Last night, the National Geographic channel aired the first behind the scenes insight into the revelations of the Staffordshire Hoard, as it is slowly conserved and researched at institutions across England and Europe.
The program previewed some of the artifacts found in the 3,500 piece collection and showcases some of the further discoveries that have been made since the unparalleled collection was unearthed by metal detectorist Terry Herbert in 2009.
Professionals and historians, namely Curator Dr David Symons, Dr Kevin Leahy; Anglo Saxon Metal Work expert, Lead Conservationist; Deborah Cane and Anglo Saxon Craft Specialist; Dane Roper, from the Birmingham and Stoke Museums and the British Museum, explore some interesting theories behind the Hoard's reason for being, its craftsmanship, its provenance and its ultimate end in the field in which it was found in the Staffordshire countryside 2 years ago.
The team of experts seem to have discovered that the majority of the Hoard is made up of artifacts to do with war and warfare in its true sense, in that, the artifacts are not only extremely decorative, but also made with a lethal and effective purpose to the destruction of enemies.
New breakthroughs after conservation of some of the artifacts indicate how and where the objects were made. The ruby red garnets, which brightly adorn many of the artifacts found in the Hoard, are thought to have been sourced from Europe and Asia. Through research conducted at the Louvre museum using a Particle Extractor, the researchers found that the chemical composition of the gemstones could be linked to those found in the geographical areas of Sri Lanka and the old kingdom of Bohemia, now the Czech Republic. The program also showcases a collection of 7thC tools, found just 100 miles away from the Hoard's location, that are thought to be similar to the tools used by the craftsmen of the Staffordshire Hoard. This has shed light on the production of the beautiful high grade metalwork, which is consistently accomplished across the collection.
Similar scientific technologies have been utilised at the British Museum to determine more about the type of gold used in the pieces of the Hoard. Dr Symons believes that the gold must have been sourced from the Byzantine Empire, that in the 6thC held a treasury of 400,000 lbs in weight of gold. The Staffordshire Hoard's gold totals 11lbs in weight.
The apparent difference in the colour of gold between each object and the discolourations within each object, suggested impurities with the gold used. These impurities signify the composition of the gold and specific compositions can be linked to geographical locations where the gold has originated. In the same way that the Particle Extractor was used for the garnets, the British Museum used X Ray Florescence to determine the different elemental compositions of each artifact within the collection.
The X Ray's revealed there were impurities from other metals such as silver, in the gold. This most commonly occurred when gold was melted down and other metals were introduced for reuse. This could mean that the gold used for the artifacts in the Staffordshire Hoard may have been taken from existing pieces that were melted down and salvaged. Other signs of recycling throughout the Hoard are seen in the use of ancient Roman glass and mosaic that appear in some of the objects, indicating the Anglo Saxon's resourcefulness.
The indication that the gold had been melted down from another source in order to create the objects found in the Hoard, has lead to some questions about the original source of the gold. If the gold did come from the Byzantine Empire, as Dr Symons suggests, then the program explored the possibility of the gold coming from Byzantine gold coins. It is estimated that it would have taken 3000 gold coins to create the amount of gold needed for the objects found in the Staffordshire Hoard. As gold coins were a rarity during the Anglo Saxon period, this theory seems to be unfavorable. The next hypothesis is that the gold has originated as other forms of sword hilts and spoils of war from Byzantium. It would then have been brought over to England and reworked to result in the stunning artifacts we see today. This would also support the time-line within the pieces of the Hoard itself, which span at least 150 years. The earliest piece in the collection is estimated to date around 550bc and the latest date, between 680-700bc, with an early Christian Cross estimated as being from the early 8thC.
The context of the surrounding landscape where the Hoard was unearthed, has also been researched. A geophys report into the area produced a pocket of interest near to where the Hoard was located. Although this didn't produce a barrow or ditch as the experts were hoping, a survey of soil samples were taken by Environmental Archaeologist Dr Ben Geary of a cross section of the the plants and insects surrounding the area at the time. Dr Geary and his team produced a report of the pollen, revealing the area was on a high ground of heathland and encompassed by a densely wooded area. Therefore it seems that the Hoard was buried in a distinct visual island that would have been easily recognisable and relocated.
Questions must still remain then, as to who would bury such a treasure and why no-one ever returned to claim it.
The program will air again on Monday 16th of January on the National Geographic channel at 2pm. You can go to visit the Hoard at both the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Stoke on Trent. You can also keep up to date with the conservation of the Hoard and any new discoveries by logging onto or subscribing to their blog; http://www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk/blog/research
Photo's courtesy of Robert Clark.
http://www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk/
http://www.robertclarkphoto.com/
http://natgeotv.com/uk/saxon-gold-new-secrets-revealed/about
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/11/gold-hoard/clark-photography#/01-staffordshire-treasure-3500-pieces-670.jpg
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/national-geographic-channel/all-videos/
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