An impressive vase made of clear quartz and encased in gold was finally revealed in its entirety, showing an inscription in Latin that may provide new clues to its mysterious origins.
Researchers at the National Museum of Scotland, where the Viking Age ship is being preserved, believe the receptacle was likely used for religious purposes. And one expert believes it may have been a diplomatic gift from the Roman Empire to an Anglo-Saxon kingdom in Britain.
The treasure was discovered in southwest Scotland in 2014 and is part of the Galloway Hoard – described in a press release as “the richest collection of rare and unique Viking Age objects ever found in Great Britain or Ireland”.
When the jar was first removed from the warehouse, it was covered with tissue, meaning the team had to perform 3D X-ray sessions to get a better image of the jar before it went through a conservation process allowing the covers to be covered. removed.
About two inches tall and resembling a perfume bottle, the inscription on the jar reads “Bishop Hygauld had me made.” Researchers believe this is an indication that it was made in the mighty Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria, in present-day northern England and southern Scotland.
“There are elements in jewelery that are unlike anything we’ve seen in regular Anglo-Saxon jewelery,” said Martin Goldberg, senior curator of the museum’s Viking and Medieval collections.
“So maybe there is still a question about where it was made,” he told the CNN. “But the reason we think it was Anglo-Saxon England is because there’s this inscription at the bottom.”
Although the Galloway Hoard dates back to around 900 AD, this object is believed to be much older – and Goldberg’s theory is that a notable individual from the Roman Empire gave the vial as a gift to the Anglo-Saxons in the form of a column of Corinthian-style crystal used to contain perfume or a liquid “of great value” – before being converted to a vase and plated with gold.
His theory is supported by having seen similar objects in the Vatican collection – and by the knowledge that there were only two powers capable of using transparent quartz in this way – the Roman Empire and the Fatimid Caliphate of North Africa.
“If the only known examples are in the Vatican collection, then the theory we would like to pursue is: is this a diplomatic gift from that collection?” he said. “Are we seeing this kind of direct connection in the ninth century CE, between early medieval Rome and Anglo-Saxon Northumbria?”
While Goldberg and his colleagues are still researching the object’s exact origins, they are unanimous in how exciting this discovery is, with Goldberg calling it “the high point of my career.”
“This object is absolutely fascinating,” said Leslie Webster, former guardian of the Great Britain, Prehistory and Europe collections at the British Museum, in a press release. “I’ve seen many Anglo-Saxon finds over the years in my professional career, some of them incredible. But it absolutely knocks them all out at once.”
The fabrics in which the jar was wrapped are also being scrutinized – so Goldberg hopes there will be more exciting discoveries in the next two years.
Much of the Galloway Hoard is currently on display at Kirkcudbright Galleries, where part of it will stay for the long term, while the rest of it is transferred to Edinburgh for display at the National Museum of Scotland.
This content was originally created in English.
original version
Reference: CNN Brasil
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