Anglo-Saxon pendant found in Norfolk

An archaeology student exploring a private field with a metal detector stumbled across a gold and jewelled pendant, leading to the grave of an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman.

The pendant is the undoubted star find from the excavation, but there are other items to indicate that this was a noblewoman of wealth and taste. Some of them were made in the Kingdom of the Franks, part of what was to later become France.

They include two pendants made from re-used gold coins. One of them has been dated to between 639-656 when it was minted for Frankish king Sigebert III, probably near Marseilles, so we know the grave must be dated to just after this. The pendants, along with two gold beads, formed part of a ‘choker’-style necklace.

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Story: Trevor Heaton, EDP24 | Photo: EDP24