A self-taught archaeologist dug up an entire Anglo-Saxon ship of gold

In 1939, excavator Basil Brown, hired by a landowner to investigate burial mounds in Suffolk, uncovered the ghostly imprint of a 27-metre wooden ship buried in sand. Inside lay an undisturbed royal burial chamber packed with gold jewellery, a ceremonial helmet, and Byzantine silver, dated to the early 7th century. It remains one of the richest and most important Anglo-Saxon archaeological finds ever made in Britain.

— Wikipedia contributors, Sutton Hoo — Wikipedia, 'Sutton Hoo' article