A Seventh-Century Coin-Pendant from Bacton, Norfolk, and its Ornament

Abstract

THE amazing discoveries at Sutton Hoo in 1939 have overshadowed all other Anglo-Saxon finds from East Anglia and understandably little attention has been paid to a damaged cloisonné coin-pendant from Bacton, Norfolk (FIG. I). Although the Bacton pendant is displayed close to the Sutton Hoo treasures in the British Museum, no one has ever suggested any connexion between the two finds. As the definitive publication on Sutton Hoo is not yet ready, the purpose of this article is to suggest that the Bacton pendant is a product of the Sutton Hoo workshop, and that an interpretation of its ornament may supplement some of the interpretations and historical implications already drawn from the Sutton Hoo burial.