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• 1 2017-05-22T08:57:46-07:00 Hon Hoard Gold and Garnet Pendant 8 object page plain 2017-06-06T18:50:52-07:00  

  The Hon Gold and Garnet Pendant is a golden ornamental object. This talisman provides a helpful insight into the economic relationships that defined Viking interaction with local continental and British power, namely one of ransom. The piece was part of a large underground collection of artifacts uncovered from a bog excavation in 1834 in Buskerud, Norway¹. This hoard was thought to have been deposited sometime in the second half of the 9th century. The piece is small circular pendant or amulet with geometric gold designs accented by inlaid garnets with a centerpiece of a cross. This style of pendant is known as cloisonné and was prominent in Francia as well as parts of Anglo-Saxon England. The metalwork of the piece is excellent indicating a skilled craftsman.

   

  The Hon hoard was likely deposited for storage or hiding by a viking faction. The metalwork of the horde suggests almost none of the pieces were of Scandinavian origin. This, combined with the sheer concentration of gold, suggests that this hoard was in fact a ransom. An ambitious norseman would set out a viking hoping to return with riches and glory. Those riches could come from direct plunder, or from payment from local populations to leave them alone. This deposit in all likelihood represents one of those payments. This pendant also contains some religiously ambiguous imagery, with the central cross not being conclusively Christian, but is highly suggestive. Finally, this piece gives a crucial bit of context to the archaeological nature of our inquiry. The entire Hon find is known to us because it was deliberately put in the ground, perhaps as a sacrifice, perhaps as safekeeping. Regardless, those artefacts we have access to are those composed of preservable materials that have been either lost by accident or intentionally put in the ground. Thus our artifacts from this time are disproportionately going to be metallic objects associated with funerary rites, some other religious sacrifice, or a forgetful original stasher. The Hon gold and garnet pendant represents a sizable cache of valuables from diverse sources on the continent, consistent with the ransom and gifting economy as depicted in The Life of King Alfred. Interestingly, the majority of hoarded goods recovered are silver, making this find somewhat atypical .