LGA presentation

2. The start of an incredible journey

3. ‘ The hard helmet, hasped with gold, will be stripped of its hoops’ Beowulf, 2255-6

4. ‘ In pure gold inlay on the sword-guards there were rune-markings correctly incised stating and recording for whom the sword had been first made and ornamented with its scrollworked hilt.’ Beowulf 1694-98

5. ‘ They let the ground keep that ancestral treasure, gold under gravel, gone to earth as useless to men now, as it ever was.’ Beowulf, 3166-68

7. July 2009

8. Hammerwich, near Lichfield in Staffordshire

9. Comparisons have been made to Sutton Hoo, Suffolk, found in 1939, which included 2kg of gold.

10. 5kg of gold and 1.3kg of silver

11. Over 1,500 pieces of beautifully crafted gold and silver from the 7th century Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Mercia.

12. Most valuable treasure hoard ever discovered in the UK, worth £3.3 million

19. Celebrities swing into action behind the fundraising campaign

29. How were such ornate items made in Anglo Saxon times? What trading links were established in Anglo Saxon times? How did the gold reach Britain’s shores, and how was it carried here? What links are there to Birmingham’s thriving jewellery industry today?

30. What role did Staffordshire play in ancient Mercia? What was life like in Staffordshire, during Anglo Saxon times? What links are there to existing Staffordshire Anglo Saxon finds? Why did the Hoard end up in Staffordshire?

31. What are the links between the Hoard and early Christendom? What does the biblical inscription tell us? What are the links to the Lichfield Angel & St Chad? What is the significance of the folded up cross and serpents? Are there any links to the St Chad Gospels?

32. What are the links to Offa, and key figures of the period? What battles took place, and what role did the Hoard play? Who were the owners of the Hoard, and what wars did they fight in? What role did Tamworth play in ancient Mercia?

33. How did the archaeologists extract the Hoard? Why did the Hoard get laid down in Staffordshire? How can archaeology uncover the secrets of the Hoard?