More gold and silver found at Staffordshire Hoard site
More gold and silver has been found at the site of the Staffordshire Hoard, it was revealed today.
Archaeologists have discovered 90 pieces at the same field where the biggest ever haul of Anglo-Saxon gold was unearthed back in 2009.
The items were found during a ploughing of the field in Hammerwich, near Lichfield and Brownhills.
Experts from Staffordshire County Council and English Heritage believe the pieces could be part of the original hoard.
It has been three years since Terry Herbert, a metal detector enthusiast, made the discovery and archaeologists had been certain up until now there was nothing else on the site.
Dr Della Hooke, vice president of the Birmingham and Warwickshire Archeological Society, said today she was stunned by last month's discovery. She also said the new finding could also prove wrong some theories as to how the items got to the field.
Dr Hooke said: "It's absolutely amazing. In the last search they used top-quality equipment to go over the area, which they use to find underground stuff in Afghanistan. They were absolutely certain there was nothing else down there.
"Nobody really knows why the hoard is there. It could have either been a deliberate burial on a boundary perhaps after someone died or buried quickly by someone who had stolen it who was making an escape on Watling Street.
"That's really the only thing that was there at that time. The land there would have been woodland and heathland.
"This new finding, if it is part of the hoard, could change everything. If they found the items in a different location it doesn't sound like it was stolen after all."
The hoard is the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver metalwork ever found anywhere in the world. It consists of more than 3,500 items, which experts date back to the 7th or 8th centuries.
South Staffordshire coroner Andrew Haigh will rule at an inquest on January 4 if the new pieces are part of the hoard and should be declared treasure.
Plans for a viewing platform at the famous field in Lichfield Road are being put to Hammerwich Parish Council tomorrow (WED).
