Archaeologists discover ‘first evidence’ of £15billion treasure trove

Amateur archaeologists hunting an undiscovered treasure trove said to be worth £15billion say they have discovered the first evidence it exists - an ancient axe.

The discovery of the axe is said to “very strongly support” the possibility that the fabled ‘Lemminkäinen Temple’, and the priceless hoard it is thought to contain, is real.

According to Scandinavian folklore, the Temple lies in the bowels of a Finnish cave near Helsinki and is home to generations of pagan riches. It is said to hold gemstones, gold, and rare antiquities with a conservative value of at least £15billion.

The cave’s entrance and limestone passageways are said to have been filled with mud and clay in the Middle Ages to protect the Temple from Christian crusaders.

Proof of its existence has been elusive, however a group of 12 “stony broke” friends could now be on the verge of hitting the jackpot after finding the axe head inside the mouth of the cave.

The tool is thought to be around 1,000 years old and its anatomy is said to “perfectly reflect the type of axes used by Vikings in that period of history”. The location the axe was found in is also said to lend “firm weight” to the notion that the cave was purposefully filled-in by hand and not by the natural build-up of silt over the centuries.

The friends, dubbed the ‘Temple Twelve’, have no archaeological training but have spent the last 37 years removing mud and rock from the cave in the hope of accessing its main chamber and striking lucky. If the axe head leads to the discovery of the hoard, each of the twelve members, who have not yet made a penny from their toils, could pocket up to £1.25billion.