What do we know about the objects in the Galloway Hoard?

The remarkable origins of a lidded vessel which contained treasures of the Galloway Hoard have been revealed for the first time, 10 years after its discovery.

Conservation work, research and scientific analysis have proved that the materials used to make the vessel originated in what is now central Iran.

Dr Martin Goldberg from National Museums Scotland, said: “We had suspected from X-ray scanning the vessel that it may have originated somewhere in central or western Asia, but it’s only now that we can say this is definitively the case.”

Pre-conservation image of the lidded vessel from the Galloway Hoard Image: Historic Environment Scotland The Viking-age hoard was discovered near Crossmichael on September 1, 2014, by metal detectorists and excavated by Dumfries & Galloway Council’s archaeologist Andrew Nicholson.

Buried around the end of the 9th Century, it contains the richest collection of rare and unique Viking-age objects ever found in Britain or Ireland.

Much of the hoard is made up of Viking-age silver, melted down from coins and metalwork from early medieval England.

However, some objects, including the lidded vessel, are different. Laser cleaning has revealed details of its design, including crowns, fire altars, leopards, and tigers, suggesting an association with the Sasanian Empire, in present day Iran.

The lidded vessel from the Galloway Hoard from above. Image: National Museums Scotland The vessel was found wrapped in textiles, which themselves are a rare survival, and have been carefully studied and kept for further analysis.

“It is incredible to imagine how the vessel made its journey halfway round the known world, from Iran to this distant corner of southwest Scotland,” said Dr Goldberg.

The vessel has gone on public display for the first time at the British Museum in London’s exhibition, Silk Roads, which runs until February 23.

The Galloway Hoard was acquired by National Museums Scotland in 2017. It will eventually go on long-term display at the National Museum in Edinburgh, with a “significant and representative portion” also displayed long-term at Kirkcudbright Galleries.