There’s a remarkable story in the BBC about the discovery in England of a large collection of items from the seventh century. Found by an amateur with a metal detector, it is one of the most significant archaelogical finds in modern times. Much of what we know about the Anglo-Saxon period comes from the Venerable Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People, written in the early eighth century but over the years there have been also a number of important archaeological discoveries, most notably at Sutton Hoo.

This find seems to come from the Mercian kingdom, about which Bede had relatively little to say, because they remained pagan. But among the discoveries is this item which has engraved on it, in Latin, “Rise up O Lord, and may thy enemies be dispersed and those who hate thee be driven from thy face.”

Here’s an image of it:

Historians and art historians will have much to ponder.