考古學家在英格蘭出土了一批 11 世紀盎格魯撒克遜硬幣

一堆完好無損的銀幣讓一位考古學家對這一驚人的發現感到「顫抖」。

A stunning historical discovery has been made by archaeologists in England.

英國考古學家做出了驚人的歷史發現。

The astonishing find left one archaeologist “shaking” at the sight of a cache of mint-condition silver coins.

這一驚人的發現讓一位考古學家在看到一堆完好無損的銀幣時「顫抖」。

According to statements released by Oxford Cotswold Archaeology (OCA) and the power station, the hoard of 11th-century Anglo-Saxon doubloons was dug up on the outskirts of a nuclear plant currently under construction along the Suffolk coast.

根據牛津科茨沃爾德考古學 (OCA) 和核電廠發布的聲明，這些 11 世紀盎格魯-撒克遜金幣是在薩福克海岸一座正在建設的核電廠的郊區挖掘出來的。

The sack of rare coins, which are dated between 1036 and 1044, suggests that the coronation of Anglo-Saxon king Edward the Confessor in 1042 was a tumultuous event for citizens of the regime, experts say.

專家稱，這批稀有硬幣的年代為 1036 年至 1044 年，這表明 1042 年盎格魯撒克遜國王懺悔者愛德華的加冕對該政權的公民來說是一場騷亂。

OCA researcher Andrew Pegg, who made the discovery, said: “I was shaking when I first unearthed it, seeing a single coin edge peeking at me! A perfect archaeological time capsule.

發現這項發現的 OCA 研究員安德魯·佩吉 (Andrew Pegg) 表示：「當我第一次發現它時，我看到一枚硬幣邊緣在偷看我，我渾身發抖！完美的考古時間膠囊。

“The information we are learning from it is stunning and I'm so proud to have added to the history of my own little part of Suffolk.”

“我們從中學到的信息令人震驚，我很自豪能夠為我自己的薩福克小地區的歷史增添色彩。”

Edward the Confessor's turbulent reign over England was mired by political unrest as the hotheaded king exiled and confiscated the properties of all those who defied him.

懺悔者愛德華對英格蘭的動盪統治因政治動盪而陷入困境，這位頭腦發熱的國王流放了所有反抗他的人，並沒收了他們的財產。

The stash, which is valued at 320 pence, was no small savigns — allegedly enough to buy up to 16 cows at the time, according to OCA coin specialist Alexander Bliss.

據 OCA 硬幣專家亞歷山大·布利斯 (Alexander Bliss) 稱，這些藏品價值 320 便士，金額不小，據稱當時足以購買多達 16 頭牛。

“Perhaps the owner of the hoard was concerned about the new regime [or] political situation and wider social instability, taking steps to hide their wealth,” Bliss told Live Science in a satement.

布利斯在一份聲明中告訴《生活科學》：“也許寶藏的主人擔心新政權或政治局勢和更廣泛的社會不穩定，採取措施隱藏他們的財富。”

“There are now three hoards from this period (1042 to 1044) known across England, which strengthens the idea that the first years of Edward's reign were not calm.”

「現在英格蘭各地已知有三處這一時期（1042 年至 1044 年）的寶藏，這強化了愛德華統治的最初幾年並不平靜的觀點。”

According to researchers, the coins' last owner may have held influence locally and, for whatever reason, suspected Edward the Confessor would not appreciate his esteem, choosing to bury the riches just days after the new monarch took over.

據研究人員稱，這些硬幣的最後一位所有者可能在當地擁有影響力，並且出於某種原因，他懷疑懺悔者愛德華不會感激他的尊重，並選擇在新君主上任幾天后埋葬這些財富。

Such coinage is a rare find as several pieces are traced back to small and lesser known mints accross rural England. Rarer still is the chance to learn about Anglo Saxon ancestors’ strenuous preservation methods.

這種硬幣非常罕見，因為有幾枚硬幣可以追溯到英格蘭鄉村的小型和鮮為人知的鑄幣廠。更難得的是有機會了解盎格魯撒克遜祖先的艱苦保存方法。

The bank had been encased in a hand-molded metal sheet made of lead, then wrapped in a swath of fabric before hiding below ground.

該銀行被包裹在手工模製的鉛金屬板中，然後用一塊布包裹，然後隱藏在地下。

Investigators noted that centuries of agricultural activity along with uninformed metal dectorists have ensured that most buried treasures such as this have already been displaced from their original capsules.

調查人員指出，幾個世紀以來的農業活動以及不知情的金屬學家已經確保大多數像這樣的埋藏寶藏已經從原來的膠囊中移除。

“In this instance, preserving the pouch was very important because it forms part of the overall ‘object’ as one element of containment for the coins,” Bliss explained.

「在這種情況下，保存袋子非常重要，因為它構成了整個『物體』的一部分，作為硬幣收容的一個要素，」布利斯解釋道。

“We also wanted to understand whether the lead was just a piece of sheet or had been detached from a larger object.”

“我們還想了解鉛是否只是一塊薄片，還是從一個更大的物體上脫落下來的。”

There are a few reasons why the coins were never retrieved. The owner maybe have died before getting the chance.

有幾個原因導致這些硬幣從未被找回來。主人可能在獲得機會之前就已經去世了。

“They might alternatively have been prevented from recovering them due to other means, for example if they left or were exiled from the country and were unable to return,” Bliss added.

布利斯補充說：“他們也可能因其他方式而無法取回，例如，如果他們離開或被驅逐出境而無法返回。”