Vale of York Viking Hoard

The hoard represents the most important British find of the Viking period since the Cuerdale Hoard in 1840. It consists of a Carolingian cup inside which was found a gold armring, 67 pieces of silver comprising 4 armrings, and chopped-up fragments of brooches, ingots and rods (hacksilver) and 617 silver coins. The objects come from many different countries and workshops while the artist/makers are mostly unknown. The varied geographical and cultural origins of the material tell a story of the wide trading networks in which early medieval England was involved, stretching through Scandinavia and the Baltic into Islamic Central Asia. The hoard has been jointly acquired by the British Museum and Yorkshire Museum with a contribution from the Wolfson Foundation. The hoard is destined to be on display at Yorkshire Museum in 2009 and the British Museum Early Medieval Gallery after that.