The Galloway Hoard is an assemblage of Viking Age objects that were buried in southwest Scotland around 900 CE. With quantities of silver and other materials, the hoard is large, complex and valuable. Remarkably, wrapping and covering the metal objects are preserved textiles, leather and braids that bundle, connect and contain the metal, glass and rock crystal items.  This lecture presents the team’s analysis of the hoard’s fabrics and considers the significance of these rare materials for understanding this extraordinary assemblage.   

Dr Susanna Harris is Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Glasgow. A specialist in archaeological textiles, her aim is to raise the profile of textile evidence to a level comparable with their social importance, rather than with their rare survival. Harris has published widely on ancient textiles. She recently led the fibre and fabric analysis of Must Farm, Bronze Age pile-dwelling settlement and is working with National Museums Scotland on the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funded project, ‘Unwrapping the Galloway Hoard’.