The pommel was discovered by a metal detectorist and has now been acquired by National Museums Scotland.
In Scotland, a stunning and incredibly rare golden relic has been discovered close to Blairdrummond. The pommel, which experts believe to be around 1,300 years old, previously likely decorated the top of a sword hilt. The magnificent golden knob, which is 25g in weight and 5.5cm wide, is worth £30,000. The priceless antiquity has now been acquired by National Museums Scotland.
Senior Curator Dr Alice Blackwell holds the rare early medieval gold sword pommel. Image credit: Stewart Attwood
“The object is also encrusted with garnets and intricate goldwork and contains religious motifs and fantastical creatures.
Archaeologists have emphasized that the pommel’s discovery in the Stirling countryside adds to its significance by giving it connections to northern Britain’s culture, politics, and arts.
“Goldwork from this period is virtually unknown from anywhere in the UK and we are delighted to secure the Stirling Pommel for Scotland’s national collections,” Dr. Alice Blackwell, senior curator of medieval archaeology and history at National Museums Scotland told Daily Record UK.
“It is a hugely significant archaeological find, revealing more about this fascinating period in the history of northern Britain and representing the spectacular skill and craftsmanship of the period.
It’s challenging to pinpoint its origins and place of origin because it represents something of a cultural and artistic melting pot. It certainly has a lot of inheritance from Anglo-Saxon art, but it also dates from a time of the most astounding creative fusion, when several types of styles, works of art, and production methods were combined to create something entirely new.
The early medieval gold sword pommel was discovered near Blairdrummond. Image: National Museums Scotland
The pommel has this fantastic fusion that certainly puts it in northern Britain, and then we find it in Scotland, so it’s a fascinating bundle of stories that will keep us busy for quite a long time.
The pommel is believed to be around 1,300 years old. Image: Stewart Attwood
There’s a lot of research to be done on it because it’s unique. Sometimes people think when something goes into a museum, it becomes fixed and static, but it’s not, it’s the start of research to untangle all the things about it, its artistic fusion, and understand and contextualize what that tells us about early medieval Scotland,” Dr. Blackwell said.
The artifact was found by a local metal detectorist and reported to the Treasure Trove section, where the Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel assigned it to NMS (SAFAP).
John Logue, King’s and Lord Treasurer’s Remembrancer, said: “This discovery highlights the positive work done by the Treasure Trove Unit to decide upon the preservation of rare items for the nation.”
Src: kenhthoisu.net
