Ashdon Hoard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ashdon Hoard |
|
|---|---|
| Material | silver |
| Size | 71 silver pennies |
| Period/culture | Viking Age |
| Discovered | Parish of Ashdon, Essex, 1984 |
| Present location | various |
The Ashdon Hoard is a special collection of Viking Age coins. It was found in a place called Ashdon in Essex, England. These coins are very old, from around the year 895. They give us clues about how people used silver as money during the Viking Age in a part of England called East Anglia.
Contents
What is the Ashdon Hoard?
The Ashdon Hoard is a collection of 71 silver coins. Most of these coins are called "pennies." This hoard is important because it helps us understand how people used money and traded goods over a thousand years ago.
Coins from Different Rulers
The coins in the hoard come from different rulers and places. This shows how people traveled and traded across Europe. The hoard includes:
- 29 pennies from Alfred the Great, a famous English king.
- 5 pennies from Guthrum, a Viking king who ruled in England.
- 1 penny from Guthred, another Viking king. This is the only coin ever found that was made for Guthred!
- 3 pennies from Charles the Bald, a king from the Carolingian Empire in France.
- 1 penny from Odo of France, another French ruler.
- 32 pennies that are harder to identify.
What is "Pecking"?
The Ashdon Hoard is one of the earliest examples of something called "pecking" on coins. Pecking means small marks or nicks on the coins. People would make these marks to test if the silver was real and not fake. It shows that even coins from the Carolingian Empire were tested this way in England. Some of the French coins in the hoard were even copies made in England by people who were part-Viking, part-English.
How the Hoard Was Found
The Ashdon Hoard was discovered by a metal detectorist named Bob Spall. A metal detectorist is someone who uses a special device to find metal objects hidden underground.
The Discovery Story
Bob Spall found the hoard in 1984 in a woodland area called Home Wood, near a small village called Steventon End. He first found a few coin pieces in the mud. He then went back to the spot 16 times between March and October of that year. He carefully searched the area each time.
Putting the Pieces Together
In total, 12 coins were found whole. The rest of the coins were put back together from 102 small metal pieces. It was like solving a big puzzle!
Where the Coins Are Now
Today, most of the coins from the Ashdon Hoard are kept at the Fitzwilliam Museum. This museum is in Cambridge, England. Four other coins are at the British Museum in London. Two more coins are at the Saffron Walden museum, which is closer to where they were found.
