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Miami Herald
11-02-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
Viking-age hoard found in Scotland a decade ago had indecipherable runes — until now
Ten years ago in Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland, metal detectorists stumbled upon pieces of silver and gold. Researchers excavated the pieces and as they dug deeper into the pile, they found more than 10 pounds of artifacts carefully buried in a hoard. The pieces dated to around 900 A.D. or the Viking Age. The hoard 'was buried in four distinct parcels' that kept the contents inside incredibly well preserved, according to a Feb. 7 news release from National Museums Scotland. 'The top layer was a parcel of silver bullion and a rare Anglo-Saxon cross, separated from a lower layer of three parts: firstly, another parcel of silver bullion wrapped in leather and twice as big as the one above; secondly, a cluster of four elaborately decorated silver 'ribbon' arm-rings bound together and concealing in their midst a small wooden box containing three items of gold; and thirdly, a lidded, silver gilt vessel wrapped in layers of textile and packed with carefully wrapped objects that appear to have been curated like relics or heirlooms,' according to the release. Much of the hoard has been well-studied in the decade since its discovery, but one piece has remained a mystery. Of the four arm bands found with the hoard, three of them are inscribed with Anglo-Saxon runes with Old English name elements, officials said. These runes likely correspond with the names of the owners of the bands. But one band, the longest set of runes, was indecipherable and 'confounded' experts, according to the release. Now, historians have cracked the code. 'Carved inside the curved half of the arm-ring the runes read: DIS IS ЇIGNA ˑFˑ. The main issue was the word ' ЇIGNAF', 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. ' ЇIGNA' could then be interpreted as the Old English word 'higna' [community] with the first letter spelled in an unusual but comprehensible way,' officials said. This meant the general translation of the rune was not a single person's name, but instead said 'this is the community's wealth/property,' according to the release. 'The idea that the wealth this hoard represents would be communally held is fascinating,' Martin Goldberg, from National Museums Scotland, said in the release. '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.' Goldberg said the presence of the pectoral cross and a jar that appears to be made for a bishop suggests it could have been a religious community. 'This is a difficult and unusual inscription, and the proposed translation is challenging. There are a number of things which are technically 'wrong' when we compare it with what we know about 'correct' runic writing,' David Parsons, a runologist from the University of Wales, said in the release. '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.' The Galloway Hoard is considered the 'richest collection' of Viking-age artifacts ever found in Britain or Ireland, according to the museums, and teaches historians about Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. Some items in the hoard originated in Asia, and expose trade and connections at the time political entities in the modern-day United Kingdom were forming, and the presence of Viking raids, the museums say. '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,' Christopher Smith, executive director of the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council, said in the release. The hoard set off on an international tour beginning Feb. 8 in Adelaide, Australia, museum officials said. Kirkcudbrightshire is on the southwestern coast of Scotland.
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.
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.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Rune suggests Galloway Hoard belonged to community
A first translation of a runic inscription on an arm ring from a Viking-age hoard unearthed by a metal detectorist in southern Scotland has shed new light on who owned it. Since its discovery in 2014 in Galloway, there have been a number of theories. A team at National Museums Scotland (NMS) which has been studying the hoard has translated a rune as: "This is the community's wealth/property." Dr Martin Goldberg said it was another "really interesting and significant development in our understanding of the Galloway Hoard." The new translation was revealed as items from the Galloway Hoard, regarded as one of the UK's most important archaeological finds this century, began an international tour starting in Adelaide in Australia. Dr Goldberg said: "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." Leading runologist Dr David Parsons of the University of Wales who has previously translated other runic inscriptions from the Galloway Hoard said it was a "difficult and unusual inscription". "There are a number of things which are technically 'wrong' when we compare it with what we know about 'correct' runic writing," he said. "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 can deduce about the Galloway Hoard it becomes really quite compelling." The finding comes at the end of a three-year research project into the hoard. The arm ring will be on display at the South Australian Museum in Adelaide as part of the touring exhibition which opens on Saturday. Rare Viking-age treasure begins international tour
BBC News
07-02-2025
- General
- BBC News
Rune suggests Galloway Hoard belonged to community
A first translation of a runic inscription on an arm ring from a Viking-age hoard unearthed by a metal detectorist in southern Scotland has shed new light on who owned its discovery in 2014 in Galloway, there have been a number of theories.A team at National Museums Scotland (NMS) which has been studying the hoard has translated a rune as: "This is the community's wealth/property."Dr Martin Goldberg said it was another "really interesting and significant development in our understanding of the Galloway Hoard." The new translation was revealed as items from the Galloway Hoard, regarded as one of the UK's most important archaeological finds this century, began an international tour starting in Adelaide in Goldberg said: "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." Leading runologist Dr David Parsons of the University of Wales who has previously translated other runic inscriptions from the Galloway Hoard said it was a "difficult and unusual inscription"."There are a number of things which are technically 'wrong' when we compare it with what we know about 'correct' runic writing," he said."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 can deduce about the Galloway Hoard it becomes really quite compelling."The finding comes at the end of a three-year research project into the arm ring will be on display at the South Australian Museum in Adelaide as part of the touring exhibition which opens on Saturday.
