Roman rock crystal jar from Galloway hoard

The Galloway hoard was unearthed from a ploughed field in western Scotland in 2014. It offered the richest collection of Viking-age objects ever found in Britain or Ireland. One of the artefacts was within a pouch that was mangled and misshapen. Now that pouch has been removed and its contents restored, revealing an extraordinary Roman rock crystal jar. The hoard was buried around AD900 and contained artifacts from the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, Ireland and as far away as Asia. It was unearthed in Kirkcudbrightshire. Research suggests that the rock crystal carving was in fact Roman. It was perhaps 600 years old by the time it was transformed into a jar.

Rock crystal is unusual in itself. It was greatly prized in the ancient world for its transparency and translucency. It was associated with purity. An unexpected Latin inscription appears on the jar’s base. Spelled out in gold letters, it translates as “Bishop Hyguald had me made”. This is evidence that some of the hoard may have come from a church in the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria. 97 of the hoard’s artifacts are included in a touring exhibition, titled The Galloway hoard: Viking-age treasure. See ----->The Galloway Viking Hoard