1,000 Year Old Viking Treasure Trove Unearthed In Scotland’s Dumfries Field

Vikings were infamous for raiding villages, monasteries, and more. In these raids, the Vikings would steal everything they could get their hands on of any value. In Scotland’s Dumfriesshire Fields, a treasure trove from a Viking raid has been unearthed, reports BBC News.

It is estimated that the treasure trove could be worth a six figure amount. Those studying the treasure in Scotland, however, say a price tag can not be put on the items for they are “priceless.” The treasure trove includes arm bands, brooches, and gold ingots. Also in the treasure trove is a early Christian cross believed to be from either the ninth or tenth century. The cross is solid silver with enameled decorations. The experts say it is “highly unusual” piece.

The Viking treasure was discovered in September by retired businessman, Derek McLennan, who was in the area using his metal detector. Once cleaned up and studied, the over 100 pieces of Viking treasure will be placed on public display.

McLennan almost failed to go out treasure hunting that day. He was feeling a bit under the weather but decided to get out of bed and pursue his passion for metal detecting. McLennan had received permission to search the site for treasures and, after hunting for about an hour, he discovered a silver object. Picking it up and cleaning it off, McLennan recognized it as being a Viking decoration.

“I dragged myself out of my sick bed because I had two friends that wanted to detect and I’m a bit of an obsessive. We still don’t know exactly what is in the pot, but I hope it could reveal who these artefacts belonged to, or at least where they came from. 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,” McLennan told ITV News.

Also found was, perhaps, the largest silver Carolingian pot ever to be discovered. The pot still had the lid in place and it was in one piece. Experts have dated the pot to be about 100 years old when it was buried by the Vikings.

“This is a hugely significant find, nothing like this has been found in Scotland before in terms of the range of material this hoard represents. There’s material from Ireland, from Scandinavia, from various places in central Europe and perhaps ranging over a couple of centuries.So this has taken some effort for individuals to collect together,” BBC News reported Stuart Campbell of the National Museum of Scotland as stating.

This find could turn out to be the most significant Viking hoard in Scotland history.