[MR] Treasure Day!

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

Today it is a golden double-header, with stories about two amazing hoards.

NBC News has a feature about a Dutch historian who found an amazing cache
of objects while metal detecting. The find was unearthed near Hoogwould in
The Netherlands in 2021, but was not announced until it had been cleaned
and analysed. The treasure consists of four gold earrings, two gold wire
twisted strips, and 39 silver pennies. While the gold objects date to
around 1000 CE, the newest coin is from 1250.

The area around Hoogwoud was wracked by war during the mid-1200s. Count
William II of Holland and Zeeland was campaigning against the West Frisians
in this area. On 28 January 1256, William became separated from his army
and tried to cross a frozen lake on horseback. His horse fell through the
ice, leaving William stranded. He was found by some Frisians, who
promptly offed him and buried his body beneath a house. It is highly
possible that this treasure was hidden during this time, and never
recovered by its owners.

The story is at
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/dutch-historian-discovers-medieval-treasure-using-metal-detector-rcna74304
.

William II's death is discussed at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_II_of_Holland .

Our second treasure story, from the History Blog, is all about a Danish
treasure found near Vindelev in South Jutland, also by a metal detectorist.

This hoard consists of 22 gold objects, most bracteates, or round
ornamental objects worn by elite Germanic tribal leaders during the 4th and
5th century CE Migration Period. Unlike most bracteates that are the size
of pennies, these are the size of saucers. There are also two gold Roman
coins mounted as pendants.

The gold objects aside, what is even more exciting to historians is a runic
inscription on one of the bracteates translated as "He is Odin's man." This
is thought to be the oldest mention of the Norse/Germanic God. Other runes
translate as "Jaga" or "Jagaz", who may be the "he" in the first
inscription, and the possible owner of the treasure.

The story and photos are at http://www.thehistoryblog.com .

Yours Aye,


Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