THE ALFRED JEWEL - DID IT BELONG TO KING ALFRED THE GREAT?

#AntiqueJewellery"In the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford is a remarkable and puzzling object, a jewel dating from the ninth century found in a field in Somerset. Known as the Alfred Jewel, an inscription states that the object was made by order of a man called Alfred. This is very likely Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, for the jewel was found only a few miles from Athelney, his royal stronghold and site of the royal abbey he founded. In this video I explore the Alfred Jewel's decoration, form, provenance and purpose.