Extraordinary Discovery: £3 Million Treasure Trove of 6000 Anglo-Saxon Gold Artefacts Uncovered with £2 Metal Detector
The Staffordshire hoard, dating back to 650 AD, was discovered by metal detectorist Terry Herbert using a device he purchased at a car boot sale. After exploring a field near Lichfield belonging to farmer Fred Johnson, the hoard was sold to museums for £3.285 million, with the proceeds divided among them.
Experts believe that the items in the hoard constitute a “war hoard” that was captured in battle by the armies of the kingdom of Mercia from neighboring Northumbria and East Anglia. Dr. Chris Fern and his team have identified the items as once belonging to Mercian King Penda, who was engaged in power struggles with other Anglo-Saxon rulers during that time, according to The Guardian.
The treasure was likely buried hastily during a period of turmoil but was never recovered. Approximately 80 percent of the identified items are weapon fittings, primarily from swords, and researchers find it remarkable that so many of them were made of gold.
The hoard contained nearly 9 pounds of gold in total, including 50 extremely rare gold sword pommels and fragments of a golden helmet. Dr. Fern remarked that the hoard reveals a literal “golden age” in Anglo-Saxon England during that period when gold became more accessible and was fashioned into exquisite objects for the warrior elite.
Among the collection is a presumed “battle shrine” featuring a processional cross, suggesting that Christian symbols were used as talismans for good luck in battle. Inscribed on it is a quote from the Book of Numbers: “Rise up, LORD, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee.”
In 2012, two metal detector enthusiasts, Reg Mead and Richard Miles, struck gold after more than 30 years of searching, unearthing a massive hoard of ancient coins worth up to £10 million in Jersey. Similarly, earlier this year, a couple of metal detectorists discovered a hoard of ancient silver coins dating back to the Battle of Hastings in 1066, valued at an impressive £5 million.
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