Rare Viking gold found in Northern Ireland

A rare piece of Viking gold dating back more than a thousand years was discovered by an amateur treasure hunter in Co. Down. Northern Ireland. The Telegraph reports that Tom Crawford was pursuing his hobby with his metal detector in farmland in Brickland in Co. Down last year, when he made the discovery.

Written records say the Vikings plundered Loughbrickland in 833 AD. An expert told the inquest the gold may be a direct result of contact between locals and the Scandinavians, and noted the nearby regions of Strangford and Carlingford loughs were areas of intense and enduring Viking activity.

Dr Greer Ramsey, curator at Armagh County Museum said the ingots during the Viking period were used as currency. "Gold is extremely rare in the Viking period, there are vast quantities of silver. "There are very, very few parallels to the ingot," he added.

http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Viking-gold-more-than-1000-years-old-discovered-by-treasure-hunter-in-Co-Down-213821491.html#ixzz2XqJLb1bC