The Staffordshire Hoard
From 3 November 2009 / Rooms
36–7 / Free
On Wednesday 25 November all objects will be unavailable.
On Thursday 26 November and on Monday 30 November some objects will
be unavailable.
The largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever
found.
The first pieces of the Staffordshire Hoard were found in early
July 2009 by Mr Terry Herbert while he was metal detecting in a
field in southern Staffordshire.
An archaeological excavation followed, funded by English
Heritage and Staffordshire County Council and carried out by
Birmingham Archaeology. Over 1,500 complete artefacts and
fragments were discovered.
Finds included sword fittings, part of a helmet and three gold
Christian crosses. Most of the complete objects are made of
gold. Some are decorated with pieces of garnet, a deep
red semi-precious stone, others with fine filigree work
or patterns made up of animals with interlaced bodies.
Current thinking dates the hoard to the later 600s or earlier
700s AD. However, there are still many questions yet to be answered
about this astonishing find.
Eighteen objects from the hoard
are now on display in the Museum.
Related events
Lectures about the Staffordshire Hoard
Image:
A selection of objects from the Staffordshire Hoard
© Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery