Posted on 11/27/2019 8:51:36 AM PST by SunkenCiv
A painstaking clean-up operation on a haul of Viking-age treasures found buried on church land in Scotland is unlocking new secrets about their origins...
Tiny traces of linen, silk, wood and leather have been analysed during two years of detective work on the hoard has helped develop theories that some objects are several centuries older than previously thought.
The careful wrapping of more than 100 gold, silver and jewelled treasures is set to shed new light on how long it was accumulated for before being buried in Galloway nearly 1,000 years ago...
He said: "We have a better understanding now of the international range of hoard. There were always clues about the origins of some of the material and the amazing trajectories that brought them across Europe and Asia to be buried in Galloway. But we are learning more about the specifics about where things have come from and how old various things might be and for how long the hoard may have been accumulated for. We're sticking to AD 900 for the burial but some objects are looking like they are several centuries older."
...Goldberg added: "We know how many hard objects there were in the hoard, but we are still dealing with an unknown quantity of textiles. Some objects were wrapped in multiple layers of material. We're still working on identifying how many there were and what different types of material were in the hoard.
"But we know there is silk, linen, wood and leather. The range of organic materials in the hoard is very unusual.
"We're used to seeing hoards of gold and silver, but we're just not used to seeing that kind of preservation.
(Excerpt) Read more at scotsman.com ...
Tell you what, the very FIRST thing I would have done was date the organics. :)
The coconut’s tropical
I guess the question would be if they were revered in the north like they were in the Mediterranean, especially Egypt? Are depictions of the Ibis highly prevalent in the North?
treasures found buried on church land = grave robbing.
I am not sure however the birds were there 400 years ago. There are some other references to Hercules fighting them and According to local legend in the Birecik area, the northern bald ibis was one of the first birds that Noah released from the Ark as a symbol of fertility
Thats more like a heron or long necked goose.
They would not have seen a flamingo.
You sparked a curiosity and so I went looking for about 30 minutes. About the only birds held in high regard and depicted often in the north and included universally in lore was the Raven. But deeper digging could probably produce more. :)
Europe is famous for storks which nest in the same place as couples year after year. No Ibis worship in Britain.
I agree. But the prevalent hooked bill is very characteristic of the Ibis rather than the Stork?
Vikings were procurers of slaves they sold to the Muslims. I’d guess much of the hoard was booty confiscated by the religion of peace.
“Viking era” hoard begs the question. Buried by the Vikings or to keep it from them?
The Cloud, a.k.a. The Memory Hole.
Maybe, but years ago, each time I tried to date an organic, she shot me down.
Could be both -- Vikings also came to settle, 20 years would pass and another group of young Vikings would show up to raid. A few of the largest sea battles of the Middle Ages took place off Ireland because of that kind of thing.
The caption doesn't say flamingo or ibis, merely "golden bird". But ibis is probably a good guess, as is heron, stork, etc. I think the flamingo is an American critter, so, longshot.
Really? What grave that was robbed?
Speaking of Vikings, the premiere episode of the new season airs this Wednesday night.
“pet peeve of mine...the clouding of life.”
The new nuke targets are data centers. It’s going go be like burning the library of Alexandria.
To my eye, that flamingo is a swan
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