The Staffordshire Hoard is one of the great discoveries of
British archaeology, an unparalleled treasure of the early Anglo-Saxon period.
Chanced upon in summer 2009, in an ordinary field north of Birmingham, its
hundreds of objects of the 6th to 7th centuries AD amount to a total of 4kg of
gold and 1.7kg of silver. An archaeological excavation at the site was followed
by a dedicated research project to understand why this trove of warriors and
kings was buried, and what part it had played in the bloody cauldron of
conflict that shaped early England.
This book is an accessible account of the Staffordshire
Hoard project and its findings. It tells of the discovery of the Hoard, the
fundraising campaign to save it for the nation, and the scientific methods used
to study it. Its many extraordinary objects are described in detail and
lavishly illustrated: hundreds of gold, garnet and silver weapon fittings,
unique sacred objects, Christian crosses, one magnificent helmet and more. The
book also provides information on the places, people and events that place this
remarkable find in context, with sections on the kingdom of Mercia and its
neighbours, Anglo-Saxon warfare, religion, craft techniques and comparable
archaeological sites.
