This gold band has a biblical inscription in Latin on it. The passage was taken from the vulgate version of the Anglo-Saxon bible, and the gold band is part of the Staffordshire Hoard, a collection of over 1,500 objects recovered from a field near Birmingham, England.
Michelle Brown, Professor of Medieval Manuscript Studies at Birmingham, believes that the style of lettering dates from the seventh or early eighth centuries. Professor Elisabeth Okasha, University of Cork, on the other hand concluded that it dates to the eighth or ninth centuries.
The inscription, misspelled in places, is probably from the Book of Numbers Chapter 10 verse 35 and reads:
- Surge domine et dissipentur inimici tui et fugiant qui oderunt te a facie tua.
- ‘Rise up, o Lord, and may thy enemies be dispersed and those who hate thee be driven from thy face'
More on the Staffordshire Hoard, Anglo Saxons and Hoards in General
