The British History Podcast 62 – Staffordshire Hoard: Rise Up O Lord
Dec 17, 2012
Cathy Shingler, Curator at The Potteries Museum, discusses the engraved strip and cultural significance of objects in the Staffordshire Hoard. Topics include Christian origins, magical inscriptions, garnets, the legend of Waylon Smith, and the use of gold by pagan Saxons.
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Christian Inscribed Strip Significance
- The inscribed gold strip on the Staffordshire Hoard likely is a Christian artifact, possibly part of a cross, bearing a Bible verse used to drive away devils.
- The verse's connection to local saints shows its spiritual and cultural importance in early Mercian Christianity.
Monks Likely Did Engraving
- The engraving may have been done by a monk learning the craft rather than a precise goldsmith due to idiosyncratic and corrected inscriptions.
- This suggests monks were directly involved in making liturgical metalwork despite inexperience with engraving.
Cross-Cultural Magic of Christian Gold
- Saxons considered Christian gold artifacts magical regardless of their faith due to materials and language.
- They repurposed Christian symbols as powerful amulets regardless of their own literacy or belief.