The vessel was… packed with precious objects and placed upside down.
What is it?
This lidded, silver-gilt vessel is c.150mm tall, and 92.4mm in diameter at the rim. It was discovered as part of the Viking Age Galloway Hoard, filled with a variety of objects including beads, pendants, and other treasures. Remnants of the cloth used to wrap the vessel are still attached to its exterior. The container is decorated with imagery associated with Zoroastrianism, the religion of the Sasanian Empire. The central motif is the fire altar, a popular element of Sasanian imperial iconography, which appears inside four roundels around the vessel, with triple-pointed crowns emerging from the flames and repeated at the base of each roundel. Also featured are leopards, tigers, and other motifs associated with western Asian art.
Where was it found, and when?
The vessel is a key part of the Galloway Hoard, a rich collection of rare and unique Viking Age objects that was buried around the end of the 9th century AD in Balmaghie, Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. The hoard was discovered in 2014 by metal-detectorists, and was then excavated by an archaeologist from Dumfries and Galloway Council. The silver-gilt vessel was found at the bottom of the deposit, where it had been placed upside down after being packed with precious objects and wrapped in two layers of textiles. For the last decade, it has been undergoing conservation and research work.
Sherds CA 406