NORTHUMBERLAND, ENGLAND—A tiny copper-alloy representation of a bird has been discovered at Bamburgh Castle, according to a report from the Northumberland Gazette. The discovery was made last year during ongoing excavations of the castle, which was the headquarters of the medieval Anglo-Saxon kings of Northumbria. Measuring just an inch by a half-inch, the mount is extremely detailed. Experts believe it dates to the eighth century and that its design may draw on bird-of-prey motifs from the sixth and seventh centuries. According to Graeme Young, Bamburgh research project director, the object was found on a cobbled surface, and it is so far unclear whether it was deposited inside a building or on a yard surface or a path. To read in-depth about excavations at Bamburgh Castle, go to “Letter from England: Stronghold of the Kings in the North.”
