A Viking Hoard dating
from the time of the ‘Last Kingdom’, when the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Mercia
and Wessex were fighting for their survival against a ‘Great Heathen Army’ of
Viking raiders has been revealed at the British Museum.
The valuable hoard, which
was discovered by metal detectorist
James Mather in a field in Watlington, Oxfordshire and reported through
the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS), headed up the launch of the PAS annual
treasure report at the museum, which details the thousands of finds reported by
detectorists and amateur archaeologists via a network of local museums.
It includes rare coins
of King Alfred ‘the Great’ of Wessex (r.871-99) and King Ceolwulf II of Mercia (874-79), as well as Viking arm-rings
and silver ingots, and is said by archaeologists to be nationally significant.
Block lifted in a single
slab of earth, the find was excavated at the British Museum. The 186 coins
(some fragmentary), seven items of jewellery and 15 ingots were then examined
by experts from the museum alongside colleagues from the Ashmolean Museum in
Oxford.
Experts believe the
hoard was buried around the end of the 870s, in the period following Alfred’s
decisive defeat of the Vikings at Edington in 878, a victory which lead to the
unification of England.
Following their defeat,
the Vikings moved north of the Thames and travelled to East Anglia through the
kingdom of Mercia. It seems likely that the hoard was buried in the course of
these events, although the precise circumstances will never be known.
Recalling the experience
of finding the hoard and helping excavate it with archaeologists from the PAS,
finder James Mather said it was the “icing on the cake of my 60th birthday”.
“It highlights how
responsible metal detecting, supportive landowners and the PAS contribute to
national archaeological heritage,” he added. “I hope these amazing artefacts
can be displayed by a local museum to be enjoyed by generations to come."
If the Watlington Hoard
is declared Treasure, the Ashmolean Museum and Oxfordshire Museums Service will
be working in partnership with others, and potential funders, to try to ensure
it is displayed for local people to learn about and enjoy.
Since 1997, when the
Treasure Act became law, the number of finds reported has increased fivefold
from 201 cases in 1998 (the first full year of the Act) to 990 in 2013, and
1008 in 2014.
Of the finds reported as
Treasure in 2013 (the last year for which figures are available), 363 were
acquired by 91 local museums, so they can be displayed close to where the items
were discovered.
This year’s annual
report reveals that in addition to reported Treasure, a further 113,784
archaeological finds have been recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme in
2014.
All of them are recorded
on the PAS database (finds.org.uk), where local people can learn about them and
discover more about the archaeology and history of their local area.
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