A lady and her teenage daughter entered a field in northern Norway equipped with metal detectors. Even though they weren't looking for anything in particular, they managed to find a Viking-era item.

The girl and her mother were searching a field in Bolsøya with archaeologists when she unearthed part of a Viking-era artifact, photos show. Photo from the Møre og Romsdal County Municipality

According to a May 24 2023 news release from the Mre og Romsdal County Municipality, junior high student Eline Hauge and her mother Hanna were working with qualified archaeologists to explore a location in Bolsya.

Something buried below was detected by Eline's metal detector, which started to beep. She discovered a tarnished iron fragment by sifting through the dirt, according to the press statement. The brown rectangular artifact is visible in photos.

Eline Hauge holding the iron ax fragment. Photo from the Møre og Romsdal County Municipality

Archaeologists determined the object to be a piece of a hollow ax from the Viking Age. The announcement stated that the fragment's age is uncertain and that it might have been created more recently.

According to the announcement, Eline told officials that it was a dream day. She also expressed her happiness at taking part in the excavation to officials.

Eline Hauge searches the ground with a small metal detecting tool. Photo from the Møre og Romsdal County Municipality

According to the press release, archaeologists are excavating the area to create a trench and install a power connection. So far, rusted nails, rivets, a nearly 150-year-old Swedish coin, and a musket ball from the 18th or 19th century have been discovered.

Located around 290 miles northeast of Oslo in the Mre og Romsdal region is a little island called Bolsya.