Treasure Trove: anglo-saxon gold hoard

http://news.nationalgeographic.com

the Find
About 1,500 pieces of gold & silver ornaments and other military artifacts, some are even decorated with precious stones. These treasures are of Anglo-Saxon origin and it dates back to 675 - 725AD, about the same time period as the poem "Beowulf". Experts believe that these belonged to a defeated king or a warlord and were collected during wars in the kingdoms of Northumbria and East Anglia. Some of the objects were bent and twisted, and others appear to have been deliberately removed from where they were used to be attached.

The hoard has officially been declared a treasure and will be up for sale to a museum in Britain. According to Leslie Webster, former keeper at the British Museum’s Department of Prehistory and Europe, ‘This will change our understanding of the dates of early Christian manuscripts, our perceptions of seventh-century people and where power lay,’.

the Lucky
Terry Herbert, a 55-year old former coffin factory worker, previously unemployed, now a millionaire. The proceeds of the sale will be divided in half between him and the unidentified landowner. They could be in line for a "seven-figure sum."

the Place and the Time
Authorities wanted to keep the location secret to ward off looters but I was able to find a few articles that state exact location and the name of the landowner. It's an english farmland :). Herbert and the owner are friends and he signed a written contract to split anything that he will find 50-50. He found the first of the items on July 5 2009 and then spent the next five days looking all over the place for other pieces.

How in the world!?
By an 18-year old metal detector bought for £2.50. Herbert says, "I have this phrase that I say sometimes – “spirits of yesteryear take me where the coins appear” – but on that day I changed coins to gold. I don’t know why I said it that day, but I think somebody was listening and directed me to it. Maybe it was meant to be, maybe the gold had my name on it all along. I was going to bed and in my sleep I was seeing gold items.’

Terry is a metal detector enthusiast and is used to his hobby being mocked. ‘I’ve had people go past and go “beep beep, he’s after pennies”, he said. ‘Well no, we are out there to find this kind of stuff – and it is out there.’


Sources:
The field of gold: How jobless treasure hunter unearthed greatest ever haul of Saxon artefacts with £2.50 metal detector [dailymail.co.uk]
Huge hoard of Anglo-Saxon treasure uncovered in UK [news.yahoo.com]
Highlights of Anglo-Saxon hoard [www.independent.co.uk]