The Harford Farm Brooch is a 7th-century

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...

disk brooch. The brooch was originally made in Kent and was found along with a number of other artifacts during an excavation of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Harford Farm in Norfolk. The brooch measures 72mm across and was found in grave 11. The front of the brooch is gold decorated with glass and

garnet Garnets () are a group of silicate minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. All species of garnets possess similar physical properties and crystal forms, but differ in chemical composition. The different s ...

s while the backplate is silver. On the back of the brooch there is a

runic inscription A runic inscription is an inscription made in one of the various runic alphabets. They generally contained practical information or memorials instead of magic or mythic stories. The body of runic inscriptions falls into the three categories of El ...

reading "ᛚᚢᛞᚪ:ᚷᛁᛒᛟᛏᚫᛋᛁᚷᛁᛚᚫ" (''luda:gibœtæsigilæ''), which Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service translates as “Luda repaired the brooch”; however “may Luda make amends by means of the brooch” has been offered as a translation by Alfred Bammesberger in the journal

Neophilologus ''Neophilologus: An International Journal of Modern and Mediaeval Language and Literature'', is an ongoing peer-reviewed journal devoted to the study of modern and mediaeval languages and literature, including general linguistics, literary theory ...

. In addition to the runes, the back of the brooch also has a scratched zoomorphic decoration. The brooch is now on display at

Norwich Castle Norwich Castle is a medieval royal fortification in the city of Norwich, in the English county of Norfolk. William the Conqueror (1066–1087) ordered its construction in the aftermath of the Norman conquest of England. The castle was used as a ...

References

{{reflist Anglo-Saxon art Anglo-Saxon runes Individual brooches 7th-century artifacts