LONDON, England (Reuters) -- A man landscaping his garden in eastern England has unearthed a major hoard of tools and weapons dating back nearly 3,000 years, an archaeologist revealed on Tuesday.

The hoard is among the largest finds in Britain from the late Bronze Age, consisting of 145 items including spear and axe heads, swords and metal working tools.

"This is one of the biggest late Bronze Age hoards ever found in Norfolk and is up there among the major finds in Britain," said Alan West, curator of archaeology at Norwich Museum some 100 miles northeast of London.

"The items are in good condition and this find is another significant piece in the Bronze Age jigsaw adding to our knowledge of the period," he told Reuters.

Included among the items is a Viking brooch, and West said it was unusual to find buried items together dating from different periods...