The delicate, mysterious spoils of a 7th-century war

[oldironside]

"The scale of this hoard is stunning: there is so much material that we may have to rethink our knowledge of the 7th century.

Staffordshire was the heartland of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia, which was militarily aggressive and expansionist during the 7th century under the kings Penda, Wulfhere, and Aethelred. This material could have been collected by any of these men during their wars with Northumbria and East Anglia, or by someone whose name is lost to history.
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The hoard's two most striking features are that it is of exceptionally high quality and that it is unbalanced; there is absolutely nothing feminine, no dress fittings, brooches or pendants (the gold objects most commonly found from the Anglo-Saxon era). The vast majority of items in the hoard are martial – war gear, especially sword fittings.

The quality of the gold is amazing, and, more importantly, the craftsmanship is consummate. This was the very best that the Anglo-Saxon metalworkers could forge – and they were good. Tiny garnets were cut to shape and set in a mass of cells to give a rich, glowing effect; it is dazzling. The hoard's origins are clearly the very highest levels of Saxon aristocracy or royalty. It belonged to the elite."

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/dr-kevin-leahy-the-delicate-mysterious-spoils-of-a-7thcentury-war-1792916.html

Further details about the Staffordshire find. It even provoked an editorial from the Independent.