AN AMATEUR TREASURE HUNTER PROWLING ABOUT AN ENGLISH FARMLAND WITH A METAL DETECTOR STUMBLED UPON WHAT HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS THE LARGEST ANGLO-SAXON TREASURE EVER DISCOVERED, A MASSIVE COLLECTION OF GOLD AND SILVER CROSSES, SWORD DECORATIONS AND OTHER ITEMS, BRITISH ARCHAEOLOGISTS SAID THURSDAY. ONE EXPERT SAID THE TREASURE WOULD REVOLUTIONIZE UNDERSTANDING OF THE ANGLO-SAXONS, A GERMANIC PEOPLE WHO RULED ENGLAND FROM THE 5th CENTURY UNTIL THE NORMAN CONQUEST IN 1606. ANOTHER SAID THE FIND WOULD RANK AMONG BRITAIN'S BEST KNOWN HISTORIC TREASURES. "THIS IS JUST A FANTASTIC FIND COMPLETELY OUT OF THE BLUE", ROGER BLAND, WHO MANAGED THE CACHE'S EXCAVATION, TOLD THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. "IT WILL MAKE US RETHINK THE DARK AGES. THAT'S BASICALLY WHAT IT'S GOING TO DO." THE 17th CENTURY HOARD, FOUND BY 55 YEAR OLD TERRY HERBERT ON FARMLAND IN WESTERN ENGLAND TWO MONTHS AGO, CONSISTS OF ABOUT 1,500 PIECES OF GOLD AND SILVER, SOME INLAID WITH PRECIOUS STONES. SO FINE IS THE CRAFTSMANSHIP THAT EXPERTS SAY IT COULD HAVE BELONGED TO ANGLO-SAXON ROYALTY. HERBERT, FROM THE TOWN OF BURNTWOOD, FOUND THE GOLD ON A FRIEND'S FARM ON 5.JULY AND SPENT THE NEXT FIVE DAYS SCOURING THE FIELD FOR THE REST OF THE HOARD. THE HOARD WAS OFFICIALLY DECLARED TREASURE BY A CORONER, WHICH MEANS IT WILL NOW BE VALUED BY A COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS AND OFFERED UP FOR SALE TO A MUSEUM. PROCEEDS WOULD BE SPLIT 50/50 BETWEEN HERBERT AND HIS FARMER FRIEND, WHO HAS YET TO BE IDENTIFIED. THE FIND'S EXACT LOCATION IS BEING KEPT A SECRET TO DETER LOOTERS. BLAND SAID HE COULD NOT GIVE A PRECISE FIGURE FOR THE WORTH OF THE HOARD, BUT HE SAID THE TREASURE HUNTER COULD BE IN LINE FOR A "SEVEN-FIGURE SUM". THE AMAZING HOARD IS IN STORAGE AT THE BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY, WITH SOME OF THE PIECES DUE TO GO ON DISPLAY THIS WEEKEND.
No comments:
Post a Comment