RELATIVE to their lingering influence, reputation for violent conquest and charismatic persona, archaeologists aren’t exactly drowning in Viking artefacts. We can all summon an image of the curly-ended longships, the shields and battle garb—but many of the visuals we append to this much mythologised way are based on a few knockout pieces, scattered clues, and many smaller fragments. 

The Scandinavian raiders’ territory-grabbing interlude in history lasted a little less than three centuries, from 793 to 1066, with Scandinavian control clinging on across the Scottish Hebrides until 1266. But given they were influenced by cultures before and informed those after, finding an artefact that genuinely adds to the picture of