Anglo-Saxon gold and garnet raven’s head found

Metal detectorists in southwest England have discovered an extraordinary Anglo-Saxon gold and garnet raven’s head. It dates to the 7th century and is intricately decorated with an inlaid garnet eye surrounded by a white enamel circle, individual feathers outlined in filigree and inlaid with garnets on a waffle-pattern foil backing, a technique found on many Anglo-Saxon objects.

The raven was discovered by Chris Phillips at a rally this January with the group Ninth Region Metal Detecting Group. Another member of the group, Paul Gould, first discovered a flattened gold band inlaid with triangular garnets set in filigree outlines. Then Phillips made his find nearby. In keeping with best practices, they did not clean the artifacts which were caked with soil, and stopped detecting after informing the landowner and the Portable Antiquities Scheme finds liaison. Experts recognized the raven head as a spectacular piece of national, and perhaps even international importance.

Initial cleaning revealed the right side of the raven’s head, which is missing a garnet eye, as well as incised nostrils on its beak. Phillips noted that, with the dirt removed from the inside of the raven’s head, small pins could be seen. Those may have attached the decorative head to a drinking horn, he thinks, similar to an example found in the Anglo-Saxon ship burial at Sutton Hoo.

The ring that Gould discovered was also cleaned by experts, but it is still unclear if it was a piece of jewelry or a decoration that became detached from its original context.

Since the initial discovery, archaeologists and metal detectorists have investigated the find site and discovered two more gold artifacts from the same period. A geophysical survey has found evidence of archaeological material underground, and a full excavation is planned for the summer of 2026.