Review by Kevin Leahy.
This book joins the growing list of publications on the Staffordshire Hoard, but Warrior Treasure is published by Historic England and can be viewed as an ‘official’ popular account.
Written by Chris Fern, one of the authors of the academic report (see CA 361 and my review in CA 368) and Jenni Butterworth, who was closely involved with the research project, it can be seen as authoritative. It describes the hoard’s background, the results of the scientific research, and the hoard’s historical significance.
The excellent illustrations are supported by Fern’s analytic drawings, revealing animals hidden amid the spaghetti-jumble of decorative interlace seen on many objects in the hoard. The finds can be viewed in detail at https://doi.org/10.5284/1041576. This book is an important summary, both of the results of research on the hoard, and of its significance. The inclusion of comparative material helps place it in context, and a neat time-chart shows the changing styles of metalwork within the hoard. This, along with a tabulation of the finds, gives an overview that is not otherwise easily available.
Warrior Treasure: the Staffordshire Hoard in Anglo-Saxon England, Chris Fern and Jenni Butterworth, Historic England, £15.99, ISBN 978-1800854819.
