This is the second Viking treasure discovered this year by Cath Giles, an amateur detective on the Isle of Man off the British coast. The former police officer was transformed into a treasure hunter, this time they found a group of coins and objects buried at the beginning of the eleventh century.

Located off the British and Scottish coasts in the Irish Sea, the Isle of Man is a land rich in centuries-old history and archaeological remains. This is evidenced by the new discovery of Cath Giles, a former police officer who became a treasure hunter, who discovered remarkable jewelry on her land from the 10th century last December. Thanks to her metal detector, this time in April 87 coins, 13 pieces of silver rings, or “bullion” (for monetary use), various objects were found between the tenth and eleventh centuries, i.e. during the Dominion period. Viking On the island. ” Finding out about such a thing is an incredible feeling. We can not believe his eyes ഞങ്ങൾ We touch something that no one else has touched for a thousand years », Declared the inventor of the treasure.

A passenger’s piggy bank?

Assigned Monks National HeritageTreasure, an organization responsible for the preservation and enhancement of the Isle of Man’s cultural and historical heritage, was studied by independent researcher and numismatist Christine Bornholt-Collins. Analysis of the coins, not only of local origin, but also of Irish, English, and Germanic origin, dates back to the 1020s or 1030s, although some parts date back to the early 10th century. For the specialist, this deposit would be accumulated over the years by an individual and then buried like a pit bank or a traveler’s wallet and we would collect it from individual periods through nationalities.

Citric Silkiskeg, or Citric with a silky beard (King of Norse, Dublin from 989 to 1036), King of Denmark (1018 to 1035, King of Denmark, then King of England from 1016 to 1035), King of Norway from 1028 to 1035, King of Ethelred II King of England (1014 to 1016) or Otto II (Emperor of the Roman Empire of Holy Germany from 973 to 983). According to Christine Bornholt-Collins, the fund ” Specifies the different currencies available to an Irish seafarer or human inhabitant at the time .

Ancestor of Bitcoin

Allison Fox, Manx National Heritage Curator, says the discovery will help improve our understanding of the economics of the Viking period around the Isle of Man and the Irish Sea. “It’s incredibly complex “In addition to a variety of currencies, the treasure discovered by Cath Giles included a number of coins known as the” Long Cross “motif, which allowed the coin to be halved if only half was needed for payment, and the presence of pieces from England, Germany and Ireland testified to existing trade ties.

Allison Fox, curator of the Monks Museum, and Cath Giles, an amateur treasure hunter, present Viking-era fragments found on the Isle of Man. © Monks National Heritage

Unlike national currencies that have value only in a particular political area, the Isle of Man currencies derive their value from their silver content, so they are borderless. So they could be moved from one area to another. For example, a Dublin silver coin can be used in England, and vice versa. The function of the fragments of silver rings (bullion) is similar. The second used weights and currency. Christine Bornholt-Collins explains: “ Bullions were especially useful for international trade as they were suitable for transactions of various sizes. They were decentralized; Currency without borders or political affiliation. […] In this sense, it was the equivalent of our current cryptocurrencies. You could say they are the ancestors of Bitcoin. .

Treasure

The body of the remains found by Cath Giles was officially given a “treasure” status by Trey, and was given by Crown Prince Jane Hughes of the Isle of Man. After being analyzed by the Treasury Valuation Committee, an independent body responsible for assessing antiquities, the objects will be on display in the Viking Gallery at the Monks Museum. In the last fifty years, four such treasures have been discovered by the Isle of Man.