The snaking line of more than 1,000 people queuing to enter the Birmingham
Museum and Art Gallery on Friday afternoon illustrated perfectly the surge
of interest sparked by the announcement — just a day before — of the largest
hoard of Anglo-Saxon treasure ever discovered.
Among those queuing to see the artefacts was Allison Buckley, 47, from
Stafford. “It is almost as exciting as queuing to see the treasures of
Tutankhamun,” she said, recalling the rush to see the Egyptian boy king’s
death mask in London in 1972. “What makes this so exciting is that it has
just been unearthed. There is still soil on the pieces and you can imagine
it in the ground.”
The Anglo-Saxon treasures were chanced upon in a Staffordshire field by Terry
Herbert, a 55-year-old unemployed metal-detection enthusiast. The find —
almost 1,500 gold and silver items thought to date from the 7th or 8th
century — has staggered archeologists. It will, experts say, completely
reshape our understanding of the Dark Ages.
So little is known about the period that the artefacts have already led
historians to question some of their fundamental beliefs — such as whether
Christianity had been embraced by the pagan Saxons much earlier than
previously thought.
Buckley was far from alone in her enthusiasm: one archeologist said she had
been reduced to tears by the find.
But why are historians so animated over the Staffordshire Hoard, as it is
being called, and what are the secrets it promises to unlock about Britain’s
most obscure period of history?
After the Romans left Britain in the early 5th century, Anglo-Saxon tribes who
had been sporadically harassing its shores for years invaded in force. The
Angles and Saxons, as their tribes were properly known, were a warlike
people hailing originally from Germany and they were aggressive in stamping
their authority and ownership upon much of England.
Their new kingdoms ranged from Wessex in the west to Kent and East Anglia in
the east, while further north the Northumbrians dominated.What is now the
Midlands was then Mercia, its people geographically and, historians
believed, ideologically isolated from the rest of Anglo-Saxon Britain, which
became increasingly Christian. It in the heart of Mercia that the
Staffordshire Hoard was discovered.
As with all the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, little is known about the Mercians, and
with good reason. They spoke Old English, a Germanic language which
modern-day Britons would find largely unintelligble, and writing things down
for posterity was never high on their list of priorities.
The epic poem Beowulf, which is believed to date from this period, survived in
only a single manuscript.
Michael Lewis, deputy head of the portable antiquities scheme, which is based
at the British Museum and registers archeological finds in the UK, said: “We
are talking about a period where there was hardly anything written at all
and those [texts] that do exist that talk about the period were normally
written quite late.
“Literature really only got going with Alfred the Great [who ruled up until
the end of the 9th century] — he was a great promoter of writing — but
before that time it was very rare. It was only really liturgical texts;
narrative sources did not exist as such. That’s why it was the Dark Ages,
because there is not much light shed on what was going on.”
Wulfhere, Aethelred the First, Coenred, Ceolred — the names of the Anglo-Saxon
kings in the 7th and 8th centuries are known, but almost everything else
about them is shrouded in mystery.
“The buildings were predominantly wooden, so not much of the Anglo-Saxon
settlements have survived,” said Lewis. “It is the archeology that is so
important because it is the only way we can know what was going on.”
Until now, the best archeological finds have come from grave sites, such as
Sutton Hoo, in Woodbridge, Suffolk, which contained a buried Saxon ship and
a wealth of helmets, swords and other artefacts.
Since Sutton Hoo was excavated in 1939, East Anglia has been recognised as a
prime location for finding remnants of Saxon civilisation.
But Staffordshire? “We don’t find a lot of Anglo-Saxon stuff, which is why
this comes as such a big surprise,” said Jim Wall, secretary of the Bloxwich
Research and Metal Detecting Club, of which Herbert is a member. “If it’s
going to be found it will be in Yorkshire, Suffolk and the southeast — but
not in Staffordshire.”
The previous paucity of artefacts found in the Midlands is, however, an
anomaly, say historians. Under the Saxons, Mercia was a thriving kingdom
with designs on its neighbours.
“The discovery of this hoard in Staffordshire should cause no surprise,” said
Kevin Leahy, national finds adviser to the portable antiquities scheme.
“Mercia was militarily aggressive and expansionist during the 7th century
under kings Penda, Wulfhere and Aethelred. This material could have been
collected by any of these during their wars with Northumbria and East
Anglia.”
The quality of the items has astonished everyone who has so far seen them. The
level of workmanship — from intricately patterned helmets to scabbards and
sword hilts encrusted with exquisitely cut garnets — has startled even
experts.
