Priceless 800-Year-Old Treasure Featuring Three Golden Lions Unearthed

Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com - A priceless 800-year-old pendant dating back to the 12th century was discovered on a site that was once an Iron Age or Romano British settlement.

The treasure was unearthed by archaeologists working on the HS2 high-speed rail project.

Credit: HS2 Ltd.

The iconic three golden lions on a field of red - mirroring the distinctive England football crest was found in Wormleighton, in Wormleighton, a village in Warwickshire about 50 miles southeast of Birmingham, United Kingdom.

Associated with the arms of England, this form of heraldry was in use by the Crown between 1189-1340. The pendant would likely have decorated a horse harness.

"HS2's archaeology programme has given us an unprecedented opportunity to discover, excavate and study British history,” a spokeswoman for HS2 Ltd said.

Being still in good shape, archaeologists think the pendant was quite new when it was lost, and it may have become detached from its suspension fitting whilst in use.

The use of lions as a symbol of England dates back to the first Norman king, William the Conqueror, who reigned from 1066 until 1087.

Credit: HS2 Ltd.

William the Conqueror used two lions on a red background as his coat of arms and brought the symbol to the English throne.

Henry II, King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, added a third lion after his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine, which took place in 1152.

See also: More Archaeology News

This type of harness pendant depicts the Arms of England from the reign of Henry's son Richard I (1189-1199) to the establishment of the Lancastrian Dynasty in 1399, so it likely dates back as early as the 12th century.

Written by Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com Staff Writer