The University of Central Lancashire will feature on a primetime BBC show Digging for Britian

Why will UCLan be on TV?

The discovery of a well-preserved sixth century sword by UCLan archaeologists will feature on the BBC’s flagship archaeology programme Digging for Britain, at 8pm on Tuesday, January 7.

The sword, which was uncovered in an Anglo-Saxon cemetery near Canterbury in Kent, is exceptionally well-preserved: it has a silver-and-gilt hilt and inscriptions on the blade and associated metal written in runic, an alphabet used by people in Northern Europe before the adoption of Latin.

Traces of the leather and wood scabbard lined with beaver fur were also recovered.

Now, the incredible discovery, led by archaeologist and Professor of Archaeology at the University of Central Lancashire Duncan Sayer, will feature on BBC 2’s Digging for Britain.

What else did UCLan discover?

Alongside the sword the archaeologists unearthed a gold pendant inscribed with a serpent or a dragon, which is thought to have been worn by a woman of high status or kept as a family keepsake. It is unusual to have two objects like this from one grave.

Digging for Britain will also feature graves that included a male buried with a spear, shield and seax (a one sided cutting weapon) as well as finds such as beads, buckles and clasps from Scandinavia, other swords, knives and a well preserved wooden bucket.

Various Scandinavian and Frankish origin artifacts were also found in other graves at the Anglo-Saxon cemetery with the Scandinavian items belonging to a woman who lived in the late fifth century.

What has UCLan said about their discovery?

Duncan said: “Swords like this were more than weapons, they were symbols of authority and lordship that were passed down for generations, this one was so closely associated with the man it was buried with that he looks to have been hugging it. It’s a wonderful find, from a rich cemetery which will reveal important clues about the early medieval political landscape, ties to Europe and migration evidence.”

What have the BBC said?

Professor Alice Roberts, an academic who presents the Digging for Britain documentaries, described the sword to the Guardian: “I’ve never seen one that’s so beautifully preserved.”

She said: “It’s an extraordinary Anglo-Saxon cemetery, with really beautifully furnished graves, a lot of weapon burials where you find things like iron spear-points and seaxes, which are Anglo-Saxon knives – and then there’s this astonishing sword.”

When can I catch the programme?

Digging for Britain: Saxon Gold and Buried Coins, will be broadcast on BBC 2 on Tuesday, January 7 at 8pm and will also be available on the BBC iPlayer after broadcast.

Does UCLan hope to uncover more treasures?

So far, UCLan’s fascinating discoveries have been made from only 12 of the more than 200 graves on the site so the team are hoping to uncover even more artifacts as they continue to excavate the Kent graveyard.