The study of archeology consistently brings the modern world new information about long-ago times — but what about those who just do it for fun?

Well, they might strike it big, too.

An amateur metal detector enthusiast in Denmark has done just that.

Dennis Fabricius Holm was doing what he loved when he discovered an important piece of Christian history — a Birka crucifix pendant.

“I got off early on Friday, so I took just a few hours. I went around with my metal detector and then I came suddenly on something,” Holm told DK, a publication in Denmark. “(Ever) since I cleared the mud and saw the jewelry, I have not been able to think of anything else.”

The small gold cross dates back to 900-950, before historians knew Christianity had even spread to Denmark.

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Holm brought the discovery to a museum. Malene Refshauge Beck, a expert at the Østfyns Museum, confirmed, “It is an absolutely sensational discovery that is from the first half of the 900s (10th century).”

She went on to describe a similar discovery: “There is found an almost identical figure in Sweden, which has been dated to just this period.”

“The figure can therefore help to advance the time when one considers that the Danes really were Christians … simply because one can say that the person who carried it here no doubt embraced the Christian faith,” said Beck.

Holm is ecstatic, of course, because of his role in the discovery of this vital piece of history. “I’ve hardly slept!” Holm told TV2/Fyn, a news station in Denmark. “It has been very overwhelming. I have not yet grasped that find’s influence on Denmark’s history. It is hard to comprehend.”

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The crucifix is speculated to have belonged to a Viking woman. It is extremely significant because of how well preserved it has remained throughout the ages.

“This is a subject that certainly will have to appear in the history books in the future,” Beck explained, confirming the historical significance. “In recent years there has been more and more signs that Christianity was widespread earlier than previously thought — and here the clearest evidence so far.”

The exciting finding proves Christianity did exist prior to the Jelling Stones, the two large stones with the image of Jesus on the Cross carved into them.

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These stones are dated to 965 A.D. and were previously acknowledged as the oldest evidence of Christianity in Denmark. They are known historically as the confirmation of the conversion of the Danes to Christianity through their leader Harald Bluetooth’s acceptance of the faith.

This new discovery could prove that most of the Danish people were Christians before the previously accepted date: 1050 A.D.