About this objectThis cross is a gold and garnet equal armed pendant surrounding a solidus coin of the Byzantine emperor, Heraclius (r. 613–632). It was acquired in 1859 from a sale of the collection of an antiquities dealer, William Chaffery, and its find site is suggested to be either Lakenheath (Suffolk) or Wilton (Norfolk).
The cross is strongly linked through its style and manufacturing technique to the Ixworth Cross and the Sutton Hoo collection of jewellery; this, and the coin, help date it.
It is probable that this cross, like all its contemporaries, came from a grave, probably a woman of status, and possibly linked to the royal family of East Anglia, the Wuffingas. This pendant would have been part of a necklace, perhaps similar to the one found at Desborough [EXH12].
Date MadeMid 7th century
PeriodAnglo-Saxon
Subject and Association KeywordsArrivals
Subject and Association KeywordsCrosses
Subject and Association DescriptionLearn more: Archibald 2013; Chester 1852; Lucy 2016.
