Runic Inscription Reveals Galloway Hoard Was Communal Wealth

New research deciphers a Viking Age arm ring inscription, suggesting the hoard was owned by a community, possibly religious.

The Galloway Hoard, discovered in 2014 in Scotland, contains over 5kg of Viking Age gold, silver, and other treasures.
A newly translated inscription on one of the hoard's arm rings reads: 'This is the community’s wealth/property,' marking a major breakthrough in its study.
Researchers believe the inscription points to communal ownership, potentially by a religious group, supported by items like a pectoral cross and a jar linked to a Bishop Hyguald.
The translation process revealed linguistic anomalies, such as unconventional spellings, which researchers attribute to regional and idiomatic variations in early medieval runic writing.
The findings conclude a three-year research project and will feature in an international exhibition, starting in Adelaide, Australia, titled 'Treasures of the Viking Age: The Galloway Hoard.'