File:2013T718, Early Medieval Anglo-Saxon pyramid mount (FindID 584446).jpg

English: An early Anglo-Saxon pyramidal mount from a sword-scabbard, made from cast gilded silver with garnet inlay. Early Anglo-Saxon,first half of 7th century.

Description: The mount is pyramid-shaped, with a square hollow base retaining an integrally cast transverse bar. The four triangular faces of the mount retain triangular cells of 0.78mm depth; one cell is open or empty, while the remaining three retain a backing of gold foil with a cross-hatched texture set against the base and overlain by cut garnet. The three garnets have been damaged and retain a number of cracks, but they remain fixed in the cells, with the upper face of the garnet flush with the surface of the mount. The top of the mount has a small square cell that has also lost its gold foil and garnet.

All further decoration is cast integral with the mount, and is in very low relief, but visible particularly where traces of gilding highlight the edges of the relief. Around each panel, there is a narrow border approximately 0.5mm in width; this extends around the base of each panel, although wear has made the border in this area inconsistent in width. Over the border around the base edge, and running up the edges between the panels, is a string of pellets, approximately. 0.7mm in diameter; this beading is apparently cast in one with the strip borders, not separately applied. While only minor traces of gilding can be observed amongst the decoration in low relief, it seems likely that the entire surface was originally gilded.

The apex is too worn to discern if the square top panel ever had a similarly beaded line along its border, but it seems unlikely as the border is very narrow here.

Dimensions: The base of the mount measures 14.44 x 13.85 mm, height is 7.03 mm, weight 3.1 g. The triangular cells measure approximately 9mm width at the base and approximately 4.5mm height from base to apex; the square cell at the top measures 2.27mm by 2.53mm, with a depth of 0.4mm.

Discussion: Pyramidal mounts such as these appear to have been used on scabbards, perhaps to tie the sword into the scabbard. There are now over 50 on the PAS database, 10% of gold, 40% of silver and 50% of copper alloy. The main period of their use appears to have been the first half of the 7th century, when they were relatively low and of standard square-based shape; NCL-925284 fits well into this group. Later on in the century they become less common, and more variable in shape.

Several PAS records offer parallels with a single garnet on each face of the pyramid. SF-9242E2, NMS-FFF757 and KENT-1A2A84 are all of the same basic type, but with extra detail at the apex and no beading on the arrises between the panels. Also compare SF1479.

Date: c. 600-c. 650 AD.