St Ninian's Isle Treasure, Medieval silver hoard in Shetland Islands, United Kingdom.
The St Ninian's Isle Treasure is a medieval silver collection in the Shetland Islands and contains twenty-eight silver objects such as bowls, brooches, spoons, and weapon decorations from the eighth century. The items were buried beneath a stone slab at a chapel site and are now accessible in part as replicas.
The collection was discovered in 1958 when a teenager found it buried beneath a stone slab during an archaeological excavation at a medieval chapel site. This discovery revealed important information about life and craftsmanship in early medieval Scottish communities.
The silver items display craftsmanship through detailed decorative patterns and show the metalworking abilities of early medieval Scottish craftsmen. These pieces were part of daily life for wealthy people and served both practical and decorative purposes.
Visitors can view replicas of the treasure at the Shetland Museum, while the original collection is held at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. The replicas provide a good sense of the form and craftsmanship of the original pieces if you cannot visit both locations.
The wooden box holding the silver pieces was made from larch, suggesting trade connections since this tree species did not grow in Britain at that time. The use of this wood shows how far trade routes extended in this early period.
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