The largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon loot was found recently, according to British archeologists. The Staffordshire Hoard was found by amateur treasure hunter Terry Herbert on English farmland in the former northern shire Mercia.

Herbert was using a metal detector when he came across the stash. The treasure includes the pommel caps (a piece of the sword) which is relevant based on the story Beowulf, which mentions warriors stripping pommel caps as a memento of war, according to Archaeologist Kevin Leahy.

The hoard contained mostly ornamental war pieces of gold a nd silver with some inlaid jewels. Among the more culturally relevant finds were several crosses, which should give more insight into the relationship between the Anglo-Saxons and the Christian church.

The clearly excited finder made no allusions to his lack of cultural interest: "Imagine you're at home and somebody keeps putting money through your letterbox, that was what it was like," Herbert said. "I was going to bed and in my sleep I was seeing gold items." in the Yahoo News article. He will be rewarded for his find as he and his farm owning friend will split the profits of a sale to a museum 50/50.

One of the more curious pieces is a gold band with a Biblical quote "Rise up, O Lord, and may thy enemies be dispersed and those who hate thee be driven from thy face."

This find adds invaluable information about a culture who was replaced in 1066 when William the Conqueror took over England from mainland Europe. There are few documents left from the time so a find as rich as this is understndably linked to finding Tutankamun's tomb. They have a great website setup for the find, HERE.