What Does the Staffordshire Hoard Mean to Historians?
The public unveiling of an extraordinary collection of Anglo-Saxon metalwork was reported in a crass and trivial way, says Justin Pollard. He considers its true significance.
The media spotlight swung on to the Staffordshire Hoard of Anglo-Saxon metalwork when this remarkable treasure was revealed to the world’s press in Birmingham on September 24th. Then, just as quickly, it moved on, leaving anyone with an interest in the period wondering what exactly it all means. In the first place no one could complain about Anglo-Saxon England taking a brief moment in the spotlight. It is a period that rarely gets a mention in the media, perhaps because it is still perceived as a ‘Dark Age’, perhaps because, when Bede, Sutton Hoo and Alfred the Great have all been mentioned, no one is quite sure what else remains. It is certainly true that at the date of the hoard, which contains items putatively put at between the late sixth and the early eighth centuries, finds are rare enough for anything and everything to have the potential to change our understanding of the period. So the announcement of the discovery of 1,344 items in one hoard in the heartland of the old kingdom of Mercia marked something of a red-letter day.
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