The Ogley Hay Hoard (also called the Staffordshire or Hammerwich Hoard) is a collection of artifacts discovered by a metal detectorist in a cultivated field near the parish of Ogley Hay in south Staffordshire in the English Midlands. Additional investigations at the site after its discovery have recorded a total of nearly 3500 separate pieces with a mass of 5 kilograms of gold and 1.4 kg of silver, scattered over an area of some 90 square meters.
Ogley Hay Hoard Artifacts
The hoard dates to the early 7th century AD, when the hoard was on the border of Ogintune (an early name for Ogley Hay). Archaeologists believe the objects were originally buried in a pit, which was "plowed out" over the area in east/west and north/south directions before being discovered.
Artifacts in the hoard are primarily war gear, especially filigree hilt-fittings, pommel caps, and the pieces of a helmet. The gear is decorated with cloisonee, and gems, with considerable filigrees. Three Christian crosses in the hoard include a large processional/altar cross, a pendant cross and an inscribed strip which may be a third cross.
An inscription was engraved on a gold strip, reading a text from the Vulgate form of the bible, "Let God arise and his enemies be dispersed and those who hate him flee from his face".
Ogley Hay Hoard Interpretation
The Ogley Hay Hoard is unique, but it is similar in age and (to an extent) content to the Sutton Hoo burial. Its context is currently unknown, in part because it was plowed out, and in part because, according to some critics such as Martin Carver (2011), the site was too quickly excavated. In a recent article in Antiquity (Webster et al 2011), researchers discuss the possible interpretations as including:- the results of a Viking raid on a royal hall
- a votive deposit by the owners of a pagan sanctuary
- an emergency stash by its owners as they fled
- a hoard left by a thief
Sources
This glossary entry is a part of the About.com guide to Hoards, and the Dictionary of Archaeology.
Carver M. 2011. The best we can do? Antiquity 85(327):230–234.
Leahy K, Bland R, Hooke D, Jones A, and Okasha E. 2011. The Staffordshire (Ogley Hay) hoard: recovery of a treasure. Antiquity 85:202–220.
Webster L, Sparey-Green C, Périn P, and Hills C. 2011. The Staffordshire (Ogley Hay) hoard: problems of interpretation. Antiquity 85(327):221–229.
