Britain is filled with amateur treasure hunters armed with metal detectors… and they quite frequently find things. Roman coins, small Viking objects. Frankly, it amazes me that there could be so much stuff in the ground. You would think that eventually they’d have to run out – how many hidden deposits of Roman coins could there be?
But this find, reported today in the New York Times, BBC, and I am sure elsewhere, is not like those finds. These 1500 Anglo-Saxon objects from the 7th century, nearly all of them made of precious metals, have been described by one expert as “absolutely the equivalent of finding a new Lindisfarne Gospels or Book of Kells.”
Unlike the Sutton Hoo burial, this find was not a burial site, and does not include a ship (or the remains thereof), or many intact weapons, clothes (armor), or the like. It’s mostly war loot – gold and silver elements stripped off of enemies’ possessions; as described in the epic “Beowulf,” it was apparently common at this time to strip the pommels of enemies’ swords as loot.
Perhaps the most interesting object described in these articles is a strip of gold imprinted with a Latin Bible verse, translated as “Rise up O Lord, and may thy enemies be dispersed and those who hate thee be driven from thy face.”
Experts have described the hoard as war trophies, though it is undetermined whether this is from a single battle or a whole career of victories. There were no women’s items found – brooches, dress clasps or the like – only martial objects such as decorative bits from scabbards and hilts, pieces of helmets and the like, leading the experts to this identification. While Mr. Terry Herbert made the initial find, once he did the responsible thing and informed the authorities, professional archaeologists took over at the site. Under British law, as always happens in these cases, the find was officially declared “treasure” and thus the property of the Crown. This prevents it from leaving England, and from remaining hidden in someone’s (e.g. Mr Herbert’s) personal collection, bringing it to light for experts to study and the public to appreciate. The objects will be sold to a museum and the proceeds will be split between Mr Herbert and the owner of the land on which the treasure was found.
What exactly can be determined from this hoard of material culture objects, given the dearth of texts on this period, I don’t know. Personally, I feel rather skeptical about it. But the experts cited in the articles seem optimistic, that this is indeed a great find. I wish them luck. I’ll stick to texts and images, thanks.
*Another BBC article on the same.
*Some excellent and detailed photos of the find from the BBC.
*The find has already an extensive Wikipedia article, and made the front page of Wikipedia as a major world news item.
*There’s an Official Website, extensive coverage on archaeology.co.uk, and a Flickr photo set of the objects.
上り口説 Nubui Kuduchi 