PHOTO: AP
LONDON - AN UNEMPLOYED British man has unearthed the biggest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver ever found, while out with his metal detector in a field, archaeologists said Thursday.
The treasure trove of at least 1,350 items, including five kilogrammes (11 pounds) of gold and 2.5kg of silver, was found by 55-year-old Terry Herbert in a farmer's field near his home in Burntwood, central England.
The haul, found in July and potentially worth a fortune, was officially declared treasure on Thursday by a coroner, who under English law decides the status of such finds.
It is believed to date from the seventh century AD, and may have belonged to Saxon royalty. The treasure includes sword pommel caps and hilt plates, many inlaid with precious stones.
'This is absolutely phenomenal. When I first saw the material I was absolutely staggered,' said Mr Duncan Slarke, finds liaison officer for the county of Staffordshire, who was the first professional to see the hoard.
'To see the volume and the quality of this Anglo-Saxon precious metalwork was absolutely stunning and I was literally speechless.' Mr Herbert described the day he found the treasure, including a spooky detail before he set out for his day's detecting.
'I have this phrase that I say sometimes; 'spirits of yesteryear take me where the coins appear', but on that day I changed coins to gold,' he said.
'I don't know why I said it that day, but I think somebody was listening and directed me to it... This is what metal detectorists dream of, finding stuff like this. But the vast amount there is is just unbelievable.' While the value of the treasures has not yet been decided, it will likely make Mr Herbert a rich man - he is expected to share the money with the farmer in whose field it was discovered, after it has been officially valued.
'It's been more fun than winning the lottery,' said the jobless Briton, who took up the sometimes scorned hobby of metal detecting 18 years ago, and made the find with his trusty 14-year-old detector.
'People laugh at metal detectorists. I've had people go past and go 'beep beep, he's after pennies'. Well no, we are out there to find this kind of stuff and it is out there,' he said. One expert told him it was like finding Tutankhamen's tomb, he said. 'I just flushed all over when he said that. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, you just never expect this.' -- AFP
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