AN ANCIENT statuette abandoned in a margarine tub after being unearthed in a farmer's field could now fetch a five-figure sum.

The figure of Roman goddess Minerva was rediscovered languishing in the container by a hobbying metal detectorist.

The Romano-British statuette of Minerva had been found in the farmer's field in Hailey, near Witney, a decade earlier but was rejected as a fake.

It was left with the farmer who placed it in the tub until Len Jackman, 66, saw the treasure depicting the Roman goddess of wisdom and asked if he could investigate further.

Mr Jackman took the statuette to Oxfordshire finds liaison officer Anni Byard.

He said: "It was in this margarine tub, in a room by the kitchen.

“I thought it was something. I was going to get my own finds valued, and he said ‘you might as well take that as well’. I said ‘I think you’ll be getting a phone call’.

“You could see it was Roman. You could tell by the weight.

“There is a thrill. When you’ve found something, you could be the first person to hold something in thousands of years.”

The figurine, which was displayed at the launch on Tuesday of the annual report of the British Museum's portable antiquities scheme, will now be valued and offered to a museum.

Under the terms of the scheme, which encourages people to report treasure finds, a possible five-figure sum will be shared between the landowner and the detectorist who found the statuette in the first place.

Ms Byard said: "I knew it was Roman, knew it was Minerva and knew it was pretty special. You do not see these very often."

Paul Booth, senior project manager at Oxford Archaeology, said it was possible the figurine was part of a settlement shrine in the area dating from the first to second century.

A number of significant Roman sites have been discovered in Oxfordshire, including the remains of a villa in North Leigh featuring mosaic floors.

A small army of hobbyists have been uncovering treasures – 1,267 treasure finds in 2017 – have been praised for increasing the nation’s knowledge of the past.

A total of 78,000 archaeological items, some classified as treasure, were logged last year alone – and 93 per cent of these were found by metal detectorists.

The thrill has driven 1.5 per cent of the UK population to take part in metal detecting, according to arts minister Michael Ellis.

Mr Ellis welcomed their work and announced that a consultation would take place on how to accommodate the increasing numbers of antiquities being unearthed by a growing number of enthusiasts.

Speaking at the British Museum, he said: “The Roman statue of Minerva found in a food container - it was found by knowledge. That expertise has enriched us all."

Last month five items were declared treasure by Oxford Coroner's Court after being uncovered by metal detectorists across Oxfordshire.

One of the most significant finds was a silver Roman ring adorned with an intaglio of a small eagle and thought to date from as early as AD43.

Coroner Darren Salter said the eagle could be identified with a wing outstretched and its head made to look over its back.

It was found in Leafield, near Witney, on September 16, 2017, by Frenchman Frederick Preau while he was metal detecting as part of a large rally which also found 500 other objects.