Several silver objects are laid out on a black table. Pillows prop up a cross and arm-ring bundle with the rest organised by object type.
Past exhibitions

The Galloway Hoard: Viking-Age Treasure

–

National Museum of Scotland

About The Galloway Hoard: Viking-Age Treasure

The Galloway Hoard brings together the richest collection of rare and unique Viking-age objects ever found in Britain or Ireland. It is of international significance and will transform our understanding of this period of Scottish history.

Nothing like this has ever been found in Scotland...

Dr Martin Goldberg, Principal Curator of Medieval Archaeology and History

Bringing together the richest collection of rare and unique Viking-age objects ever found in Britain or Ireland, the internationally significant Galloway Hoard is transforming our understanding of Scotland’s connections with the wider world during this period.

The Hoard was buried around AD 900 and contains over 100 diverse objects, from silver, gold and jewelled treasures to rarely surviving textiles, including wool, linen and Scotland’s earliest examples of silk.

Discovered by a metal detectorist in Dumfries and Galloway in 2014, the Hoard was allocated to National Museums Scotland in 2017, when a selection of items went on display as part of successful fundraising campaign supported by the National Heritage Memorial Fund and Art Fund to save it for the nation. With generous public support, an intensive programme of conservation and research is now underway, uncovering the secrets of the Hoard for the very first time.

This free exhibition displayed cleaned and conserved objects from the Hoard, revealing intricate decoration not seen since the objects' burial more than 1,000 years ago. It also revealed hidden details found in X-rays, CT scans and 3D models. Innovative research and analysis has already revealed much about the Hoard, Future work might yet uncover more about this unparalleled Viking-age find.

After the exhibition ended at the National Museum of Scotland, it went on tour to Kirkcudbright Galleries from 9 October 2021 to 10 July 2022 and on to Aberdeen Art Gallery from 30 July to 23 October 2022.

Exhibition highlights

Supported by

You might also like

  1. A Bronze Age sun headed pin, sword and spearhead. The remnants of a wooden scabbard are laid on the sword.
    Discover

    The Carnoustie Hoard: A rare glimpse into Bronze Age customs

    In 2016 a Bronze Age hoard was discovered in Carnoustie, Angus. The site also showed evidence of a Neolithic feat hall. These objects give us clues about who lived in this area thousands of years ago.
    Keep reading
  2. A wooden plate with a knife, fork and spoon as well as a small silver lidded jug.
    Discover

    The 'tappit hen': A drinking vessel used during the lifetime of Robert Burns

    These pewter drinking vessels were common in eighteenth century Scotland’s public houses because they were relatively cheap to make and could withstand use and, perhaps, abuse.The name ‘tappit hen’ is derived from the distinctive…
    Keep reading
  3. Discover

    Fashion and folklore of the Arnish Moor man

    In the Isle of Lewis, in the early 1700s, two young men had an altercation on Arnish Moor. One of them was mortally injured, and his body buried just off the main road. Over three hundred years later, his clothed remains with a few small…
    Keep reading