#EarlySilver #Glenmorangie
Discover the story of Scotland’s early silver and how this precious metal helped to shape the first kingdoms of Scotland.
Today gold is more valuable than silver, but in the first millennium AD silver was the most powerful material in Scotland. Scotland’s earliest silver arrived with the Roman army and had a lasting impact on local society, quickly becoming associated with prestige and power.
In the centuries that followed, Roman silver objects were hacked up, melted down and recycled to make iconic early medieval treasures like massive silver chains and ornate brooches.
The exhibition includes the recently discovered Dairsie Hoard, which dates to the late 3rd century AD and is the earliest known example of hacksilver from anywhere beyond the Roman frontier.
Also continuing on its first full public display is the Gaulcross hoard, discovered in Aberdeenshire in 2013. Since its excavation, this hoard has cast new light on how early Roman silver was recycled and repurposed over the centuries.
Scotland’s Early Silver follows three years of research supported by The Glenmorangie Company.
Touring Scotland from May 2018 to March 2019
Museum nan Eilean, Lews Castle
3 May – 23 June 2018
Kirkcudbright Galleries
7 July – 30 September 2018
Duff House, Banff
12 October 2018 – 17 March 2019