Fragment of Viking Age arm ring declared treasure
A "rare" 1,000-year-old gold arm ring discovered in a field by a metal detectorist and declared treasure at an inquest has been put on display for the first time.
The fragment of jewellery, which is 1.4 inches (3.7cm) in length and weighs 1oz (27.26g), was unearthed by Ronald Clucas in spring 2025.
Mr Clucas said, who has been metal detecting for 50 years, said he had previously found "some wonderful things", but the Viking Age find was "really something else".
Manx National Heritage (MNH) curator of archaeology Allison Fox said the understanding of the island's "rich Viking legacy had been further enhanced by the discovery".
The piece, which dates back to about between 1,000 and 1,100 AD, was originally created by plaiting eight strands of gold rods together.
Ms Fox said such jewellery served as both "prized personal possessions and visible displays of wealth" during the period, which were also used for financial transactions.
Ms Fox said the "beautiful find" had been cut twice, to remove the terminal end of the arm ring, with the other cutting the original complete piece almost in half.
That suggested it had been used in transactions before being buried in the ground, possibly for safekeeping or "as an offering to the Viking Gods", she added.
A member of the Manx Detectorist Society, Mr Clucas has previously unearthed a silver ingot and a lead ingot on the island in 2005.
He said gold "generally gives a very low signal on the detector, so you can't really predict what is going to be uncovered".
"It was quite a big shock to discover this lovely piece of gold, I couldn't really believe it at first," he added.
The arm band has been put on display in the Viking Gallery at the Manx Museum in Douglas.
Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
Viking age coins declared treasure go on display
Viking coin 'savings account' declared treasure
Viking age silver found by metal detectorist
Detectorist's 'disbelief' at second Viking find
Manx National Heritage
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Michael Dunlop shows his hand in final qualifying session for 2025 Isle of Man TT
Michael Dunlop finally revealed his cards on Sunday afternoon during the final qualifying session for this year's Isle of Man TT Races, following a morning of rain. The Ballymoney rider took the lead on the Superbike leaderboard, clocking his fastest lap of the week at 132.003mph on his MD Racing BMW Motorrad machine. Advertisement Conor Cummins topped the Superstock class with a speedy 129.835mph lap on his Burrows Engineering/RK Racing BMW. Dean Harrison of Honda Racing led the Supersport runners with a 124.736mph effort. READ MORE: Red Bull Junior Fionn McLaughlin tops British F4 standings following Snetterton victory READ MORE: Armagh book quarter-final place with a game to spare thanks to victory over Dublin Paul Jordan, riding a Jackson Racing Aprilia powered by Prosper2, claimed the top spot in the Supertwin class at 118.584mph, while Ryan and Callum Crowe (Opul/Kelproperties LCR Honda) led the Sidecar leaderboard at 119.337mph. Advertisement The schedule was altered to allow the Sidecars to take the Mountain Course first, despite damp patches lingering at locations such as Greeba Castle, Ballaspur, the 11th Milestone, Kerrowmoar, Glentramman, May Hill and Ramsey Hairpin. The session kicked off with Founds/Walmsley leading the pack, followed by Crawford/Hardie, Birchall/Rosney, the Crowes - who were testing a new chain - Blackstock/Lawrence, Ellis/Clement, and father-and-son team Gary and Daryl Gibson. Newcomer George Holden, accompanied by experienced passenger Mark Wilkes, chose to run a tuned engine for the session. However, it was the Crowes who set the pace early on, reaching Glen Helen a full 13 seconds ahead of the rest. Thanks to the fastest speed through the Sulby speed trap at 162.332mph, they posted an impressive opening lap of 119.337mph, putting them over half a minute ahead of Founds/Walmsley (115.843mph). Advertisement Birchall/Rosney (115.198mph), Crawford/Hardie (115.103mph), Blackstock/Lawrence (112.789mph) and Ellis/Clement (111.314mph) rounded off the top six, with Holden/Wilkes following closely at 109.838mph. Newcomers Clarke/Johnson (109.769mph) and Kershaw/Gibbons (108.393mph) were hot on their heels. Several teams made pit stops for adjustments or tyre changes, but Birchall/Rosney, Ellis/Clement, and Gibson/Gibson powered straight through. Birchall/Rosney clocked their fastest lap of the week at 115.664mph, while Clarke/Johnson (113.040mph), Ellis/Clement (112.522mph), Kershaw/Gibbons (110.577mph) and Holden/Wilkes (110.048mph) also put in impressive performances - both Kershaw/Gibbons and Holden/Wilkes breaking the 110mph barrier for the first time. Belgian pair Renzo and Vale van der Donckt upped their game to 107.713mph, with newcomers James Saunders and Sarah Stokoe also climbing the leaderboard at 107.691mph. The session was abruptly halted due to an incident involving Founds/Walmsley at Rhencullen. Driver Pete Founds was reported to be conscious with arm injuries, while passenger Jevan Walmsley was also reported as conscious with no reported injuries. Advertisement After a brief spell of rain, the combined Superbike/Superstock/Supersport session kicked off at 4:20pm. Shaun Anderson (Team Classic Suzuki) was first off the mark, followed by Dean Harrison, Michael Dunlop, Ian Hutchinson (moolab/MLav Racing BMW), and Josh Brookes (Jackson Racing Honda powered by Prosper2). Dunlop was quickest through all sectors and posted the fastest open. In the thrilling lap, the lead was taken by a racer with a speed of 131.683mph, followed closely by Harrison (130.666mph), Davey