The Harpole Treasure, unearthed in 2022, includes a remarkable collection of artifacts, most notably a gold necklace deemed “the most ornate of its kind ever found” by The Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA).
The necklace, discovered within an ancient burial site, dates back to between 630 and 670 A.D. Its intricate design features a diverse array of pendants, including beads, glass ornaments, and Roman coins.
At the necklace’s center lies a rectangular pendant adorned with a cross motif. While pendants in female burials are not unusual, the sheer variety of elements on this particular necklace makes it exceptionally unique.
“Suddenly we had a rubbish pit that turned into a burial beyond burials,” remarked Paul Thompson, MOLA project manager, in 2023.
“It’s a once in a lifetime experience to be working on something like this,” he added.
Other artifacts unearthed from the burial site include two decorated pots, a shallow copper dish, and a large ornate cross.
The necklace, along with the accompanying grave goods, designates this discovery as “one of the most spectacular female Early Medieval burials ever discovered in the UK,” according to MOLA’s press release.
“It wasn’t just one or two items. That would have been incredible in its own,” Thompson shared with The Washington Post in 2022. “We have here the only complete example of this type of necklace excavated in .… It’s an asymmetrical set-out of the gold coins, and the precious stones mounted in gold, which we haven’t seen before.”
While the identity of the woman interred with these treasures remains shrouded in mystery, archaeologists believe she held a position of high status, possibly as an early Christian leader.
“Christianity provided a way for women to gain independence and power in their own right, by enabling them to run monastic houses, so we see an increase in as a means of increasing their status,” explained Emma Brownlee, an archaeologist at the University of Cambridge, to The Washington Post in 2022. “In this burial, we’re seeing a particularly fine example of that process.”
In December 2023, MOLA issued a second news release regarding the discovery, revealing that the 30 pendants and beads composing the necklace had been cleaned and were undergoing specialist examination to gain further insights into their origins.
Additional developments have emerged concerning the human remains at the site.
Initially, upon the discovery of the grave goods, including the necklace, in 2022, it was believed that only a few fragments of the woman’s teeth remained. However, further investigation has led to the identification of more fragments, encompassing the upper part of a femur, several vertebrae, a portion of a hand and wrist, and a segment of the pelvic bone.