2 articles: "Unearthed after 1,400 years: Amateur treasure hunter finds haul of Anglo-Saxon gold" and "Largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon treasure found in UK"
Posted by kluciole at 9/24/2009 11:18 AM 
Categories: International, Science, news, Cultures, Photography, Art, History
Categories: International, Science, news, Cultures, Photography, Art, History
Historic haul: This beautifully intricate metalwork is part of an Anglo-Saxon helmet
Unearthed after 1,400 years: Amateur treasure hunter finds 'seven figure' haul of Anglo-Saxon gold
24th September 2009
24th September 2009
The largest haul of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found has been discovered by a metal detector enthusiast on farmland in Staffordshire, it was revealed today.
Experts say the hoard, which is at least as significant as any other treasure from the Anglo-Saxon era ever unearthed, is worth millions and could have belonged to a king.
The discovery of at least 1,345 different items, thought to date back to the seventh century, is expected to redefine perceptions of the period.
Terry Herbert, from Burntwood, Staffordshire, came across the collection as he searched a field near his home with his trusty 14-year-old detector and is now in line for a seven-figure sum.
It had been hidden for more than 1,300 years but was recently thrown up by ploughing and amazingly, some was just sitting on the top of the ground.
'The Folded Cross' (l) which formed part of the find, and (r) an artist's impression of how it would have looked originally. The fact such a prominent Christian symbol was bent could be a sign it was buried by pagans
Discovery of a lifetime: Metal detecting fan Terry Herbert found the amazing haul in a Staffordshire field
Experts have already examined the 1,345 items but another 56 clods of earth have been X-rayed and are known to hold more metal artefacts, meaning the figure is likely to rise to around 1,500.
At least 650 are gold, weighing more than than 5kg, and another 530 are silver, weighing around 1kg. This is far bigger than previous finds - including the Sutton Hoo burial site in Suffolk.
Many of the items in the hoard are warfare paraphernalia inlaid with precious stones, including sword pommel caps and hilt plates.
Experts say it is the best example of Anglo-Saxon workmanship they have ever seen and may have belonged to Saxon royalty, possibly the King of Mercia.
TERRY HERBERT, who found the hoard:
'Imagine you're at home and somebody keeps putting money through your letter box, that was what it was like. I was going to bed and in my sleep, I was seeing gold items. As soon as I closed my eyes, I saw gold patterns. I didn't think it was ever going to end.'
Archaeology expert Leslie Webster, who used to work at the British Museum, said: '(It is) absolutely the equivalent of finding a new Lindisfarne Gospels or Book of Kells.'
It was officially declared treasure by a coroner today, which means the haul will now be valued by committee of experts before being offered for sale.
They may take more than a year to value the collection and, given its scale, the financial worth will be massive.
Once a valuation and sale is complete, its market value will be split between Mr Herbert, who is unemployed, and the owner of the farmland where it was found.
Roger Bland, head of portable antiquities and treasure at the British Museum: 'I can't say anything other than we expect it to be a seven-figure sum.'
Mr Herbert, who bought his first metal detector 18 years ago at a car boot sale for just £2.50, plans to use his share to buy a bungalow.
Ornate: A collection of what appear to be sword hilts and to the right, the folded cross
Intricate: Exquisite metalwork on this sword hilt depicts figures of animals
Preserved: A figure of an animal, possible from the crest of a helmet (l) and (r), an ornamental millefiori stud
The significance of the discovery was so great that it is only 'beginning to dawn', Mr Bland said.
'It is at least as significant as any of the major discoveries of this period that have been made in the past. It's bigger than any other hoard of precious metal from the Anglo-Saxon period by quite a large margin.'
WHO GETS TO KEEP THE TREASURE?
Anyone who finds gold or silver objects over 300 years old or groups of coins as part of the same find are legally bound to report them to the coroner under the Treasure Act 1996.
Anyone who finds gold or silver objects over 300 years old or groups of coins as part of the same find are legally bound to report them to the coroner under the Treasure Act 1996.
If the items are officially declared to be treasure trove by the coroner, they can be officially valued and the proceeds split between the finder and the owner of the land where they were found.
For an item to be declared treasure under the Treasure Act 1996, it must be at least 300 years old and at least ten per cent gold or silver.
Any object, whatever it is made of, which is found in the same place can also itself be classified as treasure.
Such items legally become the property of the Crown. They are usually offered to the British Museum or a local museum, who will pay the finder and/or landowner market value.
It is thought the items date back to between 675AD and 725AD. They were found in what was once the Kingdom of Mercia. Although the exact spot has not been disclosed, it is understood to be near the Lichfield border in South Staffordshire.
'I think wealth of this kind must have belonged to a king but we cannot say that for absolute certain,' Mr Bland said. 'It is assumed that the items were buried by their owners at a time of danger with the intention of coming back and recovering them.'
He added: 'Our best guess is that it was buried some time between the late seventh century and the early eighth century. We hope that further research will enable us to be a little more precise.'
