Saxon gold: Finding the hoard

This tale of the largest Anglo Saxon treasure hoard ever found is a must-see for the modern day treasure hunter. The unprecedented find mesmerised archaeologists and historians around the world, and made global headlines. In Saxon Gold: Finding the Hoard, we uncover the full story. Nothing like this has ever been found in Britain before -- sixteen hundred pieces of bejewelled gold and silver, buried, lost then forgotten. Discovered in July 2009 by an amateur metal detecting enthusiast in Litchfield, Staffordshire, this magnificent golden hoard is set to shed light on one of the most mysterious periods of British history. Dating back nearly 1,400 years from the mid-seventh century, everyone wants to know to whom the treasure belonged. Where and how was it made? Why was it buried? And why was it lost for over a millennium? This absorbing show answers these questions and more, as we meet the key players involved in the incredible story; from the original finder with his metal detector and the owner of the land where this superb collection was found, to the experts who realised the hoard was of international significance and the team who speedily excavated the site in secret to prevent nighthawking. The Hoard was valued at £3.3m by experts in November 2009. The Art Fund successfully led a public appeal to raise the funds and save the Hoard for posterity. The target sum was met on 23 March 2010. The Hoard will now be co-owned by Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery and the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke. For the finder his discovery has been life-changing. For archaeologists, this is just the beginning of a long journey to try and unravel the mysteries generated by the hoard of precious metal. To unlock the secrets of the Saxon hoard a further £1.7 million is needed for vital research and conservation.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Saxon
• gold:
• Finding
• the
• hoard
• Doku
• Dokumentation
• Germans
• Germanic
• Germanen
• Treasure
• Hunting
• Schatz
• Schatzsuche
• Gold

[Oswulf1]

The condition of the pieces confirms that this hoard is battlefield plunder from a defeated army. The condition of the cross suggests the victors were heathens, because Christians would have taken it for themselves, not mutilated it. Penda, King of Mercia, whose capital was Tamworth, defeated and killed the Christian Oswald of Northumbria near Oswestry in 641. I think this hoard is spoil from that battle.