A Proposed Translation Hints at the Origins of the Mysterious Galloway Hoard
Discovered in a field in Scotland in 2014, the Viking Age “community property” is now the focus of a new exhibition in Australia
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In 2014, a metal detectorist discovered a hoard of Viking Age treasures in western Scotland. Found in a plowed field, the cache included more than 10 pounds of gold, silver and other artifacts dating to around 900 C.E.
For years, historians have puzzled over the origins of the stash, which came to be known as the Galloway Hoard. Who owned these items? And why did they bury them?
Now, they think they’ve solved at least part of the mystery. After years of work, a team at National Museums Scotland has translated an inscription found on an arm ring in the hoard. The mysterious message, written in Anglo-Saxon runic script, reads: “This is the community’s wealth/property.”
Researchers still have many unanswered questions about the Galloway Hoard. But the proposed translation is a “significant development” in its own right, says Martin Goldberg, principal curator of medieval archaeology and history at National Museums Scotland, in a statement.
“The idea that the wealth this hoard represents would be communally held is fascinating,” he adds.
Over the years, researchers have put forth many theories about the Galloway Hoard, which is now part of the collection at National Museums Scotland. The stash contained four arm rings inscribed with Anglo-Saxon runes, which suggests the treasure may have belonged to four separate owners.
Three of the arm rings are inscribed with elements of Old English names, but the fourth—which read “DIS IS ЇIGNA ˑFˑ”—was undecipherable. Scholars were perplexed by the inscription, which did not appear to match any known language from early medieval Britain or Ireland.
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They had a breakthrough when they realized the “ˑFˑ” could be interpreted to mean “feoh,” which means property or wealth. They also deduced that “DIS” is probably a phonetic spelling of the word “this.” And, finally, they believe “ЇIGNA” might be a stand-in for the Old English word “higna,” which means community.
In other Anglo-Saxon writings from the period, “higna” often connotes a religious community. That definition aligns with some of the artifacts found in the hoard, including a pectoral cross and a rock crystal jar made for someone named Bishop Hyguald.
Together, these findings “would support this being a religious community,” says Goldberg in the statement.
But why would a religious community bury so much treasure? Historians still aren’t sure, but they can look to the historical context for clues. Around the time the Galloway Hoard was buried, the Vikings were raiding monasteries—so maybe this particular religious community hid its valuables in a bid to keep them out of the hands of the Vikings.
“One thing is clear: this does not look like a single person’s belongings,” write Adrián Maldonado and David Parsons in an accompanying article for National Museums Scotland. Maldonado is an archaeologist who led the museums’ recently completed “Unwrapping the Galloway Hoard” research project, and Parsons is a runologist at the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David.
While scholars continue to tease out the lingering mysteries surrounding the Galloway Hoard, the cache itself is embarking on a world tour. Starting this month, it’s on display at the South Australian Museum in Adelaide as part of an exhibition titled “Treasures of the Viking Age: The Galloway Hoard.”
“We’re spreading the wealth,” Goldberg tells the Guardian’s Dalya Alberge. “Everybody owns a bit of this hoard—just like the inscription says.”
