beecareful - news: Anglo-Saxon treasure trove found in Staffordshire

Anglo-Saxon treasure trove found in Staffordshire
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Beecareful  on 24/09/2009 10:46:00

Terry Herbert, from Burntwood, Staffordshire, made the discovery of 5kg of gold
and 2.5kg of silver on private farmland using a 14-year-old metal detector.
Experts said the collection of more than 1,500 pieces was unparalleled in size
and would redefine perceptions of Anglo-Saxon England.
It may take more than a year to value the treasure, which is reported to
include warfare equipment, sword pommel caps and hilt plates, many of which
contain precious stones.
Leslie Webster, former keeper at the British Museum's Department of Prehistory
and Europe, said: "This is going to alter our perceptions of Anglo-Saxon England
as radically, if not more so, as the Sutton Hoo discoveries. (It is) absolutely
the equivalent of finding a new Lindisfarne Gospels or Book of Kells."
The precise location of the find has not been disclosed, but it is thought to
be near the Lichfield border in South Staffordshire.
Copyright (c) Press Association 2009