A rock crystal jar from a Viking Age treasure trove has gone on display for the first time.
The Galloway Hoard was discovered in 2014 by metal detectorists in Balmaghie, Dumfries and Galloway, and has been described by experts as one of the most important archaeological finds in the UK this century.
The collection dates back to around AD 900 and contains a variety of objects and materials, including arm rings, brooches and pendants.
The jar, which resembles an ornate perfume bottle decorated in gold filigree, has gone on display at Kirkcudbright Galleries.
The artefact is thought to relate to a Christian church or religious community and has a Latin inscription written in gold which translates as “Bishop Hyguald had me made”.
Dr Martin Goldberg, from National Museums Scotland (NMS), said: “The rock crystal jar is one of the highlight objects from the Galloway Hoard.
“From the beautiful rock crystal itself, originally carved in the form of a classical Corinthian column 2,000 years ago, to the incredibly intricate gold decoration added hundreds of years later and including a clear inscription identifying its owner, this one object exemplifies the complex, connected and historic nature of the Galloway Hoard.”
NMS, which acquired the hoard in 2017, said the jar was wrapped in linen and placed in a silk-lined leather pouch, before being packed into a larger lidded vessel with more than two dozen other treasures.
Over a number of months, the object was carefully separated from the textile wrapping – a rare medieval survival itself which is believed to include Scotland’s earliest example of silk.
These and other precious textile survivals had to be conserved with care, so the jar has never before been available for display.
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NMS said due to gaps in church records in the ninth century, when the hoard is thought to have been buried, it had not been possible to identify Bishop Hyguald or exactly where he was based.
However, NMS said it is “likely he was a Northumbrian bishop”.
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Dr Goldberg added: “The jar was the subject of international attention when we first revealed the inscription, and it’s great to be able to put it on display it for the first time in Kirkcudbright.”
Most of the Galloway Hoard is currently on display in Melbourne, Australia, as part of an international tour.
The Galloway Hoard: Rock Crystal Jar exhibition in Scotland will run until 14 June next year.
