Winfarthing pendant facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Winfarthing pendant |
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The Winfarthing pendant, before cleaning.
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| Material | Gold, garnet |
| Size | 7 cm in diameter |
| Created | 7th century AD |
| Period/culture | Anglo-Saxon |
| Discovered | 2014 |
| Place | Winfarthing, Norfolk, England |
The Winfarthing pendant is a beautiful piece of Anglo-Saxon jewelry from the 600s. It's a round, golden brooch decorated with many tiny red stones called garnets. This amazing treasure was discovered in 2014 near Diss, in Norfolk, England. Today, you can see it on display at the Norfolk Castle Museum.
Contents
What Does the Pendant Look Like?
This golden pendant is shaped like a circle, about 7 centimeters (almost 3 inches) wide. It's made from thin sheets of gold. Small gold sections hold hundreds of tiny red garnets. These garnets create cool patterns, like twisting animals and geometric shapes.
The stones are set in six circles, one inside the other. Around the edges, there are four larger, bumpy stones called bosses. A big boss sits right in the middle of the pendant.
How Was the Pendant Found?
Discovery of an Ancient Grave
The Winfarthing pendant was found in December 2014. A student named Tom Lucking was using a metal detector in a field in Winfarthing. He was studying landscape archaeology.
Tom first found an old metal bowl. He knew this was an important discovery. So, he stopped digging right away. He then called the Norfolk County Council's Find Identification and Recording Service for help.
Archaeologists came to the site. They carefully dug up an Anglo-Saxon grave. Inside, they found many old items, mostly jewelry.
Who Was Buried with the Pendant?
The grave held the remains of a woman. Her skeleton was not in very good condition. Along with the golden Winfarthing pendant, other treasures were found.
These included two coin pendants from a place called Merovingia. There was also a necklace with two gold beads. Two other pendants shaped like a cross were also found. Other items included a bronze bowl, a special pottery jar, copper rings, and an iron knife.
The old coins helped experts figure out the age of the grave. They showed it was from the mid to late 600s. This was one of the last times Anglo-Saxons buried people with their belongings. The cross shapes on some pendants suggest the woman might have been an early follower of Christianity.
A Valued Treasure
The UK government officially declared the pendant a "Treasure." It was valued at £145,050. A group called the Friends of Norwich Museum started a fundraising campaign. Their goal was to buy the pendant for the Norwich Castle Museum.
They successfully raised the money by June 2018. Now, the amazing Winfarthing pendant is on display for everyone to see at the Norwich Castle Museum.
See also
