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1000-Year Old Viking Treasure Hoard Found in Scotland
- Published_at:2014-10-14
- Category:News & Politics
- Channel:NTDTV
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- description: A hoard of Viking artefacts dating back over 1,000 years is discovered by a treasure hunter with a metal detector in Scotland. Full Story: A hoard of Viking gold and silver artefacts dating back over 1,000 years has been discovered by a treasure hunter with a metal detector in Scotland, in a find hailed by experts as one of the country's most significant. Derek McLennan, a retired businessman, uncovered the 100 items in a field in Dumfriesshire, southwest Scotland, in September. Amongst the objects is a solid silver cross thought to date from the 9th or 10th century, a silver pot of west European origin, which is likely to have already been 100 years old when it was buried and several gold objects. Stuart Campbell, head of the Treasure Trove Unit of the National Museum of Scotland which houses the artefacts, believes the discovery has wide ranging significance. "Well this is the largest and most significant Viking hoard to be discovered in Scotland since the 19th century, but it's importance goes well beyond that. This is a find of international significance, mainly from the range of places that the material in the hoard is from. We have jewellery from Ireland, jewellery from Scandinavia, glass beads from central Europe and of course that rather fantastic Carolingian vessel that has still to be excavated fully," said Campbell. The Viking hoard is McLennan's second significant contribution to Scotland's understanding of its past. Last year, he and a friend unearthed around 300 medieval coins in the same area of Scotland. The Vikings, of Scandinavian origin, made successive raids on Britain from the 8th to the 11th centuries, burying their valuables for safe-keeping, which have gradually been discovered by generations of treasure seekers. "They're amazing finds. I mean it is something that we don't see a lot of, put it that way. to have objects like this over a thousand years old for example, that range of material. And it's not something you'll find in every field of course but what this tells us about our past, about all our common cultural knowledge - our national story if you like - is hugely important," said Campbell. A 10th-century Viking hoard was found in 2007 in northern England, while in 1840 over 8,600 items were found in northwest England. The latest find, also containing a rare silver cup engraved with animals which dates from the Holy Roman Empire, and a gold bird pin, is the largest to be found in Scotland since 1891 and could be worth a six-figure sum, the BBC said. For more news and videos visit ☛ http://ntd.tv Follow us on Twitter ☛ http://twitter.com/NTDTelevision Add us on Facebook ☛ http://on.fb.me/s5KV2C
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