u.k. treasure hunter finds massive anglo-saxon hoard
An amateur treasure hunter hovered in the British farmland with a metal detector and stumbled upon Britain\'s biggest treasure --
Saxonfind ever, a huge seventh-
British archaeologists said Thursday that gold, silver and sword decorations, crosses and other items that were hoarded in the century.
One expert said the wealth would revolutionize people\'s understanding of Britain.
The Saxons, a Germanic nation, ruled Britain from the 5th century until the Norman Conquest in 1066.
Another said the discovery would be listed as one of the best in the UK.
Famous historical treasures
\"It\'s just a completely unexpected discovery,\" said Roger Brand, who manages cache mining . \".
\"This will allow us to rethink the dark age.
Blander said the treasure was unearthed in Mercia, once one of the five British families.
The Saxon kingdom, considered 675-725 AD.
The experts checked a total of 1,345 items and found that 56 more pieces of soil contained X-
This means that the total may rise to 1,500.
\"I think this wealth must belong to the king, but we can\'t say it with absolute certainty,\" Brand said . \". The Anglo-
The Saxons were a group of Germanic tribes that began in the 5th century and gradually invaded England by sea after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire.
Initially, they came from coastal areas now in northwestern Germany.
Their artisans make eye-catching items with gold and enamel, and they also create poems that still amaze people. Their best-
The famous literary work is beowov, an anonymous epic about a warrior fighting monsters and dragons.
Former British curator Leslie Webster
Saxon archaeologists at the British Museum say the amount of gold found
About five kilograms.
This shows that Britain in the early Middle Ages was much richer than previously thought. The seventh-
55-discover the treasure of the centuryyear-
Old Terry Herbert in the West of England has at least 650 pieces of gold and 530 pieces of silver objects weighing more than 1 kg kilograms, as well as some copper alloys, wreaths and glass.
Most of these items are decorations of weapons and other military artifacts, and some are inlaid with gems.
Herbert, from Burnwood town, found gold on a friend\'s farm in July 5 and spent the next five days searching for the remaining treasures in the fields.
Herbert found the first item before a professional archaeologist took over the excavation.
\"Imagine you\'re at home and someone keeps putting money in your mailbox.
\"This is how it looks,\" Herbert said . \".
\"I\'m going to sleep. In my sleep, I saw the gold items.
The coroner officially announced the treasure, meaning it will now be valued by an expert committee and sold to the museum.
The proceeds will be divided into 50-
Between Herbert and his peasant friends, his identity has not yet been determined.
To stop the robbers, the exact location of this discovery is kept confidential.
Blander said he could not give an accurate number about the value of the treasure, but he said that treasure seekers might queue up to buy \"7-figure sum.
Herbert said the experience was \"more interesting than winning the lottery,\" adding that an expert compared his findings to the discovery of Tutankhamen\'s grave.
The Treasure House is housed in the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
Some projects will be on display on Friday.
The archaeologists are still confused about the function of many of the debris they found, Brand said.
\"There are many mysterious things in it,\" he said . \"