1000-year old Viking treasure hoard found in Scotland
http://news.yahoo.com/1000-old-viking-treasure-hoard-found-scotland-111420299.htmlLONDON (Reuters) - A hoard of Viking gold and silver artifacts 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.
"Experts have begun to examine the finds, but it is already clear that this is one of the most significant Viking hoards ever discovered in Scotland," Scotland's Treasure Trove unit said in a statement.
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I just love this kind of stuff. Who among us at some point in their lives didn't have a fantasy about unearthing ancient treasure? What a thrill that must be to find something like this! I never stop being tickled over the quarter dated 1860 my dog dug up in my backyard. Found out it's only worth about $8, but I wouldn't sell it anyway. I just love to look at at wondering whose hands it passed through and what was bought with it not to mention how it got under the dirt of my backyard. Imagine finding something like this Viking hoard of goodies or a pot full of Roman coins or that first step leading to King Tut's tomb, etc.
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Last edited Tue Oct 14, 2014, 10:05 AM - Edit history (1)
This is a very exciting story. An amazing find.
I've been looking for Confederate Gold on my property, but no luck so far.
More than 100 objects, including solid gold jewellery, arm bands and silver ingots, were discovered by a metal-detecting enthusiast on church land in September.
The artefacts, thought to have been buried between the mid-ninth and 10th century, include an early Christian cross made of solid silver, with unusual enamelled decorations.
Derek McLennan, 47, a retired businessman, said he had gained permission to search the area, but had been feeling unwell on the day. “I dragged myself out of my sickbed because I had two friends who wanted to detect and I’m a bit of an obsessive.”
He said he initially failed to recognise the significance of his find. “I unearthed the first piece; initially I didn’t understand what I had found because I thought it was a silver spoon and then I turned it over and wiped my thumb across it and I saw the saltire-type of design and knew instantly it was Viking. Then my senses exploded.” Further digging revealed a second layer of artefacts.
Describing the find as “historically significant”, Stuart Campbell, head of Scotland’s treasure trove unit, said one of the most exciting objects was an intact Carolingian (western European) pot with its lid still in place, a rare vessel likely to have been an heirloom held by the family that buried the hoard. Campbell described the examination of the pot, which has yet to be emptied, as “an excavation in microcosm”.
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/oct/13/-sp-metal-detector-enthusiastic-viking-treasure-hoard-scotland
