Staffordshire Hoard goes on show in Birmingham

Items from the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found have gone on show at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, after the discovery was announced to the world.

The find, made in a field in Staffordshire, was revealed on 24 September, and a selection of the treasure is now on display in Birmingham until 13 October.

A remarkable discovery

The hoard was discovered on 5 July by Terry Herbert, a member of a local metal detecting club, who was searching recently ploughed farmland near the village of Hammerwich, near Lichfield. Over the following five days, he recovered 244 gold objects, and then contacted the local finds liaison officer from the Portable Antiquities Scheme.

Archaeologists have since excavated the site, and more than 1,300 objects have been recovered, many of them tiny fragments.

Warrior gold

Most of the objects appear to be fittings from weapons, such as the decorated hilts of swords, made of gold and set with garnets. Experts say the quality of the craftsmanship is extraordinary. The hoard is believed to date from the seventh century, when the area was part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia.

It is already larger in quantity than the treasure found in the famous ship burial at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk in 1939.

A world sensation

The announcement has attracted worldwide attention. A website set up to show the finds received millions of visits in its first week, and visitors are queuing to see the treasure in Birmingham.

What happens next

The hoard has been declared treasure by the coroner for South Staffordshire, meaning it belongs to the Crown. It will now be valued by an independent committee, and museums will be given the chance to buy it, with the money shared between the finder and the landowner.

Birmingham Archaeology, based at the University of Birmingham, is working on the find, and some items have been taken to the British Museum for cleaning and study.

Keeping it local

There is already a strong feeling that the hoard should stay in the region where it was found, and museums in Birmingham and Stoke-on-Trent are expected to work together to try to acquire it.

What it tells us

Historians say the hoard could change our understanding of the Anglo-Saxon period, and of the kingdom of Mercia in particular. Why so much gold was buried, and by whom, is a mystery that may never be fully solved. For now, visitors to Chamberlain Square have the chance to see treasure that lay hidden in the ground for around 1,300 years.