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Anglo-Saxon Treasure Found in Britain
LONDON (AP) -- It's an unprecedented find that could revolutionize ideas about
medieval England's Germanic rulers: An amateur treasure-hunter searching a
farmer's field with a metal detector unearthed a huge collection of Anglo-Saxon
gold and silver artifacts.
The discovery sent a thrill through Britain's archaeological community, which said
Thursday that it offers new insight into the world of the Anglo-Saxons, who ruled
England from the fifth century until the 1066 Norman invasion and whose cultural
influence is still felt throughout the English-speaking world.
''This is just a fantastic find completely out of the blue,'' Roger Bland, who managed
the cache's excavation, told The Associated Press. ''It will make us rethink the Dark
Ages.'' The treasure trove includes intricately designed helmet crests embossed with
a frieze of running animals, enamel-studded sword fittings and a checkerboard piece
inlaid with garnets and gold. One gold band bore a biblical inscription in Latin calling
on God to drive away the bearer's enemies.
The Anglo-Saxons were a group of Germanic tribes who invaded England starting in
the wake of the collapse of the Roman Empire. Their artisans made striking objects
out of gold and enamel, and their language, Old English, is a precursor of modern
English. The cache of gold and silver pieces was discovered in what was once Mercia,
one of five main Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, and is thought to date to between 675 and 725.
For Terry Herbert, the unemployed metal-detecting enthusiast who made the discovery
on July 5 while scouring a friend's farm in the western region of Staffordshire, it was
''more fun than winning the lottery.'' The 55-year-old spent five days searching the field
alone before he realized he needed help and notified authorities. Professional
archaeologists then took over the find.
''I was going to bed and in my sleep I was seeing gold items,'' Herbert said of the experience.
The gold alone in the collection weighs 11 pounds and suggests that early medieval England
was a far wealthier place than previously believed, according to Leslie Webster, the former
curator of Anglo-Saxon archaeology at the British Museum. She said the crosses and other
religious artifacts mixed in with the military items might shed new light on the relationship
between Christianity and warfare among the Anglo-Saxons -- in particular a large cross she
said may have been carried into battle.
The hoard was officially declared treasure by a coroner on Thursday, which means it will be
valued by experts and offered up for sale to a museum in Britain. Proceeds will be split 50-
50 between Herbert and his farmer friend, who has not been identified. The find's exact
location is being kept secret to deter looters.
Bland said he could not give a precise figure for the value of the collection, but said the two
could each be in line for a ''seven-figure sum.''
Kevin Leahy, the archaeologist who catalogued the find, said the stash includes dozens of
pommel caps -- decorative elements attached to the knobs of swords -- and appeared to be
war loot. He noted that ''Beowulf,'' the Anglo-Saxon epic poem, contains a reference to
warriors stripping the pommels of their enemies' weapons as mementoes. ''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,'' he said.
''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.''
Experts said they've so far examined a total of 1,345 items. But they've also recovered
56 pieces of earth that X-ray analysis suggests contain more artifacts -- meaning the total
could rise to about 1,500. The craftsmanship was some of the highest-quality ever seen
in finds of this kind, Leahy said, and many British archaeologists clearly shared his
enthusiasm.
Bland, who has documented discoveries across Britain, called it ''completely unique.'' Martin
Welch, a specialist in Anglo-Saxon archaeology at University College London, said no one had
found ''anything like this in this country before.'' Herbert said one expert likened his discovery
to finding Egyptian Pharoah Tutankhamen's tomb, adding: ''I just flushed all over when he said
that. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.''
The collection is in storage at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, where some of the items
are to go on display starting Friday. It's unclear how the gold ended up in the field, although
archaeologists suggested it may have been buried to hide the loot from roving enemies, a
common practice at the time. The site's location is unusual as well -- Anglo-Saxon remains
have tended to cluster in the country's south and east, while the so-called ''Staffordshire hoard''
was found in the west.
In the meantime, archaeologists say they're likely to be busy for years puzzling out the meaning
of some of the collection's more unusual pieces -- like five enigmatic gold snakes or a strip of
gold bearing a crudely written and misspelled Biblical inscription in Latin.
''Rise up, O Lord, and may thy enemies be dispersed and those who hate thee be driven from thy face,''
reads the inscription, believed to be from the Book of Numbers.
Also of interest is the largest of the crosses, which experts say may have been an altar or
processional piece. It had been folded, possibly to make it fit into a small space prior to
burial, and the apparent lack of respect shown to such a Christian symbol may point to the
hoard being buried by pagans. ''The things that we can't identify are the ones that are going
to teach us something new,'' Leahy said.
For England, a country at the edge of Europe whose history owes an enormous debt to the
Anglo-Saxons, the find has the potential to become one of its top national treasures, according
to Webster.
Caroline Barton, assistant treasure registrar at the British Museum, said objects over 300 years
old and made up of more that 10 percent precious metal are only offered for sale to accredited
museums in Britain, so the collection will not be leaving the country.
------
Associated Press writer Karolina Tagaris in London contributed to this report.
