A Persian Talisman

The small plate or mount, engraved with two adorsed snakes, is described briefly. It is in Ringerike style of the late 10th or early 11th century. The implications of this discovery for the disputed interpretation of a late-Viking turf-walled hall are discussed in detail. An established Viking presence at Waltham is attested by the fact that Tovi the Staller held the estate under Cnut. Field names and the presence of sokemen in the Domesday record are mentioned.