Staffordshire hoard... part 2 County’s second cache of ancient gold treasure stuns archaeologists
THE oldest Iron Age gold jewellery ever discovered in Britain has been dug up by two Midland metal detectorists.
Life-long friends Mark Hambleton and Joe Kania could not believe their eyes when they found the gold buried in a muddy field on farmland in Leekfrith in the Staffordshire Moorlands last year.
The find was all the more remarkable because Mr Hambleton had searched the same field 20 years ago – but found nothing.
The enthusiasts unearthed a total of four torcs – three necklaces and a bracelet – thought to be up to 2,500 years old, a metre apart.
Experts said the unique find had international significance.
The discovery echoes that of the famous Anglo-Saxon Staffordshire Hoard at Hammerwich, near Lichfield in 2009. The £3.3 million hoard, which dates back to the Kingdom of Mercia, is made up of 3,900 pieces of precious metal, some of which is on display in Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.
The new find of Iron Age jewellery, thought to be equivalent to 18-carat gold, was found just beneath the surface of farmland in December.
It is not known why the torcs were buried, but it could have been for safekeeping, an offering to the gods, or as an act of remembrance.
The decoration on the sole bracelet has excited experts because it is thought to be some of the earliest Celtic art from Britain.
After scouring the ground in the mid-winter cold last year, both men were ready to call it a day when Mr Kania suddenly got a signal.
Mr Hambleton, 59, said: “We have found the odd Victorian coin, but mostly it has just been junk.”
He added: “Joe said to me ‘I think I’ve found something a bit special’ and he was dangling it in front of my face. That’s when I started to get a bit dizzy and weak at the knees.
“I said to him ‘You know what this means – we have to search the area now’.”
The gold was handed over to experts at Birmingham Museums with archaeologists from Staffordshire County Council and Stokeon-Trent City Council brought in to investigate the site.
There are hopes the collection, thought to originate from Germany or France, can now be secured for permanent display in the city.
Dr Julia Farley, curator of British & European Iron Age collections for the British Museum, said: “This unique find is of international importance.
“It dates to around 400-250 BC, and is probably the earliest Iron Age gold work ever discovered in Britain.
“The torcs were probably worn by wealthy and powerful women, perhaps people from the continent who had married into the local community.
“Piecing together how these objects came to be carefully buried in a Staffordshire field will give us an invaluable insight into life in Iron Age Britain.”
A preliminary valuation is due to take place, with the detectorists planning to split the value of their find 50/50 with the field’s owner.