Migration Period Gold Bracteates from Kent Exhibited at Maidstone Museum

Maidstone Museum is displaying Migration Period gold bracteates, jewelry pendants from the 5th to 6th centuries CE, discovered at Anglo-Saxon cemetery sites in Kent. These thin, coin-like ornaments, often found in high-status female burials, were likely produced locally in Kent and show stylistic links to Scandinavia and Germany. The exhibition features examples from Sarre and Bifrons, including pieces classified as D-bracteates with abstract animal designs. Archaeological evidence suggests these objects served as symbols of elite identity and cultural connection during a period of migration and political change in post-Roman Britain.