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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: EP/I017658/1
Title: The Staffordshire Gold Hoard 2011
Principal Investigator: Pringle, Dr JK
Other Investigators:
Cassidy, Professor NJ Cassella, Professor JP Zholobenko, Dr V
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Haywood Engineering College Potteries Museum and Art Gallery Stoke-on-Trent City Council
Department: Institute Env Physical Sci & App Maths
Organisation: Keele University
Scheme: Partnerships- Public Engage
Starts: 20 December 2010 Ends: 19 June 2011 Value (£): 15,989
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Materials Characterisation
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
No relevance to Underpinning Sectors
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Panel DatePanel NameOutcome
19 Oct 2010 PPE Starter Grants Call 3 DecisionAwaited
Summary on Grant Application Form
The UK's largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon treasure was discovered by a local metal detectorist buried in a Staffordshire field in the Autumn of 2009. The 1,500 gold and silver items have become a source of intense interest both locally, nationally and internationally, with a well publicised funding appeal successfully raising over 3million pounds to ensure that the hoard was held for the nation and to facilitate restoration. Scientific quotes such as 'this is going to alter our perceptions of Anglo-Saxon England in the seventh and eight centuries as radically, if not more so, as the 1939 Sutton Hoo discoveries did', and 'the metalwork equivalent of finding a new Lindisfarne Gospel or Book of Kells', Prof. Leslie Webster, UCL reinforce the importance of the hoard.Local and national temporary exhibit displays were overwhelmed with public viewing demand in 2009-10, with over 40,000 and 25,000 people viewing items at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery and the Potteries Museum in Stoke-on-Trent respectively over a few weeks. Subsequent public outreach events at the Potteries Museum have proved very popular, with the public eager to not only see the exhibits, but also to find out how the hoard came to be found, why it was buried and where the items may have been made or been transported from.This proposal aims to tap into this public interest by holding a dedicated 'Staffordshire Hoard - 2011' public activity day at the Potteries Museum, in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. Whilst the hoard will be the central focus, there will be a range of displays and interactive activities, both outdoor hands-on activities and within the museum itself. Activities will include an outdoor 'mock up' of the find itself, with hands-on demonstrations of the geophysical detection equipment that were and could be utilised to find buried material and archaeologists will show how to recover buried items. Inside the museum there will be a range of analytical and imaging demonstrations so that the public can find out what the items are made of, where they have come from in the world (the garnet crystals for example are from SE Asia) and the present theories about why the hoard was left.In order for the public to be aware of the turbulent times in which the Hoard was deposited, a drama performance which will be used, the performance prepared and delivered by the drama club of a local Stoke-on-Trent High School, with the professional support from a Drama Company, in the Potteries Museum theatre (Stoke-on-Trent). Finally Dr Kevin Leahy, the current expert who is from the National Portable Antiquities Scheme, will give a series of public talks. We are aiming to deliver this during the National Science and Engineering Week (11th - 20th of March 2011).This project will aim to actively engage the public in using science to investigate the Staffordshire Hoard and demonstrate that science is exciting and relevant to individuals and to society. This will be an interactive science day where the public will be involved and will be able to express themselves, to discuss science at work with practitioners and professionals from academia, to learn more about modern research and to have fun; ultimately it is hoped that it will inspire young people to want to become scientists.
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Organisation Website: http://www.keele.ac.uk