stirling hoard

It’s been another fascinating and prolific 12 months in archaeology, with discoveries – ranging from a multi-million pound medieval gold hoard to a lost Roman city, a “missing link” in human evolution and a prehistoric erotic figurine – coming thick and fast from the four corners of the globe.

A Polish archaeological team has discovered a decorated clay vessel containing dozens of gold coins at a lost monastery in Egypt. The find was made in a room of the Archangel Gabriel monastery (Deir Malek Gubrail) in Naqlun, in the Fayum Oasis, by the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology of Warsaw University. SCA chief Zahi Hawass says the hoard's 18 coins and 62 coin fragments are dated to Egypt's Abbasid Period, which ruled northern regions between 750 and 1258 AD.

Team leader Wlodzimierz Godlewski says the monastic complex of Naqlun was built at the beginning of the 6th century AD. Yet the hoard, found beneath a collapsed wall, dates to around a hundred years later. A chandelier and lamp, both bronze, were also found at the site.

As blogged earlier today, the Staffordshire Hoard made its way to London's British Museum this week, to feverish public interest. And not wanting to miss out on the party, Heritage Key took a trip to Bloomsbury today, to give you a first-hand look at how it has been laid out for the capital's history lovers. As you can see, there weren't queues tailed back hundreds of yards outside the building - as was the case at earlier displays in Birmingham - but interest was high, with HK struggling to burst through the crowd for some decent shots.

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As blogged by Sean yesterday, a precious hoard of Iron Age gold treasures worth an estimated £1 million has been discovered by a first-time metal detector enthusiast near Stirling. It was unveiled to the media at an event at the National Museum of Scotland this morning. The collection was described as “the most important hoard of Iron Age gold found in Scotland to date.”

The latest metal detector haul may be its most spectacular: a Scots amateur has stumbled upon a stash of Iron Age gold worth an estimated £1million. The four 'Torc' headbands, similar to those famously worn by Iceni Queen Boudicca 2,000 years ago, are said to be in 'perfect condition'. Though the exact field they were found in is unkown, it is thought to be near the historical city of Stirling.