Todd (129.812mph), Nathan Harrison (129.652mph), Anderson (128.965mph), and Rob Hodson (128.798mph). Brookes also set his fastest lap of the week at 128.359mph. In the Superstock category, Mike Browne led the pack at 129.697mph, ahead of Cummins (129.204mph), James Hind (128.946mph), Hutchinson (128.443mph), Jordan (127.710mph), and Michael Evans (127.600mph). James Hillier topped the Supersport times early on at 123.021mph, followed by David Johnson (121.278mph) and Michael Sweeney (120.797mph). Advertisement Several riders switched machines after their first laps-Dean Harrison, Brookes, and Hillier among those returning to the course on Supersport, Superstock, and Superbike machinery respectively. Cummins stayed out for a second lap on his Superstock bike and improved to 129.835mph. Hodson also went again on his Superbike and lapped at 129.135mph. Harrison raised the Supersport benchmark with a 124.736mph lap, edging out Browne (124.272mph) and Evans (123.280mph). However, all eyes were on Dunlop as he managed to get out for a second lap and delivered a stunning 132.003mph - his fastest of the week and the quickest of the session. The final session of the day, for the Supertwins, kicked off at 5pm. Paul Jordan led the way at 118.584mph, followed by Adam McLean (118.257mph), Barry Furber (117.913mph), Browne (117.302mph), Todd (116.522mph), and Andrea Majola (116.207mph). The first races of 2025 are set to kick off on Monday, 2nd June, with the RST x D3O Superbike TT marking the start of the race action. This will be followed by the Sidecar TT Race 1 and the Monster Energy Supersport TT Race 1.
CNN
16 hours ago
- CNN
Gold and other precious metals leak from Earth's core and reach the surface
For a long time, there has been a missing puzzle piece in Jerusalem's history. Though ancient texts offered some clues, an archaeological record of the city during the Early Hellenistic Period, from 332 to 141 BC, was largely absent — until now. Excavators at the Jerusalem Walls National Park unearthed two child-size gold rings set with shiny red gemstones from a dig site within less than a year. Both pieces of jewelry were in such good condition that at first glance, archaeologists thought they were modern. Now, they believe the 2,300-year-old rings were intentionally buried by young women as part of a coming-of-age ritual before marriage. Together, the rings and other objects from the excavations are painting a more detailed portrait of a period of Greek influence in Jerusalem's history. Speaking of precious caches, most of Earth's gold lies trapped in the planet's seething, molten core. But a new analysis of volcanic rocks in Hawaii suggests gold and other precious metals such as platinum are escaping into the mantle. Within the rock samples, researchers saw traces of a silver-gray metal about as rare as gold that was likely more abundant in Earth's early building materials when the core developed about 4.5 billion years ago. As volcanic islands form, gold and other metals eventually make their way to the surface — and more will probably emerge in Earth's crust if the metallic core is still leaking, researchers say. SpaceX's ninth test flight of Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, lifted off Tuesday reusing a Super Heavy booster for the first time. The spacecraft made it farther than it had during the past two tests but failed to achieve key objectives, including deploying dummy satellites that went along for the ride and reigniting its engines in space. Mission controllers lost contact with Starship, and the spacecraft spun out of control on reentry to Earth. Sharks usually prefer dining alone. But observers captured footage of at least 12 sharks from two distinct species sharing a feast for more than eight hours off the coast of Hawaii's Big Island. Astronomers have detected an unusual object known as ASKAP J1832-0911 emitting flashes of radio waves every 44 minutes — and it may be a new entry in a class of recently discovered mysterious objects called long-period transients. The object is releasing not only radio pulses but also powerful X-rays that NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory happened to observe. The high-energy X-rays are what sets ASKAP J1832-0911 apart from other cosmic phenomena. 'This object is unlike anything we have seen before,' said Dr. Andy Wang, an associate lecturer at the Curtin Institute of Radio Astronomy in Australia. Excavations in Luxor have uncovered three tombs in an ancient Egyptian burial complex. Located in a cemetery called Dra' Abu el-Naga, which was reserved for prominent nonroyals, the burial chambers date to the New Kingdom, which lasted from around 1539 to 1077 BC. Painted figures, hieroglyphs and inscriptions found inside the tombs helped researchers determine the names and occupations of those laid to rest there. Catch up on the latest stories: — Sixteen states have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, asking a federal judge to end new policies by the National Science Foundation. Tasked with advancing scientific discoveries, the agency is halting millions of dollars' worth of research across the country. — Researchers say they now know what the massive megalodon really ate to meet its 100,000-calorie daily requirement. — China's Tianwen-2 mission is on a quest to land on an asteroid that might be a chunk of the moon and then fly by an 'active asteroid' trailing dusty, comet-like tails. — A roughly 43,000-year-old fingerprint, which appears to mark where a nose should be on a rock resembling a face, adds to evidence that ancient human ancestors were capable of creating art. Forensic police helped unravel the mystery of who made the print.
