Top historians say the Staffordshire Hoard could help rewrite the history of Anglo-Saxon England.

A television programme presented by Dan Snow set out the latest theories on the gold and silver treasure unearthed at Hammerwich, near Brownhills, two years ago.

Professor David Starkey said the Seventh Century hoard was the spoils of warfare from a time of rival warring Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. He said they behaved like “the worst kind of takeover bidders of the city.”

“They decapitated each other – literally, not metaphorically.

“It’s gang warfare, when you take over the territory of a rival gang, the lot get bumped off,” he explained.

He and other historians interviewed for the half-hour programme believe the Staffordshire Hoard could hold vital clues to explain the conversion of  the kingdom of Mercia – England’s last great Pagan kingdom – to Christianity.

Snow believes the find has the potential to rewrite the history books and said the conversion of Mercia “marked the beginning of a new era in English history.”

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