The Staffordshire Hoard

(Why now? Whats the wow?)

The future of The Staffordshire Hoard looks truly golden - thanks to its triumphant return to the UK from the United States of America, and a major exhibition which will open its doors to the public on Saturday, July 21st 2012. The new Staffordshire Hoard: Dark Age Discovery exhibition at The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, in Stoke-on-Trent, from July 21st 2012 to September 1st 2013 is set to feature over a hundred specially chosen artefacts from the world famous Staffordshire Hoard. The Hoard is the largest and most valuable find ever of Anglo-Saxon treasure. More than 3,500 individual items have so far been identified. And many pieces of this dazzling collection of gold and silver objects are lavishly decorated with garnets. Most of the items are martial - they originally decorated swords, shields, helmets and other military gear. They were discovered in what had been the heartland of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia, which was militarily aggressive and expansionist during the 7th century under kings Penda, Wulfhere and Aethelred. Some items are decorated in what is known as Anglo-Saxon Style II, with characteristic stylised animals intertwined, gripping each other with interlaced jaws. The Hoard was first discovered in July 2009 by metal detectorist Terry Herbert, searching private farmland in Staffordshire with the written consent of the landowner. It was then valued by the Treasure Valuation Committee at the British Museum at 3.285 million. A few selected objects were subjected to non-invasive scientific analysis at the Louvre in Paris to try to uncover more of the secrets which lay buried beneath our feet for centuries. They and other finds (some of which were seen recently on Channel 4s Time Team) will be part of the new exhibition. The Staffordshire Hoard was shown in Washington DC recently. The exhibition in Stoke-on-Trent will feature many of the items shown there. Many of the artefacts have been conserved and cleaned for display, and experts have identified pieces which fit together. They will be displayed in this way for the first time in the United Kingdom. Displays will tell the story of the Hoard from the day it was unearthed. Current theories on its meaning and origins will be explored and visitors will be invited to speculate further. A full research project began in May 2012, and there will be regular updates on its findings throughout the 13 months of the exhibition. Sculptor Christopher Dean, meanwhile, has been commissioned to produce minutely accurate and life-sized replicas of some of the Staffordshire Hoard's most intriguing items. Computer scanning and enlarging pieces including the Seahorse and the Filigree Fish has revealed delicate filigree decoration almost invisible to the naked eye. The replicas will mean visitors can actually touch and feel the intricacies of these ancient designs. There will also be a full-sized model Anglo-Saxon, showing how warriors were dressed and equipped at the time of the Hoard. New interpretation panels, meanwhile, will set the Hoard in its historical context. more over

Stoke-on-Trent Tourism t. 01782 232817 e. tourism@stoke.gov.uk

www.visitstoke.co.uk

continued Staffordshire Hoard: Dark Age Discovery will be a family-friendly and free exhibition, and the best chance yet to see exactly why this find has caused such a stir around the globe. The display at The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery will be on show every day from 10.00 to 17.00 Monday to Saturday, and 14.00 to 17.00 on Sundays. For further information about The Hoard, and Stoke-on-Trent The World Capital of Ceramics, visit http://www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk. and http://www.visitstoke.co.uk/Staffordshirehoard.aspx [Ends] For further information, and images, please contact: Sam Hall Tel: 01782-232817 E-mail: tourism@stoke.gov.uk

---o0o--AN INVITATION Media interested in Staffordshire Hoard: Dark Age Discovery are asked to get in touch in order to be invited to see the new exhibition as guests of Visit Stoke. Visits can be arranged during the exhibition itself (July 21st to September 1st), prior to its opening, and on the preview evening of Friday, July 20th. Please contact Ian Weightman (ian.iwms@virgin.net) with your expression of interest, and preferred dates to visit. ---o0o---

Stoke-on-Trent Tourism t. 01782 232817 e. tourism@stoke.gov.uk

www.visitstoke.co.uk