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The Independent
11-02-2025
- General
- The Independent
Owner of immensely valuable Viking Age ‘Galloway Hoard' of silver and gold finally found
Runic inscriptions on an 1,100-year-old arm ring unearthed in Scotland suggest that the hoard of silver and gold it was buried with belonged to an entire Viking community. The Galloway Hoard, discovered in 2014, has been the subject of mystery with theories suggesting it was likely buried by four prosperous owners based on arm rings inscribed with Anglo-Saxon runes. A new translation of the runes suggests that the hoard of silver and gold was 'the community's wealth' and not owned by any particular individual. 'This is another really interesting and significant development in our understanding of the Galloway Hoard,' Martin Goldberg of National Museums Scotland said. The findings, however, raise questions like what community this was and what circumstances led to its wealth to be buried. 'Some material within the hoard like the pectoral cross and the rock crystal jar made for a Bishop Hyguald would support this being a religious community,' Dr Goldberg said. Researchers analysed runic words inscribed on the curved half of the arm ring. They found that one of the words could be a misspelt form of 'this', pronounced 'dis' like how it would be in parts of modern Ireland. Another word was 'higna', an Old English word meaning community. The full inscription could be translated as 'this is the community's property', with 'higna' used in Anglo-Saxon documents to indicate a religious community. 'There are a number of things which are technically 'wrong' when we compare it with what we know about 'correct' runic writing,' said runologist David Parsons from the University of Wales. 'However, if we think about both spoken and written English today, there are a huge range of regional and idiomatic variations and, if we allow for this, then it becomes possible to accept this as a plausible reading,' he said, calling the latest discovery 'quite compelling'. The Galloway Hoard still holds many secrets. Many of the objects have never been seen before in the British Isles, with some likely travelling thousands of miles to reach Scotland, according to researchers. One of the arm rings has gone on display at the South Australian Museum in Adelaide as part of a new international touring exhibition from 8 February.
BBC News
07-02-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Experts solve mystery linked to treasure from the Viking Age
A collection of more than 100 items from the Viking Age was first discovered back in 2014, but exactly who owned it has proven to be a bit of a mystery - until now. The group of items, known as the Galloway Hoard, contains lots of different materials including gold and silver. It's now thought the writing on one of the hoard's arm rings, which was inscribed with Anglo-Saxon runes or letters, may shed some light on who might have owned the Galloway Hoard, according to experts. A number of theories about the origins of the hoard have been put forward, with some suggestions it might have been buried by four different owners because of the four separate arm rings. Each of the arm rings has writing on it and three of the four inscriptions appear to have names connected to the Old English language. However, the fourth and longest inscription has baffled experts, and for a long time remained unreadable as there was no recognisable direct translation. Researchers at National Museums Scotland (NMS) who have been studying the hoard have now put forward a new possible translation for the fourth inscription. They believe it says: 'This is the community's wealth/property', suggesting the special group of items actually belonged to the whole Goldberg from the NMS said the translation marked a "significant development in our understanding of the Galloway Hoard.""The idea that the wealth this hoard represents would be communally held is fascinating," he said."It does still leave us with unanswered questions around the circumstances in which a community's wealth would come to be buried, and also which particular community."Some material within the hoard, such as the pectoral cross and the rock crystal jar made for a Bishop Hyguald, would support this being a religious community." So why did the translation of the inscription on the arm ring prove so difficult? "This is a difficult and unusual inscription, and the proposed translation is challenging," said runologist Dr David Parsons from the University of Wales who has previously translated other runic inscriptions from the hoard. "There are a number of things which are technically 'wrong' when we compare it with what we know about 'correct' runic writing."However, if we think about both spoken and written English today, there are a huge range of regional and idiomatic variations and, if we allow for this, then it becomes possible to accept this as a plausible reading."He also believes the translation put forward could make sense when thinking about what we already know about the Galloway Hoard. The arm ring at the centre of the new discovery will soon be on display at the South Australian Museum in Adelaide as part of a new international touring exhibition which opens on Saturday.
