September 2021 Meeting

An introduction by Trevor Cowie

A recent reconsideration of old and new finds in the collections of National Museums Scotland has revealed an important seam of evidence for the Viking Age (9-11th centuries) from the Scottish borderlands. The Tweed may seem a world away from the boat burials of the Northern and Western Isles, but objects ranging from exotic imported dress items to silver ‘pocket change’ show that the border valleys connected the Danelaw to the Norse lordships of the north and west. This is not only the story of Scandinavian connections, however, but the last days of old Northumbria, the first royal burghs and the diverse roots of the kingdom of Scotland. The talk will feature new imagery and fresh perspectives resulting from the Glenmorangie Research Project at National Museums Scotland, in advance of the new book Crucible of Nations: Viking Age to Medieval Scotland, due out in October.

Dr Adrián Maldonado is an archaeologist specialising in early medieval Scotland. He obtained his PhD from the University of Glasgow in 2011, and has been a lecturer in archaeology at the University of Glasgow and the University of Chester. Adrián joined the NMS in 2018 as Glenmorangie Research Fellow, investigating the collections relating to the Viking Age and the origins of the kingdom of Scotland, 9-12th centuries AD. He is now providing research support for the ongoing conservation and exhibition of the amazing Galloway Hoard.

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Illustration Above
Silver ingots from Sprouston and Branxholme, Roxburghshire. The complete one may pre-date the Viking-age, while the chopped fragment has been used as payment in a Viking-age ‘hacksilver’ bullion economy. © Trustees of National Museums Scotland.