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Detectorist finds rare 1,200-year-old Anglo-Saxon silver brooch
Categories: Nálezy nejenom s detektorem ve Velké Británii a Irsku
Iain Sansome made the find of a lifetime in the form of a massive early medieval 9th century silver brooch in a field near Cheddar, County Somerset. The Anglo-Saxon jewel in typically precise Trewhiddle style has now been declared a treasure.
The rather large silver brooch, 91mm in diameter, 1.93mm thick and weighing 76.12g, features artistic detailing interspersed with animal motifs - some of which are thought to be peacocks. Such early medieval brooches are almost non-existent in Somerset, with similar ones only worn by very high ranking nobles or ecclesiastics.
Experts from the South West Heritage Trust carried out a detailed survey of the site, but no other similar items of the period were found: "The fact that no other significant items were found suggests that the brooch was lost or thrown into the water, not deliberately buried," explained Dr. Maria Kneafsey of the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) added that similar early medieval brooches are very unusual.
Dr Lucy Shipley of PAS also said: 'Although Roman brooches are relatively common to find in Somerset, early medieval examples are very rare. These objects were important symbols of wealth and high status. They were usually given to cement relationships between powerful individuals, including those with religious roles."
"I've found a lot of important historical objects and have been through a lot of sites in my years with the detector, but this find is in a whole different league. When I first saw the brooch, I wasn't quite sure what it was, but I knew it was something special. I immediately stopped detecting and contacted PAS," Sansome said, adding, "It's a very rare find and the fact that the last person to own it was probably extremely important and high profile over 1,000 years ago is incredible to me.“
The value of the brooch will now be determined by an independent treasure valuation committee. The regional museum has the first chance to raise funds for its acquisition, with the money to be paid equally as a reward to the finder and the landowner. Somerset Council hopes to keep the brooch in the county once it is valued.
Roman Nemec
Sources: bbc.com, express.co.uk, somersetcountygazette.co.uk
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