NORFOLK, ENGLAND—According to a BBC News report, a metal detectorist in the the Breckland area of Norfolk in eastern England has found a so-called sword pyramid dating to between A.D. 560 and 630, a time when the area was part of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of East Anglia. The object, which would have been part of a pair and whose fellow has not been found, was designed as a decorative fitting to keep a sword attached to its scabbard. Researchers have speculated that one of the sword pyramid's functions was to delay hasty unsheathing of a warrior's sword in anger. Portable Antiquities Scheme finds liason officer Helen Geake said the object was made with garnets of Indian or Sri Lankan origin, meaning the bearer may have been a wealthy lord or a king, or a member of a royal entourage with access to far-reaching trade networks. An even more intricate pair of sword pyramids was discovered in the seventh-century ship burial at Sutton Hoo, which was recenty featured in the Netflix film The Dig. To read more about the archaeology of Anglo-Saxon England, go to "The Kings of Kent."
