The Harrogate hoard is an undisturbed tenth-century Viking hoard of over 617 silver coins and other items. The hoard was discovered in 2007 near the town of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. The hoard is the largest discovered in western Europe since 1840, when the Cuerdale hoard was found in Lancashire.
On 6 January 2007, David Whelan, a semi-retired businessman from Leeds, and his son Andrew, a surveyor, discovered the Harrogate hoard using metal detectors. The Whelans told BBC News they have been metal detecting as a hobby for about five years.
They found the hoard in an empty field that had not yet been ploughed for spring sowing. Later the empty field was searched but no evidence of a settlement or structure was found. About 30 cm underneath the soil the Whelans found a silver bowl (see pic below)and could see coins and scraps of silver. The Whelans reported the find to Amy Cooper, Finds Liaison Officer of the Portable Antiquities Scheme (this was one of the first finds reported to Cooper).[5] The pair was commended for displaying "exemplary behaviour in not unpacking all the objects from the bowl, but keeping the find intact." The hoard was transferred to the British Museum, where conservators excavated each find to preserve the objects and "contextual information."[6] The discovery was announced on 19 July 2007. The British Museum press release stated, "The size and quality of the hoard is remarkable, making it the most important find of its type in Britain for over 150 years," and also said, "The find is of global importance, as well as having huge significance for the history of North Yorkshire".
At a court hearing in Harrogate on 19 July, the hoard was classified as a Treasure by North Yorkshire coroner Geoff Fell under the Treasure Act 1996 (which requires the find to be offered for sale to museums, with the proceeds divided by agreement between the discoverers and the landowner). The find will be valued by the Independent Treasure Valuation Committee for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The Whelans were quoted as saying that a conservative estimate for the value of the hoard was about �750,000.
The hoard includes over 617 silver coins and 65 other items, including ornaments, ingots and precious metal, which were hidden in a gilt silver vessel lined with gold (variously identified as a cup, bowl, or pot) made in France or Germany around 900 and decorated with "vines, leaves and six hunting scenes showing lions, stags, and a horse". The vessel is thought to have been used to hold communion bread for a wealthy church or monastery in northern France, and acquired either in a Viking raid or as tribute. The vessel was buried in a lead chest. [4][5]
A rare gold arm ring (possibly from Ireland), and hacksilver (fragments of cut metal sometimes used as currency) were also found. Reports indicate that the coins bear Islamic, Christian, and pre-Christian Norse pagan symbols: "some of the coins mixed Christian and pagan imagery, shedding light on the beliefs of newly Christianized Vikings."
The hoard had been protected by lead sheeting of some kind, and the first theory as to the tenth-century occasion for such a careful burying of the hoard was that it had belonged to a wealthy Viking leader during the unrest that followed the conquest of the Viking kingdom of Northumbria in the year 927 by the Anglo-Saxon king of a unified England, Athelstan (924�939). Another brief period of Viking rule in Northumbria followed Athelstan�s death in 939; it lasted until the expulsion and murder of the Viking king of J�rv�k (modern-day York), Eric Bloodaxe, in 954.
The hoard included objects from many diverse locations, including Samarkand in present-day Uzbekistan, North Africa, Afghanistan, Russia, Ireland, Scandinavia, and continental Europe, "illustrating the breadth of the Vikings' travels and trade connections." Gareth Williams, curator of early medieval coins at the British Museum, examined the artifacts.
Source, Wiki
The pot was delivered to the British Museum with its valuable hoard intact inside � British Museum
A major Viking hoard, discovered intact within a gilt silver bowl near Harrogate by metal detectorists in January 2007, has been unveiled by the British Museum.
Experts say the remarkable size and quality of the hoard makes it the most important find of its type in Britain since the Cuerdale Hoard was discovered in Lancashire in 1840.
The Harrogate Hoard, which was promptly reported by the finders David and Andrew Whelan to their local Finds Liaison Officer (FLO), contains a mixture of different precious metal objects, including coins, complete ornaments, ingots (bars) and chopped-up fragments known as hack-silver.
It also reveals a remarkable 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.
"Finds such as this are invaluable in teaching us about our history,� said Margaret Hodge, Culture Minister. �This remarkable discovery highlights the contribution both the Treasure Act and the Portable Antiquities Scheme continue to make towards our knowledge of the past.�
The finders kept the find intact and promptly reported it to their local FLO. As a possible Treasure find, it was then transferred to the British Museum where conservators have been carefully excavating each individual object to avoid damaging them or losing important contextual information.
�I commend David and Andrew Whelan for their prompt and responsible reporting of this hugely significant find, which will enrich our understanding of the Vikings," added the Minister.
The most spectacular single object is the gilt silver vessel, made in what is now France in the first half 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, consisting of 617 silver coins and 65 other items, 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, whilst many of the coins are new or rare types that will 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.
It is thought that the hoard was probably buried for safety by a wealthy Viking leader during the unrest that followed the conquest of the Viking kingdom of Northumbria in AD 927 by the Anglo-Saxon king Athelstan (924-39).
The pot contained a total of 617 silver coins and 65 other objects. � British Museum
Vikings had first dominated the area when an army conquered the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria in AD 869. The area had another brief period of Viking rule following Athelstan�s death in 939, which lasted until the death of the Viking King of Jorvik, Eric Bloodaxe in 954.
As well as having huge significance for the Viking rich history of North Yorkshire, the Harrogate Hoard is being hailed as a find of global importance.
York Museum Trust, Harrogate Borough Council's Museums & Arts Service and the British Museum say they are now committed to working together to acquire, interpret and exhibit the hoard, and to making it accessible to the widest possible audience, both in the region and elsewhere.
�York�s new partnership with the British Museum has focused on sharing collections for display, such as the Warren Cup and Roman collections for the Constantine exhibition at the Yorkshire Museum,� said Mary Kershaw, Director of Collections at York Museums Trust. �It would be wonderful to work together on the joint purchase of such a stunning and important group of material.�
The next stage of the Treasure process is for the hoard to be valued for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport by the independent Treasure Valuation Committee. In the meantime the museums will continue to develop more detailed plans to raise money for the acquisition, and to exhibit the hoard once it is acquired.
The Portable Antiquities Scheme has a national network of 36 Finds Liaison Officers who record all archaeological finds made by members of the public and assist with the reporting of potential Treasure finds, as required by the Treasure Act.
The Scheme is run by the British Museum on behalf of the Museums Libraries and Archives Council. The online database,
www.finds.org.uk, contains details of over 175,000 objects reported by members of the public.
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