Archaeology breakthrough as incredible new discovery finally solves 1,000-year-old mystery
A recent archaeological breakthrough on the Isle of Man has solved a 1,000-year-old mystery with a Viking treasure hoard found.
A newly discovered Viking hoard featured 36 coins, which date from AD 1000 to 1065, and was discovered by metal detectors John Crowe and David O’Hare on private land earlier this year.
The find has now been declared treasure by Isle of Man authorities.
The coins were minted during the reigns of English kings Edward the Confessor, Aethelred II, and even the Norse King of Dublin, Sihtric Silkbeard.
And, they are now set to be displayed at the Manx Museum from October 2–13, giving the public a rare insight into the Viking Age economy.
The Isle of Man is well-known for Viking treasures, with the region recording more silver discoveries per square kilometre than any other part of the British Isles.
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Experts argue that this most recent discovery sheds even more light on Viking trade routes across the Irish Sea.
Allison Fox, Curator for Archaeology at Manx National Heritage, said: “This is a wonderful find which helps further our understanding of the complex Viking Age economy on the Isle of Man.
“More Viking silver has been discovered here than in any other region of the British Isles, which is a testament to the island’s rich history.”
The coins will now be studied by experts, including renowned Viking coin specialist Dr Kristin Bornholdt Collins, who believes the hoard was likely assembled in stages.
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She explained: “This important hoard was likely assembled in two or more stages, with the earlier English and Irish coins deposited together in the first instance, and the later coins dating to Edward the Confessor added later.
“Like the slightly earlier and larger, Northern and Glenfaba hoards, and the similarly dated Kirk Michael hoards, this new hoard might be compared to a wallet containing all kinds of credit cards, notes and coins, perhaps of different nationalities, such as when you prepare to travel overseas, and shows the variety of currencies available to an Irish Sea trader or inhabitants of Man in this period.
“Combined, the hoards provide a rare chance to study the contents side by side, right down to the detail of the dies used to strike the coins. Having this much closely dated comparative material from separate finds is highly unusual”.
The hoard’s geographical range, with coins from English mints like York, London, and Exeter, alongside Irish ones from Dublin, paints a picture of an extensive and mobile Viking economy, linking trade routes from Ireland to England and through the Isle of Man.
This incredible discovery not only offers historians and archaeologists a rare chance to study the Viking Age but also solves a thousand-year-old mystery that has been buried beneath the island until now.
