Exhibition to showcase the first thousand years of silver in Scotland

A new exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland is to show for the first time how silver, not gold, became the most important precious metal in Scotland over the course of the first millennium AD.

New research and recent archaeological discoveries will chart the first thousand years of silver in Scotland. The exhibition will showcase Scotland’s earliest silver, arriving with the Roman army, and show the lasting impact this new material had on early Medieval Scotland.

This research is part of a multi award-winning cultural partnership with The Glenmorangie Company which is now in its ninth year.

Alice Blackwell, Glenmorangie Research Fellow at National Museums Scotland, said: “We’re delighted to be able to showcase the first thousand years of silver in Scotland. This exhibition looks at the most powerful objects made in a new and precious material. It sheds light on the crucial transition from Roman Iron Age tribal society to the first kingdoms in Scotland that emerged in the 4th – 9th centuries.

“It’s very exciting to be able to tell a story of a thousand years of power and prestige through the biography of this one precious metal. This research would not have been possible without the long and enthusiastic support of The Glenmorangie Company, and we are extremely proud of how our innovative partnership has enriched academic and public understanding of Scotland’s past.”

Hamish Torrie, corporate social responsibility director at The Glenmorangie Company, said “We are rooted deep in Scotland and Glenmorangie has been delighted to support the extensive study of the Early Medieval period in an innovative research partnership that is now in its ninth year. The exhibition is another exciting milestone in the Glenmorangie Research Project, bringing fascinating material and innovative scholarship into the public eye.”

The exhibition will include the first public display of the recently unveiled Dairsie Hoard, which dates to the late 3rdcentury AD and is the earliest known example of hacksilver from anywhere beyond the Roman frontier.

Also on its first full public display is the Gaulcross hoard, discovered in Aberdeenshire in 2013. Since its excavation, research has revealed striking similarities with another find, from Norrie’s Law, in Fife. Both hoards date to the 5th–6th centuries AD and show for the first time how earlier Roman silver was recycled and repurposed over the centuries.

By the early medieval period, silver was being made into new power symbols, including massive silver neck chains. These striking objects are unique to Scotland, and the nine surviving examples will be showcased together for the first time in this exhibition. They show both the importance of silver and the amount that was available in parts of Scotland – the heaviest is made from almost 3kg of silver. Elaborate brooches were also made in silver, and the exhibition will re-examine one of National Museums Scotland’s most iconic objects, the Hunterston Brooch.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a book publication and a programme of public events, and will reflect recent scholarship undertaken to place Scotland’s early silver in a European context through a research network project supported by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council.

The exhibition has been made possible by an innovative partnership between The Glenmorangie Company and National Museums Scotland. Since 2008, this association has supported the Museum’s academic research and public engagement activities and funded an archaeological research post. The basis for the partnership comes from eighth-century Hilton of Cadboll Stone, on display in the National Museum of Scotland’s Early People gallery. The Hilton of Cadboll stone was discovered near Glenmorangie Distillery in Ross-shire, and is the inspiration for the brand icon that adorns Glenmorangie’s range of single malt whiskies.