7Th Century Treasure Unearthed in UK
by After nearly 1500 years underground, Treasure discovered September 24th 2009 tells ancient stories.
55 year old unemployed Terry Herbert’s September day started with him prowling the edges of English farm country with his metal detector. Little did he know that by the end of the day, he would have discovered the largest treasure ever found from the Anglo Saxon period. Among the treasure that he found was numerous golden trinkets, crosses and some silver sword amenities. These treasures lay underground for hundreds of years. Over 600 mysterious pieces have already been examined by museums and archaeologists. Upon a return to the site of the finding, archaeologists believe there are still many pieces to be found in the same area.
55 yr old Terry Herbert Started the day off as a “Metal detectorist”. He ended it as an archaeologist.
A gold band was one of the most interesting items found in the large haul of treasure. It is in-scripted with the words of the Old Testament : “Rise up, O Lord, and may thy enemies be dispersed and those who hate thee be driven from thy face” (Raphael G. Satter, Yahoo News). My guess is that it were a lucky charm of some sort. Archaeologists believe that it may have been an adornment for a sword or clothing.
Archaeologists also state that this amount of gold and treasure could not have belonged to a single commoner, rather it belonged to a king or someone of great royalty. Adding to the credibility of the previous statement is the fact that much of the loot seemed to be decorative war adornments. Archaeologist Kevin Leahy noted that in the story Beowulf (from Anglo-Saxon time), warriors stole the pommels off their defeated enemies swords. Pommels are decorative sword attachments, usually attached to bottom of the handle.
This find is truly amazing and historical find has filled in a large gap in early human history. Being the largest find in Anglo Saxon history, and on grounds that the Anglo-Saxons themselves once tromped, this archaeological endeavor should be far from over! Some of the materials from what will be known as the “Staffordshire Hoard” will be on display in museums shortly!
To learn more and for updates : http://www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk/
Liked it
