The collection includes objects such as armbands, brooches, ingots, and a touchstone (used for identifying precious metal alloys), all of it stored in a silver vessel. Much of the hoard, discovered in 2014 by a retiree using a metal detector, is on view in the newly opened Kirkcudbright Galleries, named for the county in southwest Scotland where it was found. After conservation, a Latin inscription was found etched on the bottom of the vessel that reads: “Bishop Hyguald had me made.” Historical records do indicate several church officials by that name, says professor Alex Wolff, senior lecturer at the University of St Andrews in an announcement, but none of them a bishop, so Hyguald’s identity remains a mystery. The National Museums Scotland, the hoard’s owner, has revealed that one object that was wrapped in a fragile cloth is a two-inch rock crystal jar encased in gold filigree. The Galloway Hoard, one of the most significant Viking-era treasures ever to emerge in Scotland, has provided yet another gift, seven years after it was discovered and just in time for the festive season.
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