The Independent
07-02-2025
- General
- The Independent
Mystery over Viking treasure solved after runic inscription deciphered
Archaeologists have found 'compelling' new evidence as to who might have owned a Viking Age hoard of more than 5kg of gold, silver and other treasures. A newly translated runic inscription has shed light on the Galloway Hoard, considered to be one of the richest collections of Viking-age objects ever found in Britain and Ireland when it was uncovered by a a metal detectorist in Balmaghie, near Kirkcudbright, in 2014. Researchers at National Museums Scotland, which have been studying the hoard, proposed a new translation which suggests the treasure belonged to everybody. A runic inscription on one of its silver 'ribbon' arms has been deciphered to reveal it reads: 'This is the community's wealth/property.' Martin Goldberg from the museum said: 'This is another really interesting and significant development in our understanding of the Galloway Hoard. The idea that the wealth this hoard represents would be communally held is fascinating. 'It does still leave us with unanswered questions around the circumstances in which a community's wealth would come to be buried, and also which particular community. 'Some material within the hoard, such as the pectoral cross and the rock crystal jar made for a Bishop Hyguald, would support this being a religious community.' Previous theories suggested it was buried by four owners based on the four arm rings inscribed with Anglo-Saxon runes. Three of the inscriptions feature Old English name elements, but the fourth and longest inscription has remained indecipherable as there is no recognisable direct translation. Researchers had long struggled to make sense of the runic inscription carved inside the curved half of the arm ring, which read 'DIS IS IIGNA F'. They made a breakthrough when they realised that it may well be 'technically 'wrong''. They explained the word 'IIGNAF' was the main problem as it didn't correspond to any language spoken in early medieval Britain or Ireland. When they discovered the final rune, F, was marked with punts or dots, either side, they understood the name of the rune itself - 'feoh', meaning wealth or property, unlocked a new translation. The inscription 'IIGNA' could be interpreted as the Old English word 'higna', which had been used elsewhere in Anglo-Saxon documents to allude to a religious community, with the first letter spelt in an unusual, but understandable way. The word 'DIS' also seemed to be misspelled, but interpreted it to mean 'this' with the 'Th' sound being pronounced with a 'D'. Despite these mistakes, the researchers believe the full translation reads: 'This is the community's wealth/property.' Runologist Dr David Parsons, from the University of Wales, said it was a 'difficult and unusual inscription', calling the proposed translation 'challenging'. The runologist, who had previously translated other inscriptions from the hoard, added: 'There are a number of things which are technically 'wrong' when we compare it with what we know about 'correct' runic writing. 'However, if we think about both spoken and written English today, there are a huge range of regional and idiomatic variations and, if we allow for this, then it becomes possible to accept this as a plausible reading. 'And in the context of what [we] can deduce about the Galloway Hoard. it becomes really quite compelling.' This finding concludes a three-year research project called Unwrapping the Galloway Hoard, supported initially by the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council. Chairperson Christopher Smith said: 'It has been fascinating to see the succession of significant discoveries over the life of the Unwrapping the Galloway Hoard project, from the exotic origins of some of its star pieces to the presence of named individuals and now this latest exciting discovery.' The arm ring will next be displayed at the South Australian Museum in Adelaide as the hoard goes on an international touring exhibition titled Treasures of The Viking Age: The Galloway Hoard, which opens on Saturday.
The Independent
07-02-2025
- General
- The Independent
Newly translated runes shed ‘compelling' new light on who owned Galloway Hoard
A newly translated runic inscription has shed 'compelling' new light on who might have owned the Galloway Hoard, experts have announced. The Viking Age hoard, which contains more than 5kg of gold, silver and other materials, was discovered by a metal detectorist in Balmaghie, near Kirkcudbright, in 2014. Since then the question of who owned the hoard has remained a mystery. A number of theories have been put forward, with some suggesting it might have been buried by four owners, based on four arm rings inscribed with Anglo-Saxon runes. The idea that the wealth this hoard represents would be communally held is fascinating Martin Goldberg, National Museums Scotland Three of the inscriptions feature Old English name elements, but the fourth and longest inscription has confounded experts, and remained undeciphered as there was no recognisable direct translation. However researchers at National Museums Scotland (NMS) who have been studying the hoard have proposed a new translation for the fourth inscription: 'This is the community's wealth/property.' Martin Goldberg, at NMS, said the translation marked a 'significant development in our understanding of the Galloway Hoard'. 'The idea that the wealth this hoard represents would be communally held is fascinating,' he said. 'It does still leave us with unanswered questions around the circumstances in which a community's wealth would come to be buried, and also which particular community. 'Some material within the hoard, such as the pectoral cross and the rock crystal jar made for a Bishop Hyguald, would support this being a religious community.' The breakthrough came when researchers realised that the runic inscription carved inside the curved half of the arm ring, reading DIS IS IIGNA F, might be 'technically 'wrong''. The main issue, they said, was the word 'IIGNAF', which did not correspond to any language spoken in early medieval Britain or Ireland. The discovery that the final rune, F, was marked out with puncts, or dots, to either side, indicating it could be understood as the name of the F-rune itself 'feoh' (wealth or property), unlocked the new translation. The researchers said 'IIGNA' could then be interpreted as the Old English word 'higna' (community) with the first letter spelled in an unusual but comprehensible way. They added that the word 'DIS' also seems to be misspelled – but that it likely means 'this', with the 'Th' being pronounced as a 'D' as is the case in parts of modern Ireland. Despite these apparent mistakes, the researchers said the full inscription can therefore be translated as 'This is the community's wealth/property', adding that the word 'higna' is often used elsewhere in Anglo-Saxon documents to indicate a religious community. If we think about both spoken and written English today, there are a huge range of regional and idiomatic variations and, if we allow for this, then it becomes possible to accept this as a plausible reading Dr David Parsons, University of Wales Runologist Dr David Parsons, from the University of Wales, who has previously translated other runic inscriptions from the hoard, said the apparent mistakes could be accounted for by 'variations' in the way runes were used. 