2017-11-24 Fri

A 54-year-old treasure hunter named Chris Kutler discovered a hoard of ancient gold coins that were probably buried with an Anglo-Saxon King almost 1,500 years ago. He had searched for four days at a 1,600 sq meter field in Chelmsford, Essex. The coins which could be worth up to £10,000 have been handed over to the British Museum for analysis and valuation.

Mr. Kutler has been a metal detector for over 25 years and had found Anglo-Saxon coins at the same site 18 years back. These coins are also showcased at the British Museum. He got to know about a possibility that more coins could be found in the same locality.

The coins were struck between 620 and 640AD and are associated with Royal burials. The Tremissis coins were used by the Merovingians who ruled over the present-day France, and also beyond towards Saxony. The British Museum will take almost 1 year to analyse the coins.

A cemetery with 150 graves and beautiful grave goods like a comb, jewellery, a sewing box, and shells were discovered in Bulford, Wiltshire, last April. Experts also believe that the site had a spiritual significance for 5,000 years. Neolithic goods found at the site suggest that it was a burial site for Stone Age man.

150 graves were found from the mid-Anglo-Saxon period in England and one grave is dated to between AD 660 and 780. It contains remains of an Anglo Saxon woman who died in her 20s. She was buried along with two boxes and a cowrie shell.