Hancock took over. ‘By adjusting the exposure to an archaeological setting, we have been able to look inside the object found in the corpse’s neck.’ He placed a second X-ray on the lightbox, side-by-side with the first. ‘Here we are able to delineate a little bit more of the object, which I’m now convinced is mainly iron, and even to see inside it, beyond the corrosion.’

‘So can you tell how old it is from how much it’s rusted?’ Gillard said.

‘In laboratory conditions, yes,’ Hancock said. ‘The trouble with iron is that unlike most metals, its rate of corrosion isn’t purely geared to elapsed time. It depends on the level of moisture, oxygen and salt it is exposed to. So in the field we can never be precise.’

Delahaye exchanged a knowing glance with Gillard, then resumed gazing indulgently at the archaeologist, whose enthusiastic hand movements emphasised his excitement.

‘What this shows,’ Hancock said, ‘is extensive corrosion, but not right through to the core of the object. On the surface there are traces of copper, or possibly bronze. You can’t see it easily on this one but we did a close-up.’ The archaeologist switched the X-ray image to a far more detailed one.

Gillard squinted at a series of darker shapes in a line which punctuated the mainly white bulk of the image. ‘It looks like writing.’

‘Very good,’ said Hancock. ‘That’s exactly what it is.’

‘Does it say “Made in Sheffield”?’ Gillard asked, thinking of what might be written on a knife. He turned his head sideways but couldn’t make out what the letters said.

‘Oh no, I think not. This is not a modern object.’

‘But we appear to have a modern victim?’

‘Yes, slightly tricky, to put it mildly,’ Dr Delahaye said, folding his arms.

Hancock laughed to himself. ‘That’s what makes it so fascinating.’

‘How old are we talking? More than a hundred years?’ Gillard asked.

‘Oh, yes. Much more than that. Indeed, much more than a thousand,’ Hancock said. ‘I think this is a fragment of an Anglo-Saxon dagger, and very rare indeed.’

Chapter Seven

Gillard’s jaw hung open. ‘How did a modern man end up being stabbed in the neck by a thousand year old weapon?’

‘Maybe he worked in a museum,’ Delahaye said.

Hancock chuckled. ‘I think the crucial thing here from an archaeological perspective is to identify the dagger, and then we can tell if it is from a known collection. If it is an unknown item, then that is very exciting.’

‘How long will it take you to decipher the writing?’ Gillard asked.

‘Well, it could be several weeks, but hopefully less.’