Breathing new life into an Anglo-Saxon brooch – National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh

This is one of the seven Anglo-Saxon disc brooches found within a silver vessel discovered by a metal detectorist in September 2014 – one of more than 100 objects that were subsequently excavated and are now known as the Galloway Hoard (see CA 297 and CA 376). Made of silver and copper-alloy, the brooch – thought to have been buried c.AD 900 – was heavily corroded on discovery, and needed to undergo a careful conservation programme, carried out by Bethan Bryan, Assistant Artefact Conservator for National Museums Scotland. The brooch before removing the corrosion The brooch after removing the corrosion The brooch was first recorded in minute detail, which included taking X-r