With a date of 1,400 years, the sophistication and historical significance of the gold coins, the Anglo-Saxon treasure recently found in Norfolk (England) has a huge value, many times greater than the amount of gold that created it. .
According to the Evening Standard, the treasure includes 131 gold coins and 4 other objects, also made of gold, excavated over a large area during the years 2014 to 2020. The coins were exposed when the field next to them was unearthed. on it is plowed. An anonymous metal detector tried to track down and collect each artifact.
Some artifacts from the newly announced treasure trove – Photo: British Museum
Most of the coins were from the same mold and other gold objects had markings that showed they belonged to the same hoard. The official burial site is said to be near the grave of an ancient ruler in an area called “Sutton Hoo”, where the lord – or king – was found in a large ship with his burial goods. worth a whole treasure.
Ancient Origins said that the first coin actually appeared in 1991, but it was not until 2014, when a few more coins appeared, that people really paid attention.
According to Dr Adrian Marsden from the Norfolk Environment and History Authority, there are a few coins in the hoard that were minted by the Byzantine Empire, but most were created by the Merovingian dynasty, which corresponds to modern-day France. At this period in history, England did not mint its own gold coins, so the money had to be brought from elsewhere in Europe.
The special thing is that these coins are in the same mold as other coins in a wallet also excavated at Sutton Hoo, so the entire treasure could belong to the same Englishman who frequented the ancient Merovingian.
However, the whole of Sutton Hoo was plowed and turned over by agricultural activity for many years, before it was discovered to contain great treasures, thus identifying the treasure as belonging to the lord in said boat grave or someone else’s burial nearby would be quite difficult.
According to Dr Gareth Williams, curator of medieval coins at the British Museum, this discovery is extremely important and could help change understanding of the economy of early Anglo-Saxon England. This treasure, if valued correctly, could be the largest treasure in England.
