
Secrets of Viking society revealed by gold jewellery find
A metal detectorist has discovered a 1,000-year-old Viking gold braided arm ring on the Isle of Man which reveals insights into ancient jewellery making.
The arm ring, dating from 1000AD to 1100AD, consists of eight strands of plaited gold rods and weighs nearly 28 grams.
Ronald Clucas, the detectorist, expressed his shock and excitement at finding the gold piece, which gave a low signal on his detector.
Experts believe the arm ring was crafted by a skilled goldsmith and may have served as both a display of wealth and a form of currency, evidenced by cuts indicating its use in financial transactions.
Allison Fox from Manx National Heritage suggests the arm ring might have been hidden for safekeeping, lost, or buried as an offering to Viking gods. It is currently on display at the Manx Museum.
Metal detectorist on Isle of Man 'couldn't believe it' after discovering 1,000-year-old Viking gold treasure
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When he compared it to the first one he realised it matched the cut on the original axe head exactly, all but for another small missing piece. The challenge was on. Cameron simply had to find the rest of the axe head. It took a further two days, five miles of walking and some moments of frustration, but he did it- the missing section that he likened to 'Gandalf's hat' in shape was lying some 10m from the second find. Cameron immediately got in touch with Bruce Mann, Aberdeenshire Council's Historic Environment Officer. Bruce confirmed Turriff detectorist's find. He said: 'It's an early Bronze Age flat axehead, likely to be around 3,800 to 4,200 years old. 'It's undecorated, as is typical, and would have been originally hafted into an L-shaped piece of wood. 'These axes appear at the start of the introduction of metalwork into this part of the world and would have been prestigious items.' Processing what happened has been mind-boggling for Cameron. 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