(image courtesy of Norfolk County Council)
NORFOLK, ENGLAND, 2021
With locations such as Roundham Church, Castle Acre and North Elmham Chapel & Church (to name but a very few), the Breckland Area is certainly not shy in showing-off its historical past. And in August of 2021, a, yet to be identified, metal-detectorist took his find to a National Finds Advisor with (PAS), Portable Antiquities Scheme, and discovered that he had unearthed another piece of history for Breckland to proudly display.
Confirmed by Dr. Helen Geake, a (PAS) Finds Advisor, the item unearthed was a Sword Pyramid, dating back 1,400 years. This would place it as a relic from the Middle Ages, and most likely would have belonged to an Anglo-Saxon warrior who may have been in the services of a Lord.
The Sword Pyramid is described as being approximately 6mm (0.24″) high, with a base length of 12mm (0.47″), and is made up of gold and garnet stones. It would have been one of a pair, but unfortunately its partner has not yet been located.
The purpose of the Sword Pyramid was to bind the sword to its scabbard. It has been suggested that it may have been specifically designed to make it more difficult to unsheathe the sword, given the potential yielder time to rethink their actions.
If you are interested, you can find more information on Historical Breckland here.
