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| Dark Age Warrior |
Writers are always looking for
inspiration and to broaden their knowledge.
For those of us who write historical novels that’s crucial. As my work
is divided between the Regency Period and the Dark Ages/Early Medieval Era I’m keen
to increase my understanding of both.
For that
reason I’ve just been to the Staffordshire Hoard Exhibition in Stoke. It had been on the must-see list ever since
the discovery was announced in 2009. Not
only that, Stoke is only about an hour’s drive away. No excuse then for not putting time aside to
go and take a look.
It was well
worth the effort. The Staffordshire
Potteries Museum is an attractive modern building, and the staff members whom I
met were all friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Admission is free but visitors are invited to
make a donation if they wish. The
building has lifts as well as stairs so access is easy, and there is also a
café selling a range of drinks, snacks and light meals. The museum has
several exhibition rooms and display areas.
The Hoard Exhibition
is well laid out and, as well as the usual
explanatory written material, there's an excellent video to watch. Of course,
it’s the treasure itself which exerts the greatest fascination. About 250 items are currently on display. The rest of the collection is still being
cleaned and examined in Birmingham.
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| Folded cross |
Quite apart
from its importance as a historical source, the hoard intrigues because
of the beauty and craftsmanship of the artefacts themselves. Many are reminiscent of the treasures found
at Sutton Hoo. Unlike the latter though,
the Staffordshire Hoard is not associated with the burial of a king. It’s believed to be battle loot. Most of the pieces found have a military
connection: sword pommels, shield bosses, belt buckles, helmet fragments,
harness mountings and so forth. They
date from 650-700AD. Staffordshire was
part of the kingdom of Mercia which, at the time, was going through major
political upheaval when armed conflict was frequent.
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| Helmet piece |
Who amassed
the hoard and hid it will probably never be known, but it seems likely that it
happened at a time of crisis. The
individual concerned never returned for his loot so the treasure lay
undiscovered in the earth for 1300 years, until Terry Herbert appeared with his
metal detector in 2009. He must have been
thrilled when he realised what he’d found, and who can blame him?
The Staffordshire
Hoard Exhibition will remain in Stoke until September 2013, after which it will
go on tour. That allows plenty of time to
check it out if you’re so inclined. I’d
definitely recommend it.
