Extremely Rare Divination Spoon Found on Isle of Man was used for Prophecy
A 2,000 year old metal spoon has been found on the Isle of Man in the United Kingdom. Dating from the Iron Age, it is believed that this bronze spoon may be something very unusual.
It is thought that this is a so-called “divination spoon” used for telling the future. Only 28 such examples have ever been found worldwide, and this is the first found on the island.
The spoon was found by metal detectorist Rob Middleton on land owned by farmer David Anderson. It has a broad, flat bowl the shape of a strawberry, as well as spiral designs on the handle. Two of the engraved lines on the surface cross at the deepest point of the spoon, offering hints as to how this would have been used to see the future.
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Allison Fox, Curator for Archaeology for Manx National Heritage, explained how the spoon functioned: “The spoons are usually found in pairs, and it has been suggested that liquid of some form would have been poured into the spoon which has the cross, and whatever quarter it landed in would tell something about the future. The details of such ceremonies have been lost in the midst of time.”
The spoon has been dated to around 400-100 BC and is something of an unexpected discovery on the Isle of Man. Such spoons are rare, yes, but any Iron Age finds at all are unusual here. The spoon is first hand evidence of rituals amongst the prehistoric population here, something almost entirely mysterious and unknown to modern archaeology.
The spoon has been donated to the Manx National Collections cared for by Manx National Heritage at the Manx Museum on the Isle of Man. It is hoped it will be displayed in the near future.
Header Image: How the divination spoon functioned is not known, but it was believed to be used to see the future. Source: Manx National Heritage.