Mr Herbert came across the buried hoard in July after asking a farmer friend if he could search on his land but the discovery was only revealed today.
He said: 'I have this phrase that I say sometimes "spirits of yesteryear take me where the coins appear" but on that day I changed coins to gold.
'I don't know why I said it that day, but I think somebody was listening and directed me to it. Maybe it was meant to be, maybe the gold had my name on it all along, I don't know.
'My mates at the (metal detecting) club always say if there is a gold coin in a field I will be the one to find it. I dread to think what they'll say when they hear about this.'
He added: 'This is what metal detectorists dream of, finding stuff like this. But the vast amount there is is just unbelievable.'
Dr Kevin Leahy, National Finds Adviser from the Portable Antiquities Scheme, catalogued the hoard.
He said: 'The quantity of gold is amazing but, more importantly, the craftsmanship is consummate. This was the very best that the Anglo-Saxon metalworkers could do, and they were very good.
'Tiny garnets were cut to shape and set in a mass of cells to give a rich, glowing effect; it is stunning. Its origins are clearly the very highest-levels of Saxon aristocracy or royalty. It belonged to the elite.'
Dr Leahy, an expert in early medieval metalwork and Saxon craftsmanship, added: 'It looks like a collection of trophies, but it is impossible to say if the hoard was the spoils from a single battle or a long and highly successful military career.
'We also cannot say who the original, or the final, owners were, who took it from them, why they buried it or when. It will be debated for decades.'
More than 1,000 years old: A strip of gold with a biblical inscription in Latin. It reads: 'Rise up, o Lord, and may thy enemies be dispersed and those who hate thee be driven from thy face'
A gold sword fitting inlaid with garnet, left, as it was found in the field and, right, after it has been cleaned up
The pommel of a sword
A snake-like piece of jewellery, and a piece of plate from a sword hilt
Duncan Slarke, finds liaison officer for Staffordshire, was the first professional to see the hoard.
He said: 'Nothing could have prepared me for that. I saw boxes full of gold, items exhibiting the very finest Anglo-Saxon workmanship.
'This is absolutely phenomenal. When I first saw the material I was absolutely staggered. To see the volume and the quality of this Anglo-Saxon precious metalwork was absolutely stunning and I was literally speechless.
'It is a hugely hugely important find - the most important one that I have dealt with, but this has got to rank as one of the biggest in the country.
'The volume and size and range of material is amazing and there are things here that we have not seen before.
'At this stage we are still unsure why the material was put in the ground and exactly what some of the material is. Even the dating is difficult because we're relying on previously found material to date this.
'This is such a huge amount, this will probably change the way we date Anglo-Saxon metalwork in the future'
Exposed: One of the finds on the surface of the field next to a 20p piece (l) and (r) archaeologists at work
Basic: An artist's impression of a Anglo-Saxon village
Steve Dean, County Archaeologist for Staffordshire, said: 'It wasn't until Duncan started to send the photographs through that it actually dawned that this was something incredibly more substantial than we'd previously imagined.
'We had a look at our records and there was no indication for that area actually having the potential for that sort of find so it was a big surprise.
'It is almost certainly nationally important and potentially internationally important and it is going to tell us an awful lot about the development of the Mercian kingdom, which obviously Staffordshire lies within.
<:od>
'The quality and quantity is something I haven't come across and I don't think any archaeologist in this country has. It is out of this world.
'The quality and quantity is something I haven't come across and I don't think any archaeologist in this country has. It is out of this world.
'It is going to be the basis of research for the next 20 years. I'm loathe to compare it to Sutton Hoo because it is something very different.
'Sutton Hoo is a burial, this is different, this is a hoard. There is more material and in some places the quality is higher, it is unique.'
The hoard is currently being held in secure storage at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery but a selection of items are to be displayed at the museum from tomorrow until October 13.
After that a Treasure Valuation Committee made up of independent experts will value the find.
A joint acquisition between Staffordshire County Council, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and also the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery has been proposed.
Mr Herbert said he dug up so much gold he was seeing the precious metal in his sleep afterwards.
He unearthed his find on the afternoon of July 5 this year.
He then spent the next five days scouring a stretch of Staffordshire farmland and digging up pieces of an archaeological puzzle already sparking debate among experts.
He said: 'Imagine you're at home and somebody keeps putting money through your letterbox, that was what it was like.
'I was going to bed and in my sleep I was seeing gold items. As soon as I closed my eyes I saw gold patterns, I didn't think it was ever going to end. I just kept thinking of what I might find the next day.
'It's been more fun than winning the lottery. People laugh at metal detectorists. I've had people go past and go "beep beep, he's after pennies". Well no, we are out there to find this kind of stuff and it is out there.
'People have said it (the hoard) was bigger than Sutton Hoo and one expert said it was like finding Tutankhamen's tomb. I just flushed all over when he said that. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, you just never expect this.'