CNN
17 hours ago
- CNN
Gold and other precious metals leak from Earth's core and reach the surface
For a long time, there has been a missing puzzle piece in Jerusalem's history. Though ancient texts offered some clues, an archaeological record of the city during the Early Hellenistic Period, from 332 to 141 BC, was largely absent — until now. Excavators at the Jerusalem Walls National Park unearthed two child-size gold rings set with shiny red gemstones from a dig site within less than a year. Both pieces of jewelry were in such good condition that at first glance, archaeologists thought they were modern. Now, they believe the 2,300-year-old rings were intentionally buried by young women as part of a coming-of-age ritual before marriage. Together, the rings and other objects from the excavations are painting a more detailed portrait of a period of Greek influence in Jerusalem's history. Speaking of precious caches, most of Earth's gold lies trapped in the planet's seething, molten core. But a new analysis of volcanic rocks in Hawaii suggests gold and other precious metals such as platinum are escaping into the mantle. Within the rock samples, researchers saw traces of a silver-gray metal about as rare as gold that was likely more abundant in Earth's early building materials when the core developed about 4.5 billion years ago. As volcanic islands form, gold and other metals eventually make their way to the surface — and more will probably emerge in Earth's crust if the metallic core is still leaking, researchers say. SpaceX's ninth test flight of Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, lifted off Tuesday reusing a Super Heavy booster for the first time. The spacecraft made it farther than it had during the past two tests but failed to achieve key objectives, including deploying dummy satellites that went along for the ride and reigniting its engines in space. Mission controllers lost contact with Starship, and the spacecraft spun out of control on reentry to Earth. Sharks usually prefer dining alone. But observers captured footage of at least 12 sharks from two distinct species sharing a feast for more than eight hours off the coast of Hawaii's Big Island. Astronomers have detected an unusual object known as ASKAP J1832-0911 emitting flashes of radio waves every 44 minutes — and it may be a new entry in a class of recently discovered mysterious objects called long-period transients. The object is releasing not only radio pulses but also powerful X-rays that NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory happened to observe. The high-energy X-rays are what sets ASKAP J1832-0911 apart from other cosmic phenomena. 'This object is unlike anything we have seen before,' said Dr. Andy Wang, an associate lecturer at the Curtin Institute of Radio Astronomy in Australia. Excavations in Luxor have uncovered three tombs in an ancient Egyptian burial complex. Located in a cemetery called Dra' Abu el-Naga, which was reserved for prominent nonroyals, the burial chambers date to the New Kingdom, which lasted from around 1539 to 1077 BC. Painted figures, hieroglyphs and inscriptions found inside the tombs helped researchers determine the names and occupations of those laid to rest there. Catch up on the latest stories: — Sixteen states have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, asking a federal judge to end new policies by the National Science Foundation. Tasked with advancing scientific discoveries, the agency is halting millions of dollars' worth of research across the country. — Researchers say they now know what the massive megalodon really ate to meet its 100,000-calorie daily requirement. — China's Tianwen-2 mission is on a quest to land on an asteroid that might be a chunk of the moon and then fly by an 'active asteroid' trailing dusty, comet-like tails. — A roughly 43,000-year-old fingerprint, which appears to mark where a nose should be on a rock resembling a face, adds to evidence that ancient human ancestors were capable of creating art. Forensic police helped unravel the mystery of who made the print.