One item of particular interest in the haul is a strip of gold alloy, probably
taken from a shield or sword belt. It is engraved, in misspelt Latin — ideas
of standard spelling were still almost 1,000 years off — with a passage from
the Old Testament. It reads: “Rise up, Lord, and may your enemies be
dispersed and those who hate you be driven from your face.”
The Christian reference is significant: historians have always thought that
Mercia in this era was still stubbornly pagan, worshipping gods such as
Wodin and Tyr.
“When the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms converted to Christianity,” said Lewis, “it was
the more southern ones that were converted first, then the east coast, and
it was Mercia in the middle that stayed on until the bitter end.”
Whether the inscription, together with the several crosses also within the
haul, indicates that Christianity was more prevalent or simply that they had
been taken from further afield, is not yet clear.
Even the basic chronology of previously discovered Saxon relics is now open to
question.
It is early days for the archeologists examining the Staffordshire Hoard, but
their initial belief is that the items date from between 675-725.
“A lot of the objects seem to date from the earlier part of that period but
some of them seem to be a bit later, so that has caused a bit of a problem,”
said Lewis.
“Normally you would think that the latest date you find is the date when it
was buried, but it may be that we have been dating objects wrongly. Some of
the later objects might not be as late as we thought they were.”
One thing that is certain is that all the items have a warlike theme. It
appears they were decorative fittings stripped from the weapons they once
adorned.
“The hoard is unbalanced because of what we don’t find,” said Leahy. “There is
absolutely nothing feminine. There are no dress fittings, brooches or
pendants.” [These have been prevalent in previous Anglo-Saxon finds].
“Anglo-Saxons became very attached to their swords and believed they had
mystical powers,” added Lewis, “but what they have done here is what we
would do nowadays — take the booty off it and chuck the rest.”
That, say experts, suggests the hoard had been collected purely for the worth
of its gold and silver, rather than as a collection for a burial, in which
objects of sentimental value would typically feature.
“It looks like a collection of trophies,” said Leahy, “but it is impossible to
say if the hoard was the spoils from a single battle or a long and highly
successful military career.”
The haul, some of which is said to have emanated from as far afield as Sri
Lanka and Constantinople, now Istanbul, could be the key to confirming the
existence of currently unguessed at battlefields lying fallow somewhere
within Britain, or point to hitherto unknown trading links.
No wonder, then, that as they settle to their analysis, the historians are
describing the discovery of the hoard as the beginning of unravelling
something even more portentous. “There are exciting times ahead,” said
Leahy, barely able to contain his excitement.
On Thursday a coroner declared the hoard to be “treasure” and therefore the
property of the crown. A valuation committee will now assess its worth and
Herbert and Fred Johnson, the farmer on whose land on the outskirts of
Walsall the find was made, will almost certainly be offered a share of the
spoils, perhaps worth up to £1m each.
The treasure itself will, in all likelihood, be offered to the Birmingham
Museum and Art Gallery as long as it can raise the necessary funds to
purchase it. Otherwise it will go to the highest bidder — although the
British Museum has confirmed it will stay in the UK.
Herbert, who lives on disability benefits, has said he intends to buy a
bungalow with his proceeds. But last night his bewilderment at his new-found
fame appeared to have driven him into temporary hiding.
His fright may also have been exacerbated somewhat by an apparent rift with
Johnson, who said he was “not happy with Terry”. He added: “Me and Terry
agreed to keep it all low-key and I thought that would be the case.”
Given the way in which their actions have led to one of the most opaque
periods of our history being rewritten before our eyes that was, perhaps,
ever so slightly wishful thinking.
Mysterious Times
Five things we know about the Anglo-Saxons:
The first Anglo-Saxons were mercenaries, brought in by the Picts to defend
themselves against pirates.
They were not Christians until St Augustine’s arrival in 597 led to their
gradual conversion.
The Anglo-Saxons were fiercely tribal, with England divided into the kingdoms
of Wessex, East Anglia, Mercia, Northumbria, Kent, Essex and Sussex.
From Alfred the Great onwards (he died in 899) the Wessex army gradually
united England, driving out Danish and Viking invaders.
The Bayeux tapestry, which depicts the story of the battle of Hastings, was
commissioned by the Normans but is believed to have been made by Anglo-Saxon
artisans.
And five things we don’t:
How quickly they converted to Christianity is a mystery. The burials at Sutton
Hoo, about 625, were pagan but some Christian symbols were found.
Much of Anglo-Saxon architecture is unknown. Many buildings were wooden and
few are left standing beyond the monasteries and churches built of stone.
Little is known about how people, particularly the lowly peasants, lived their
daily lives.
How Anglo-Saxon women lived is unclear, although they were able to own
property.
What happened to London between the Roman retreat and the 9th century, when it
became a centre of prosperity once more, is not well documented.
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