A routine dog walk in western England turned into a Bronze Age find.

Forestry England said a dog walker named John found an ancient axe head in the Forest of Dean, near the border with Wales, after spotting it among the roots of a fallen tree in woodland near Brierley.

“The find was quickly reported to Forestry England, who manage the woodland,” the agency said in a press release. “The object was handed over for recording and investigation.”

The agency said the axe dates to Britain’s Middle Bronze Age, from roughly 1500 to 1200 B.C., making it likely at least 3,000 years old.

Kayleigh Spring, an objects conservator at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Center, identified it as a palstave axe.

“It is made from a copper alloy most likely bronze, a mix of copper and tin,” Spring said in a statement. “This tool was originally cast in molds.”

Spring said palstave axes were designed with a side loop so they could be securely attached to a wooden handle.

“By the Middle Bronze Age, two-part molds allowed for more sophisticated designs like this one,” she said. “After confirming it tested negative for chloride ions, we carefully removed soil and corrosion under magnification and applied Incralac to protect the pitted blade and minimize future corrosion while on display.”

After analysis, the axe was sent to the Dean Heritage Center in Soudley, Gloucestershire.

Leoni Dawson, a community ranger for Forestry England, said the find “help[s] us connect with the people who lived and worked in these landscapes long before us.”

“It’s incredible to think that tools like this have survived for thousands of years, hidden beneath our feet,” Dawson said.

A Forestry England spokesperson said finds like this are unusual, but not unheard of.

“The Forest of Dean is one of England’s largest ancient forests, shaped by centuries of history, industry and natural beauty,” the spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “Finds like this, though rare, do happen.”

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