You are on page 1of 4

Guynn 1 Austin S. Guynn Intro to Archaeology Prof.

Griffiths JR Staffordshire Hoard I chose the archaeological site Staffordshire Hoard which is the largest finding of Anglo-Saxon gold (staffordshirehoard.org). After getting written consent from the farmer, Terry Herbert, an amateur metal detectorist stumbled across the find of a lifetime. Herbert reported his find the Portable Antiquates Scheme and the dig was led by Ian Wykes and Steve Dean (staffordshirehoard.org). I chose this site because I find it fascinating because of its proximity to a highway as seen in (fig 1), and that an amateur metal detectorist made the discovery. It makes me wonder what other treasures are waiting to be found. What I want to learn is if there is more treasure on the land and how it all got there.
(Fig 1)

Terry Herbert located the material evidence with a metal detector. After reporting his finds, an archaeological dig, which was funded by English Heritage and the Staffordshire County Council, began. On July 22, 2009 archaeologists dug a 1meter square test pit and found gold, the test pit was widened to 2 square meters (Fig 2). It was concluded that the hoard was contained in the

ploughsoil through further test holes (finds.org.uk). The site was gridded at a 20-meter square and divided out by 1-meter squares with the 2-meter square test pit in the middle (finds.org.uk). The excavation was done with hand

Guynn 2
(Fig 2)

spits; find number and grid number recorded each find in the grid. During the dig all information was recorded from the site by videography, photography, and written record keeping. Due to the high value of the artifacts, at the end of each day of the dig, all the finds were taken off site and stored at the University of

Birmingham or the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, along with 24-hour security on site. Initially at the beginning of the dig, each cubic meter of the soil was bagged to be wet sieved but was abandoned because of slow progress due to wet soil clay and low water pressure. The excavation continued with hand spits and was rigorously tested with metal detectors. Roughly 4,000 artifacts were retrieved from 155-meter squares, most of the artifacts were gold and silver and appeared to be a sort of war souvenir. No female related artifacts were found, and some of the pieces looked as if it was torn off another object. The artifacts appear to be from the late sixth to the early eighth century A.D (staffordshirehoard.org). It is hypothesized that the hoard was buried in a box or sack, the reasons for the scattering was due to the plowing of the land. I hypothesize that the gold and silver was buried for safekeeping, it makes me think of the outlaws of the Wild West and how they would burry their loot for safekeeping. Out side of safekeeping, it could have been buried for religious reason or in a burial ritual.

Guynn 3 The artifacts appear to be from the Anglo-Saxon era because of the type and style of artifacts including the material. All the artifacts seemed to be related and the culture did not change. I think it did not change because it was a site of a homestead or town, it was a site of a single or few events and the artifacts were deliberately left there.

Guynn 4 Works Cited Fig 1. "Staffordshire Hoard." Staffordshire Hoard. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. <http://www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk/about/the-faces-behind-the-find>. Fig 2. "Staffordshire Hoard." Staffordshire Hoard. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. <http://www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk/about/the-faces-behind-the-find>. Finds.org.uk The Staffordshire Hoard Fieldwork, 2009-2010- The Symposium Portable Antiquities Scheme. N.P., n.d. Web 24 Feb 2014. <http://finds.org.uk/staffshoardsymposium/ Staffordshirehoard.org.uk. "Staffordshire Hoard." Staffordshire Hoard. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. <http://www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk/about/the-faces-behind-the-find>.

You might also like