A hoard of Viking Age treasure that was buried for more than 1000 years is touring Australia.
The Galloway Hoard, regarded as one of the most significant Viking Age finds of recent times, was unearthed by a metal detector in Scotland in 2014.
It includes more than 90 objects such as a gold pin in the shape of a bird, and a silver cross with wire necklace wrapped around it, which date from about the 9th century AD.
The hoard is so precious, it has become an iconic representation of the Viking Age, said archaeologist Dr Adrián Maldonado from National Museums Scotland.
Following an exhibition in Adelaide earlier in 2025, the treasures will go on show at the Melbourne Museum from Saturday.
"It's a real opportunity to see these things up close and in person," Dr Maldonado said.
The treasure was buried in four separate sections, and the exhibition explores each in sequence, with reconstructions of conservation measures and painstaking research on the find.
Four silver arm rings in the hoard feature rare runic inscriptions, and researchers deciphered one of them only months ago.
One of the rings was inscribed with the runic letters for Eggbrect, similar to the Old English name Ecgbreht - but another ring inscription proved far more mysterious.
That was until Dr Maldonado noticed a dot on either side of one of the letters when viewing it under a microscope, and realised it could be an initial or abbreviation rather than part of a word.
His insight means the runic inscription could be interpreted as "þis is higna feoh" or "This is the community's property".
"That means that this horde wasn't buried by a single guy, a king or warlord, as we would usually assume in the Viking Age, it was actually buried by a community," said Dr Maldonado.
A lidded vessel contained even more treasures that pre-date the Viking Age, including a jar made of rock crystal that may have come from the Roman period.
Some of these items may have been heirlooms handed down for generations before the hoard was buried with some traced to mainland Europe and even as far as central Asia.
As well as silver and gold, the hoard was so carefully buried that silk and other textiles were also preserved - a rarity for finds from the period.
Treasures of the Viking Age: The Galloway Hoard runs from Friday until January 26 next year.
