Staffordshire Hoard

In September the news broke, “Huge Anglo-Saxon Gold Hoard Found”:

The UK’s largest haul of Anglo-Saxon treasure has been discovered buried in a field in Staffordshire. . . . . The Staffordshire hoard contains about 5kg of gold and 2.5kg of silver, making it far bigger than the Sutton Hoo discovery in 1939 when 1.5kg of Anglo-Saxon gold was found near Woodbridge in Suffolk.

Summary of the Hoard and Interpretation, a report by Kevin Leahy, National Finds Adviser from the Portable Antiquities Scheme, who cataloged the items, includes the following (pp. 5–6):

While much of the decorative detail on these objects remains obscured by earth it seems on present evidence that the contents of the hoard range from the later sixth to the early eighth centuries AD. . . . .

The discovery of this hoard in Staffordshire should cause no surprise; it is the heartland of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia which was militarily aggressive and expansionist during the seventh and eighth centuries under kings Penda (633–655), Wulfhere (658–675), Aethelred (675–704), Coenred (704–19 [–709]), Ceolred (709–716) or Aethelbald (716–757). This material could have been collected by any of these men during their wars with Northumbria and East Anglia or indeed, by someone whose name is lost to history.

The deposit is “unbalanced”, consisting, in the main, of fittings from swords. Other, related objects, such as baldric fittings and large triangular buckles are absent, as are feminine dress fittings. Some fragments may represent helmet fragments but more work needs to be done on them. . . . .

The Staffordshire find might be interpreted as a ‘trophy hoard’ in the original sense of the word: material collected from vanquished enemies, the sword blades perhaps re-used but stripped of their valuable fittings.

Many kinds of works could be written about the Staffordshire hoard.  One kind could study what the hoard plus other sources reveal about the general history of Staffordshire in the seventh or eighth centuries.  Where should such a work be classed?  If one browses in the Relative Index for “Archaeology,” one finds (among other entries):
Archaeology                          930.1
Archaeology—ancient places    931–939
Archaeology—modern places    940–990

If one browses the Relative Index for “England,” one finds:
England                                942
England                                T2—42

If one browses the Relative Index for “England—ancient,” one finds:
England—ancient                    936.2
England—ancient                    T2—362

What is the dividing line in DDC between ancient and modern England?  The caption for 936.2 has the answer: 936.2     Southern Britain to 410    England.  Clearly the seventh and eighth centuries are too late for ancient England.  The comprehensive history number for England in the seventh and eighth centuries is 942.015—a number with two subdivisions that reflect the struggles of Northumbria and Mercia:
942.015      Period of Heptarchy, ca. 600–829
942.0153         Supremacy of Northumbria, 603–685
942.0157         Supremacy of Mercia, 757–796
The Table 2 number for Staffordshire (England) after 410 is T2—4246. The history number for Staffordshire in the seventh and eighth centuries is 942.46015 Staffordshire, ca. 600–829 (built with 9 plus T2—4246, following instructions at 930–990 History of ancient world; of specific continents, countries, localities; of extraterrestrial worlds, plus 0 plus 15 from 942.015, following instructions at 01–09 Historical periods in the add table under 930–990).

The work Sutton Hoo and Its Landscape: The Context of Monuments, which treats the historical context of the Sutton Hoo archaeological site in Suffolk Coastal District, is classed in 942.646015 Suffolk Coastal District, ca. 600–829 (built with 9 plus T2—42646 Suffolk Coastal District, following instructions at 930–990, plus 0 plus 15 from 942.015, following instructions at 01–09 in the add table under 930–990).