In Norway, a metal detector finds a Byzantine gold coin with the "face of Jesus" (photo)

A metal detectorist came across an incredible find while exploring the mountains in southern Norway – a thousand-year-old gold coin with the image of Jesus Christ.

On one side of the coin is Jesus Christ, and on the other side are two Byzantine emperors, Basil II and Constantine VII, who ruled at the time, Live Science writes.

The coin, known as the "histamenon nomisma," was put into circulation around 960. It is a testament to how far the trade and influence of the Byzantine Empire reached.

Archaeologists date the coin to 977-1025, based on three dotted lines surrounding its border, as well as two inscriptions.

The first inscription, in Latin, reads: "Jesus Christ, King of those who reign," and the second, in Greek, reads "Basil and Constantine, Emperors of Rome." Scientists do not know how the coin ended up on the mountainside.

One theory is that it may have belonged to Harald Gardrada, a Norwegian king who served as a bodyguard for the Byzantine emperor. According to custom, the guards could "plunder the palace after the emperor's death," so the coin could have been part of Harald III's dowry.

Another theory is that the coin was used as a form of trade.

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