Recorded finds of early medieval metalwork discovered by metal detecting in SE Wales over the last 30 years, particularly since the inception of the Portable Antiquities Scheme, have the potential of identifying contemporary activity zones in and around settlements and along routeways, while also providing evidence of the metalworking skills and changing fashions of this period. A number of significant recent finds in three study zones on Gower, in the Vale of Glamorgan and in Monmouthshire are examined in detail, and early medieval metalwork reported from across Wales between 1986 and 2019 is reviewed.
Mark Redknap (Thu,) studied this question.