“Unveiling the Lost Legacy: How a 9th-Century Anglo-Saxon Cross Was Brought Back from the Brink”
“The pectoral cross…. is an outstanding example of the Anglo-Saxon goldsmith’s art,” added Leslie Webster, who formerly curated the British Museum’s Britain, Prehistory and Europe collection. “The discovery of this pendant cross… is of major importance for the study of early medieval goldsmiths’ work, and for our understanding of Viking and Anglo-Saxon interactions.”
National Museums ScotlandThe Galloway Hoard, uncovered in 2014 in Kirkcudbrightshire county, Scotland.
Because of its intricate design, cleaning the relic was no easy task. In order not to damage the item as a whole, researchers needed to improvise. Conservators used a carved porcupine quill, which was “sharp enough to remove the dirt yet soft enough not to damage the metalwork.”
According to National Museums Scotland, the cross will soon go on public display in the “Galloway Hoard: Viking-Age Treasure” exhibit at the Edinburgh Museum from Feb. 21 to May 9, 2021. The exhibit will include other artifacts from the Galloway Hoard, such as silver bracelets, gold rings, pins, and more. But in the end, it’s the cross that remains perhaps the most tantalizing aspect of the exhibit.
“The cross is a wonderfully visual representation of the work we have been doing to reveal new details about the Galloway Hoard,” said Goldberg. “The conservation work lets us see this object clearly for the first time in over a thousand years, but it also reveals a whole new set of questions.”
After learning about the 1,000-year-old Anglo-Saxon cross that was restored to its former glory, read up on these 32 Viking facts that reveal one of history’s most misunderstood civilizations. Then, learn about how this Viking warrior skeleton was discovered to be female.
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