University professors made a rare discovery of a well-preserved sixth century sword as seen on the BBC’s flagship archaeology programme, Digging for Britain.
The sword, which was uncovered in an Anglo-Saxon cemetery near Canterbury in Kent, is exceptionally well-preserved, with a silver-and-gilt hilt and inscriptions on the blade.
It features associated metal written in runic, an alphabet used by people in Northern Europe before the adoption of Latin, with traces of the leather and wood scabbard lined with beaver fur also recovered.
The incredible discovery, led by Duncan Sayer, archaeologist and Professor of Archaeology at the University of Central Lancashire, featured on BBC 2’s Digging for Britain in January.
The gold pendant thought to have been worn by a woman of high status
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Andrew Richardson
Professor Sayer said: “Swords like this were more than weapons, they were symbols of authority and lordship that were passed down for generations – this one was so closely associated with the man it was buried with that he looks to have been hugging it.
“It’s a wonderful find, from a rich cemetery which will reveal important clues about the early medieval political landscape, ties to Europe and migration evidence.
“We’re keeping the name of the site under wraps. It’s a very rich cemetery. It would be a real tragedy if it became well known before we’ve excavated it.”
Alongside the sword, archaeologists also unearthed a gold pendant inscribed with a serpent or a dragon, which is thought to have been worn by a woman of high status or kept as a family keepsake.
Other treasures found on the site include spears, shields and other swords, primarily in men’s graves, and knives, buckles, brooches, and other artefacts in women’s graves.
It is unusual to have multiple objects like this from just one grave, with other recent grave discoveries including a male buried with a spear, shield and seax, a one-sided cutting weapon, beads, buckles and clasps from Scandinavia, and a well-preserved wooden bucket.
Professor Alice Roberts, an academic who presents the Digging for Britain documentaries, described the sword as “beautifully preserved”, claiming she had never seen one quite like it.
“It’s an extraordinary Anglo-Saxon cemetery, with really beautifully furnished graves,” she said, “a lot of weapon burials where you find things like iron spear-points and seaxes, which are Anglo-Saxon knives – and then there’s this astonishing sword.”
Only 12 of 200 graves have been excavated so far
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University of Lancashire
Scandinavian and Frankish origin artifacts were found in other graves at the Anglo-Saxon cemetery, with the Scandinavian items belonging to a woman who lived in the late fifth century.
So far, the fascinating discoveries have been made from only 12 of the more than 200 graves on the site so the team are hoping to uncover even more artifacts as they continue to excavate the Kent graveyard, which could take years to explore.
Featuring in the six-part Digging for Britain series, it shows that the untouched Anglo-Saxon cemetery is now “giving up its secrets”.
The sword is described as one of the most remarkable finds ever seen on Digging for Britain, now into its twelfth series.