Warrior Treasure

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