A beautifully detailed golden horse's head which has not been seen in public for 1400 years is part of an upcoming exhibition of about 80 artefacts from the biggest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found.
The piece forms part of the so-called Staffordshire Hoard, a 1500-piece collection of treasure, crafted from mostly gold, and some silver. Many are decorated with precious stones.
The display, at The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, in Stoke-on-Trent, England, will run from February 13 to March 7.
While the exhibition is free, it will support a major local fundraising effort to buy the hoard.
The hoard was first discovered in July 2009.
The quality of the craftsmanship displayed on many items is supreme, indicating possible royal ownership.
Stylistically, most items appear to date from the 7th century, although there is debate among experts about when the hoard first entered the ground.
This was a period of great turmoil. England did not yet exist. A number of kingdoms with tribal loyalties vied with each other in a state of semi-perpetual warfare, with the balance of power constantly ebbing and flowing.
England was also split along religious lines. Christianity, introduced during the Roman occupation then driven to near extinction, was once again the main religion across most of England.
The hoard was uncovered at the heart of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Mercia. It comprises about 5kg of gold and 1.3kg of silver.
It is remarkable for the extraordinary quantity of pommel caps and hilt plates. These highly decorated items would have adorned a sword or seax - a short sword/knife. Most are of gold and many are beautifully inlaid with garnets.
Such elaborate and expensive decoration would have marked out the weapon as the property of the highest echelons of nobility. The discovery of a single sword fitting is a notable event: to find so many together is unprecedented.
The only items that are clearly non-martial are two, or possibly three, crosses.
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