Staffordshire Hoard
Anglo-Saxon hoard discovered in 2009 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Staffordshire Hoard is the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver metalwork yet found[update]. It consists of almost 4,600 items and metal fragments, amounting to a total of 5.1 kg (11 lb) of gold, 1.4 kg (3 lb) of silver and some 3,500 pieces of garnet cloisonné jewellery.[1] It is described by the historian Cat Jarman as "possibly the finest collection of early medieval artefacts ever discovered".[2]
Staffordshire Hoard | |
---|---|
Material |
|
Size | over 3,500 items |
Writing | Latin |
Created | c. 7th to 8th centuries |
Discovered | 2009 Hammerwich near Lichfield, Staffordshire, England 52°39′19″N 1°54′24″W |
Discovered by | Terry Herbert |
Present location |
The hoard was most likely deposited between 650 and 675 CE, and contains artefacts probably manufactured during the 6th and 7th centuries.[3] It was discovered in 2009 in a field near the village of Hammerwich, near Lichfield, in Staffordshire, England. The location was in the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia at the time of the hoard's deposition.
The hoard is of "radical" importance in Anglo-Saxon archaeology.[4][5] The artefacts are nearly all martial in character and contain no objects specific to use by women.[6][7]: 9 The average quality of the workmanship is extremely high and especially remarkable in view of the large number of individual objects, such as swords and a helmet, from which many of the fragments in the hoard came.
The hoard was purchased jointly by the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery for £3.285 million under the Treasure Act 1996.