Mr Herbert, a member of a metal detecting club in Staffordshire, said the scale of his discovery soon became a burden.
He said: 'I was excited when I started digging up the gold but it was frightening in the end. I was getting frightened about other people getting onto the field, night hawkers. It was like a burden on my shoulders, it became a worry.'
Historians and archaeologists are reeling at the incredible find, and what it could reveal about Anglo-Saxon life.
Deb Klemperer, local history collections officer at Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Staffordshire, said: 'My first view of the hoard brought tears to my eyes - the Dark Ages in Staffordshire have never looked so bright nor so beautiful.
'This incredible find will sit alongside numerous collections of archaeological remains which are interpreted within the context of the geological, natural and social history of our area.'
Ian Wykes, an archaeologist who leads Staffordshire County Council's Historic Environment Team, said: 'I think for any archaeologist this is the find of a lifetime and reaffirms why you became an archaeologist in the first place.
'It was only when I saw the treasure still in the ground that it started to sink in. To be the first person to see an object since it was buried, and exactly as it would have last been seen, is a real privilege.'
A map of Anglo-Saxon England. The find was made in what would then have been known as Mercia
THE ANGLO-SAXONS
The Anglo-Saxons were settlers from the German regions of Angeln and Saxony who arrived in Britain when Roman rule on the island collapsed in 410 AD. They extended their control of England over 600 years, first fighting with each other and then the Vikings before becoming a unified kingdom in 895 under Athelstan. Their rule was ended by the Norman conquerors in 1066 following the Battle of Hastings.
The Anglo-Saxons heralded a period which is known as the Dark Ages because they did little to keep the legacy of the Romans alive and were largely illiterate - although they were highly skilled craftsmen, as many of the recent discoveries demonstrate. They replaced stone buildings with their own wooden ones, spoke their own language, which gave rise to the English spoken today and introduced their own pagan religion.
At the time the gold is believed to date from, the population was being converted to Christianity following the arrival of Saint Augustine in 597. In the seventh century, Staffordshire was part of Mercia - the largest of the three major Saxon kingdoms. In the west, it bordered the kingdoms of modern Wales. To the north it bordered Northumbria. To the south, the kingdom ended at the River Thames and looked south upon the West Saxons (Wessex). It also shared borders with the smaller kingdoms of the East Saxons (Essex) and East Anglia (home of the settlers from Angeln).
The gold may have been the property of Mercia’s most famous king of this era, Penda, the last
pagan leader. He is thought to have ruled from about 620 until his death in 655 and was probably the most powerful Anglo-Saxon king. He waged regular battles with his Northumbrian rivals, killing their king Oswald in 633, as well as defeating the East Angles and driving the king of Wessex into exile for three years. But the Northumbrians exacted revenge and - like many Anglo-Saxon rulers, Penda was killed in battle.
When they weren't fighting, one of the favourite pastimes of Mercians were dice and board games such as chess. Ordinary Saxons - much like modern Britons - also enjoyed drinking. Mead halls were the equivalent of today’s pubs.
Some of the collection's highlights:
-
SWORD HILT FITTINGS: At least 84 pommel caps and 71 sword hilt collars have been identified so far. They would have adorned a sword or seax (short sword or knife). Their elaborate and expensive decoration - many are made of gold and inlaid with garnets - suggests the weapons were once the property of the highest echelons of nobility.
-
HELMETS: Experts are piecing together what they believe are parts from several splendidly decorated helmets, including what appears to be a cheek-piece with a frieze of running animals. It has a relatively low gold content and has been specially alloyed, probably to make it more functional and able to withstand blows. There are also fragments of silver edging and reeded strips that may have been helmet fittings and an animal figurine that was possibly the crest of a helmet.
-
BIBLICAL INSCRIPTIONS: A strip of gold bearing a biblical inscription in Latin is one of the most significant and controversial finds. One expert believes that the style of lettering indicates it is from the seventh or early eighth centuries, while another dates it to the eighth or ninth centuries. The warlike inscription, mis-spelt in places, is thought to be from the Book of Numbers, Chapter 10 verse 35. The translation reads: 'Rise up, o Lord, and may thy enemies be dispersed and those who hate thee be driven from thy face.'
-
FOLDED CROSSES: The largest of two or three crosses in the hoard may have been an altar or processional cross. It has been folded, possibly to make it fit into a small space prior to burial. The apparent lack of respect shown to this Christian symbol may point to the hoard being buried by pagans.
Article: HERE
Terry Herbert at Birmingham Museum, Birmingham, England, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009, with a one of the 1,500 pieces which made up a Anglo-Saxon hoard found by Terry as he searched a field near his home with his metal detector. The 55-year-old metal detectorist unearthed the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found, archaeologists said Thursday. The staggering discovery, on private farmland in Staffordshire, England, will redefine perceptions of Anglo-Saxon England, experts predict.
(AP Photo/David Jones/PA)
Comments