Dated: 15/09/2009

Last Chance to see Viking Hoard before Yorkshire Museum Closes

The most fabulous Viking hoard discovered in the UK in 150 years can now be seen in public for the first time at the Yorkshire Museum.

The treasure was discovered in 2007 in a field in North Yorkshire, and will be on show for a limited run of six weeks before the Museums closes for refurbishment on 2 November.

The hoard will then travel to the British Museum for the remainder of its conservation before returning next year.

The most spectacular single object in the hoard is a gilt silver cup or bowl, made in what is now France or western Germany around the middle of the ninth century.

It was apparently intended for use in church services, and was probably either looted from a monastery by Vikings or given to them in tribute. Most of the smaller objects were hidden inside this vessel, which was itself protected by some form of lead container. As a result, the hoard was extremely well-preserved.

Other star objects include a rare gold arm-ring and 617 coins, including several new or rare types. Overall, the hoard contains a mixture of different precious metal objects, mostly silver, including coins, ornaments, ingots (bars) and chopped-up fragments known as hack-silver (67 objects in total and 617 coins).

It shows the diversity of cultural contacts in the medieval world, with objects coming from as far apart as Afghanistan in the East and Ireland in the West, as well as Russia, Scandinavia and continental Europe.

These provide valuable new information about the history of England in the early tenth century, as well as Yorkshire's wider cultural contacts in the period. Interestingly, the hoard contains coins relating to Islam and to the pre-Christian religion of the Vikings as well as to Christianity.

A Viking army conquered the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria in AD 869. The area remained under Viking control until it was conquered by Athelstan in 927. The hoard was probably buried for safety by a wealthy Viking leader during the unrest that followed the conquest of Northumbria by the Anglo-Saxon king Athelstan.

The area had another brief period of independence following Athelstan's death in 939, which lasted until the death of the Viking ruler Eric Bloodaxe in 954. The Vikings made a lasting impact in Britain, including place names, sculpture and the influence on the English language, as well as archaeological remains. Yorkshire is one of the areas which shows the strongest Viking influence in the country.

The hoard was discovered in North Yorkshire in January 2007 by two metal detectorists, David and Andrew Whelan, who kept the find intact and promptly reported it to their local Finds Liaison Officer through the Portable Antiquities Scheme. The Vale of York hoard has been acquired through a unique partnership between the York Museums Trust and the British Museum in London with the substantial and generous support of a National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) grant of £507,100, and a £250,000 grant from independent charity The Art Fund.

Additional funding came from the Challenge Fund (£97,500) and York Museums Trust (£30,000 including many grants and individual contributions). £200,000 was raised through public appeal with many individual generous donations from the British Museum Friends. Additional Funds were raised to cover conservation costs.

Click here to see more images of the treasure.

Image courtesy of the Trustees of the British Museum.