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The Galloway Hoard is an exceptional treasure, discovered in 2014 by metal detectorists at Balmaghie, Kirkcudbrightshire.

It contains more than 5kg of silver, gold and other materials dating to c AD 900.

The careful way it was buried helped preserve incredibly rare organic materials such as silk and other textiles.

With its unique range of rare objects and ancient heirlooms, it has transformed our understanding of the era we call the Viking Age in Scotland.

Hoards are usually thought of as buried collections of precious objects.

They may have been hidden for safekeeping, then lost or forgotten due to death or misfortune. Viking-age hoards are particularly susceptible to this stereotype.

The period is so often seen as endless raiding, looting, warfare, and violence.

There were many reasons for hoarding in the past, and many reasons why hoards might be preserved under the ground until the present day.

The Galloway Hoard, now housed at the National Museum of Scotland, comprises more than 100 objects made of gold, silver, glass, crystal, stone, and clay, all dating from the Viking Age.

Discovered in September 2014 on Church of Scotland land in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire, Dumfries and Galloway, this collection has been hailed by experts as "one of the most significant Viking hoards ever found in Scotland."

Despite extensive study, scholars remain uncertain about who buried the hoard, their reasons for doing so, and whether they were Vikings or Anglo-Saxons.

During the Viking Age, Galloway was a crossroads between Viking kingdoms and cut off from other Anglo-Saxons in Britain, making it a melting pot of diverse cultures, including Scandinavians, Britons, and Irish.

The hoard was discovered by a metal detector enthusiast who alerted the authorities.

An excavation led by a county archaeologist revealed a rich and diverse assortment of Viking Age artefacts, with some items predating this period.

It is believed that the hoard was buried in the mid-ninth or tenth century, though the reasons behind its burial remain unknown.

The hoard includes a diverse array of items such as armbands, a Christian cross, brooches, ingots, glass beads, a gold-encased touchstone, and dirt-balls containing flecks of gold and bone, all contained within a silver vessel.

It represents the largest and most varied collection of Viking-age gold objects ever found in Britain and Ireland.

Research has shown that the vessel was crafted in western Asia, while the treasure's origins span across Anglo-Saxon England, Ireland, and Scandinavia.

Although the hoard shares similarities with other Viking finds, its combination of materials, including the textiles wrapped around the vessel, has been noted as unique by experts.

Curators at the National Museum of Scotland describe the Galloway Hoard as offering a new perspective on Scotland’s place in the early Viking Age on an international scale.

Stuart Campbell of the museum emphasises its significance, noting that "nothing like this has been found in Scotland before in terms of the range of material this hoard represents."

He adds that due to the hoard's quantity and diversity, it will take time for experts to fully assess its overall significance.

Ongoing research using advanced technologies, such as 3D modelling, CT scans, and X-ray imaging, is revealing previously unseen details, particularly regarding the vessel’s surface decorations.

The vessel (pictured at the top of this article) was one of the oldest items in the hoard.

Made from a silver alloy, it was found wrapped in cloth with its lid still intact. Before being opened and emptied in November 2014, the vessel was examined using X-rays.

Subsequent research revealed that it was not of Carolingian origin, as initially believed, but rather from Western Asia.

The vessel's decoration, including a Zoroastrian fire-altar, and the silver alloy's copper content, suggest it originated from the Sasanid Empire.

Isotope analysis of the lead and niello in the alloy further indicates a source from the Nakhlak mine in central Iran.

Inside the vessel were various items, including silver Anglo-Saxon disc brooches, an Irish silver brooch, Byzantine silk from the region around Constantinople (now Istanbul), a gold ingot, and gold and crystal objects wrapped in cloth.

It is possible that the vessel was an heirloom belonging to the family that buried the hoard.

The silver cross, which may have originated from Dublin, features unusual engravings on each of its four arms that McLennan suggests might represent the four Gospels.

Other fascinating find in the hoard were:

Entangled arm-rings

The silver objects in the hoard, including silver bullion, provide clues about four previous owners.

These clues include runic inscriptions and four distinct groups of arm-rings.

Among these, a notable cluster of four ribbon arm-rings, found in the lower layer, stands out due to their elaborate decoration.

These arm-rings are complete and shaped as they would have been worn, and they are unusually bound together tightly by one of the smaller arm-rings.

The largest arm-ring in the cluster is a double arm-ring, twice the size of the others, and adorned with beast motifs.

Nestled within this cluster was a small wooden box containing three gold objects, including a stunning pin shaped like a bird.

Cross-shaped brooch

Inside a vessel from the hoard is the earliest collection of Late Anglo-Saxon brooches found in Scotland.

The seven brooches, which include three matching pairs, share a common style but are not identical.

Among these, two distinctive quatrefoil (cross-shaped) brooches stand out. While they resemble the more common disc brooches in their construction and wear, their design is unique to the Galloway Hoard.

The iconography on these brooches represents two of the five senses—sight and sound.

One brooch focuses on the eyes, while the other emphasises the ears, depicted as if they are ringing from the sound of blast horns.

Pectoral cross

Christian artefacts are rare in Viking-age hoards.

It's easy to picture this cross being taken from a Christian cleric during a church raid—a typical Viking Age scenario.

The delicate spiral chain encircling the cross indicates it had recently been worn around the neck.

Through careful and meticulous cleaning, the cross's intricate decoration has been revealed for the first time in a thousand years.

Hacked and inscribed arm-ring fragment

The Old English name 'Egbert' was carved into a fragmented arm-ring found at the site, which measures only about three centimetres in length.

To fit the full name into the limited space, the final letter was written in superscript, resembling a small arrow in the top right corner.

While silver arm-rings are often categorised as 'Viking' artefacts, this one features Anglo-Saxon runes rather than Scandinavian ones.

This discrepancy challenges simplistic stereotypes about Viking hoards and prompts us to reconsider the identities of those who owned these treasures.

Today, the hoard is governed by Scottish common law concerning treasure trove and was initially held by the Queen's and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer.

This law entitles the finder to a reward based on the market value of the discovered items.

The Church of Scotland took legal action against McLennan, claiming it was entitled to a fair share of the find.

McLennan and the Church of Scotland's General Trustees eventually agreed to divide the proceeds.

In 2017, an advisory panel to the Queen's and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer (QLTR) assessed the total value of the hoard at £1.98 million.

David Robertson, Secretary to the General Trustees, stated that any proceeds would be used primarily for the benefit of the local parish.

The hoard was first offered to Scottish museums.

In 2016, Dumfries and Galloway Council expressed interest in acquiring it for a new art gallery in Kirkcudbright, while the National Museum of Scotland also indicated its intention to apply.

Following a successful fundraising campaign in 2017, the National Museum of Scotland secured the funds to purchase the hoard for £1.98 million, ensuring it would have a permanent home in Scotland.

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