'This is a difficult and unusual inscription, and the proposed translation is challenging,' he said. 'There are a number of things which are technically 'wrong' when we compare it with what we know about 'correct' runic writing. 'However, if we think about both spoken and written English today, there are a huge range of regional and idiomatic variations and, if we allow for this, then it becomes possible to accept this as a plausible reading. 'And in the context of what (we) can deduce about the Galloway Hoard it becomes really quite compelling.' The new finding comes at the conclusion of a three-year research project called Unwrapping the Galloway Hoard, which was supported by the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). Christopher Smith, chairman of the AHRC, said: 'It has been fascinating to see the succession of significant discoveries over the life of the Unwrapping the Galloway Hoard project, from the exotic origins of some of its star pieces to the presence of named individuals and now this latest exciting discovery.' The arm ring will be on display at the South Australian Museum in Adelaide as part of a new international touring exhibition, Treasures Of The Viking Age: The Galloway Hoard, which opens on Saturday. Further venues for the international tour are set to be announced in due course, as well as plans for the hoard's future display after the tour's conclusion, including in Kirkcudbright, near where it was discovered.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Newly translated runes shed ‘compelling' new light on who owned Galloway Hoard
A newly translated runic inscription has shed 'compelling' new light on who might have owned the Galloway Hoard, experts have announced. The Viking Age hoard, which contains more than 5kg of gold, silver and other materials, was discovered by a metal detectorist in Balmaghie, near Kirkcudbright, in 2014. Since then the question of who owned the hoard has remained a mystery. A number of theories have been put forward, with some suggesting it might have been buried by four owners, based on four arm rings inscribed with Anglo-Saxon runes. Three of the inscriptions feature Old English name elements, but the fourth and longest inscription has confounded experts, and remained undeciphered as there was no recognisable direct translation. However researchers at National Museums Scotland (NMS) who have been studying the hoard have proposed a new translation for the fourth inscription: 'This is the community's wealth/property.' Martin Goldberg, at NMS, said the translation marked a 'significant development in our understanding of the Galloway Hoard'. 'The idea that the wealth this hoard represents would be communally held is fascinating,' he said. 'It does still leave us with unanswered questions around the circumstances in which a community's wealth would come to be buried, and also which particular community. 'Some material within the hoard, such as the pectoral cross and the rock crystal jar made for a Bishop Hyguald, would support this being a religious community.' The breakthrough came when researchers realised that the runic inscription carved inside the curved half of the arm ring, reading DIS IS IIGNA F, might be 'technically 'wrong''. The main issue, they said, was the word 'IIGNAF', which did not correspond to any language spoken in early medieval Britain or Ireland. The discovery that the final rune, F, was marked out with puncts, or dots, to either side, indicating it could be understood as the name of the F-rune itself 'feoh' (wealth or property), unlocked the new translation. The researchers said 'IIGNA' could then be interpreted as the Old English word 'higna' (community) with the first letter spelled in an unusual but comprehensible way. They added that the word 'DIS' also seems to be misspelled – but that it likely means 'this', with the 'Th' being pronounced as a 'D' as is the case in parts of modern Ireland. Despite these apparent mistakes, the researchers said the full inscription can therefore be translated as 'This is the community's wealth/property', adding that the word 'higna' is often used elsewhere in Anglo-Saxon documents to indicate a religious community. Runologist Dr David Parsons, from the University of Wales, who has previously translated other runic inscriptions from the hoard, said the apparent mistakes could be accounted for by 'variations' in the way runes were used. 'This is a difficult and unusual inscription, and the proposed translation is challenging,' he said. 'There are a number of things which are technically 'wrong' when we compare it with what we know about 'correct' runic writing. 'However, if we think about both spoken and written English today, there are a huge range of regional and idiomatic variations and, if we allow for this, then it becomes possible to accept this as a plausible reading. 'And in the context of what (we) can deduce about the Galloway Hoard it becomes really quite compelling.' The new finding comes at the conclusion of a three-year research project called Unwrapping the Galloway Hoard, which was supported by the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). Christopher Smith, chairman of the AHRC, said: 'It has been fascinating to see the succession of significant discoveries over the life of the Unwrapping the Galloway Hoard project, from the exotic origins of some of its star pieces to the presence of named individuals and now this latest exciting discovery.' The arm ring will be on display at the South Australian Museum in Adelaide as part of a new international touring exhibition, Treasures Of The Viking Age: The Galloway Hoard, which opens on Saturday. Further venues for the international tour are set to be announced in due course, as well as plans for the hoard's future display after the tour's conclusion, including in Kirkcudbright, near where it was discovered.
