Anglo-Saxon Hoard!

[la_marquise]

This: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/sep/24/anglo-saxon-treasure-hoard-gold-staffordshire-metal-detector
is tremendously exciting. The context is fascinating (one of the most dynamic and interesting periods in Anglo-Saxon history). If there's a fund-raiser to keep this in the UK, I will be donating. I'm a very happy early mediaevalist this morning.

Comments

[were-gopher.livejournal.com]

I saw that and my first thoughts were WOW! followed by "I wonder how long the local experts have been sitting on this news in order to make sure they've got everything before the nighthawks move in and start nicking stuff and destroying context". I'm definately with you on giving to any fund-raiser, I love seeing the Sutton Hoo hoard in the BM.

[bellinghman.livejournal.com]

Since they're reporting the hoard as being appreciably larger than the Sutton Hoo one, I can see a certain political unwillingness to let an export licence be granted.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

It's been ruled as treasure trove, so is Crown property. Which is excellent news for the UK museums.

[maryosmanski.livejournal.com]

Here's a link to an even more detailed Web site:
http://www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk/

Looking at these pieces, I am trying not to drool on my keyboard.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Oh, thank you!

[fidelioscabinet.livejournal.com]

It seems pretty trivial to say "oooh! Shiny!" but to be honest that's my first reaction to the pictures. But the story lying behind this stuff--now that's a thing, that is.

"After all those urns I think I deserve the Staffordshire find."

Bless his heart.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

I do see his point, though: funerary urns are interesting, but this is just astonishing!

[fidelioscabinet.livejournal.com]

Yes, but after all the years I've heard archeologists explain, quite patiently, that they are not hunting treasures, they're trying to reconstruct past societies and civilizations throught the remains they have left behind, and good garbage midden is more interesting that a piece of gold &c. that coment was so human--"Shiny! I have a great big pile of shiny! and there's a mystery to go with! Yay! I have shiny!"

Lot of nice data in those urns but they aren't very Shiny!

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

They like Shiny! They just don't like to admit it...

[woolymonkey.livejournal.com]

This post on medievalstudies has a link to pretty pictures.

They say it's all warrior stuff, but the dagger hilt in pic two would make a lovely hair slide.

[lil-shepherd.livejournal.com]

Equally excited about this, but I do wonder how much it is going to tell us. Apparently there was nothing else on site earlier than the Victorian period. It does appear to be all military - was it from the Mercian treasury, or is it battle spoils - or both? If so, was any of it made locally? (I understand that one of the most exciting things about the find is that so little has been found from the Mercian culture.)

There's so little context...

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

I don't have lots of details, but if the putative dating holds up, then we are looking at the period of the Mercian expansion under Penda and his heirs and, given the location, the (documented) conflicts between Mercia and Northumbria. So the hoard is a commentary on levels of wealth amongst the military elite as well as an indication of the presence of conflict. It also will have art historical things to tell us and it may be that chemical analysis can tells us about the origins of the metals involved. (And thus something about trade or mining or both.) Plus there are inscriptions on some items, which will give information on types of literacy, on texts that were in circulation and on beliefs (as well as providing further dating evidence).

[lil-shepherd.livejournal.com]

Apparently a lot of the writing is specifically Christian. A bloke on the TV suggested the gold was from Byzantium and the rubies/garnets from the sub-continent...

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Yes, which is very exciting, as it suggests economic and religious contacts with Europe went a lot further north earlier than we thought.

[skaldic.livejournal.com]

I saw that this morning -- it's incredibly exciting. Okay, so the social historian in me wants more social context (dress accessories and such), but the rest of me is quite happy with this. And it's shiny!

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Military trappings are good that way, too, as they say something about the preferences of the elite and the contacts they may have had. But I know what you mean.
Penda is my favourite Anglo-Saxon king, and this is in his period.

[maryosmanski.livejournal.com]

Penda is also a favorite of malkingrey (who is Debra Doyle of the sf/f writing couple Doyle and MacDonald). She has a PhD in English; I think it's in Anglo-Saxon literature. The two of you ought to become acquainted.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Yes, it sounds like we definitely need to meet. My background is in Anglo-Saxon and Celtic history, though the PhD is on the Celtic material.

[aberwyn.livejournal.com]

Yes, Doyle's PhD is in Anglo-Saxon studies.

[aberwyn.livejournal.com]

Gobsmacked is a good word for the feeling of seeing all this 'stuff'!

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

It's stunning. This morning I'm regretting that I no longer work in universities and thus don't have colleagues to talk it over with.