The New Curiosity Shop

It doesn’t seem so long ago that we were reporting on the find of the biggest Anglo-Saxon treasure horde to date. Now a beginner with a metal detector has unearthed £1,000,000 worth of iron age golden torques. Under Scottish law, the four torques, estimated to be worth around £350,000 each, can be claimed by the Crown as archaeological objects. However, the finder is likely to be compensated with their monetary value.

You can read more at the BBC News site and investigate Archaeology further with our course Introducing Archaeology. You can find out more about the people of the Iron Age at BBC Wales.

Anglo Saxon gold (BBC)

The biggest ever horde of anglo saxon gold has been found in a field in Staffordshire. Metal detectorist Terry Herbert discovered the 5kg of gold and 2.5kg of silver. The find is treasure trove and will now be valued. Mr Herbert and the land owner can expect a substantial reward.

Leslie Webster, former keeper at the British Museum’s Department of Prehistory and Europe, said, “This is going to alter our perceptions of Anglo-Saxon England as radically, if not more so, as the Sutton Hoo discoveries.” It is a wonderful new source of evidence for archaeologists studying this hidden period of British history.

More from the BBC.

Adult Learners’ Week runs from 9th to 15th May this year and NCS is doing its bit to support it. You can try some course snippets and a complete free course over at the NCS ALW page. Try a course on Archaeology, Health Care or Herbology. It’s all free for Adult Learners’ Week.

Happy Easter

A happy Easter to all our readers!

It also looks like the weather is improving; just the right time to be taking a course with an outdoors element. May we suggest getting out in the garden for some Herbal Remedies, or maybe the Ecology of Your Garden is of interest? Maybe travel beckons and an Introduction to Archaeology would be nice? There is still time to squeeze in one of our Astronomy courses before the lighter nights draw in.

We are aware that the southern hemisphere is moving into autumn and the longer nights are approaching, and for you we have plenty of other courses to while away the winter evenings.

Cloisters 22, the latest edition of our magazine is out now. It’s our Christmas edition, with lots more to get your brain teeth into, while your dentures tackle another mince pie. If you want to make any comments please add them to this post.

Have a jolly old Christmas, and a romping New Year. We’re taking a couple of weeks or so to wind down, before embarking on what, we hope, will be a top notch 2009. Keep smiling.

From all at the NCS.

The Portable Antiquities Scheme has just released its Treasure Annual Report at a special event in the British Museum. The scheme coordinates a network of Finds Liaison Officers who take reports from people who find ancient artifacts on their land or while out walking or metal detecting and, this year, they have 1,257 archaeological finds to report, including a  golden torc  from the Iron Age, a single hoard of over 3,600 Roman coins and an Anglo Saxon roundel depicting the Hand of God.

There is more about the event on the 24 Hour Museum site, and full details of the report from the Portable Antiquities Scheme itself.

Cloisters 21, the latest edition of our magazine is out now. It is available as an online electronic magazine at http://issuu.com/cloisters/docs/cloisters21. You can read it there in comfort and style.

Post your comments on the new magazine here, and let us know if you have any ideas for future articles.

In the wake of the release of a new film and book about the 1950 theft and subsequent recovery of the  Stone of Destiny, Scotland’s First Minister, Alex Salmond, has claimed that that particular Stone is a fake and that the original has been lost for 700 years.

The Stone, on which Scotland’s kings were traditionally crowned, was stolen from Scone Palace by England’s King Edward I, in 1296, and kept in Westminster Abbey until it was returned to Scotland in 1996. Even, then, the one returned to Westminster Abbey may have been a fake made by the Glasgow stonemason who repaired the stone which broke in two during the escapade.

Alex Salmond claims that ancient descriptions of the Stone describe a black shiny object, not the dull grey stone kept in Edinburgh Castle today.

More in the Times.

The BBC is to air a new TV drama based on the heady world of the archaeologist. According to Polly Hill, the BBC’s commissioning editor for independent drama, said Bone Kickers would make history and archaeology “sexy, accessible and exciting”. Our Introduction to Archaeology tutor, Howard Middleton-Jones, is yet to admit whether the series is based on his exploits.

Parts of the series were recorded recently in the South West of the UK: See Burnham on Sea

and also: http://katytuxford.com/portfolio/Bone%20Kickers.html

and finally: The BBC