Discovery of Viking age ingot gives 'insight' into Island 1,000 years ago

Silver found in the south by metal detectorist

Manx National Heritage says the discovery of a Viking age ingot gives an insight into life on the Isle of Man more than 1000 years ago.

The bar of metal was found in the south of the Island by metal detectorist John Smart.

Curator of Archaeology Allison Fox said it would have been used as currency by the Vikings: "I often compare it to a credit card, essentially. Because the value is in its silver content ... they could spend that anywhere in the Viking world."

The exact location of the discovery isn't being revealed but Allison told Manx Radio it was from an area where they 'haven't had as much similar material coming up' providing another 'geographical dot' about where the Vikings spent their time:

To meet the legal definition of treasure items must have no traceable owner and metal items must contain at least 10 percent precious metal.

The Coroner of Inquests declared the ingot treasure after research with the University of Liverpool found it had a silver content of more than 88 percent.

John Smart's had a metal detector for more than 40 years.

He says it's thrilling: "It's the thought of finding something of interest ... you're detecting over a land with nothing, it's soundless, then suddenly there's a little beep. Suddenly, there's the interest of what that might be".

The ingot will go on display in the Manx Museum today (30 May).