------
On the Net:
http://www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk/
LONDON (AP) -- It's an unprecedented find that could revolutionize ideas about
medieval England's Germanic rulers: An amateur treasure-hunter searching a
farmer's field with a metal detector unearthed a huge collection of Anglo-Saxon
gold and silver artifacts.
The discovery sent a thrill through Britain's archaeological community, which said
Thursday that it offers new insight into the world of the Anglo-Saxons, who ruled
England from the fifth century until the 1066 Norman invasion and whose cultural
influence is still felt throughout the English-speaking world.
''This is just a fantastic find completely out of the blue,'' Roger Bland, who managed
the cache's excavation, told The Associated Press. ''It will make us rethink the Dark
Ages.'' The treasure trove includes intricately designed helmet crests embossed with
a frieze of running animals, enamel-studded sword fittings and a checkerboard piece
inlaid with garnets and gold. One gold band bore a biblical inscription in Latin calling
on God to drive away the bearer's enemies.
The Anglo-Saxons were a group of Germanic tribes who invaded England starting in
the wake of the collapse of the Roman Empire. Their artisans made striking objects
out of gold and enamel, and their language, Old English, is a precursor of modern
English. The cache of gold and silver pieces was discovered in what was once Mercia,
one of five main Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, and is thought to date to between 675 and 725.
For Terry Herbert, the unemployed metal-detecting enthusiast who made the discovery
on July 5 while scouring a friend's farm in the western region of Staffordshire, it was
''more fun than winning the lottery.'' The 55-year-old spent five days searching the field
alone before he realized he needed help and notified authorities. Professional
archaeologists then took over the find.
''I was going to bed and in my sleep I was seeing gold items,'' Herbert said of the experience.
The gold alone in the collection weighs 11 pounds and suggests that early medieval England
was a far wealthier place than previously believed, according to Leslie Webster, the former
curator of Anglo-Saxon archaeology at the British Museum. She said the crosses and other
religious artifacts mixed in with the military items might shed new light on the relationship
between Christianity and warfare among the Anglo-Saxons -- in particular a large cross she
said may have been carried into battle.
The hoard was officially declared treasure by a coroner on Thursday, which means it will be
valued by experts and offered up for sale to a museum in Britain. Proceeds will be split 50-
50 between Herbert and his farmer friend, who has not been identified. The find's exact
location is being kept secret to deter looters.
Bland said he could not give a precise figure for the value of the collection, but said the two
could each be in line for a ''seven-figure sum.''
Kevin Leahy, the archaeologist who catalogued the find, said the stash includes dozens of
pommel caps -- decorative elements attached to the knobs of swords -- and appeared to be
war loot. He noted that ''Beowulf,'' the Anglo-Saxon epic poem, contains a reference to
warriors stripping the pommels of their enemies' weapons as mementoes. ''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,'' he said.
''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.''
Experts said they've so far examined a total of 1,345 items. But they've also recovered
56 pieces of earth that X-ray analysis suggests contain more artifacts -- meaning the total
could rise to about 1,500. The craftsmanship was some of the highest-quality ever seen
in finds of this kind, Leahy said, and many British archaeologists clearly shared his
enthusiasm.
Bland, who has documented discoveries across Britain, called it ''completely unique.'' Martin
Welch, a specialist in Anglo-Saxon archaeology at University College London, said no one had
found ''anything like this in this country before.'' Herbert said one expert likened his discovery
to finding Egyptian Pharoah Tutankhamen's tomb, adding: ''I just flushed all over when he said
that. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.''
The collection is in storage at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, where some of the items
are to go on display starting Friday. It's unclear how the gold ended up in the field, although
archaeologists suggested it may have been buried to hide the loot from roving enemies, a
common practice at the time. The site's location is unusual as well -- Anglo-Saxon remains
have tended to cluster in the country's south and east, while the so-called ''Staffordshire hoard''
was found in the west.
In the meantime, archaeologists say they're likely to be busy for years puzzling out the meaning
of some of the collection's more unusual pieces -- like five enigmatic gold snakes or a strip of
gold bearing a crudely written and misspelled Biblical inscription in Latin.
''Rise up, O Lord, and may thy enemies be dispersed and those who hate thee be driven from thy face,''
reads the inscription, believed to be from the Book of Numbers.
Also of interest is the largest of the crosses, which experts say may have been an altar or
processional piece. It had been folded, possibly to make it fit into a small space prior to
burial, and the apparent lack of respect shown to such a Christian symbol may point to the
hoard being buried by pagans. ''The things that we can't identify are the ones that are going
to teach us something new,'' Leahy said.
For England, a country at the edge of Europe whose history owes an enormous debt to the
Anglo-Saxons, the find has the potential to become one of its top national treasures, according
to Webster.
Caroline Barton, assistant treasure registrar at the British Museum, said objects over 300 years
old and made up of more that 10 percent precious metal are only offered for sale to accredited
museums in Britain, so the collection will not be leaving the country.
------
Associated Press writer Karolina Tagaris in London contributed to this report.
------
On the Net:
http://www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk/
)
