The Viking World: A History in ObjectsMain MenuGallery viewA galleryTag Cloudtag cloud pageThemesA path of thematic categoriesAuthor IndexExplore the collection by authorWorks CitedReferencesAdam Bigelow3afa9c7ecebf516bba6609664b1b12f79c54bf77Caitlin Donahue61b7e986e7c71d400e5c803912ed83c0cf65252fCaroline Harvey1783f21a5882b5b4d3d0b6c174d058052a5ff7eaEdward Hershewee701ef220480b51ca728fc9c719bc094cf813655Martin Hoffmana1fd203afd9a84ee8db567e188cf6ed1d269386eTyler Hruby23493f763b312110686cfafc62578fd0ab5f3833Brittany N. Johnsonc1c1763339f8fa953e3c907c6bb8a3bad0c28b2cCarlos Lua Pineda0a28cc23b0aa00b4f24a9e205aeb57fbdb07ff01Moira McConnell710633400590ea38533ea3412c01fc5056288180Clara McCurdy9aec76477d0b55f9c685c47330d6786ec98182e1Elise McIlhaneyef48481634ff342c8b43c9d56f678b2d3562fb69Cameron Meikle669a5682bfbfd603130a26e25628f24eb07e6295Alexander Christopher Newkirk019c2f5b38c043507251d1789e2fdf47e61c3b7fBenja Reilly816c23aa0d444213fb2d1ef33555a15617e08228Oliver Statenc625ae8c3926f5e1a4268bc91d6a6f4cdb1e7fb6Liam Sullivanaa3a1dccb90c7fe4646b61c4af594abbb0c5574aRead Wilder31bf4715220144a665996f2e6cae80a1a8611eadAliza Yazdanicd49f227d88c72331226ddf574bf56c37308cd10Austin Masonf6137011c68eb792c6e14634815583b15e707dea
Hoard of gold, silver, and jewelry
12017-05-10T09:51:02-07:00Carlos Lua Pineda0a28cc23b0aa00b4f24a9e205aeb57fbdb07ff01164564Hoard of 186 silver coins, 7 items of jewelry, and 15 silver ingotsplain2017-05-14T20:07:23-07:00David W. Williams. Hoard of Silver, Gold, Jewerly (Archive). Still Image, October 8, 2015. SUR-4A4231. Portable Antiquities Scheme. https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/751244.875-880SUR-4A4231CC BY attribution licence51°38'41.8"N , 1°00'37.9"WSilver, gold, jewelryThe British MuseumSouth Oxfordshire, EnglandEarly Medieval Circa AD 875-880Carlos Lua Pineda0a28cc23b0aa00b4f24a9e205aeb57fbdb07ff01
12017-05-21T13:06:49-07:00Hoard of gold, silver, and jewelry11Object Pageplain2017-09-19T19:33:28-07:00A viking warrior has just finished raiding a town and has amassed a big amount of valuable treasure. The army he is with is moving fast to engage another enemy force. What can this warrior do? He has a heavy chest of silver and there are no Chase Banks or Banks of America nearby. He has one choice, bury the hoard and come back for it later. People who buried their hoards were warriors on the move, cautious traders who did not trust those around them, or potential victims protecting possessions vital to their way of life like monks moving around the body of St. Philibert.[1] The purpose for the burying is completely for safekeeping. However if a the burier dies with the secret location of his treasure stash, then the hoard will be safe kept for a while. Hoards like these are precious thanks to the knowledge one can gain about the cultures involved. The items found can show us the kings in power at the time, which items were valued, and important political movements.
This particular hoard was found in Oxfordshire County, England on October 8th, 2015 with the help of a metal detector. The hoard contains 186 silver coins, 7 jewelry items, and 15 silver ingots. Most of the 186 silver coins have the likeliness of King Alfred the Great of Wessex which tells us that those coins are from his reign. The rest of the 186 silver coins show the likeliness of King Ceolwulf II of Mericia. Some of the coins were fragmented and this tells us that the Viking who possessed this hoard either found them this way, or he purchased things which required him to add small pieces of silver to meet the asking price of the item, like modern day change. The 7 items of jewelry included 3 silver arm rings and 1 gold scrap, and a neck ring. Arm rings were bestowed by lords on their subjects for the promise of their loyalty. The silver ingots were just basic blocks of silver, oblong in shape. The hoard was dated to have been buried in 880. The hoard was likely buried as a safeguard at the same time the Great Heathen Army was mobilizing.
Some of the silver coins depict two kings standing side to side. This style of design is called “The Two Emperors” which was modeled after Roman coins of the 4th century.[2] These coins were minted by both King Alfred and King Ceolwulf and they are extremely helpful in understanding the relationship between the two kingdoms.[3] At the time of the hoard burial, Wessex and Mercia had forged an alliance and fought for survival against the Great Heathen Army. The coin of the two kings is symbolic for the kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia who allied themselves to repel foreigners. Evidence of alliance is historically important because it shows us that two fierce long-time rivals banded together for the greater good rather than betraying each other.[4] The hoard was likely buried as a safeguard since the Great Heathen Army was mobilizing frequently.
