth century, the small, ornate artifact she unearthed may have had a ceremonial purpose.

An archaeologist in training discovered a rare medieval gold object in northwestern England during her first excavation.

The Newcastle University student, Yara Souza, made the discovery during a recent excavation in Northumberland, UK, and was surprised by the object.