Metal Detector Finds Unprecedented Bounty

In an undisclosed field in ancient Mercia, now present-day Staffordshire, England, an unemployed man stumbled upon the greatest archeological find in decades using only a metal detector and his enviable amounts of free time on a local treasure hunt. Likened to the discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb, the lost treasure find includes more than 1,345 items fashioned from precious metals dating back almost 1,500 years. It is known that the items originated from the Anglo-Saxons, a Germanic group of tribes who invaded England after the Roman Empire collapsed, but what brought the treasure to the Staffordshire field has yet to be determined.

Terry's pending bounty The unprecedented haul is expected to redefine many conventions held about the Dark Ages and what is known about the Anglo-Saxons. It's also going to redefine how Terry Herbert, the discoverer of the hoard, defines his employment status, not to mention the value he places on his metal detector. Chances are, after the estimated 7-figure (in British pounds, mind you) haul he can expect, his status will change to retired, though there's no indication he'll hang up his treasure hunting hat. This official estimate is around 2 million pounds, but it is to be shared with Terry's friend, the owner of the field.

Blasphemous pagans deface history?

The treasures unearthed include scores of sword fittings, helmet crests, dagger hilts and buttons all crafted from precious metals and inlaid with semi-precious stones. Few conclusions can be drawn about the hoard's origins, but they undoubtedly shed light on a period otherwise shrouded in unrecorded historical darkness subject to much conjecture by academics and amateur historians. Were these the spoils of an epic battle or the concealed loot of some ancient aristocrat amassed over the years? So far, two items in particular have attracted the most attention, a gold band with a Bible passage inscribed and a cross that had been disfigured for better storage. The Bible passage called for assistance in vanquishing enemies in battle, and the cross suggests at some point it was held by someone with little respect for Christian iconography. Does this document the thwarting of an invading force of Christian marauders or was the Mercian kingdom more Christian than previously thought?

What's to come for those involved?

Like most archeological finds, it fills a gap and then creates two gaps where there was only one. While no certain answers will be drawn for years or more, happily it gives English academics some much needed news to bandy back and forth over their tea and cake, not to mention some serious motivation for amateur treasure hunters to comb the countryside with their own metal detectors. And for our erstwhile unemployed treasure hunter? We can only assume he'll follow the developments closely when he's not amassing his own pile of treasures.