[MR] BBC: Anglo-Saxon Pendant Copied From Roman Coin

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

Today the BBC reports on a very unusual find of a gold Anglo-Saxon pendant
that is a flawed copy of a Roman coin called a *solidus*.

The pendant bears the likeness of Emperor Honorius who ruled from 393 to
423 CE. Ironically, he is the emperor who withdrew the Roman legions from
Britain, leading to the Saxon invasion of the 5th century. Another irony is
that the early Saxons were pagans, but the coin has a Christian symbol on
the verso.

That the item is a Saxon copy is borne out by the garbled lettering on the
recto, which suggests that the artisan who created the pendant could not
read Latin.

The pendant was found in 2023 in a plowed field near Attleborough, Norfolk,
and has recently been declared as treasure.

The coin/pendant can be seen at
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgxye0lrvjo .

Yours Aye,


Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆
Continuing a crusade to keep Merry Rose relevant and in business.