Tea-Break Archaeology · The Archaeology Podcast Network

A bundle of Viking Age text-speak - Ep 28

August 27, 2024·1 hr 2 min·2 clips

A mysterious burial ceremony around 900 AD reveals a stunning gold bird pin among treasures being hidden in the ground.

In this Tea Break Time Travel episode, host Matilda interviews Dr. Adrian Maldonado, a medieval archaeologist specializing in Scottish monasteries and Viking Age artifacts. Adrian discusses his journey from history student to archaeologist, triggered by studying medieval Scotland at St. Andrews University. The episode centers on the Galloway Horde—a Viking Age treasure discovered in Southwest Scotland around 900 AD, featuring 105 objects including a stunning gold bird-shaped pin. Adrian places this find within the complex 9th-century geopolitical landscape where Northumbria (an Anglo-Saxon kingdom controlling Scotland's southwest) faced pressure from a Great Viking Army, while simultaneously navigating linguistic and cultural boundaries between English, Irish/Gaelic, and Scandinavian populations.

As heard by us

A Viking hoard becomes a close look at preservation, personal objects, and two small dirt balls.

Tea Break Time Travel treats a Viking hoard as something more intimate than a pile of silver and gold. The object that matters most is the lidded vessel inside it, wrapped in three layers of textiles and turned upside down so dirt would not trickle in.

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Why you'd press play

You want a Viking hoard that behaves like a tiny archive.

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